Padmanbha Swamy Temple Essays

Padmanbha Swamy Temple Essays Padmanbha Swamy Temple Essay Padmanbha Swamy Temple Essay Padmanabhaswamy Temple From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | | Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple | | Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple Location in Kerala| Coordinates:| 8 °28? 58? N  76 °56? 37? ECoordinates:  8 °28? 58? N  76 °56? 37? E| Name| Proper name:| Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple| Location| Country:| India| State:| Kerala| Location:| Thiruvananthapuram| Temple Details| Primary deity God:| Padmanabhaswamy (Vishnu)| Architecture and culture| Architectural styles:| Dravidian architecture  (Kovil)| Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple  (Malayalam:   ,  s? i padma? abhasvami k? et? a? ?) is a  Hindu  temple  dedicated to  Vishnu  located in  Thiruvananthapuram,  India. The shrine is currently run by a trust headed by the  royal family of Travancore. [1]  The temple is one of 108  Divya Desams  (Holy Abodes of Vishnu) – principal centres of worship of the deity in  Vaishnavism. The temple, constructed in the  Dravidian style of architecture, is glorified in the  Divya Prabandha, the early medieval  Tamil  literature canon of the Tamil  Alvar  saints (6th-9th centuries CE), with structural additions to it made throughout the 16th century CE, when its ornate  Gopuram  was constructed. [2][3]  The most recent renovations to the temple occurred in the 18th century CE. The temple features heavily in  Akilam five  series  of the  Akilathirattu Ammanai  corpus, the holy text of the  Ayyavazhi  belief system. Services were provided to the local community with the temples revenue. The temple gave its name to Kerala’s state capital Thiruvananthapuram. ‘Thiru’ ‘Anantha’ ‘Puram’ means  Sacred Abode of Lord Anantha Padmanabha. The principal deity,  Padmanabhaswamy, is enshrined in the Anantha-sayanam posture (in the eternal sleep of  Yoga-nidra  on the  serpent Ananta). [4]  The Travancore Kings regarded themselves as ‘Padmanabha-dasa’ (Servant of Lord Padmanabha). * | - [edit]History In ealier years[when?   Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its properties were controlled by eight powerful  Nair  feudal lords known as  Ettuveetil Pillamar  (Lords of the Eight Houses), under the guidance of the  Council of Eight and a Half. In a battle of succession in the 18th century, King Anizham Thirunal Valiya  Marthanda Varma, the ruler traditionally regarded as the founder of  Travancore, successfully suppressed the Ettuveeti l Pillais and his cousins following the discovery of conspiracies the Lords were involved in against the Royal House of Travancore. The last major renovation of the Padmanabhaswamy temple was also done by  Marthanda Varma. On January 3, 1750, Anizham Thirunal surrendered the kingdom of  Travancore  to Padmanabha, the deity at the temple, and pledged that he and his descendants would serve the kingdom asPadmanabha Dasa. [4]  Since then, the name of every Travancore King was preceded by the title Padmanabha Dasa, while the female members of the Royal family were called Padmanabha Sevinis. The donation of the Kingdom to Sree Padmanabhaswamy was known as Thripadidanam and afterwards the Maharaja was known as Sree Padmanabha Dasa Vanchipala Varma Kulashekara Kireetapati. By surrendering the kingdom to Lord Padmanabha, the whole Travancore state became the property of Sree Padmanabhaswamy. - [edit]The temple The history of the temple dates back to the 8th Century CE, when Thiruvananthapuram was ruled by the  Chera Dynasty. The  Divya Prabandhacanon of literature by the  Alvars  glorifies this shrine as one of 11 Divya Desams in Kerala. It is said that there are references to this temple in four puranas; namely Brahma, Vayu, Varaha, Padma. The 8th century Alvar poet  Nammalvar  created four slokas and one phalasruthi about this temple. 5][6] Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple Padmanabhaswamy Temple stands at a place considered one of the seven Parasurama Kshetras; texts including the  Puranas, particularly theSkanda Purana  and  Padma Purana, have references to this shrine. Entrance of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple The two annual festivals of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple culminate in a grand procession, in which the three deities (Padmanabha,   Narasimha  andKrishna) are carried on flower-deck and aesthetically decorated Garuda Vahanas to  Shankumugham Beach, for arattu (sacramental ablution). The arattu days are declared as local public holidays in  Thiruvanathapuram. [edit]Gopuram The foundation of the present gopuram was laid in 1566. [7]  The temple has a 100-foot,[8]  seven-tier gopuram made in the  Pandyan  style. [9]  The temple stands by the side of a  tank, named  Padma Theertham  (meaning the lotus spring). The temple has a corridor with 365 and one-quarter sculptured granite-stone pillars with elaborate carvings. This corridor extends from the eastern side into the sanctum sanctorum. An eighty-foot flag-staff stands in front of the main entry from the prakaram (corridor). The ground floor under the gopuram (main entrance in the eastern side) is known as the Nataka Sala where the famous temple art Kathakali was staged in the night during the ten-day  uthsavam  (festival) conducted twice a year, during the  Malayalam months  of Meenam and Thulam. [edit]Sreekovil | This article  may contain  wording that merely promotes the subject  without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite  independent sources  that support the characterization. In the  Sreekovil, Vishnu is depicted in a reclining position over the serpent  Anantha  or  Adi Sesha. [10]  The serpent has his face pointed inwards (signifying contemplation). The Lords right hand hangs over  Shiva. Sridevi, the Goddess of Prosperity and  Bhudevi  the Goddess of the Earth, two consorts of Vishnu stand by his side and the god  Brahma  emerges on a lotus, which emanates from the navel of Vishnu. The idol is said to be made from 12008  Saligram. These Saligram are from the banks of the  Gandaki River  in  Nepal, and it is believed that they were brought with much ceremony on elephants. The idol is covered with, Katusarkara yogam, a special ayurvedic mix, was used to make a plaster which keeps the deity clean. The daily worship is with flowers and for the abhishekam, special deities are used. The flowers have always been removed using peacock feathers fearing damage to the katusarkara. [citation needed] The platform in front of vimanam and where the deity rests are both carved out of a single stone and hence called Ottakkal Mandapam. In order to perform darshan and puja, one has to climb on to the Mandapam. The