Positive views of the International Monetary Fund Essay

Is there any harder job than regulating all of the international markets money? Probably not, the topic being discussed throughout this essay will be the international monetary fund and its involvement in the international market. Much has been said about the I. M. F whether it is positive or negative, neo-Marxist Che Guevara said â€Å"The interests of the IMF represent the big international interests that seem to be established and concentrated in Wall Street. Here he criticizes how the IMF is considered to be run by the United States which occupies a veto power in the decision making at the IMF, this is important to see because it brings up the other side to the IMF, the side that is not so positive and the one that people feel very critical of. Even though people like Che and Stieglitz bring up the negative characteristics of the IMF it is not the only qualities that the fund has. The IMF has also has many positive qualities, this essay will go over these qualities by looking at the IMF’s debt restructuring cases, looking at how the decisions are made in the fund and finally the long term positive effect that the IMF has on promoting democracy. As mentioned before the IMF has gone through much criticism in past years, yet the work they have done on debt relief has done much to boost up their reputation. Cases like Argentina, the Dominican Republic and much more show that the IMF is very capable of improving conditions within a country by debt restructuring programs. In 2005 the IMF started debt reconstruction in Argentina, the process was held back more that they would have liked due to court proceedings in New York. After this delay the IMF was able to do some real work in debt exchange with Argentina. The country participated 76% in the debt exchange and since then they have seen much improvements in their debt structure and debt-profile. In early may the Argentinean authorities regained market access for the first time since the year 2001. Also as a result of rebalancing of the countries credit rating, spreads of Argentina’s external debt fell tremendously from 6000 basis points to 462 basis points. ( ) The Dominican Republic is another country which was aided by the IMF for debt reconstruction, which ended in success. The Dominican Republic started on an economic recovery route by utilizing stand-by arrangements, which are†¦. The plan of this program was to eliminate the financial needs during 2005-06 through a debt exchange process and more, all of which being supported by IDB and the World Bank. The debt exchange ended on May 15th 2005, and had a very high participation rate by the Dominican Republic and this allowed for a large relief of overall cash flow (576 million US) for the government, an increase in the maturity profile of the debt and a decline in over 130 basis points which clearly outperformed the rest of the market ( ). These are great examples to how the IMF can have a positive influence on the economic conditions of a certain country. Apart from these cases there are many people who still oppose the IMF and its ways of intervening, like Joseph Stieglitz wrote in his book that the IMF set the bar so high for debt relief that few qualified (Stieglitz, 227), yet cases like Argentina and the Dominican do prove their potential for aid. Decisions can be crucial to one’s life, drawing the line between failures or success, same goes for the International monetary fund except their decisions could be the difference between saving a country and having that country’s economic system fail. When a person invests into a company or corporation and holds the majority of shares in it, that person can pretty much make all the decisions he wants. It is very similar in the IMF; the country becoming member attains a certain number of votes and then receives more voting power when that country invests more money. This is stated in further detail in the Funds article XII, section 5 â€Å" Each member shall have two hundred fifty vote plus one additional vote for each part of its quota equivalent to one hundred thousand U.  S dollars† (Gold, 18). The two hundred fifty basic votes were meant to give a chance to the countries who have just became members or were not largely developed, it was also intended so that countries were not entirely able to buy their voting power, as do most people perceive the United States did to gain its so-called Veto power. Gold (1972) brings a quote from an unstated source that brings up the argument of why all countries do not have the same amount of voting power. It is said that it would be unwise to have small countries have the same voting power as the larger ones, since it is for sure that there will be more small country members than there are large. Contrary to that point, he says that it would be unfair to give voting power on the solemn basis of how much money they put in. Although the exact figures of recent years are unavailable, the effect of the basic votes were quite visible in the 70’s, where 37 countries of the 137 members of the fund had basic votes that accounted for half or more of their total voting power (Gold, 19). The counter argument this type of voting formula could be that it resembles to much a private corporation, yet evidence shows that it has help the small countries to at least attain a sufficient amount of votes. People are very likely to pre-judge the outcome of a certain event, even without waiting to see what will happen in the end. This can also be the case for views against the IMF, judging its intervention or programs on the basis of the results produced in the first year. A study was done by Nelson and Wallace to see what type of influence the IMF lending plans had on democracy inside the country obtaining the loan. What they found in their study was that the impact of the IMF loans did not have very much effect on democracy within the given country in the time frame of one year, but the impact of IMF lending only took place between three and five years ( Nelson & Wallace, 24-25). Again this hints to the fact that anti-IMF people may be quick to judge the impact that the Fund has on whatever country being helped. Other results from the Nelson and Wallace research was that the impact of the IMF’s lending could vary from one region to another such as in Eastern Europe where one could see a 3. increase in polity[1] score over a period of 5-years and then in East-Asia there was a negative change of 1. 5 in the polity score (Nelson & Wallace, 27-28). Again these results presented shows that the IMF’s implication can have many different levels of influence depending on the region that is being lent the money. One thing is for sure, it is that there are more cases of improved polity 3:1 and having two regions that were not significant results (Nelson & Wallace, 27-28). Yet, anti-IMF people may say that it is unfair that that one country has a negative outcome and the IMF is unfair and bias towards the other countries. In conclusion, the IMF shows many positive characteristics to their involvement in the world. Their positive ranges from helping developing countries to reconstruct and eliminate their debt by means of a debt exchange with the IMF to the IMF having a positive influence on democracy when loaning money to a country. Also, the way that the IMF voting power is distributed shows a fair way to doing it by awarding all members of the fund with a start up amount of basis points to be able to have some power.

Women’s Rights Movement DBQ

The women’s rights movement had all but disappeared after the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920. However, in the post-World War II period, women increasingly realized that they continued to face obstacles in achieving equality in American society. Throughout the history of the nation, women in the United States have always suffered from discrimination and were inferior to men. Women quickly realized that change was needed and they had to do something about it.After World War II, women were extremely disappointed because many were separated with the work place and were also dissatisfied with their lives because they felt bored a restricted. Women came together to try to achieve equality after the war by creating the National Organization for Women (NOW) and attempt to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. The struggle women were put through in the past have now helped the rights and treatment of women today. After World War II, women were dissatisfied with their roles and wante d equality. After the war, about two million women lost their jobs (Doc 1).They were told they didn’t want to work, and were forced to become homemakers and became separated from the workplace (Doc 1). Women began to question, â€Å"Is this all there is? † (Doc 2). They only made beds and shopped for groceries; women felt restricted and led boring lives (Doc 2). Women were also disappointed because there were only certain jobs available to them; mostly clerical work such as domestic service, retail sales, social work, teaching and nursing (RBP 983). These jobs paid poorly and no matter what, women were always made fewer wages than men.Women were also upset because they were denied easy access to education unlike men, and wanted to have a career outside of the home but could not because their lack of schooling. Women were not provided the same amount of opportunities as men and were very dissatisfied with their boring, restricted lives. Such lives led some women to orga nize small groups to discuss their concerns. During these â€Å"consciousness-raising† sessions, women shared their lives with each other and discovered that their experiences were not unique (RBP 985).The theory behind the women’s movement of the 1960’s was feminism, the belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men (RBP 982). Because women came together and really started to believe they should be treated the same and have the same opportunities, they attempted in many different ways to achieve equality. Most women went through many unfair and bad experiences throughout their lives during the 1960’s, but there were many attempts to try and better their lives.In 1966, 28 women including Betty Friedan, created the National Organization for Women (also known as NOW), to pursue women’s goals (RBP 984) and to accomplish other goals such as women’s rights and control their own reproductive lives (Doc 3). Thanks to the Supreme Court, it was ruled that women had the right to choose an abortion during the first three months of their pregnancy in 1973. One significant goal of NOW was the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (Doc 3).The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed and failed amendment to the U. S. Constitution that would have prohibited any government discrimination on the basis of sex (RBP R57). It failed because only 35 states approved out of the 38 needed (RBP 985). The passage of the Equal Rights Amendment would have been an extremely significant event because women would have been able to get the same pay as men, they could get managerial jobs instead of just menial ones, and it was a high possibility to reduce the amount of prejudice towards women.Other attempts to create equality after the war consisted of the challenge of the Cult of Domesticity, Roe v. Wade, representation in politics, and Title IX (notes). Even though not all attempts were successful, women got the poi nt across that they were tired of the unequal treatments and wanted change. Women have always been treated unequal throughout history, and were expected to bow down to men because they were inferior to them. Daily, they have suffered from all aspects of life; social, economic and political.They weren’t given the same job and educational opportunities, and were completely denied voting rights. Women did do many things to try to fix the discrimination between themselves and men, some worked such as the National Organization for Women, the case of Roe v. Wade, and Title IX. While some attempts failed like the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Even though women faced many obstacles in the nation’s past, there are still many more to come to completely demolish discrimination.

Prons and Cons of Corporate Reporting Essay

We succinctly lay out arguments put forth both for and against the regulation of corporate disclosure and standard-setting. We then examine current developments suggesting that accounting standard-setting is at risk of becoming entangled in a web of political forces with potentially significant consequences. The crisis has brought into sharp focus the reality that the regulation of corporate reporting is just one piece of a larger regulatory configuration, and that forces are at play that would subjugate accounting standard-setting to broader regulatory demands. Recent actions by the European Commission relating to IFRS 9 and proposed legislation in the US Congress to create a systemic risk council serve to illustrate this point. We conclude by discussing in detail the recent fair value debate as a case study of the way in which bank regulatory policy and accounting standard-setting decisions were jointly determined as a potentially socially optimal means to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis. Keywords: regulation; corporate reporting; politics 1. Introduction History attests to the influence of crisis and scandals as an impetus for regulatory intervention by politicians (Banner, 1997; Reinhart and Rogoff, 2008). After a series of scandals in the UK in the 1990s culminating in the collapse of Barings Bank, there was a dramatic shift in the structure of nnancial regulation that consolidated regulation responsibilities under the auspices of the Financial Services Authority. A wave of financial scandals epitomised by the Enron debacle catalysed swift and sweeping ciianges to US securities regulations with the passage of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. Today, in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-2009, financial accounting standard-setting finds itself drawn into the orbit of complex political processes focused on restructuring the regulation of the world’s financial markets. The crisis has ignited woddwide debate on issues of systemic risk and the role played by financial regulation in creating and exacerbating the crisis. Proposals abound for how regulation of financial markets and financial institutions should be changed to mitigate the potential †¢The authors are at Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. This paper has been prepared for presentation and discussion at the Information for Better Markets Conference, sponsored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, 14-15 December 2009. We thank Dan Amiram, Mary Barth, Elieia Cowins, Martien Lubberink, Brian Singleton-Green and Steve Zeff for helpful comments. Correspondence should be addressed to: Professor Robert Bushman, Kenan-Flagler Business School, The Unversity of North Carolina, CB #3490, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3490, USA. E-mail: Bushman@unc. edu. for such large-scale financial meltdowns in the fixture. The scope of regulatory issues under debate spans many aspects of the financial system, including the alleged role played by financial accounting standards in deepening the trajectory of the crisis. The crisis has energised politicians, regulators, and economists to scrutinise financial accounting standards as never before, creating significant pressure for change (see, e. g. G-20, 2009). Given mounting momentum for potentially far reaching regulatory change, this is an opportune moment to step back and carefiilly consider how to organise the analysis of efticient regulatory choice.

Government's Influence on Career Choices in Public or Private Sector Research Paper

Government's Influence on Career Choices in Public or Private Sector - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that the government usually does serious marketing for the less preferred jobs such as the army. The marketing campaigns make the compensation and conditions for an average US army official very lucrative and tempting. Whenever government faces a shortage of labor, they embark to marketing just like the private sector. The continued positive branding of some careers may have an enormous impact on individual’s career choices. This paper makes a conclusion that the government international relations have an influence on an individual’s career path. Some career paths may demand that one flies to a foreign country to further studies or just to carry out the job itself. Consider a scenario where a US citizen has landed a prime job in a foreign country. If the US government is not in conducive international terms with such a country, say Iran, an individual may not have the urge to pursue his career in such a hostile foreign environment. It goes without saying the immigration department, and the federal laws governing US workers in foreign countries will not be lenient enough to make some happy to take up the job in the said country. In fact, US after warning its citizens not to head to certain places in pursuit of careers may decide to play a passive role in the case of an incidence. Therefore, international relations and government labor laws concerning working in foreign nations may have an effect on the decision one makes career wise.