deity is visible through three doors – Face of the Lord and Siva Linga underneath his hand in the first door, Brahma seated on lotus emanating from the Lords navel along with the Utsava moorthi and deities of Lord Vishnu, Sridevi and Bhudevi in the second door and the Lords feet in the third door. Only the King of Travancore may perform Namaskaram, or bow prostrate on the Ottakkal Mandapam. It is traditionally held that anybody who bows prostrates on the mandapam has surrendered all that he/she possesses to the deity. Since the ruler has already done that, he/she is permitted to bow on this mandapam. There are other important shrines inside the temple for Hindu deities Sri  Narasimha,  Sri Krishna, Sri  Ayyappa, Sri  Ganesha  and Sri  Hanuman. Many other small shrines like Kshetrapalan (who guards the temple), Vishwaksena and  Sri Garuda  are also present. The approach road to Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple - [edit]Legend There are many legends regarding the origin of the temple. One such legend says that  Vilvamangalathu Swamiyar alias Divakara Muni  prayed to  Krishna  for his darshan. Krishna  came in disguise as a small, mischievous boy. The boy swallowed the  Saligrama  which was kept in Puja. The Sage became enraged at this and chased the boy until the boy hid himself behind a tree. The tree fell down and became Vishnu in Anantha Shayanam (reclining posture on Anantha the serpent) – but when he did so, he was of an extraordinarily large size. The Sage, recognizing that the tree was Vishnu, pleaded that because of the huge form the lord had manifested before him he could not either have a mind fulfilling darshan or circumambulate him. He then asked the Lord to shrink to a smaller proportion – thrice the length of his staff. Immediately, the idol shrank, and the Lord instructed the sage that he should be worshipped through three doors. These doors are now the doors in the temple through which the idol may be viewed. Through the first door, the worship is offered to  Shiva; through the second entrance to  Brahma  on the Lords lotus navel, and through the third is Vishnus feet, which are said to lead to salvation. [citation needed]  Another story tells of a  pulaya  couple seeing Vishnu in the form of a child. The child took morsels of rice from the hands of the couple. Also it is believed that Divakaramuni, when he saw the deity, took the first food item he saw which was an unripe Mango on a coconut shell as an offering plate and performed primary pooja. To this day, the naivedyam or offering of unripe mango is offered to the deity here in the same coconut shell that Divakara Muni offered his prasadam to the Lord. Millions of devotees believe that the Lord has personally come in disguise and had saved the Travancore Kingdom from enemy attack on multiple occasions. [edit]Naivedyam or offering to Perumal Apart from the usual rice offering various other items are offered including Retna Payasam or offering of Payasam in a Gem studded Golden Vessel, Meni Thula Payasam or the Delicious Rice and Jaggery Pudding entirely made in Ghee, Pal Manga, Otta Thula Payasam, Panthranu Kalam Payasam, and Paal Payasam (Milk and Rice Pudding) which is very famous. During Thursdays, special Panakam is offere d to the Lord  Narasimha. Unni Appam, Mothakam, Aval with sugar is also offered to the Lord. citation needed]  But the most important Nivedyam in this Temple is the Uppu Manga (unripe mango soaked in brine water) which is offered in a gold covered  chiratta  or coconut shell. This coconut shell is more than 1200 years old. The Great Sage Vilwamangalathu Divakara Acharyar offered an unripe mango in this very same coconut shell and it is still preserved. - [edit]Darshan, sevas and festivals NarasimhaSwamy PadmanabhaSwamy after coming from Shankumuka Beach during Aarat Festival There are many festivals related to this temple. The major festivals are bi-annual. The  Alpashy  festival which is in October/November and the  Painkuni  festival which is in March/April, lasts for 10 days each. These festivals culminate with the  Aarat  (holy bath) procession to the  Shankumugham Beach. The word  Aaratrefers to the purificatory immersion of the deities of the temple in sea. This event takes place in the evening. The King of Travancore escorts the  Aaratprocession by foot. The festival idols Utsava Vigrahas of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, Krishna and Narasimha are given a ritual bath in the sea, after the prescribed  pujas. After this ceremony, the idols are taken back to the temple in a procession that is lit by traditional torches, marking the conclusion of the festival. A major annual festival related to Padmanabha temple is the  Navaratri  festival. The idols of  Saraswati,  Durga, and  Murugan  are brought to the  kuthira malikapalace in front of Padmanabha temple as a procession. This festival lasts for 9 days. The famous Swathi music festival is held every year during this festival. Big Idol of Pandavas displayed during Panguni festival The biggest festival in this temple is  laksha deepam, which means hundred thousand (or one  lakh) lamps. This festival is unique and commences once in 6 years. Prior to this festival, chanting of prayers and recitation of three  vedas  is done for 51 days. On the festival time, hundred thousand oil lamps are lit in and around the temple premises. The next  laksha deepam  is slated on January 2014 Temple Tower during LakshaDeepam Festival The temple is not a part of Travancore Devaswom Board. Its control rests with a trust headed by the Maharaja of Travancore. Darshan times are (before noon) 3. 30-4. 45, 6. 30-7. 00, 8. 30-10. 00, 10. 30-11. 00, 11. 45-12. 00; (after noon) 5. 00-6. 15 and 6. 45-7. 20. In line with the  Temple Entry Proclamation, only those who profess the Hindu faith are permitted entry to the temple. Devotees have to strictly follow the dress code. Men should remove clothes above waist and deposit in the locker room. No one is permitted to wear dress that displays both legs separately, implying the prohibition of trousers for men and women. Dhotis can be borrowed at the locker room for Rs. 15. Dhotis can be worn over pants or churidhar. No cell phones or cameras are permitted inside the temple. Cell phones must be deposited in the locker room after taking it out of the bag for Rs. 15 a piece. Hand bags are permitted inside. - [edit]Compositions Nammalvar  had sung in praise of Lord Padmanabha Swamy. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma  wrote many songs on Sri Padmanabha. Most of these songs have the word  Padmanabha  in them. - [edit]Temple assets | Wikinews has related news:Hidden treasure worth billions of dollars discovered in Indian temple| The temple and its assets belong to Lord Padmanabhaswamy, and are controlled by a trust run by the Royal family. [11][12][13][14]  The royals consider themselves  Padmanabhadasas  i. . servants of Padmanabhaswamy. [15][3] There had been an earlier inventory of at least one vault on Sunday, December 6, 1931. A vault was opened in the presence of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, then the  Maharaja  of the state of Travancore. Among the contents found were gold and silver coins stored in a granary like thing, four brass chests of coins, over 300 gold pots, and a six-chambered wooden chest containing jewels decorated wit h diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. Four coffers were removed and taken to the palace treasury for counting and valuation. 16] The  Kerala High Court  ordered the temple and its assets be managed by the State on January 31, 2011. As trustees of the temple, the royals have challenged the Kerala Govt. s decision. The lower courts ruling was set aside by the  Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court directed utmost security in and around the temple and asked the Central Valuation Institute of Lucknow for an inventory valuation. [12][17][18] In June 2011, the Supreme Court directed the authorities from the fire services and archeology department[19]  to open the secret (sanctum sanctorum) chambers of the temple for inspection of the items kept inside. A detailed inventory of the temple assets, consisting of gold, jewels, and other valuables was made. Several 18th century Napoleonic era coins were found,[3]  as well as a three-and-a-half feet tall gold idol of  Mahavishnu  studded with rubies and emeralds, and ceremonial attire for adorning the deity in the form of 16-part gold anki weighing almost 30 kilograms (66  lb) together with gold coconut shells, one studded with rubies and emeralds. 20] This revelation has solidified the status of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as one of the wealthiest temples in India and with the final estimate of the wealth, it might overtake the  Tirumala Venkateswara Temple- hitherto thought to be the wealthiest temple- having some  Ã‚  Ã‚  320 billion (US$7. 14 billion)  in gold, coins and other assets. [21]  It is estimated that the value of the monumental items is close to  1. 2 trillion (US$26. 76 billion), making it the richest temple in the world. 22][23]  If the antique value is taken into account, these assets could be worth ten times the current market price. [22] The valuables are thought to have been in the temple for hundreds of years, having been put there by traders, pilgrims and royals such as the maharajahs of  Travancore, and by offerings of Travancore kings, other royals and ordinary devotees to the deity. [3][24][25]  While some Historians have suggested that a major chunk of the stored riches reached the kings in the form of tax, gifts, as well as conquered wealth of states and offerings stocked in the temple for safekeeping. 26]  A ferry transported traders, pilgrims and chroniclers across the  Gulf of Mannar  from the  Tenavaram temple, the famously wealthy Vishnu-Shiva temple town emporium to the  Chera  kingdom via  Puttalam  of the  Jaffna kingdom  during the medieval period. [27][28]  This temple was destroyed in 1587 CE, a few years after the Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram was constructed. Mo rrocan  traveller  Ibn Batuta  visited Tenavaram in the 14th century and described the Vishnu idol here as being made of gold and the size of a man with two large rubies as eyes that lit up like lanterns during the night. [29][30]  All people living within the vicinity of the temple and who visited it were fed with monetary endowments that were made to the idol. The temple has 6 vaults (Kallaras), labeled as A to F for book keeping purpose by the Court. While vaults A and B have been unopened over the past 130 years, vaults C to F have been opened from time to time. The two priests of the temple, the Periya Nambi and the Thekkedom Nambi, are the custodians of the four vaults, C to F, which are opened periodically. The Supreme Court had directed that the existing practices, procedures and rituals of he temple be followed while opening vaults C to F and using the articles inside. Vaults A and B shall be opened only for the purpose of making an inventory of the articles and the n closed. On July 4, 2011 the seven-member expert team which is taking stock of the assets at temple decided to postpone opening of the secret chamber marked B till they obtained more expert opinion as preliminary examination of its gates had found the vault to be secured with iron shutters making experts wonder what lay inside. The royal family said that many legends were attached to the temple and that chamber B has a model of a snake on the main door and opening it could be a bad omen. [31]  Seven-member team will consult with some more experts on July 8, 2011 and a then they may take the final decision on opening of chamber ‘B’. [32] In late June 2011, a review of the temples underground vaults was undertaken by a seven-member panel appointed by the  Supreme Court of India  to generate an inventory, leading to the enumeration of a vast collection of articles that are traditionally kept under lock and key. Unofficial estimates on the sixth day of the inventory placed the value of contents at close to  100,000  crore  (US$22. 3 billion), making it one of the wealthiest in the world,[23][33][34]  richer than the  Tirumala Venkateswara Temple  in  Tirupati,  Andhra Pradesh  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ by official records considered to be the richest shrine in India. [35][23][36]  The precious articles come from the donations that were made by the Royal family and traders, who used to come from other parts of the country and abroad, as offerings to the deity, and were sealed within the thick stone walls and vaults of the temple for over a  millennium. 37]  [3] The final vault of the temple has an iron door with a picture of snake(a cobra) on it and it has not been opened, due to the belief that a curse befalls those who attempt to open it. [38]  Less than a month after the first of the secret vaults was opened, the chief petitioner for opening the vaults, T. P. Sundarrajan died afte r suffering from a sudden unexplained illness. [39]  This has been dubbed as The Curse of the Cobra by the media. [40] [edit]

Caretaker Government Sysytem Must Not Be Banned