Astronomy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Astronomy - Assignment Example The material separation of the earth according to their density has played a vital role in this process. It has a very dense metallic core, comparatively less dense rocky mantle and low density crust. It might have happened two ways; the heat raised by radio active combination that caused the interior melting, and the energy created by its formation process. The answer for how the earth’s external crust became less dense is clear. It happened as the densest materials submerged in to the melted interior of the planet. As mentioned earlier, the heat created by the radioactive decay or the internal melting naturally have the tendency to flow out. Subsequently other natural phenomena such as convection currents, magnetic field, plate motion, faults, volcanoes, and many more occur. As the outer crusts are comparatively cooler, the outward flow of heat through them makes the earth always geologically active. The moon or other small planets are cool and inactive because they are small in size and have little heat flow from interior (Seeds, Backman,

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 12

Personal statement - Essay Example hough deeply religious, he has the modern outlook and he has paved way for participation of women, in the nation-building projects and I wish to be a part of the process actively through those endeavors. Personally, I am deeply interested in the subject of political science and my grandfather is my role model in this area. I am sure to have his guidance and blessings in my chosen career. He was a practicing politician and that provided the strength to our family. He was a great man of political integrity and character and we, the family members have imbibed his virtues. As for my academic credentials, I hold the bachelor’s degree in library science and information. I have three years’ experience as a librarian in a business school and that gave me a unique opportunity to be friends with the latest business management books. I am a voracious reader and have read and studied the autobiographies of famous leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Kar l Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, Mao Tse Tung etc. besides many leaders of Saudi Arabia. I am seeking admission to Master in Political Science to strengthen my theory knowledge of the subject of Politics. Your benign consideration of my application for admission at this important juncture in my life will be the deciding factor for my future goals and career

Anthropology - Youth Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Anthropology - Youth Culture - Essay Example triarchy, marriage, educational systems and the like.†1 Because each individual is born as a subject of a particular form of ideology, believing he is acting on his own freely formed or freely recognized ideas, he inadvertently reinforces the practices and rituals of the ISAs.2 This circle of activity is called â€Å"interpellation† and demonstrates how â€Å"ideology is not a static set of ideas imposed upon the subordinate by the dominant classes, but rather a dynamic process constantly reproduced and reconstituted in practice.†3 However, in order to work, interpellation requires the individual to respond to the hail of a particular ideology, thereby becoming its subject and participating in its practices. Bad subjects of the realm who do not recognize, accept or maintain the dominant discourse are subjected to societal ridicule, obsequy or ostracism. When enough individuals are subjected to this type of ridicule, obsequy or ostracism, they begin to group togeth er, forming a subculture with a common voice of some sort. For one adolescent subculture, that voice emerged in the 1990s as a band called Green Day. To understand how Green Day helps to define an entire subculture, it is first necessary to understand what the subculture might be reacting against. From this point, an examination into where the band is different from and similar to other musical genres coupled with an analysis of the band’s message eventually reveals the types of individuals who feel connected through this music. Subcultures are groups that operate in some form of opposition to the greater culture. Louis Althusser suggested all aspects of society, regardless of class or political affiliation influence the various ideologies of a given time. In 1969, he wrote: â€Å"rather than a strict relationship between ideology and the economic base of society, where one class imposes its values on another, ideology is a dynamic set of practices in which all groups and classes participate.†4

Citizen Engagement in development research Essay

Citizen Engagement in development research - Essay Example Its purpose is to contribute in meaningful ways to specific public policy decisions in a transparent and accountable manner". (Phillips, 2002) Around the period centering 1970s, the different governments, especially of the Western nations, more profoundly thought of extending the responsibilities of the citizens and gradually increased and spread the application of the plans in various arenas primarily including the social and infrastructural bodies to address more deeply the quintessential aspects of education and health. Citizens were encouraged to intensively participate and monitor in many small developmental projects and related campaigns in their respective community areas.  Lack of substantial civilian involvement at that period prompted many theories to be developed and scrutinized at this very context. There have been several approaches and detailed theoretical study and discussion regarding literature of public involvement in developmental affairs of the governance. Many such views were studied exhaustively and dissected minutely to frame administrative policies across the nations of the world. One such view to understand the role of civilians in attaining developmental goals was the neo-liberal market approach. The main argument of the neo-liberal market approach is a continually sustained moderation of the government authority through a proper mix of privatization and decentralization policies (Gaventa, 2007). In this particular framework, the main critic is the civilians are mechanically.

Decision-Making process Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision-Making process - Term Paper Example Managers are therefore expected to come up with the best decision. Nelson and Quick particularly discuss different decision models that could able to explain some assumptions about the best decision one could ever make. The first is rational model which has the basic assumption that the decision maker is conscious about the best decision he or she has to choose from the available preferences. The next is bounded rationality model which has basic assumptions that managers should select satisfactory decisions, they have simple view of the world, and they are comfortable with their decisions even without alternatives and they are into heuristic decision or based on the rule of thumb. Then there are also times when the decision-maker has to decide randomly or in an unsystematic way. Such of this is explained by the garbage can model. Nelson and Nick also discuss Jung’s cognitive style which is based on the idea of gathering information and evaluating the best alternatives. In this model, it is assumed that individuals are able to perceive things and eventually judge them. There is therefore a substantial risk in this considering the fact that perception at some point may eventually be based on personal choices that could be subjective at certain level. However, Nelson and Nick include that the influence of other individual in the decision making is viewed to have significant impact because from the point of view of cognitive approach, they too are capable of perceiving things and evaluating on them based on their best preferences. Furthermore, they point out that creativity is an integral part of the human’s capability. However, they believe that the problem with relying on other’s decision could be a potential drawback due to organizational influence, which means that the entire decision an d its creativity could either be impeded or supported. They also point out that the good thing however about group decision includes acquiring more knowledge and information, increase acceptance and commitment due to giving opportunity for each member to

Choosing Among Two Aspirant in an Office Essay Example for Free

Choosing Among Two Aspirant in an Office Essay During the work hunting days of the newly graduates and other professionals, there are lots of pressure and competition among the applicants in different offices or jobs that they are applying for. Let us take a closer look between these two candidates in an office, Obama and Hiliary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assuming that they are competing for a job in an office of personnel and communication of a corporation, Obama and Hiliary should meet the qualifications identified by the office as requisites before they could be accepted as staff. The office of personnel and communication is also commonly known as human resource department of a company. However, it scopes further networking and creation of press releases and other researches. It is very necessary for a person who is working in that particular department of the corporation to be socialized with different people, first and foremost, her co-workers. It is because in this job, staff will be meeting people from different walks of life. They are to deal and communicate with different networks. And since there could be loads of works in daily basis, one should be efficient enough to finish a one day job of paper works. Obama, is a graduate of a business related course three years ago in a one of the top universities in California. She graduated with honors and a very good scholastic background and affiliations. She has already three years experience from previous work in a non-government organization as training officer. She is very young at an age 23 going to 24. Hiliary, on the other hand, is of the same age of Obama. However, Hiliary graduated without any special commends but also from one of the top universities Los Angeles. She studied there also a business related course and took several extra short courses in psychology. After her graduation she works in a private company as personnel staff, and eventually, after consistent eight months of excellent work, she seats as the assistant head of human resource department of her previous company. And now, these two young ladies are candidates in an office as head of the personnel and communication of the corporation. There have been qualifications that are being specified a while ago. To choose among these two candidates, their educational background, credentials, and their personality could be tested and compared so as to choose the right person to fit the job. Obama, has a better scholastic standing and background as it shows by her honors and awards during her college education, than Hiliary, who graduated with her diploma only, taken into considerations that they both come from top universities in the world. However, Hiliary, as checked in her working experience and from the company where worked, it was found out that she had a very good social skills and was able to deal with top position people in the corporate world down to the most ordinary worker. She was promoted at the very early eight months of her work period as the assistant head of the human resource department. But Obama, was also found a very persevere and dedicated employee. In terms of their personality, both of the two could socialize and work well with different kind s of people. Since they are candidate in work of a head of the personnel and communication of a corporation, the one who deserves the position, must be acquainted enough and familiar enough with the nature of work. In case of Obama, she worked as training officer in her previous company. Meaning, that she could communicate and lead and guide other people in the company and outside the company. Both of the two have already endured the pressure of professional works. However, Hiliary has already her experience of working as assistant head of human resource department, which is very similar to the work that she is applying now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In selecting for the right position holder in the corporation, these comparisons and contrast could be one of the bases that could be used. Works Cited â€Å"Ethical Office Politics.† Lifehack.org. (No Date). November 19, 2007 http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/ethical-office-politics.html