Caretaker Government System must not Be Voided from the Constitution In the year 1996, under huge political pressure from the major opposition party the Awami league, the then government ruled by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) introduced the caretaker government system in Bangladesh constitution by making the 13th amendment. The summary of the amendment was that the head of the Caretaker government will be called the Chief Adviser and will be selected by the President and the main objective of the caretaker government will be to create an environment in which an election can be held in a free and fair manner without any political influence of the outgoing government. After the amendment was made in the constitution, an election was held under caretaker government the same year and Awami league won the election. Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman was the chief adviser at that time and led the election. However, after two long term gaps, in 2008, when Awami league again became the government of the country, since then they are trying to demolish the 13th amendment from the constitution. From my point of view, caretaker government system must be voided from the constitution of Bangladesh as the present government is strong enough to conduct a peaceful and fair election, the Election Commission is very sure about giving clear and acceptable results and there would be no mishaps regarding elections as there would be more law enforcement people working and law implementation. In 40 years of independence, Bangladesh has experienced the leadership of a few but major political parties. However, the matter of regret is that the existing political parties which successfully gained the trust of people could not gain the trust of each other. It is one of the sole reasons of introducing the caretaker government system in the constitution of Bangladesh. The cause is, as a lack of trust in each other, the political parties do not want to have the national election under the rule of another political party. Noted Jurist Barrister Rafiqul haque in a press briefing clearly stated, â€Å"Holding the national election under a neutral caretaker government is a must for Bangladesh as both the major political parties do not have the trust in each other. † He said, â€Å"The country’s political situation will be more volatile if the caretaker government system is dropped from the constitution. † It is ironic that political parties who brought in the caretaker government provisions in the constitution in 1996 to ensure free and fair general elections have rendered the system controversial over the years. As the major political parties do not have faith in each other, the caretaker government system is the only option for conducting a clear and peaceful election. If we look into the political history of Bangladesh we can see that whenever a parliamentary election has been hold by a political government and under its Election Commission, there was always a question of transparency and acceptability of election results. In one hand, where the present chief Election Commissioner, Mr. ATM Shamsul Huda is deliberately saying in every press briefing, â€Å" We are able to conduct a fair election and publish a authentic result†, the past few incidents regarding ‘Municipal and Union election’ shows the story of other hand. There have been enormous reports published in newspapers regarding ‘Municipal and Union election’ which have taken place very recently that the Election Commission’s authorized persons have intentionally made the persons winners who were the supporters of the present government. Reports in the newspaper mentioned about places like Narayangonj, Bikrampur, Gopalgonj and some other also. If in ‘Municipal and Union’ elections, these types of incidents took place then surely the National parliamentary Election held under this Election Commission will be nothing but a stage show. At present, the whole statements of the Chief Election Commissioner have become self-contradictory. They are saying something in front of the public and doing something else behind. If this election commission conducts the National parliamentary Election, definitely the countrymen will never have fair and authentic results of the election and it will cause a number of disastrous incidents. Therefore, a caretaker government is immensely needed for fair and acceptable results in the elections of Bangladesh. The statement made by our Home Minister ADV. Sahara Khatun regarding our law enforcement departments was that the Police is doing a great job. According to her, the police is successfully controlling all the mishaps and doing no arm to the people. What about the people who speak on behalf of the people? On the strike of 10th July 2011 for caretaker government, called upon by the opposition parties, all the people of Bangladesh and people all over saw how opposition party’s chief whip Jainal Abedin Faruk was almost beaten to death. He was pulled vigorously in the streets by the police. When he tried to save his skin and ran, all the police on the scene ag ain got all over him and started to kick him and beat him with sticks. The intellectuals, the civil society all mentioned it as a disgrace to the country’s reputation. Here lies the story of our police force and the government when the opposition party is speaking on behalf of the people for caretaker government. This is truly unexpected and in a way this incident violates the democratic rights of a country. Another story of success I would like to write about is the opposition parties of our country, who are now speaking highly in support of caretaker government. For re-establishing the caretaker government system, the main opposition parties are now calling on strikes every now and then. Undoubtedly, they do it on behalf of the people and for the betterment of country’s political future and condition of people. However, they forget what common people go through when everything is closed. Day laborers, whose earning depends on a day’s work, cannot manage the necessary items for their families. 