Bhagwad Gita As Seen By Osho

Bhagwad Gita As Seen By Osho I have always been intrigued by one question the response to which I was always not able to a find or say this one question always confused me , baffled me or say that this very question always made me contemplate or say left me pondering. Every time I would see a court scene in a Hindi movie, I would find it very funny rather very strange. A witness or an accused being called to the witness box , he being made to take an oath in the name of the holy Bhagwad Gita by touching it and saying mein jo hi kahunga sach kahunga , sach ke siva kuch na kahunga. I would find it funny and would think whether it was some kind of narco test being conducted or what, that the truth will automatically start flowing from the mouth of the person. I could never understand and thought would perhaps never understand the reason behind it. Every time the same holy Gita and the same old oath. Then why only the Gita why not some other religious scripture. Well it could always be the Ramayana, the Upanishads, or say the Puranas. The other day the same question again came to my mind and I found the answer to it in one of the editions of Osho times and I found it quite convincing and relevant and at the same time very interesting. In the words of Osho, no other person on earth has been as complete as the Krishna. Looking at the personality and the character of the Lord Krishna , one would observe that he has been the only multidimensional person with so many faces and in a way complete, imbibing in himself almost every possible aspect of human nature . If he is a warrior, a Kshatriya at the same time he is a very learned being, a knowledgeable person, a great pundit, a Brahman. At the same time a lover, a flirt, a musician, a dancer, a thief, a liar, and a politician as well. There is hardly any aspect of human nature, which you will not find in the Lord Krishna. It is almost impossible, something which is not imaginable. Krishna is a complete man, which is why he has been called a purna a vatar. Before him and after him no body has ever been so complete and so multidimensional. Ram has been there, Vishnu has been there but no one so complete, so interesting and so varied in his personality with all shades and colors of human nature. According to Osho, if God descends on earth, he would look somewhat like Krishna and no one else. Lord Ram, however big he may be, in the consciousness of this country has never been a complete avatar, he always been a part of it but never the complete. The rishis of Upanishads however knowledgeable they may have been are not complete avatars. Only Krishna has been complete and thats why the majority of Indian consciousness and mind has been touched by him .And the reason for this is his being a multidimensional person who touches all the aspects of human personality. As far as Lord Ram and others are concerned, they are all one-dimensional and they can be loved and worshiped by only a particular category of people. As far as Krishna is c oncerned, it will be hard to find a person on this earth who will not fall in love with any of the aspects of the personality and the being of Shri Krishna. A thief may fall in love with him, a dancer will love him, a sanyasi may adore him, a nonsanyasi as well and he may even be source of inspiration for a Kshatriya. Therefore, Krishna is like a complete orchestra with all the musical instruments and in this orchestra, everybody finds an instrument of his choice. However, the strangest thing is there has never been anyone who would have loved Krishna as a whole. Surdas loves only the BAL Krishna, he is afraid of the Krishna who dances around with the Gopies and flirts with them. Keshavdas on the other hand will love the young Krishna dancing and enjoying himself. But to love him as a whole is very difficult or rather impossible. To be able to love him as a whole requires one to be multidimensional. And the majority of us happen to be one-dimensional and all of us we have a single t rack mind set and in Krishna we choose what suits us. That is why all love Krishna and everyone finds a reason to do so. According to Osho, in a court of law, one will seldom find good people; people who are bad in some way or the other usually frequent court. A bad person in love with Ram may perhaps never go to the court .So taking an oath in the name of Ram is almost impossible. Taking an oath in the name of Krishna is quite relevant and possible because Krishna seems to be open to even the criminals and all kinds of bad people .His doors are open for all. That is why even the bad people, the offenders, love Krishna. According to Osho, it will be hard to find a person who would not feel like hugging Krishna, who would say that Krishna is not meant for him or her. Moreover, for Osho the greatest truth greater than truth is love and it is almost impossible to lie in front of a person we are in love with. Truth can be found only in a love relationship. If one is not able to be truth ful towards ones lover then it is something else in the name of love and love not at all. Moreover, the psychology has proved that if somebodys cord of love is touched it will be impossible for him to lie. So it is all in the name of love for Krishna that all the accused and the witnesses are made to take an oath in the name of the Bhadwad Gita. Like wise there have been other questions too troubling me and keeping me pensive all the time since my child hood. I have my exams and say I m not well prepared, I m worried and my parents would always say karm kar fal ki icha mat kar; this again would leave me wondering. How can you do anything, perform any karma without thinking of the outcome at all. Finding it written everywhere would again make me feel guilty because lord Krishna had said so as my parents told me. I would feel something wrong with me as I never did anything without the outcome, and even today, I do not do anything with out the result in mind. There are expectations all the time. But today there is no guilt associated with it at all and again Osho helped me resolve this quarry of mine which earlier would never let me feel free of my guilt. I used to feel as if I was a criminal. But I was not responsible because that was how my parents and the people around had interoperated it. But the Osho does it, its really i ncredible. He says something very interesting. Karmanye vadhikareste à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. he interprets it not by associating it with any result at all. According to him, it means being here and now completely. What so ever one does if done with full concentration and by immersing into it in ones totality, he or she would never fail. That is it. But the way people have been interpret ting it has been very unrealistic and impossible. How can you do anything without having the purpose in your mind? And doing anything without anything in mind would be foolish and stupid at the same time. But that is what we have told by all kinds of idiots and cunning people, or says the followers of Hitler. According to Osho, misinterpretation is done only with the purpose of creating guilt in the people. And it is very simple to dictate upon the people who feel guilty. Hitler also did that. He also created guilt among his people, ruled over them, and could have his way. Karma kar à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ That si mply means doing everything with full samagrata, with full concentration, by being here and now and that is what epitomizes the whole philosophy of Osho. Like wise, there are other questions as well. I once saw a film in which a serial killer goes around killing people and saying Na koi Marta hai na koi maarta hai à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Aisa main nahin Gita kehti hai à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Nobody ever dies nobody ever kills, this again seems to be justifying the violence committed by General Dyer or the killings done by Hitler. But this is not what Krishna means to say. According to him just because no one dies does not in any way justify the desire to kill or the passion for violence? According to him, there is nothing wrong in the occurrence of violence but the sin is in the act of violence. So listening to Gita if someone concludes that killing someone is not killing at all is not right, that is all a fiction. Krishna is not saying, Go ahead and kill people. He is saying only if it becomes your experience that no one is ever killed, then, and only then, can you let whatever happens, happen. And there is one more thing who is Krishna addressin g this to. This is very important. This discourse is not meant for the common man, it is meant for the Arjuna who has refused to kill. And then he tells Arjuna that he is a Kshatriya and that he should perform his duty that of being one. But does that mean that Krishna is a warmonger? No. According to Osho, Krishna is only trying to help Arjuna realize who he is and what his duties are and how can he achieve the pinnacle of his being and that naturally is possible only by being what he is. In the battlefield, Arjuna has dropped his weapons and is talking like a Brahman, which he is not suppose to. This has only one message that all of us we should do everything to be what we are and that we should realize all our potentials and possibilities we have born with. Then there is one more important thing, which Osho says in the context of Bhadwad Gita. According to him, the Bhagwad Gita happens to be the first psychological scripture available to the East long before the works of Freud, Adler and Jung. And in his words, it would not be an exaggeration if Krishna were called the father of psychology. In the Bhagwad Gita, the way Krishna approaches Arjunas problems can only be appreciated once we really understand the working of the human mind with all its intricacies and complexities. According to Osho, all of us all the time carry an Arjuna within us and all the time we are confronted with situations and are facing one crises or the other. And as we listen to him it becomes clear that our situation too is not very different from that of the Arjuna, it is perhaps more complex and of a greater magnitude. In the words of Osho, the root cause of all of our problems, difficulties, miseries, dilemma, conflict and war is nothing else but mind. So in or der to find a solution to all these problems its very important rather imperative to understand the working of mind, its patterns and conditionings. According to Osho, only mind is the problem and all that chaos which we find all around ourselves, behind all this only mind is the one who is responsible. Some people have called the Bhagwad Gita a spiritual shastra but its not so according to Osho.In his opinion no shastra can ever be spiritual, it can only be psychological. Rather shastras have nothing to do with spirituality. The spiritual journey starts where the mind ends. And Osho goes further and says that there is nothing like a spiritual shastra because as far as spirituality is concerned, spirituality itself is life, is experience and shastra only helps understand the functioning of mind. Bhagwad Gita is not spiritual also because the problem of Arjuna is not spiritual; it is more of a psychological problem, a practical one. And the answer to a psychological question can only be a psychological one. According to Osho if someone says that Krishna is, addressing to Arjunas problem in spiritual words, that too would be wrong because then no communication would be possible between the two. According to Osho, no problem can ever be spiritual because spiritualism can be the solution and the problems always arise from the mind. In his words, all problems are psychological whereas spirituality itself is solution. Only mind is the problem. Mind itself is the chaos. That is why whatever is shastra cannot be beyond the mind and whatever is beyond mind has no name at all. According to Osho since most of our problems, arise from the mind, since most of them happen to be psychological, so the solutions to them too have to be of the same level. That is why Krishna in order to resolve Arjunas problem brings himself down to his level or say to his pedestal. How ever if Krishna addresses his problem from he already is i.e. is from his own pedestal, in that case no communication will be possible between the two; Arjuna wont understand anything. And that what happens to be difference between the modern teacher and the rishi of Upanishads. The difference is that of the methodologies. A modern teacher always keeps his student on the centre whereas the rishi of Upanishads, he himself happens to be the centre. Krishna talks to Arjuna just like a modern teacher. He does not preach him at all rather he discusses the problem with him. According to Osho, only those scriptures have future that are psychological. Metaphysics has no future at all. People have problems and they want those problems to be solved. All they want is a solution to them; and who so ever will solve them who so ever will answer to their questions will have a place, will have a future. According to Osho only if Krishna shows the courage to stand in a queue with Freud and Jung, then and only then Gita will have a future.

Norovirus: Strategies To Improve Terminal Cleaning

Norovirus: Strategies To Improve Terminal Cleaning This paper provides comprehensive background information related to norovirus outbreak and critically evaluate the implications of the issue by expounding on the adoption of infection control measures and effective management practices to minimise risk factors associated with the epidemic followed by terminal cleaning in an orthopaedic ward. The historical background of the infection was specified when an outbreak of gastro-enteritis was detected in a school in the town of Norwalk, Ohio, USA, more than 25 years ago, and Norovirus (NV) was then recognized as a potential ailment. The virus is derived from a genus within the family Caliciviridae consisting of a diverse group of non-enveloped RNA viruses that generally lead to infection. It was previously named as Small round structured virus (SRSV) infection and Norwalk-like virus (NLV) infection and is said to cause winter vomiting although it can occur at any time of year. Substantial increase has been observed in the outbreaks of nor ovirus infection in recent years and it has been reported that the GII.4 norovirus strain has increased transmissibility and virulence resulting in excess expected mortality and morbidity rates amongst affected patients (Harris et al. 2008). Although the disease is self limiting and is considered mild but elderly and immune-compromised patients are said to be at higher risk. Lopman et al, (2003) after analysing data from norovirus outbreaks in England and Wales during 1992-2000, disagreed to acknowledge norovirus as a trivial disease and emphasized that it is one of the contributing factor to the worsening condition of the immune-compromised patients. The instigation of the infection is acute which is initially characterized by abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting followed by myalgia, headache, malaise and a low grade fever that might transpire in up to 50% of cases (Wilson 2001). The highly contagious viral gastroenteritis is spread by person to person contact through faecal oral route furthermore, aerosols or environmental contamination followed by faecal accidents or droplet transmission through projectile vomiting is another cause of infection as it spread viruses into the air as an indiscernible mist and especially targets the vulnerable individuals in a closed or semi-closed setting e.g. hospital wards and nursing homes. Noroviruses has the tendency to spread quiet easily and may also cause outbreaks due to contaminated food or drink as these viruses may settle on people or food present in the same room. The virus can also be widely spread due to negligence of healthcare staff to maintain hygiene or due to the c ontaminated surfaces especially commodes, toilet doors and chains, taps etc (Chadwick et al. 2000). The symptoms lasting for at least 48 hours indicate that the patient with viral gastroenteritis is considered to be potentially infectious. The symptoms may last longer in case of elderly patients and the severity of the vomiting may also result in dehydration. Test results of faeces or vomit determine the identification of viral gastroenteritis and it has been submitted that the onset of vomiting in a number of people over a period of 1-3 days indicate that the virus is continuously spreading within the setting. It has been studied by Love et al, (2002) that norovirus outbreaks can be devastating in closed or semi-closed communities as for example hospitals, nursing homes, child care centres and leisure industry settings such as hotels, restaurants and caravan camps are more susceptible to trigger the outbreak of infection. The daily routine within a closed or semi-closed setting can be seriously disrupted by the outbreaks due to relatively high attack rates as the transmission of virus is enormously swift. The outbreak of norovirus infection confers short term immunity with a rapid spread out and therefore, absolute prevention from the epidemic is unattainable however, the risk of norovirus outbreak can be mitigated by effective control measures in order to limit its impact and disruption of routine healthcare services. Every single healthcare unit shall prepare a logical series of steps followed by an outbreak plan agreed by the Infection Control Committee of the hospital or Director of Public Health, in order to recognize the risk of outbreak instantaneously and establish the effective control measures. As soon as norovirus outbreak is suspected, the outbreak control team that is usually comprised of consultant microbiologist or other medical staff members, need to take necessary initiatives to identify the extent of outbreak by coordinating the preliminary investigations and take all the necessary measures to impede the spread of infection, if the outbreak is declared (Said et al. 2 008). The most significant aspect after detecting an outbreak is effective communication that can be achieved by placing notices at the entrance to the ward, alerting the relevant and voluntary staff to take charge, distributing leaflets and educating the visitors to postpone their visits. One of the most preliminary preventive measures is stringent hand washing with water and soap followed by the use of gloves and plastic aprons by the healthcare staff while taking care of patients and finally the use of face masks when dealing with vomit or removal of exposed food. Moreover, immediate disinfection of the setting with chlorine releasing disinfectants, when contaminated with vomit or stool prevents embedding of the virus and further spread. Segregation and isolation of affected patients are useful preventive approaches however, it could be problematic due to over occupancy of the rooms and beds. On the other hand, patients might also be unwilling to move from their room to another as the isolated patients express greater dissatisfaction towards their treatment and seem to obtain less documented care however, it is crucial to keep the symptomatic people apart from asymptomatic ones. The uninfected patients could be discharged only if the patient is able to cope up with the situation in case if there is a likelihood of him/her becoming symptomatic. Closure of the entire orthopaedic ward is a wise alternative that significantly discourages the exchange of staff and patients between wards so that the probable spread of the infection to other wards can be prevented (Ayliffe et al. 2000). Exclusion of the symptomatic staff members is imperative and must not show up on work until 48 hours after normal bowel habits have returne d. The excessive admittance to the ward must also be reduced to avoid the over crowdedness and uninfected patients may be discharged to their homes provided their relatives are educated about the personal risk to themselves and also about the preventive measures so that the probable risk of infection can be minimised. As studied by Gallimore et al, (2006) norovirus can be found on a huge variety of hand-touch sites such as toilet taps, door-handles, hospital equipment, elevator and microwave buttons, switches and telephones and therefore additional efforts are anticipated from the cleaning staff during an outbreak. In order to control the outbreaks of norovirus the significance of environmental cleaning must be evidently acknowledged and specifically addressed. Cleaning does not necessarily means to clean the floors, the norovirus outbreak requires a comprehensive terminal cleaning program at least twice a day and the cleaning includes clinical equipment, floors, toilets and general surfaces (Damani 2003). Furthermore, curtains, bed covers and pillow cases should be removed and sent to the laundry, and the rest of the soft furnishings including carpets shall be either washed down or, preferably, steam-cleaned. All general cleaning agents especially those used for cleaning toilets and bathroom area s should be with a chlorine-containing disinfectant or bleach at a specified concentration which is usually 1000ppm chlorine (Horton Parker 2002). With some surfaces the use of 1000ppm chlorine is incompatible and requires correct safety measures to be taken by the cleaning team which sometimes becomes difficult due to lack of training or individual negligence however, no differences were found between disinfection with 250ppm chlorine and the use of no chlorine. Barker et al, (2004) suggested that the cleaning policies should always include the use of chlorine releasing disinfectants since detergent-based cleaning often fails to eradicate the virus from the environment. There are certain factors that significantly influence the management of the overall outbreak within a healthcare setting or an orthopaedic ward. The foremost factor that greatly affects the preventive measure is the delay in the identification of an outbreak as a result of which there could be chaos during the epidemic which could be extremely exasperating. The main reason of such a gaffe could be flawed infection control policy, inconsistent decision making, sheer negligence or simply false judgement. The administrative policy of a healthcare setting plays an important role to determine the success and failure of an organization to combat with complicated health crisis. A clear, concise and effectively documented framework enables the healthcare staff to carry out preventive and control interventions by adhering to the strict rules and regulations and thereby, mitigate the risks of mismanagement. The organizational policy provides a platform for the infection control team to carry out preliminary investigations to substantiate the outbreak and immediately take full control of the situation by integrating the early control measures as for example, segregation and isolation of affected patients and comprehensive cleaning. Regardless of the size and capacity, every closed and semi-closed setting must designate the infection control staff to manage the outbreak. The preliminary investigation should be led by the consultant microbiologist or infection control nurse or any other designated clinician to establish a tentative diagnosis and to convene an outbreak control team if norovirus is suspected (McCulloch 2001). The composition of the team may vary depending on the setting and the extent of the outbreak. The infection control team is responsible to develop a descriptive epidemiology along with environmental health investigation to quantify the extent of the outbreak with the help of survey questionnaires that additionally help to identify the outbreak in terms of an individual, place, time etc followed by which careful preventive measures are undertaken to exclude a sources of contamination. The organizational and structural policy helps the infection control team to compile and analyse data of the reported cases followed by microbiological investigations and complex analytical studies to determine possible exposures and methods of transmission (Pellowe et al. 2003). The role of senior management and decision makers of a healthcare setting is very crucial in addressing the complications raised by the norovirus outbreak within an orthopaedic ward. For an organization capital and revenue, recurring and non-recurring costs must be considered while developing an infection preventive and control policy. It is very important for a healthcare setting to assess the risk control planning process and compare it with the risk exposure costs with the cost of planned improvements to current controls (White et al. 2008). The norovirus outbreak within an orthopaedic ward demands additional staffing, training requirements capacity, cleaning equipment and several other resources. Extra staffing is required depending upon the size and capacity of the setting but usually additional drivers and substitute nurses are arranged prior to an outbreak. Furthermore, training requirements also increases as an outbreak of norovirus within an orthopaedic ward is an emergency situation where the need of highly skilled and trained healthcare staff becomes higher. The increase in resource requirements must also be considered and identified prior to draw infe ction management plan as it is quite possible that the impact in cost or resources required might outweigh the actual impact of the risk materialising on the organisation (Reason 2000). Therefore, it is essential for the policy makers to prioritize the needs and requirements of the issue and compare it with the budgetary restrictions and come up with a sensible and realistic plan that not only addresses the issue but also abide by with the fiscal arrangement of the organization. The preventive and control policy must ensure to respond to the increased demand for cleaning in the affected areas and for additional demand for cleaning supplies etc. The prioritisation of risks allows the organisation to characterise the potential health risks that require early attention on a cost and benefits basis and address them in the most effective way. Moreover, it is wise for the management to develop a partnership culture that guarantees the involvement and participation of all staff in risk ass essment so that the distribution of responsibilities is equally distributed and comprehensively understood. Staffing is yet another factor that subsequently influences the progression of preventive measures and management of infection. Increase workload can be observed followed by a norovirus outbreak within a healthcare setting as there is an incremental admission of patients and this may lead to unmanageable situation. When the workload increases it is quite obvious that the healthcare team is under extreme pressure and a lot of stress on an individual basis and therefore, it becomes vital to draw a sensible management plan to reduce traffic as it becomes very difficult for the healthcare staff to maintain absolute hygiene practices running parallel to incremental workload and visitors. The overcrowded wards shows a potential risk of accelerating the circulation of norovirus in the healthcare setting as well as a wide distribution of the virus in the environment outside a ward or hospital which is alarming. Furthermore, the spread of infection is not restricted to patients and the health care team especially those having direct contact with the patients are equally susceptible to catch the disease and hence there is a probability of shrinkage in staff members (Damani 2003). The increasing absences may lead to a difficult situation for the management as the size of the setting or the overall budgetary restrictions may result in downgrading the infection preventative and control measures. It is very important to retain highly trained staff and nurses in the ward at the time of an outbreak as the lack of trained and experienced staff may also result in the worsening of the overall development. By ensuring hygienic practices and the implementation of strict infection control measures the overall staff benefits as fewer staff members will fall ill, consequently there will be fewer costs for sick leave and the substitution of staff. Moreover, continuous care for the patients will also be guaranteed. The influential factor like human fallacy is another aspect which cannot be ignored. The patients and healthcare staff are both humans and it is quite possible for an individual to deliberately refuse to follow the specified guidelines and hygiene practices or an individual may unintentionally do something which might aggravate the issue (Reason 2000). On the other hand, poor structural and utility planning may also be an aggravating factor especially where there is a lack of wash hand basins in clinical areas then the possibility of virus spread becomes inevitable (Rayfield et al. 2003). The excessive workload and pressure due to rush season especially when there is a declared epidemic within a healthcare setting, the overstretched staff sometimes become ignorant to comply with the infection preventive and control measures that lead to severe consequences. Another significant aspect is the lack of education regarding the underlying issue which significantly becomes the prime cause o f spreading virus. The unhygienic or ignorant behaviour of the patients visitors also add to the worsening of the situation. The correct approach is to educate every single individual about the norovirus and the preventive measures and every possible means of communication as for example, advertisements through television, radio programs, newspapers and magazines must all be utilized to spread the message to common people. The management of closed and semi-closed settings must also ensure to educate people by pasting posters and distributing informative materials and leaflets about the norovirus. Collective human efforts to educate each other about the underlying issue would help to minimise the risk of spreading virus and would also facilitate in maintaining cleaner and healthier environment (Reason 2000). Once the outbreak has been declared the ward should be closed to admissions and the doors of the ward should also be kept closed to avoid the irrelevant visitors. There is a need to place an approved notice on the door indicating that a suspected norovirus outbreak, or outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting within the orthopaedic ward followed by which the unnecessary traffic to the ward must be stopped. To conclude, the most integral aspect of improving the terminal cleaning of the ward is dependent upon how effectively the awareness has been created amongst the people. It is imperative to educate every individual who is particularly closer to the ward that includes, bed management, nurses, food handlers, waste management staff, cleaners, consultants, and health protection team. According to DoH (2003), daily updates must be circulated among the healthcare staff and the residents of the ward or healthcare setting during norovirus outbreaks. Education is an effective tool as the more individuals are aware of the facts the more they would adhere to preventive and control measures which subsequently result in progression of effective cleaning practices. Apart from educating people, the pragmatic approach should be adopted right after the discharge of patients followed by removing the linen on the beds and curtains to avoid any chances of left over virus attacks. The tangible surfaces s hall be cleaned with neutral detergent and water and then dried. During the terminal cleaning the beds shall not be re-made and every minute aspect shall be emphasized in order to attain a zero defect environment. Noroviruses has the tendency to survive for up to a week on cleaned beds and on clean bed linen and therefore, the terminal cleaning requires careful and thorough cleaning. An adequate amount of literature is available expounding on the infection preventive and control measures pertaining to the norovirus and there is not much difference in the recommended strategies to thwart the issue however, it is significant to realise that despite of such written about issue the prevention of the disease is still unattainable and this is because noroviruses are not visible to the naked eyes and the most critical factor i.e. human fallacy still persists and can never be prohibited. Therefore, to mitigate the spread of norovirus it is important not only to adhere with the specified pre ventive guidelines but also to increase awareness amongst the uninfected people so that the likelihood of virus spread out can be completely controlled and diminished. Barro-Gordon Model: Overview and Analysis Barro-Gordon Model: Overview and Analysis To what extent is there a disconnect between theoretical models of monetary policy, and how monetary policy is conducted in the real world? Your answer should draw on the theoretical models of monetary policy we have covered in lectures, and your knowledge of the monetary policy framework at the Bank of England (minimum 950 words, maximum 1000 words). The theories surrounding monetary policy have been radically transformed in recent decades, ultimately shaping the institutional structure and policies of central banks. The focus until recently was upon ‘a mandate, independence and accountability (Svensson, 2009) which closely reflected theoretical models, however the shifting nature of the economy with the current financial crisis has meant a greater disconnect between theory and practice. The Barro-Gordon model depicted the choices policy makers face when creating monetary policy. The incentive for policy-makers to create surprise inflation is shown below: (Taken from â€Å"The Barro Gordon model of rules vs. discretion†, Costain) This temptation of a temporary rise in employment is correlated with the pressure on governments to achieve high results before elections. The problem becomes time-inconsistent with rational expectations and a multi-period model. The optimal policy for government is positive inflation, which agents know and thus set expectations equal to. This demonstrates the optimal result of a binding rule. The rule vs. discretion debate highlighted the need to constrain government interference, resulting in increasing central bank independence and a focus upon long term horizons. However, rules cannot accommodate all possible events, and have created problems evident in the Thatcher government. The US policy between 1950-66, and 1985-2000 provides evidence that discretionary policy can produce good results. The assumptions of the distinction between only two types of central bankers and perfect control over the price level are deemed unrealistic. The granting of Central Bank independence within the UK in 1997 could be seen as a response to the impetus within theoretical literature such as Barro-Gordon to do so. Following this, the MPC was said to gain instant credibility with long-tern inflation expectations falling sharply. Empirical findings below support independent central banks ability to sustain lower inflation with no output cost. Central banks tend to follow Fischers theory of instrument independence and goal dependence. The idea of â€Å"constrained discretion† is seen in the UK with the Chancellors requirement of a remit letter if inflation strays by 1pp from target. The independence of the UKs Quantitative easing policy is seen by its status of â€Å"the business of the bank† (Mervyn King). However the democratic need for accountability is seen in the UKs allowance of a member of the treasury to sit in on meetings. Reputation and delegation are two theoretical commitment solutions to the dynamic-inconsistency problem. (Romer, 2001). Reputation plays a role in monetary policy, in a state of uncertainty such as the UK, where the image of central bankers of inflation fighting is important to establish credibility thus incentivising them to achieve targets. This issue is seen as being â€Å"near..to the hearts of real central bankers† (Blinder) and is achieved by processes such as publishing votes. Commitment solutions rely on the importance of expectations and are prominent in theory and practice of real world policy. This is reflected in the prominent role of the Bank of Englands inflation and output forecasts. However the New Keynesian Phillips Curve assumption that a rise in inflation expectations would give rise to inflation did not hold in recent times, as shown below. Rogoffs proposal of delegating monetary policy to ‘Conservative central bankers that are more inflation-averse than the general public provided the â€Å"intellectual framework for the redesign of the central banks† (Clement, 2008). It has been influential in the Bank of Englands appointment choices with the Conservative views of insiders dominating monetary policy (Spencer, 2009). The need for the ‘optimal level of conservatism explains ‘flexible inflation targets in many central banks, and the inclusion of ‘outsiders within the MPC. The use of a one-shot game and its exclusion of a disinflation possibility (Hallett, Libich Stehlik) disconnects it from reality. Although there is no such inclusion of a ‘performance contract (Walsh, 1995) within monetary policy, the theory drew attention to optimal incentive structures for central banks, which is a current focus in the financial crisis literature. The use of an inflation target which allows for output stabilisation, seen in the Svensson model (1997), is correlates with this theory and is evident in most central banks. Svensson proposes an optimal reaction function similar to the Taylor Rule, which the UKs MPC is said to follow (Spencer 2009). However due its ‘individualistic (Blinder) nature consolidated in the ‘one member one vote system, one rule could never account for the heterogeneous views within the MPC. However Harris Spencer model (2009) state that â€Å"the institutional status of Bank of England MPC members† holds more importance than differing reaction functions, The MPC contains five insiders appointed from within the bank, and four outsiders, appointed from other professions and academia. Theory correlates with practice, with insiders more likely to hold conservative views and vote as a block, when compared to outsiders. The rapid change of the economy in the recent financial crisis has led to a disconnection between theory and practice. The ‘one tool, one target approach has proved inadequate in dealing with the financial crisis. Blanchflower (2009) stipulated the exclusion of the financial sector as the reason the Central Bank was slow to realise the severity of the crisis. The effect of the financial crisis confirms the view that theory arises from events, and their unpredictability means models will always contain shortfalls. Shortfalls are also evident in healthy economies. The complete markets assumption seen in such influential models like the DSGE and the ones discussed above does not hold in a world â€Å"characterised by herding behaviour speculative bubbles† (Blanchflower, 2009). Critics cite the inclusion of fiscal policy within models as likely to alter results. In conclusion, the models I have discussed have been influential in determining the institutional structure of the bank, the type of central banker appointed and how they are done so. They have signified the importance of the role of bank incentives and expectations in forming policy. However as the recent financial crisis has shown, in such a dynamic complicated world littered with uncertainties, generalised models can never satisfy all the demands of practical monetary policy. Bibliography Books Blinder (1999), â€Å"Central Banking in Theory Practice† Romer (2001), â€Å"Advanced Macroeconomics† Articles Barro, (1977), â€Å"Unanticipated Money Growth and Unemployment in the United States†, The American Economic Review Barro, (1978), â€Å"Unanticipated Money, Output, and the Price Level in the United States†, The Journal of Political Economy Fischer (1994), How independent should a central bank be? Working Papers in Applied Economic Theory Hallett, Libich Stehlik (2007), Rogoff Revisited: The Conservative Central Banker Proposition Under Active Fiscal Policies, CAMA Working Papers Herrendorf, Berthold and Lockwood (1997), â€Å"Rogoff ´s conservative central banker restored†, Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking Spencer Harris (2009), â€Å"The Policy Choices and Reaction Functions of Bank of England MPC Members†, Southern Economic Journal Spencer (2009), Lectures Notes for Loughborough University Svensson (2009), â€Å"Optimal Inflation Targets, ‘Conservative Central Banks and Linear Inflation Contracts†, American Economic Review Walsh (1995), â€Å"Optimal Contracts for Central Bankers†, The American Economic Review Websites Bank of England, â€Å"Monetary Policy†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetarypolicy/overview.htm on 22/11/2009 Bank of England, â€Å"Treasury Committee enquiry into the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/treasurycommittee/mpc/tsc070219.pdf on 23/11/2009 Bean , â€Å"Is there a New Consensus In Monetary Policy?†, accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/bean070413.pdf on 23/11/2009 Blanchflower, â€Å"The Future of Monetary Policy† accessed at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2009/speech382.pdf on 24/11/2009 Clements, â€Å"A Rogoff Interview†, accessed at http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=4117 on 22/11/2009 Costain, â€Å"The Barro-Gordon model of Rules vs Discretion†, accessed at http://www.econ.upf.edu/~costain/theory4/bg.pdf on 22/11/2009 on 22/11/2009 Duncan, â€Å"King rounds on Cameron for trying to interfere in Quantitative Easing†, accessed at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23767982-king-rounds-on-cameron-for-trying-to-interfere-in-quantitative-easing.do on 22/11/2009 Spencer Dale 2009  «Inflation targeting: Learning the lessons from the financial crisis » http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2009/speech395.pdf Svensson (2009), â€Å"Flexible Inflation Targeting: Lessons from Financial Targeting†, accessed at http://people.su.se/~leosven/papers/090921e.pdf on 21/11/2009