24 hours strike means, the country is fully closed for 24 hours. This includes market of common goods too. As a result, the prices of commodities rise up, making it beyond the reach of the hard life of common people. The two stories of success which I mentioned above are not supposed to take any support of any political parties. The main reason was to state that in every way these two incidents are unexpected and disgraceful for the country’s political history. The point is all these stories leads to the cause of one thing and one thing only and that is re-establishing the caretaker government system. Therefore, in order to minimize these kinds of incidents caretaker government system must be re-introduced. In Democracy, all in all there is truly no place for systems like caretaker government. However, the fact is, our country has gone through so much political instability and crisis that none of the political parties have any positive attitude and support for each other. M. Abdul Latif Mondal, former secretary, said that people will remember how Awami League agiated for introducing the caretaker government system in Bangladesh with relentless ‘Hartals’. Now, they are just turning their back to it and want to do the national election under their supervision. They did not even try to give any solid reasons why they want to demolish the system of caretaker government. The Supreme Court in suggestion clearly stated that for the sake of ‘peace’ and public interest, elections ‘may’ be held under the 13th amendment for the next two terms. Sadly, the government did not bother to take the suggestion. Dr. Kamal Hossain, renowned law maker of the country commented it as a sign of insincerity and political opportunism of the present government. All these actions of the ruling party sent the opposition parties to the brink where they have no choice but to stand up for reasons. In addition, the inexplicable hurry to do away with the caretaker government, even though the next election is two and a half years away, raises questions and doubts about the government. The caretaker government system was formed in Bangladesh only to conduct the election by 90 days. It has no power to bring any change in the constitution nor, to change the laws of the country but to do the normal daily works of the government and maintain the protocols. Therefore, for the sake of public trust and a transparent election, the caretaker government system must go on. As a democratic country, every political party in Bangladesh along with the people has the right to say for or against any issue of the country. Therefore, if the major political parties, intellectuals are opposing the decision of government regarding voiding the caretaker government system from the constitution of Bangladesh, it has to be re-considered again. It does not have to be a one-sided decision by the government as it is a matter of a country’s political future and stability. Therefore, the caretaker government system must be continued for a peaceful and fair election, for clear and satisfactory results of the election and for minimizing unexpected incidents. References Karim Tariq A. (January 2007). Bangladesh at the Crossroads. United States Institute of Peace. http://www. usip. org/files/resources/sr181. pdf M. Abdul Latif Mondal (December 23, 2004). Political Parties and Non-party Caretaker Government. [Electronic version]. EBSCOHost. Dr. Kamal (March 22, 2011). Caretaker Govt. should stay. Daily New Age. Hasan Ur Rashid (April 9, 2011) Do we need a caretaker government? Editorial. The Daily Star. Barrister Rafiqul Haque (April 22, 2011), in his own words [television series episode]. Tritio Matra. Channel I. http://www. banglapedia. org/httpdocs/HT/C_0041. HTML

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Solar Energy - Essay Example Solar panels alone in this country produced nearly 23 TW hours of power in 2012. This amount of energy is outstanding in comparison to other EU members or advanced economies, although it merely makes up for 3% of country’s overall power usage. Germany is working towards generating 66 GW of solar energy by the year 2030 by ensuring a yearly growth rate of 2.5 to 3.5 GW (Wheeland 2014). Even though Germany does not have extensive solar energy potential, it remarkably subsidizes its power systems. These subsidies guarantee their competence of the solar energy generated and used by the country. Germany has a strong input tariff structure comprised of small and large-scale solar PV frameworks capable of distributing surplus power generation to the utility network for revenue (Wheeland 2014). Italy was the second biggest generator and user of solar energy during the same year with an output of 16,361 MW. The United States came number four with an output of 7777 MW with 6200 MW of this output originating from the country’s solar PV industry. This output is a growth of 51% and 34% from 2013, which the suburban and utility sectors led in respectively (Wheeland 2014). This output is poised to increase by 20 GW by 2018. Twenty gigawatts of America’s solar energy output runs over 4 million average homes. By 2014, almost 645,000 American houses and enterprises were using solar energy because of previous year’s more than 195,000 solar power installations (Wheeland 2014). The usage of solar energy in the United States is an outcome of the growth of leasing electricity generated by solar stations. 2. The inverter is a device that converts DC into AC (alternating current), otherwise known as â€Å"conditioning† the electricity (Swanson 14). The inverter then conveys it to a gauge or electrical panel. 3. The gauge has two key functions. First, the gauge automatically conveys any surplus power generated by the solar panel to the

Nursing Education Standards Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing Education Standards - Assignment Example For instance â€Å"The American Nurses Association's (ANA) Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (Code for Nurses) explicates the goals, values and ethical precepts that direct the profession of nursing† (American Nursing Association, 2012). The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission is also there to ensure that various nursing institutions live up to the standard of practice before accreditations are issued out to them. This leaves various nursing education faculties with huge responsibilities of ensuring that standards put in place by accreditation bodies are adhered to without fail. By maintaining these standards, a large proportion of the responsibility of producing nurses who are in tune with the theories and practices of the profession would be catered for. Sadly though, there often arise instances when these standards are not met. There are specific incidences and practices that constitute a deviation from the standard and some of these are discussed in the following paragraphs with accompanying actions on how the deviations could be remedied. Negligence is one serious incidence that can be interpreted as a deviation from the standard needed to be in place in all nursing educational institutions and by extension, by practice by all nursing students and professionals. In a broader perspective, negligence may be described as the act of abandoning one’s responsibilities. Resnick (2005) posits that â€Å"negligence is a general term meaning deviation from a standard of care.