The Creation Of The Compact Disc Essay -- Technology Descriptive Essay

The Creation Of The Compact Disc The creation of the compact disc, better known as the CD, can be traced back to the late 1960s. A Dutch scientist named Klass Compaan of Philips Research conceived the idea for the CD. He teamed with another scientist, Piet Kramer, who together introduced the first color videodisc prototype in 1972. Sony teamed up with Philips on the creation of the compact disc, and together they were able to develop a standard, universal compact disc to hold audio information. The two companies officially announced the Digital-Audio disc in 1980. In 1982, the compact disc was introduced to the public in Europe and Japan. Later, in 1983, it was introduced in the United States (Future). Compact Discs are flat and circular, with a diameter of 120 millimeters. The actual disc itself is made of hard plastic covered with aluminum or some other reflective metal. Information is stored on the compact disc in numeric form, also called digital form. The primary use for the compact disc is to store and play back music. However, they can also be used to store pictures, files of text, sounds, programs, video games, high quality images, or motion pictures. Many features of the compact disc are standardized, such as its size, minutes of sound, and data format. This allows a compact disc to be played on any compact disc player (Pohlmann, 901). The audio compact disc replaced earlier sound recording technology, such as the phonograph record and cassette tape, for a variety of reasons. First of all, they are longer lasting. Compact discs are read by a laser, or in other words, they are optically read (Feldman, 160). Therefore, there is no friction needed to play back the information on a CD, as opposed to th... ... . Chris’ Audio Debate Page. 27 March 2002 . Feldman, Leonard. â€Å"Compact Disc.† American Academic Encyclopedia. Danbury, CT: Grolier Incorporated, 1998. Fink, John. â€Å"Recording Sound and Sight.† New Book of Popular Science. Danbury, CT: Grolier Incorporated, 2002. â€Å"Future of Compact Discs Safe.† BBC News 31 January 2002. 27 March 2002 . Harris, Tom. â€Å"How CD Burners Work.† Howstuffworks. 1 April 2002 . Pohlmann, Ken C. â€Å"Compact Disc.† World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago, Illinois: Scott Fetzer Company, 2001. â€Å"Sound Recording.† Illustrated Science Encyclopedia. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 1997.

Marx and the Communist Movement Essay -- Marxism Karl Marx Communism E

Marx and the Communist Movement The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels, has become one of the world's most influential and significant pieces of political propaganda ever written. It contains the viewpoints and ideology of the world-view that Marx and Engels had come to know from their political involvement from the previous years. Published in 1848, in a time of European revolution, the Manifesto is an incisive summary of the Marxist vision and outlines the foundation of the Marxist movement. According to Marx, four stages of human development exist. In the beginning of social development there is slavery where political and social freedoms are non-existent. The second stage of development, known as feudalism, is a system in which freedom becomes slightly more obtainable, yet a lord or vassal who oversees all rules. The third, and most controversial of stages, is known as capitalism. Here, private or corporate ownership of capital goods is determined by private decisions rather than the state. Price, production and the distribution of goods are determined mainly by competing in a free market. Lastly, the forth stage of human development, is referred to as Communism. This is a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state and private ownership is demolished, and economic goods are owned and distributed equally. In the stages of society previous to communism, society is based on antagonisms of the à ¬oppressed and the oppressing,à ® from freeman and slaves, working class and government, to proletariat and bourgeois. Each stage of the social order goes through a passage from one stage to the other. The movement from one platform to another is best described as going through a co... ...ols, allowing for the advancement of the younger generations. All of these concepts would benefit the working class holistically. The utopian society formed would end wars and conflict among people. It would bring an end to the exploitation of people allowing all people the opportunity to succeed in life. National boundaries and all class antagonisms would obliterate. Therefore, the Communist society, in the eyes of Karl Marx, would allow the masses a chance to come together and unite for all people to work for the common good. Marx's final words in the conclusion of the Manifesto, à ¬Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Working men of all countries, uniteà ® gives hope to the working class to further disassemble the oppression from the prior capitalist society.

Food Packaging

Food packaging draws on disciplines like chemistry, microbiology, food science and engineering. About 25% of the ex-factory cost is for packaging and thus provides the challenge for food packaging technologists to design and develop functional packages at low cost. Today packaging is pervasive and essential. It surrounds, enhances and protects the goods from processing and manufacturing through handing and storage to final consumption without packing, materials would be messy and modern consumer marketing would not be possible.The inter disciplinary nature of food packaging needs to be understood for some it is best but for most it is waste of resources and environmental menace. Packaging is an industrial and marketing technique for airing, protecting, identifying and facilitating the sale and distribution of agricultural, industrial and consumer products. The Packaging Institute International defines packaging as the enclosure of products items or packages in a wrapped pouch, big-bo x, cup, tray, can, tube, bottle or other container to protect & preserve.UK Institute of packaging defines packaging as 1. A coordinated system of preparing foods for transport, distribution, storage, retailing and end use. 2. A means of ensuring safe delivery to the ultimate consumer in sound condition at minimum cost. 3. A techno-economic function aimed at minimizing costs of delivery while maximinsing sales (and hence profits) Primary packaging is one which is in direct contact with contained product. It provides the initial and usually the major protective barrier e. g. metal cans, plastic pouches, glass bottles. Secondary contains a no. f primary packages e. g. a corrugated case. It is the physical distribution carrier. Terliary package is made up of number of secondary packages, e. g. stretch wrapped pallet. Change of food packaging materials: Food packaging materials play a primary role in protecting the contents from ultra violet rays, germs in air, shocks during transportat ion etc. while they turn into waste after consumption of non-industrial waste which comprises primilary of household garbage, waste packaging materials account for 60% of total volume and 20 – 30 % of total weight.They need to be collected and treated separately as they are usually made of several materials, a factor that makes the recycling of packaging material rather difficult. Companies for this reason changed the packaging materials for frozen foods in 2002, composite materials (nylon or aluminized polypropylene) to polypropylene. New packaging materials, when incinerated produce less CO2 and hazardous gases. Food companies provide products which are eco-friendly. Recycle plaza JB (located in Japan) treats 64 tonnes of used container a day.Paying attention to the environment as critical theme that should be addressed to not only by the companies but also each individual. Everyday our lives are touched by plastic packaging products. PET (Polyethylene Terphthalate) Used in beverage containers, food containers, boil in food pouches processed meat packages etc. It is popular for making bottles for cokes & fizzy drinks as PET is more impermeable than other low cost plastics. HDPE (High density polyethylene) HDPE (High density polyethylene) is used in milk bottles, cereal box liners, detergent bottles, oil bottles, margarine tubs, toys, plastic bags etc.PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) used in food wrap, vegetable oil bottles and blister packaging. LDPE (Low density polyethylene) used in shrink wrap, plastic bags, garment bags, dry cleaning bags and squeezable food bottles. PP (Polypropylene) used in margarine and yogurt containers, cops for containers, wrapping to replace cellophone, medicine bottles etc. PS (Polystrene) used in egg, fast food trays disposable plastic silver ware, cups, compact disc jackets. Plastics in the Environment:There is a growing awareness of the health and environmental consequences of food packaging, especially plastic packaging made from petroleum products. Reduction of the use of packaged and throw away items seems the right course. Consumers have to take responsibility for their own personal choices, by choosing more sustain products, and by choosing to use fewer packaged products. Polyvinyl Chloride: PVC is the toxic plastic and poses risk to both Human Health and environment. PVC is least recyclable plastic. 1. Vinyl chloride workers have alleviated risk of liver cancer. 2. V. C. auses water and air pollution. 3. PVC needs additives which contribute to pollution and human exposure. FOOD TECHNOLOGY Food Technology, or food tech in short is the application of food science to selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution and use of safe nutritious and wholesome food. Food scientists and Food technologists study the physical (1), microbiological and chemical makeup of food. Depending on their area of specialization, food scientists may develop ways to process, preserve, package or store food, acc ording to industry and government specifications and regulations.Consumers seldom think of the vast array of foods and the research and development that has resulted in the means to deliver tasty, nutritious, safe and convenient foods. In some schools, food technology is part of the curriculum and teaches, alongside cooking, nutrition and the food and also educate them about manufacturing process. EARLY HISTORY OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY Research in the field now known as food technology has been conducted for decades. Nicolas Appert's development in 1810 of the canning process was as decisive event.The process wasn't called canning then and Appert did not really know the principle on which his process worked but -canning has had a major impact on food preservation techniques. Louis Pasteur’s research on the spoilage of wine and his description of how to avoid spoilage in 1864 was an early attempt to put food technology on a scientific basis. Besides research into wine spoilage, Past eur did research on the production of alcohol, vinegar Wines and beer, and the souring of milk. He developed pasteurization- the process of heating milk and milk products to destroy food spoilage and disease-producing organisms.In his research into food technology Pasteur became the pioneer into bacteriology and of modern preventive medicine. DEVELOPMENTS IN FOOD TECHNOLOGY Some of the developments that have contributed greatly to the food supply are: ­ Instantized milk powder- D. D. peebles developed the first instant milk powder which has become the basis for q variety of new products that are rehydratable in cold water or milk. This process increases the surface area pf the powdered, product by partially rehydrating spray-dried milk powder.Freeze drying- the first application of freeze drying was most likely in the pharmaceutical industry; however a successful large- scale industrial application of the process was the development of continuous freeze drying of coffee. High temp erature Short Time Processing- These processes for the most part are characterized by rapid heating and cooling, holding for a short time at a relatively high temperature and filling aseptically into sterile containers. Decaffeination of coffee and tea was first developed on a â€Å"commercial basis in Europe around 1900.The process is described in U. S. patent 897, 763. Green coffee beans are treated with steam or water to around 20% moisture. The added water and heat separate the caffeine from the bean to its surface. Solvents are then used to remove the caffeine from the beans. Process Optimization- Food Technology now allows production of foods to be more efficient, oil saving technologies are now available on different forms. Production methods and methodology have also become increasingly sophisticated. Iqra Ahad. B. Sc. II. Year FOOD PRESERVATIONFood preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage (loss of quality, edibility or nutritive value) caused or accelerated by micro-organisms. Some methods, however, use benign bacteria, yeasts or fungi to add specific qualities and to preserve food (e. g. , cheese, wine). While maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is important in preserving its value as food. This is culturally dependent, as what qualifies food fit for humans in one culture may not qualify in another culture.Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which cause rancidity. It also includes processes to inhibit natural ageing and discolouration that can occur during food preparation such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples which causes browning when apples are cut. Some preservation methods require the food to be sealed after treatment to prevent recontamination with microbes; others, such as drying, allow food to be stored without any special containment for long p eriods.Common methods of applying these processes include drying, spray drying, freeze drying, freezing, vacuum-packing, canning, preserving in syrup, sugar crystallisation, food irradiation, and adding preservatives or inert gases such as carbon -dioxide. Other methods that not only help to preserve food, but also add flavour, include pickling, salting, smoking, preserving in syrup or alcohol, sugar crystallisation and curing. Preservation Processes MethodEffect on microbial growth or survivalRefrigerationLow temperature to retard growth FreezingLow temperature and reduction of water activity to prevent microbial growth, slowing of oxidation reactions Drying, curing and conservingReduction in water activity sufficient to delay or prevent microbial growth Vacuum and oxygen free modified atmosphere packagingLow oxygen tension inhibits strict aerobes and delays growth of facultative anaerobes Carbon dioxide enriched modified atmosphere packagingSpecific inhibition of some micro ­org anisms Addition of weak acids; e. g. odium lactateReduction of the intracellular pH of, micro-organisms Lactic fermentationReduction of pH value in situ by microbial action and sometimes additional inhibition by the lactic and acetic acids formed and by other microbial products. (e. g. ethanol, bacteriocins) Sugar preservationCooking in high sucrose concentration creating too high osmotic pressure for most microbial survival Ethanol preservationSteeping or cooking in Ethanol produces toxic inhibition of microbes. Can be combined with sugar preservation Carbon dioxide enriched modified atmosphere packagingLow temperature to retard growth EmulsificationCompartmentalization and utrient limitation within the aqueous droplets in Water-in-oil emulsion foods Addition of preservatives such as nitrite or sulphite ionsInhibition of specific groups of micro- organisms Pasteurization and appertizationDelivery of heat sufficient to inactivate target micro ­organisms to the desired extent Food irradiation (Radurization, rededication and radappertization)Delivery of ionizing radiation to disrupt cellular RNA Application of high hydrostatic pressure (Pascalization)Pressure-inactivation of vegetative bacteria, yeasts and moulds Pulsed electric field processing(PEF treatment)Short bursts of electricity for microbial inactivation Preservation processes include: †¢Heating to kill or denature organisms (e,g. boiling) †¢Oxidation (e. g. use of sulphur dioxide) †¢Toxic inhibition (e. g. smoking, use of carbon dioxide, vinegar, alcohol etc) †¢Dehydration (drying) †¢Osmotic inhibition ( e. g. use of syrups) †¢Low temperature inactivation (e. g. freezing) †¢Ultra high water pressure (e. g. fresherized, a kind of â€Å"cold† pasteurization, the pressure kills naturally occurring pathogens, which cause food deterioration and affect food safety. †¢Many combinations of these methods †¢Chelation Drying One of the oldest methods of food p reservation is by drying, which reduces water activity sufficiently to prevent or delay bacterial growth. Drying also reduces weight, making food more portable. Most types of meat can be dried; a good example is beef jerky. Many fruits can also be dried; for example, the process is often applied to apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, papaya, apricot, and coconut. Zante currants, sultanas and raisins are all forms of dried grapes. Drying is also the normal means of preservation for cereal grains such as wheat, maize, oats, barley, rice, millet and rye. FreezingFreezing is also one of the most commonly used processes commercially and domestically for preserving a very wide range of food including prepared food stuffs which would not have required freezing in their unprepared state. For example, potato waffles are stored in the freezer, but potatoes themselves require only a cool dark place to ensure many months' storage. Cold stores provide large volume, long-term storage for strategic f ood stocks held in case of national emergency in many countries. Vacuum packing Vacuum-packing stores food in a vacuum environment, usually in an air-tight bag or bottle. The vacuum environment strips bacteria of oxygen needed for survival, slowing spoiling.Vacuum-packing is commonly used for storing nuts to reduce loss of flavor from oxidation. Salting Salting or curing draws moisture from the meat through a process of osmosis. Meat is cured with salt or sugar, or a combination of the two. Nitrates and nitrites are also often used to cure meat and contribute the characteristic pink color, as well as inhibition of Clostridium botulinum. Smoking Meat, fish and some other foods may be both preserved and flavored through the use of smoke, typically in a smokehouse. The combination of heat to dry the food without cooking it, and the addition of the aromatic (phenolic )hydrocarbons from the smoke preserves the food. SugarSugar is used to preserve fruits, either in syrup with fruit such a s apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums or in crystallized form where the preserved material is cooked in sugar to the point of crystallisation and the resultant product is then stored dry. This method is used for the skins of citrus fruit (qandied peel), angelica and ginger. A modification of this process produces glace fruit such as glace cherries where the fruit is preserved in sugar but is then extracted from the syrup and sold, the preservation being maintained by the sugar content of the fruit and the superficial coating of syrup. The use of sugar is often combined with alcohol for preservation of luxury products such as fruit in brandy or other spirits.These should not be confused with fruit flavored spirits such as cherry brandy or Sloe gin. Pickling Pickling is a method of preserving food in an edible anti-microbial liquid. Pickling can be broadly categorized -as chemical pickling (for example, brining) and fermentation pickling (for example, making sauerkraut). In chemic al pickling, the food is placed in an edible liquid that inhibits or kills bacteria and other micro-organisms. Typical pickling agents include brine (high in salt), vinegar, alcohol, and vegetable oil, especially olive oil but also many other oils. Many chemical pickling processes also involve heating or boiling so that the food being preserved becomes saturated with the pickling agent.Common chemically pickled foods include cucumbers, peppers, corned beef, herring, and eggs, as well mixed vegetables such as piccalilli, chow-chow, giardiniera, and achar. In fermentation pickling, the food itself produces the preservation agent, typically by a process that produces lactic acid. Fermented pickles include sauerkraut, nukazuke, kimchi, surstromming, and curtido. Some chemically pickled cucumbers are also fermented. In commercialpickles, a preservative like sodium benzoate or EDT A may also be added to enhance shelf life. Lye Sodium hydroxide (lye) makes food too alkaline for bacterial g rowth. Lye will saponify fats in the food, which ‘will change its flavor and texture. Lutefisk uses lye in its preparation, as do some olive recipes. Modem recipes for century eggs also call for lye.Masa harina and hominy use lye in their preparation, but not for preservation. Canning and bottling Canning involves cooking food, sealing it in sterile cans or jars, and boiling the containers to kill or weaken any remaining bacteria as a form of sterilization. Various foods have varying degrees of natural protection against spoilage and may require that the final step occur in a pressure cooker. High-acid fruits like strawberries require no preservatives to can and only a short boiling cycle, whereas marginal fruits such as tomato esrequire longer boiling and addition of other acidic elements. Low acid foods, such as vegetables and meats require pressure canning.Food preserved by canning or bottling is at immediate risk of spoilage once the can or bottle has been opened. Lack of quality control in the canning process may allow ingress of water or micro-organisms. Most such failures are rapidly detected as decomposition within the can causes gas production and the can will swell or burst. However, there have been examples of poor manufacture (under processing)and poor hygiene allowing contamination of canned food by the obligate anaerobe, Clostridium botulinum which produces an acute toxin within the food, leading to severe illness or death. This organism produces no gas or obvious taste and remains undetected by taste or smell.Its toxin is denatured by cooking, though. Cooked mushrooms, handled poorly and then canned, can support the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, which produces a toxin that is not destroyed by canning or subsequent reheating. Jellying Food may be preserved by cooking in a material that solidifies to form a gel. Such materials include gelatine, agar, maize flour and arrowroot flour. Some foods