† This means that negligence on the part of officers is a serious form of deviation from standards and constitutes an offence. In a typical scenario in the faculty, authorities are given â€Å"the legislative power to initiate, regulate, and enforce the provision of the Nurse Practice Act† (Rosdahl, 2003, p. 42). Consequently, any official under whose watch the provisions of the Nurse Practice Act are ignored has committed an offence of negli gence. Explaining further on, Croke (2003) observes that â€Å"the categories of negligence are: failure to follow standards of care, failure to use equipment in a responsible manner, failure to communicate, failure to document, failure to assess and monitor, and failure to act as a patient advocate.† Negligence in itself could be sparked by a number of causes including laziness, wrongful delegation of power, abuse of power and over confidence in discharge of duty. Whatever the cause, the American Nurses Association (2012) note that negligence and all forms of deviation from the standards are unacceptable. Negligence on the part of officials and nursing students alike can result in devastating consequences. There is no debate on this because nursing care and education are all about human lives and thus acts of negligence could lead to consequences including deaths and permanent damages. Closely related to negligence is the offense of professional misconduct or legal malpracti ce. At the faculty, there are numerous practices that constitute malpractice and by extension a deviation from the standards. Quoting from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (2003), Croke (2003) states that malpractice constitutes â€Å"improper or unethical conduct or unreasonable lack of skill by a holder of a professional or official position to denote negligent or unskillful performance of duties when professional skills are obligatory.†

Israeli Etgar Keret’s The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God, and Iranian

Abstract Colonization most assuredly produced altered states of consciousness, in which the fundamental sense of â€Å"rightness† was understood to be subjective and culturally constructed, rather than naturally true. In conjunction with this realization came the idea that identity is not something personally owned, but rather, something inscribed upon a body or culture by an agent of power. In this case, identities were projected onto the natives by the imperialists. The colonial enterprise, particularly the European imperialist projects in the east, has forever changed concepts of identity, otherness, and power in both the Occident and the Orient. Both sides were indisputably and irrevocably altered; however, the effect upon native cultures (the colonized) was far greater than the effect on the imperial cultures (the colonizers). European colonizers were able to cherry-pick the greatest parts of â€Å"new† culture—their art, their music, their architecture, or their cuisine—and adopt or adapt it to modern imperial life. In many ways, the cultural practices and artifacts of a newly colonized civilization were treated like the natural resources (oil, silk, spice) the Europeans were there to gather: they mattered only in their usefulness to the empire. Unlike their imperial counterparts, however, the native peoples had no choice which customs and practices to adopt, and which to discard. The sheer military might and natur e of the colonial enterprise demanded that the colonized completely adapt to the social and cultural norms of the empire. In essence, then, the colonized were forced to lead a life of double consciousness, wherein they participated in customs and practices and obeyed laws and regulations in which they did ... ...periences with Western ideology, Etgar Keret and Marjane Satrapi offers methods for claiming identity that do not revolve around blind attempts to return to cultural roots. Works Cited Ghanem, Mary, and Jihad Makhoul. "Displaced Arab Families: Mothers' Voices on Living and Coping in Postwar Beirut." Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 5.3 (2009): 54-72. Web. 10 Dec 2009. Keret, Etgar. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. Print. Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Random House, 1978. Print. Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003. Print. Troen, S. Ilan. "Frontier Myths and Their Applications in America and Israel: A Transnational Perspective." Journal of American History 86.3 (1999): 55 paragraphs. Web. 10 Dec 2009. . Israeli Etgar Keret’s The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God, and Iranian Abstract Colonization most assuredly produced altered states of consciousness, in which the fundamental sense of â€Å"rightness† was understood to be subjective and culturally constructed, rather than naturally true. In conjunction with this realization came the idea that identity is not something personally owned, but rather, something inscribed upon a body or culture by an agent of power. In this case, identities were projected onto the natives by the imperialists. The colonial enterprise, particularly the European imperialist projects in the east, has forever changed concepts of identity, otherness, and power in both the Occident and the Orient. Both sides were indisputably and irrevocably altered; however, the effect upon native cultures (the colonized) was far greater than the effect on the imperial cultures (the colonizers). European colonizers were able to cherry-pick the greatest parts of â€Å"new† culture—their art, their music, their architecture, or their cuisine—and adopt or adapt it to modern imperial life. In many ways, the cultural practices and artifacts of a newly colonized civilization were treated like the natural resources (oil, silk, spice) the Europeans were there to gather: they mattered only in their usefulness to the empire. Unlike their imperial counterparts, however, the native peoples had no choice which customs and practices to adopt, and which to discard. The sheer military might and natur e of the colonial enterprise demanded that the colonized completely adapt to the social and cultural norms of the empire. In essence, then, the colonized were forced to lead a life of double consciousness, wherein they participated in customs and practices and obeyed laws and regulations in which they did ... ...periences with Western ideology, Etgar Keret and Marjane Satrapi offers methods for claiming identity that do not revolve around blind attempts to return to cultural roots. Works Cited Ghanem, Mary, and Jihad Makhoul. "Displaced Arab Families: Mothers' Voices on Living and Coping in Postwar Beirut." Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 5.3 (2009): 54-72. Web. 10 Dec 2009. Keret, Etgar. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. Print. Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Random House, 1978. Print. Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003. Print. Troen, S. Ilan. "Frontier Myths and Their Applications in America and Israel: A Transnational Perspective." Journal of American History 86.3 (1999): 55 paragraphs. Web. 10 Dec 2009. .

Literacy Education Essay

Education is provided for all, it is our federal government’s promise that education be accessible to everyone. But what if a student is not able to learn or has difficulty acquiring knowledge? They are then given the opportunity to attend a remedial class so that they can cope up with the lessons. But what if the student is not actually illiterate or in need of remedial classes but only needs a little help in adjusting to the current lesson plan? This is what Mike Rose realized as he worked his way through his own schooling and later on as an educator. During his early education, Mike Rose was not a straight A student nor did he stand out among his peers, his early school life was quite ordinary. In Lives on the Boundary, he recounted the difficulties he encountered as a middle class immigrant family but how education and his encounters with some of his teachers had freed him and enabled him to venture out into the world (Graff, 1994). He eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Loyal University and earned a graduate fellowship with UCLA. Rose argues that students stuck in remedial classes are not necessarily there secondary to lack in intelligence but because of lack of support from a social and economic standpoint. He goes on to question standards used in evaluating intelligence and calls for a change in the standards for a more equalized opportunities in education. He also talks of changes in the way literacy is taught to students who are underprepared. He seeks to develop a new curriculum that can adapt to the needs of the students in remedial classes and that is focus on meaningful composition and critical thinking rather than on grammar and usage. He also seeks changes in the philosophy of education that goes beyond the financial benefit and education gained as measured by the usual tests. Failed Education There are times when a student is not able to learn or fails in class and the usual notion is that the child is lacking in intelligence and is placed in a remedial class in order for them to grasp knowledge. But Rose (1989) argues that â€Å"more often than we admit, a failed education is social more than intellectual in origin† (p. 225). What can Rose mean by this? Essentially Rose talks of the educationally underprepared students, those who are often placed in remedial classes, which was labeled as the ‘sick section’ or ‘hospital section’ (p. 210) which is can already be termed a stigma to those who attend these types of classes. But in his book, Rose (1989) makes one realize that many of these students fail and fall into remedial classes not because of lack of intelligence or lack of skills but mainly because of the lack of understanding of their teachers and the lack of opportunity provided for them due to a variety of reasons not limited to the academic. He explores how these factors including their economic situation and social standings affect the performance and perception of these ‘remedial’ students. He notes that the problem of dwindling academic performance and the statistics that show such problems are misguided and should be reassessed to include a broader perspective. He also notes that the current technique used in measuring intelligence and learning from a student is restricted and misrepresented and should be reevaluated. He argues that the usual approaches used in teaching literacy to students who are underprepared is essentially useless, in terms that the student learns essentially nothing if focus is given to grammar and usage and that this way only ends up in fueling the thought that the student lacks intelligence. He seeks a change in the current curriculum to a more accurate and pervasive one. Learning to Read and Write Learning how to read and write correctly is critical to a student’s success in school and in later life. One of the most excellent forecaster of a child’s success in school is the level where a student progresses in reading and writing, but what if the learning process is inhibited by a variety of factors that includes economic and social ones that prevents a student from learning ‘normally’ as other students who don’t face the same circumstances as them. How can learning then be attained? In Crossing Boundaries, Mike Rose recounts his experiences with a number of remedial students who exhibited low test score results at the beginning but through his help was able to understand what was needed from them to be able pass the test (Rose 1989, p. 219). Looking at the various characters depicted in the book, one quickly realizes that a number of the characters embody the typical sample of youth in the US. These students, coming from a vast and multi-cultural society enveloping a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, ethnicity and culture also typifies the Great American Middle Class. Many of the remedial students share a common trait, which is the problem of not being able to communicate well and usually through no fault of their own. Many of our school’s youth are thrown into the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder even though they do not belong in such places or the very least be able to crawl out of this rung. Much of their talents and gifts wasted away simply because they weren’t able to commune through reading and writing or was not able to grasp the basics and thereby they are left to fend for themselves. Learning is a social process as Rose points out that there is a need for the teacher to connect with the student in order for learning to be achieved, which he has accounted for in many of his experiences in his own schooling and later on in his teaching of remedial students in inner city LA. Rose suggests that once a teacher learns more about his student, it paves the way for the teacher to fully comprehend writing preferences thereby allowing for a more meaningful exchange between the teacher and the student. As an educator Rose argued that test scores and the usual competencies used to gauge a student’s intelligence are obsolete in this day and age. He notes that problems of the dwindling scholastic performance of today’s youth may not be as bad as it is if reforms in teaching and education are put in place in order to adapt to the needs of the remedial class that dictates an eclectic approach that cultivates the inherent intelligence of this youth that focus on creative thinking rather than focus on the traditional approach that is set on the formalities of language. As an educator and proponent of literacy this author realizes that even as one seeks to impart knowledge and guide students towards being