naturally form a protein gel when cooked such as eels and elvers, and sipunculid worms which are a delicacy in the town of Xiamen in Fujian province of the People's Republic of China. Jellied eels are a delicacy in the East Ene.! of London where they are eaten ‘with mashed potatoes.Potted meats in aspic, (a gel made from gelatine and clarified meat broth) were a common way of serving meat off-cuts in the UK until the 1950s. Many jugged meats are also jellied. Fruit preserved by jellying is known as jelly, marmalade, or fruit preserves. In this case, the jellying agent is usually pectin, either added during cooking or arising naturally from the fruit. Most preserved fruit is also sugared in jars. Heating, packaging and acid and sugar provide the preservation. Potting A traditional British way of preserving meat (particularly shrimp) is by setting it in a pot and sealing it with a layer of fat. Also common is potted chicken liver; compare pate.Jugging Meat can be preserved by jugging, the process of stewing the meat (commo nly game or fish) in a covered earthenware jug or casserole. The animal to be jugged is usually cut into pieces, placed into a tightly-sealed jug with brine or gravy, and stewed. Red wine and/or the animal's own blood is sometimes added to the cooking liquid. Jugging was a popular method of preserving meat up until the middle of the 20th century. Irradiation Irradiation of food is the . exposure of food to ionizing radiation; either high energy electrons or X -rays from accelerators, or by gamma rays (emitted from radioactive sources as Cobalt-60 or Caesium-13 7).The treatment has a range of effects, including killing bacteria, molds and insect pests, reducing the ripening and spoiling of fruits, and at higher doses inducing sterility. The technology may be compared to pasteurization; it is sometimes called ‘cold pasteurization', as the product is not heated. Irradiation is not effective against viruses or prions, it cannot eliminate toxins already formed by microorganisms, an d is only useful for food of high initial quality. The radiation process is unrelated to nuclear energy, but it may use the radiation emitted from radioactive nuclides produced in nuclear reactors. Ionizing radiation is hazardous to life; for this reason irradiation facilities have a heavily shielded irradiation room where the process takes place.Radiation safety procedures ensure that neither the workers in such facility nor the environment receive any radiation dose from the facility. Irradiated food does not become radioactive, and national and international expert bodies have declared food irradiation as wholesome. However, the wholesomeness of consuming such food is disputed by opponents[2] and consumer organizations. [3] National and international expert bodies have declared food irradiation as ‘wholesome'; UN-organizations as VHO and F AO are endorsing to use food irradiation. International legislation on whether food may be irradiated or not varies worldwide from no re gulation to full banning. It is estimated that about 500,000 tons of food items are irradiated per year worldwide in over 40 countries.These are mainly spices and condiments with an increasing segment of fresh fruit irradiated for fruit fly quarantine. Modified atmosphere Is a way to preserve food by operating on the atmosphere around it. Salad crops which are notoriously difficult to preserve are now being packaged in sealed bags with an atmosphere modified to reduce the oxygen (C02) concentration and increase' the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. There is concern that although salad vegetables retain their appearance and texture in such conditions, this method of preservation may not retain nutrients, especially vitamins. Grains may be preserved using carbon dioxide. A block f dry ice is placed in the bottom and the can is filled with grain. The can is then â€Å"burped† of excess gas. The carbon dioxide from the sublimation of the dry ice prevents insects, mold and oxid ation from damaging the grain. Grain stored in this way can remain edible for five years. – Nitrogen gas (N2) at concentrations of 98% or higher is also used effectively to kill insects in grain through hypoxia. However, carbon dioxide has an advantage in this respect as it kills organisms through both hypoxia and hypercarbia, requiring concentrations of only 80%, or so. This makes carbon dioxide preferable for fumigation in situations where an hermetic seal cannot be maintained. Burial in the groundBurial of food can preserve it due to a variety of factors: lack of light, lack of oxygen, cool temperatures, pH level, or desiccants in the soil. Burial may be combined with other methods such as salting or fermentation. Many root vegetables are very resistant to spoilage and require no other preservation other than storage in cool dark conditions, for example by burial in the ground, such as in a storage clamp. Century eggs are created by placing eggs in alkaline mud (or other a lkaline substance) resulting in their â€Å"inorganic† fermentation through raised pH instead of spoiling. The fermentation preserves them and breaks down some of the complex, less flavorful proteins and fats into simpler more flavorful ones.Most foods can be preserved in soil that is very dry and salty (thus a desiccant), or soil that is frozen. Cabbage was traditionally buried in the fall in northern farms in the USA for preservation. Some methods keep it crispy while other methods produce sauerkraut A similar process is used in the traditional production ofkimchi. Sometimes meat is buried under conditions which cause preservation. If buried on hot coals or ashes, the heat can kill pathogens, the dry ash can desiccate, and the earth can block oxygen and further contamination. If buried where the earth is very cold, the earth acts like a refrigerator. Controlled use of micro-organismSome foods, such as many cheeses, wines, and beers will keep for a long time because their pr oduction uses specific micro-organisms that combat spoilage from other less benign organisms. These micro-organisms keep pathogens in check by creating an environment toxic for themselves and other micro-organisms by producing acid or alcohol. Starter micro-organisms, salt, hops, controlled (usually cool) temperatures, controlled (usually low) levels of oxygen and/or other methods are used to create the specific controlled conditions that will support the desirable organisms that produce food fit for human consumption. High pressure food preservation High pressure food preservation refers to high pressure used for food preservation. Pressed inside a vessel exerting 70,000 pounds per square inch or more, food can be processed so that it retains its fresh appearance, flavour, texture and nutrients while disabling harmful microorganisms and slowing spoilage. † By 2001, adequate commercial equipment was developed so that by 2005 the process was being used for products ranging from orange juice to guacamole to deli meats and widely sold. MEAT PRESERVATION Meat is generally animal muscle, which is mostly water, protein and fat. Even after cooking, most meat products are about 50% moisture so it is a great growing media for micro-organisms. So the main problem with meat, poultry and fish is how to preserve it from microbial spoilage. Ideally, we could just slaughter the animals on need basis. It is rare, however, to eat a whole carcass so soon after slaughter to avoid having to preserve it.Since some of the methods used to preserve meat by removing or limiting the water availability, this post counts as part of my series on water. The water limiting methods are drying, salting, and smoking. Other methods include pickling, jellying, lye, freezing, canning, refrigeration, vacuum-packing, and modified atmosphere packing. Drying is probably the oldest method used for preserving anything. It works by removing water and, therefore, preventing microbes from growing. F or meat, it is important to have water moving from inside the muscles to the outer surface where it evaporates, without a crust forming on the surface. If a crust forms, the internal tissues stay moist allowing anaerobic bacteria growth, which in turn causes spoilage.This can be prevented by reducing the thickness of the pieces of meat being dried so that there is a high surface area to volume ratio. The final moisture content should be around 3 -10%. The loss of water causes muscle to shrink and become firmer. There are changes to the flavor and taste as fat is oxidized. If too much oxidation takes place, the fat will go rancid causing off-flavors. Jerky is the commonest form of dried meat which is not the most pleasant way to consume anything, especially meat. Dried meat is also used in soup powders. Dried meat products can also be rehydrated. Curing is at least two processes in one, salting and smoking. Meat is salted by either dry or wet curing.Dry curing is when salt is rubbed onto the surface of the meat and wet curing is when the meat is left soaking in a 15-20% brine. Sugar and spices can also be added to affect the color and flavor. The meat is preserved in sugar or salt and nitrates or nitrites. As well as reducing microbial growth through osmotic effects, the sugar, salt and nitrate/nitrite are antimicrobial agents. According to Berlitz et ai, low salt concentrations (less than 5%) cause meat to swell and higher concentrations induce shrinkage. Meat retains its natural color because the loss of water actually concentrates the myoglobin, which causes the color. Nitrites and nitrates preserve the color.Smoking is usually associated with salting – uncured meat is rarely smoked. Smoking causes the moisture content to drop up to 40% and compounds in the smoke have antimicrobial effects. Some compounds in smoke are antioxidants, so smoking protects the fat as well as preventing microbial damage. Smoking has to be carried out at temperatures high en ough to prevent microbes from growing but lower enough to prevent the meat from cooking and becoming tough or burnt. There are many different techniques, but typically these are divided into: 1. Hot smoking (50-85 ° C) for less than an hour to several hours; 2. Warm smoking (25 – 50 ° C) for several days; 3.Cold smoking (12 -250 C) for up to several weeks. Smoked foods include kippers, smoked salmon (lox), ham and bacon, and sausages. Smoking can be added as a flavoring, but then it does not preserve the meat. Just for information on the other preservation techniques: Pickling typically reduces the pH by cooking the meat in vinegar. It is the original way that corned beef was prepared – now it is also canned after preservation keeping it even longer. Using lye is how Lutefisk is made and preserves the food by increasing the pH. Jellying or aspic is converting the connective tissues to gelatin by cooking for a long time and then using the resulting jelly to preserve the meat.PRESERVATION OF MILK Gail Borden tried his hand at various professions including land surveying and publishing before he became an inventor. His first invention was a ‘meat biscuit' that did not catch on. Then he turned his attention to the preservation of milk. Some say he decided to find a way to preserve milk for long periods when he found there was no milk on board the ship he was traveling while returning from a trip to England. Many people had tried to find a way to preserve milk, but without success. The only method available was heating the milk every few hours. Prolonged boiling or constant heating scorched the milk. Borden found a way out.He used a copper kettle, otherwise known as a vacuum pan. Inside his vacuum pan a heating coil warmed the milk slowly and evenly, allowing gradual evaporation. After the water had vaporized, what was left was concentrated milk or condensed milk. In a vacuum, milk evaporates at a lower temperature, so it does not get scorch ed even if boiled for long periods. Borden received a patent for the invention in 1856. For the first time milk could be stored for days or weeks at a stretch without recourse to boiling. For the first time, too, it could be distributed over great distances. Borden opened a milk-condensing factory in New York, and began peddling condensed milk door-to-door.He enforced strict hygiene on farmers who wanted to sell him milk- he insisted they wash udders thoroughly before milking; sweep barns clean and keep manure away from milking stalls. The technology pioneered by Borden was carried further when scientists found a way to remove the moisture from condensed milk to make powdered milk, which can last even longer. The famous copper kettle of Borden still sits in a corner of the Agricultural Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. CONDENSED MILK What is condensed milk? Condensed milk is milk from which a portion of water has been removed. Who was the first to make c ondensed milk? The American entrepreneur, Gail Borden. When? He set up the first factory to make condensed milk in Connecticut, USA, in 1856. Was it an instant success? No.Borden had to close down the factory. He tried again in 1857 ; failed again. In 1858 he made a third attempt – and this time he succeeded. Condensed milk began to sell in a big way and Borden made a fortune. Was Borden the only one making condensed milk in the nineteenth century? No. In Europe a factory to make condensed milk came up in Switzerland around 186O. In 1867 the famous Milkmaid brand of condensed milk was introduced to the world. FOOD STORAGE FOR FOOD SAFETY The method and techniques used to clean, prepare and store food not only affects the taste texture and nutritional values, but also plays a vital role in preventing food spoilage and food born illnesses.Using the right and proper techniques to prepare and store food can go along way in keeping the food healthy and in maintaining their nutriti ve quality, it also preserve the taste, texture and appearance and also help to u e the food economically exposure to heat, light, moisture and air can cause food spoilage and increase the risk of food poisoning. Improper handling and storage cause loss of nutrients and affect the color, texture and flavor ‘of food. Heat and humidity increases the risk of food spoilage. Therefore foods should not be stored near warm place, e. g. stores or refrigerator. All perishable foods such as meat, fish, poultry eggs milk and other dairy products should be refrigerated or frozen immediately after purchase or cooking.In case of canned food; care should be taken to use the oldest can first. Canned foods should be stored away from moisture in (IOC- 21C) temperature range. Labels should always be read carefully as they contain important information regarding storage. Dry foods should be kept in a cool, dark and dry place and should be utilized before the date of expiry. Meat, poultry and fish should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Meat should be wrapped in the freezer paper and should not be frozen for more that 3-4 days as it affects the flavor and appearance of the product. Meat should not be defrosted at room temperature instead it should be defrosted on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.If meat is defrosted in micro wave oven it should be immediately cooked. Fish can't be kept for more that few hours at refrigerator temperature. Fresh milk and cream should be tightly sealed or covered to prevent tainting by odors from other foods. Non fat powdered milk can be stored at room temperature in closed containers; butter is best refrigerated in its original wrapper. Soft cheese can be stored in closed containers in refrigerator and hard cheese can best be stored in a cool dark cupboard. Grains, flours, nuts and other foods can be stored in plastic, metal or glass container with tight fitted lids. Cereals and crackers are normally best kept in closed c ontainers at room temperatures.Unshelled nuts can be kept at room temperature for 3-6 months, shelled nuts may become rancid unless refrigerated or frozen. Raw fruits and vegetables often slowly lose their vitamins when kept at room temperature. Most fruits and vegetables are best stored at 10C; if refrigerated they should be put in crisper section. Fruits and vegetables should not be stored for long period in sealed plastic bags as they cit off the air supply causing the product to rot. Paper and cellophane are better storage material because they are permeable. Peas and beans should be refrigerated in their pods. The green top should be cut off from the root vegetables as they continue to draw nourishment for the roots.Potatoes are covered with mesh which protects them from light while still allow ail to circulate. Freezing raw fruits and vegetables cause the water they contain to form ice crystals that break down cell membranes and walls resulting in mushy texture and loss of nut rients. Enzymatic activity also spoils fruits and vegetables; blanching prevents this problem. Vegetables should be emerged for a second in rapidly boiling water to deactivate their enzymes, and then plunge them into the cold water to stop the cooking process. Most fruits . are not suitable for blanching; browning and deterioration can be prevented by packing them in a solution of sugar other with or without ascorbic acid. Prof.Pinoo Andrabi Senior lecturer FOOD TECHNOLOGY Waste NotWant Not In the last few decades India has made great strides in fruit and vegetable production. Recent food production statistics indicate that India is the second largest production of fruits in the world after Brazil. Major Indian fruit include banana, citrus fruits mango, guava, apple, pineapple and grapes. These are canned or processed into fruit juices, fruit concentrates, dehydrated fruit, jams and jellies However, it