literate, one must also be flexible and adaptable to the environment and the student they promise to teach. One realizes that each individual is different in their own rights and the teacher as a proponent of literacy should learn to embrace that individuality adapting to the needs of the student so that learning can actually take place and that the student will be open to learning. The author through this reading also notes that a teacher as he seeks to impart knowledge to his students must also learn about his students in order to really teach them and enable his students to reach their fullest capacities and this might mean adapting a different set of techniques in teaching and learning to cope with the multifarious student body that encompasses today’s school setting. Conclusion Educating a student is generally academic in nature, you need to be able to teach the student the basics of the language in order for the student to be termed literate. Reading and writing concur with literacy. In a sense that when a student understands the lesson and is able to connect the words together and form a coherent and understandable statement then one can derive that the student is indeed literate. But one has to understand that simply because the student cannot comprehend the connection of various words means that they are illiterate. A variety of factors including poverty, responsibilities outside the school and lack of opportunity often leads a student to fail miserably at school. At the end of this reading the author comprehends the reality that there are a variety of students that encompass the school system and that in this sense the teacher is encouraged to develop creative ways of teaching and stimulate the significance of an educator’s vocation. And part of it is learning how to cope with the different situations of various students and even teachers that hinders learning (Preskill, 1998). This author realized the significance of education and what it means to be educated, also this author notes that as education must change in order to adapt to the gush of societal demands and strains. It can be concluded that there is a need for a guiding principle that encourages the system to embrace the rich mix of language, custom and legend that is America (Rose 1989, p. 238). The reading has prompted this author to be a more sensitive educator, someone who is responsive to the consequence of labeling and a teacher who understands the bond between teacher and student. Works Cited: Graff G (1994) Disliking books at an early age. In Falling into theory: Conflicting views on Reading Literature, ed. David Richter. Boston: Bedford Books Preskill, S (1998) Narratives of teaching and the quest for the second self. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5) pp. 344-357. Rose, M (1989) Chapter 8: Crossing Boundaries. In Lives on the Boundary pp. 205-238. New York: Penguin Books.

Quality Improvement - 328284 Words

I Sixth Edition ntroduction to Statistical Quality Control DOUGLAS C. MONTGOMERY Arizona State University John Wiley Sons, Inc. Executive Publisher: Don Fowley Associate Publisher: Daniel Sayer Acquisitions Editor: Jennifer Welter Marketing Manager: Christopher Ruel Production Manager: Dorothy Sinclair Production Editor: Sandra Dumas Senior Designer: Kevin Murphy New Media Editor: Lauren Sapira Editorial Assistant: Mark Owens Production Management Services: Elm Street Publishing Services Composition Services: Aptara, Inc. This book was typeset in 10/12 Times by Aptara, Inc., and printed and bound by R. R. Donnelley (Jefferson City). The cover was printed by R. R. Donnelley (Jefferson City). The paper in this book was†¦show more content†¦The objective is to give the reader a sound understanding of the principles and the basis for applying them in a variety of situations. Although statistical techniques are emphasized throughout, the book has a strong engineering and management orientation. Extensive knowledge of statistics is not a prerequisite for using this book. Readers whose background includes a basic course in statistical methods will find much of the material in this book easily accessible. Audience The book is an outgrowth of more than 35 years of teaching, research, and consulting in the application of statistical methods for industrial problems. It is designed as a textbook for students enrolled in colleges and universities, who are studying engineering, statistics, management, and related fields and are taking a first course in statistical quality control. The basic quality-control course is often taught at the junior or senior level. All of the standard topics for this course are covered in detail. Some more advanced material is also available in the book, and this could be used with advanced undergraduates who have had some previous exposure to the basics or in a course aimed at graduate students. I have also used the text materials extensively in programs for professional practitioners, including quality and reliability engineers, manufacturing and development engineers, product designers,Show MoreRelatedQuality Assessment And Quality Improvement1363 Words   |  6 Page sQuality assessment and quality improvement in healthcare are methods for assessing the performance of healthcare delivery in terms of quality. Quality is a term broadly describing efficient access to care and effective services, which meet health needs of individuals and populations. Quality assessments are commonly carried out by health service organizations to comply with regulatory agencies and as part of a continual improvement process. Data obtained from quality assessments helps determine theRead MoreQuality Improvement Implementation2049 Words   |  9 PagesQuality Improvement Implementation In todays business world, competition is high and most organizations search for ways to gain an advantage in their respectable markets. One of the obvious, but unfortunately overlooked, ways to be at the forefront is establishing, maintaining, and constantly improving quality processes within an organization. Riordan Manufacturing has an established quality culture and strives to maintain the quality processes that are currently in place. Through its qualityRead MoreThe Key Concepts Of Quality Improvement1614 Words   |  7 PagesThe key concepts of quality improvement are the new designing system and process changes that lead to improve operation and sustainable quality of organization culture. When new design and procedure are introduced, the change management priority is to transit employees to new state. 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