is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of the fruits produced in the country arc not utilized properly and processed fruits account for less than 3 percent of production.Nearly 30 percent of the fruits are lost due to spoilage during handling, transportation and lack of storage and processing facilities. The fruit and vegetable processing industry in India is highly decentralized. A large number of units are cottage / home scale ones. India incurs precious loss not only in terms of revenue, but also in terms of health. Efforts arc thus needed to Convert surplus production of fruits and vegetables to value added products. Food processing can be defined as treatments between harvest and consumption i. e. handling transportation, refrigeration, holding, washing, trimming, bleaching, freezing, Canning, drying, irradiation, chemical preservation, packaging, storage and lastly cooking.Due to the processes involved, large quantities of waste material are left over. Efficient disposal of these wastes in form of peelings, coring, seeds, stones, rinds, skin-trimmings and over ripe fruits minimizes pollution hazards. Utilization of Mango Waste Peel forms 12-16 percent of mango waste is a good source of nutrients such as sugar, pectin, proteins and fibers. Mango peel has been used for production of fungal protein, carboxymethy cellulose and polygalacturonase by fungi. The peel and pulp portion left after juice extraction can be utilized to manufacture of juice, nectar etc. by pectin enzyme treatment. The kernel is a good source of nutrients such as starch, fats and proteins.Kernel oil could be used as partial replacement for tallow and cocoa butter in the preparation of quality soaps and confectionary products. Kernel fat added at the rate of one percent in ghee prepared from buffalo milk can act as an antioxidant. Kernel oils or fats can be used for manufacturing soaps because of the high stearic acid content. Utilization of Citrus Waste Citrus represents the third most important fruit in India. A fair amount of citrus fruits are consumed by the consumer s and processing factories. Citrus waste constitutes peels from oranges and the rags, seeds and sludges obtained from lime. Citrus wastes are rich source essential oils, pectin’s, citric acid and a variety of by-products including cattle feed.Citrus peel can be processed into candies: It can be used for extraction of essential oils used in confectionery and perfumery traders. Mandarin essential oil is extracted in small quantity from citrus peel. The rag of galgal and orange can be utilized for the extraction of pectin. Utilization of Apple Waste Indian apple production is around 12 lakh tones. Apples are processed into various products such as juice, concentrate, vinegar, sauce, butter etc. Waste from the apple processing industry in the form of peel, core and pomace can be utilized for production of pectin and various edible products. Apple pomace is a good source of pectin, which can be extracted for use in production of jam, jellies etc.Citric acid can be prepared from ap ple pomace by growing Aspergillus niger on it under controlled conditions. It has been estimated that an apple processing factory generating 10,000 tones (fresh weight) of apple pomace per year could anticipate generating 3,30,000 cum. of biogas per year (55%) methane equivalent in calorific value to about 1,97,000 ltr of diesel or 1,22,700 kg of LPG or 1,73,000 ltr of kerosene oil. Utilization of Guava Waste The annual production of guava is around 6. 2 lakh tones. Guava is a good source of pectin and seed oil, which enhances its commercial value. Peeling, seeds and cores are the waste obtained from guava processing.Discarded guava seeds contain about 5-13 percent oil rich in essential fatty acids. Guava pomace can be used to fortify animal feed. Yasmeena Ali Roll no. 10 B. Sc. Home Science (Certificate Course) ALL ABOUT EGGS – BUYING, STORING, SEPARATING AND USING EGGS STORAGE: While eggs will keep in your refrigerator for several weeks, it’s important note that they can lose some quality. A little known fact about eggs is that they can absorb adour from your refrigerator if stored in an open container, although this shouldn’t be a major problem unless you are storing eggs along side opened containers of onions and garlic or other such strong smelly foods.DO YOU NEED ONLY EGG WHITES OR ONLY EGG YOLKS FOR A PARTICULARS RECIPE? Don’t know out the leftovers; find another recipe to cook which will use the other portion. Type in â€Å"egg yolk† or â€Å"egg whites† in our search engine to find recipes that use one or the other. Once out of the shell, you can keep eggs whites for about a week in the refrigerator and egg yolks will keep for two or three days, although be sure to cover them with water. HOW TO SEPARATE EGGS Cold eggs are easier to separate. Gently crack the egg open in the centre, either hitting it gently with a knife, or using a convenient counter edge. Hold the egg upright and gently pull off the top half o f the shell. You now have three optionsHold your hand over the egg white bowl, pour the egg into your hand and let the egg white ooze through your fingers while retaining the yolk hand – a very easy, albeit inelegant, way to separate eggs. Make sure to wash your hands first. Over the egg while bowl, gently pour your contents between the two shell halves, allowing the egg whites to pour out in the process, leaving just the yolk in other half shell. Be gentle, it’s possible to break the yolk if you are not careful. Buy a handy-dandy gadget called an Egg Separater, which looks like a small measuring cup. The egg yolk is retained in the cup while white are allowed to drip through. BEATING EGG WHITESEgg whites will not whip (they just won’t) if they come into contact with even the slightest trace of fats grease or egg yolk. This is why it’s a good idea when separating eggs to have three bowls: one for the yolks, one for the whites and one bowl to separate over so that you won’t have to throw out a whole batch if one yolk breaks while separating. It is also a good idea to wash your hands, beaters and bowl before beginning as well, to make sure that they are grease free. Egg whites that are at room temperature will whip easier and faster. You can add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to help the process along (although it is not necessary unless your recipe calls for it).Use mixer for best results, although you can use whisk if you want a good work out. HOW TO COOK EGGS: Eggs are quick, easy and nutritious comfort food in and of themselves. Here are some popular ways of preparing eggs. BOILED: Put your eggs in a pot (avoid aluminum as it will darken) and cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the pot to a boil over high or medium high hear, then lower the heat and simmer. Depending on the size of your egg, they will need to simmer for 2-3 minutes for soft boiled, about 4-5 minutes for medium and 15-20 minutes for hard boile d. Drain the eggs and immense them immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. Refrigerator boiled eggs will keep for about a week.FREID: Add a small amount of butter or oil to your skillet (non-stick pans will need very little to none of this) and heat. When you can drop of water into the pan and hear it sizzle, it’s time to cook the eggs. Carefully crack the eggs into the pan. For sunny side up eggs, allow them to cook for about 3-4 minutes without turning tillthey are done to a consistency you like), before removing them from the pan. If you prefer your eggs turned over, firs cook the eggs for about 2 minutes before using your spatula to flip the eggs over. The amount of time the aimed eggs are cooked will depend on how you like to eat your eggs. SCRAMBLED : The cooking procedure for scrambled eggs is the same as the fried.First beat your eggs in a bowl (you can add table spoon or so of milk per egg as well as salt, pepper, seasoning etc. Pour into the skillet a nd cook while gently until the eggs reach the desired consistency. POACHED: Cover the bottom of a small pot or skillet with about two inches of water and bring to a simmer. Break an egg into a small bowl. Stir the water to create a small whirlpool effect and drop the egg from the centre. Cook for 3-5 minutes before removing the egg with a slotted spoon. FOOD TECHNOLOGY Fermenting is Fun: Fermenting your own foods can be a healthy, fun and nutritious hobby. Anything you can make at home is much better than commercialized foods. We have put a summary of fermented foods followed by a few recipies.About a thousand years ago, our ancestors began to experimenting with fermenting their own foods with beneficial strains to prevent spoilage, fight infections and increase absorption of nutrients. This action further allied our bodies with the microbial world. Benefits of Fermented Food: Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elie Metchnikoff was one of the first scientists to recognize the benefits of fermen ted foods. His research in the early 1900’s focused on the Bulgarians. He believed the daily ingestion of yogurt was a major contribution to their superior health and congitivity. Detoxify ; Pressure: If there’s anything that the microbial world does well, it is detoxifying things.Today Bacteriologists periodically visit old military facilities in search of new strains of bacteria living off contaminants in the soil. If you put it in the ground and give them enough time to mutate and evolve, these microbes will find a way to break down. Bulgarians perfected the art of detoxifying and preserving milk (removing the lactose and predigesting the proteins) and performing it into yogurt and cheese. The caucarians used Kefir grains for the same purpose – detoxify milk products to make Kefir, vegetables were also fermented to preserve them from spoilage. Most of the pickled products found on our grocery shelves were at one time a fermented product. Pickles, saurkruat an d even catsup (a Chinese word for pickled fish brine).However since fermentation isn’t always a uniform process, manufacturers found another way to make these products. Nutrition to Boot: Fermented products are a great source of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The process of fermentation increases the amount of some vitamins. Fermented milk is great source of vitamin C. saverkrat often served as military ratios in ancient armies, most notably the Mongolians and was used to prevent scurvy. The process of fermentation also increases bio-availability of these foods. Harnessing the power of microbes: Pills versus food: We have already mentioned earlier that diary products fermented with lacto bacilli have been shown to kill pathogenic bacteria, such as H. Pylori, while the lactobacilli along did not.This means that some of the antibiotic properties of these good bacteria may be missing in the probiotic pills you seen on the shelves. Also, you have no way of verifying the pote ncy of vitality of these products. Bacteria are living organisms and must be alike when you eat them in order to reap their benefits. It does good to ingest dead, good bacteria. We can make all the saverkrat Kefir and yogurt we will need. Not only will you be getting the benefits of these beneficial bacteria, you will be making delicious and healthy meals as well. The only benefit store probiotics offer is convenience. However, once you get started, fermenting your own food is very easy. Please use caution: Before we get too far into fermenting your own oods, we want to emphasize the caveats of fermentation. The process of fermentation is only good for you if it occurs outside your body. What does this mean? It means that if you ingest foods that provide an abundance of sugar and growth media for bacteria, they will ferment those foods inside you. An over growth of fermentative bacteria in your body can cause all kinds of medical problems including Chron’s Disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis. Commercial Versus Homemade: In our opinion homemade products are better all around, for one you do not have to trust a manufacturer with your health. You can purchase the best milk and / or vegetables to use.Commercial products are usually geared for taste and not health. In the case of yogurt, this means that commercial yogurt usually has a high lactose content and is usually loaded with sugar. Homemade yogurt can be made to eliminate virtually all of the lactose and will be much fresher than anything you can buy in a store. If the taste is not to your liking, you can add in fresh fruit and / or honey to sweeten it up. Store brought Kefir has the same problems, you have no control over the lactose content in the end product. Another thing to consider is, real Kefir is difficult to find in the store. Quite often a manufacturer will label a product as Kefir when in fact it is not the real thing.In order for Kefir to be real, it needs to made from Kefir grains and not a powdered starter. As for fermented vegetables, such as saverkrat most commercial products have been pasteurization process not only kills the beneficial bacteria, but may also destroy many of the enzymes and nutrients. Commercial saverkrat may also contain a fair amount of unnatural preservatives. We know that you will find fermenting your own foods at home more rewarding, healthier, cheaper than probiotics and more enjoying than anything you could. To get started we have listed a few easy at home products you can make. 01. Yougurt: Making yogurt is very easy, especially if you own a yogurt maker.We recommend purchasing a yogurt met Multi they are cheap, easy to use and can make 2 quarts per batch. Once you have a started and yogurt maker, al you need is some milk (using half-n-half) and some patience. The directions that come with the maker provide a fermentation of 6 hrs. however, it is good to ferment your yogurt for 24 hrs to eliminate all lactose in the yogurt. Any residual lac tose could be used as food for bacteria already found in your GI-tract and result in fermentation in your intestines. Caution: Those of you following the SC Diet must ferment your yogurt for 24 hours in order to stay on the diet. 02. Kefir: Kefir is a fermented food (milk product) made from Kefir grains.Unlike yogurt, Kefir is made from Lactobacillus bacteria and several different yeast organisms and is fermented at room temp. The most difficult step in making Kefir is getting some one to sell/ give you some Kefir grains. It would be impossible for us to give Kefir any justice. 03. Saverkrat: Can be make in several different ways. The traditional recipie involves shredding and pounding fresh cabbage, adding salt and submerging it under water for several days. The natural bacteria in the cabbage, such as lactobacillus plantarum, will natural begin to ferment the cabbage while the salt inhibits other microbes. You can eliminate the use of salt altogether by inoculating the shredded ca bbage and water solution with yogurt starter or Kefir grains. Shagufta KhursheedCertificate Course of Food Technology HOW TO MAKE PICKLE Indian Pickle Recipie: Indian pickles recipie spicy pickles are very important item in Indian meal. Pickles enhances the taste of the meal and increases the satisfaction after every meal. Pickles are easy to prepare with right ingredients and can be preserved for months. Here we can find mouth watering homemade pickles recipies which have to be consumed with a few days and pickles that can be preserved for months. 01. Carrot Pickle Recipie: Ingredients: 3 cups water 230 gms carrots (scrapped and cut into 2† long sticks) 1 ? tb sp mustard seeds ? tsp chilli powder 1/8th tsp each ground mace, cloves and cardamom. 2 tsp salt /4th cup shredded jaggery (gur) 1/3rd cup mustard oil Preparation: Boil the water in 2 litre saucepan. Add carrots and blanch for a minute. Drain the water and then spread carrots on a clean cloth and sundry or spread them o n a towel lined cookie tray and air dry in an oven (200 degree Fahrenheit) of a hour. In a bowl mix the mace, cloves, cardamom, salt and jaggery. Add the carrots and toss to mix. Transfer to a sterilized glass jar pour the mustard oil into a small saucepan and place it over a moderate heat. As soon as oil begins to smoke remove it from the heat and cool it for 11 minutes, then pour it into the jar and cover it with a clean cloth.Set the jar in sunlight for 13-14 days bringing it in door every night. Shake the jar 2 or 3 times daily. 02. Dry Fruit Pickle: Redolent with saffron, a traditional pickle gets a new look. Make 1 ? look. Ingredients: 1 cup grated raw mangoes A pinch of turmeric power (Haldi) ? cup chopped day fruits – Cashew nuts (Kaju, almonds (badam) walnuts (akhroot, apricot (Zardalu). ? tsp saffron (Kesar) roasted for 5 sec. 1 ? cups sugar ? tsp saffron 2 one – inch pieces cardamom (dalchini) 1 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder. 2 nos cloves (laung) Salt to tas te. Preparation: 1. Combine the grated mangoes, salt and turmeric powder and set aside for 15 minutes. 2.Start adding 2 table spoons of sugar at a time and stir continuously with a spoon whisk till al the sugar is nearly dissolved. The entire process will take about 30 to 35 minutes. 3. Add cinnamom, cardamom and cloves. 4. Heat a pan, add the mango and sugar mixture and continue stirring over a very slow flame till the sugar dissolves completely and small bubbles appear on the surface of the mixture (approx. 3 to 4 minutes). 5. Stir in chopped day fruit and saffron, remove from the flame and the mixture to cool completely. Store in a sterilized jar in a cool dry place for up to a year. Handy Tip: Use Ladwa, a round variety of raw mangoes available at some vegetable vendors or any other type of raw mangoes.