South Asia Region Essay Example for Free

South Asia Region Essay South Asia, which consists of the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, is ethnically diverse, with more than 2,000 ethnic entities with populations ranging from hundreds of millions to small tribal groups. South Asia has been invaded and settled by many ethnic groups over the centuries including various Dravidian, Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups and amalgamation of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan and native societies has produced composite cultures with many common traditions and beliefs. But, the traditions of different ethnic groups in South Asia have diverged throughout earlier times, sometimes giving rise to strong local traditions such as the distinct South Indian culture. Other ethnic groups, successively streaming in later mainly from Central Asia and Iran, e.g. Sakas, Kushans, Huns etc. influenced pre-existing South Asian cultures. Among the last of these new arrivals were the Arabs followed by the Turks, the Pashtuns and the Moghuls. However, Arab influence remained relatively limited in comparison to that of the Turks, Pashtuns and Moghuls, who brought in much cultural influence and contributed to the birth of Urdu, a syncretic language of combined Indo-Persian heritage, which is widely spoken today. Ethnic Englishmen and other Britons are now practically absent after their two centuries long colonial presence, although they have left an imprint of western culture in the elite society. Languages See also: Languages of South Asia The largest spoken language in this region is now HindustÄ nÄ «, its speakers numbering almost 422 million;[75] the second largest spoken language is Bengali, with about 210 million speakers.[76] Urdu is also a major language spoken in the subcontinent, especially in Pakistan and India, and is similar linguistically to Hindi; Hindi and Urdu together make up HindustÄ nÄ «. Although Hindi is spoken in some states of India, many people are not aware of the fact that most of the Indians speak local languages and are not familiar with Hindi. Other languages of this region fall into a few major linguistic groups: the Dravidian languages and the Indo-Aryan languages, a sub-branch of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. The other great sub-branch of Indo-Iranian, the Iranian languages, also have significant minority representation in South Asia, with Pashto and Balochi being widely spoken along the northwestern fringes of the region, in modern-day Pakistan. Many Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, who are speakers of their language-group, are found in northeast India, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. Other small groups, speaking Austro-Asiatic languages, are also present in South Asia. English is another language which dominates South Asia, especially as a medium of advanced education and government administration. Most of South Asia writes using various abugidas of BrÄ hmÄ « origin while languages such as Urdu, Pashto, and Sindhi use derivatives of the Perso-Arabic script. Not all languages in South Asia follow this strict dichotomy though. For example, Kashmiri is written in both the Perso-Arabic script and in the Devanagari script. The same can be said for Punjabi, which is written in both Shahmukhi and GurmukhÄ «. Dhivehi is written in a script called TÄ na that shows characteristics of both the Arabic alphabet and of an abugida. Religions Further information: Religion in Bangladesh, Religion in Bhutan, Religion in India, Religion in Nepal, Religion in Pakistan, and Religion in Sri Lanka Hindu priest saluting the sun in the Ganges, Varanasi, India   Jama Masjid, the main mosque in Delhi, India. About 64% of the South Asia population is Hindu, 33% is Muslim, 2% is Buddhist and 1% is Christians.[74] In South Asia Hinduism and Islam and in some of its countries Buddhism are the dominant religions. Other Indian religions and Christianity are practiced by significant number of people. Historically, fusion of Indo-Aryan Vedic religion with native South Asian non-Vedic Shramana traditions and other Dravidian and local tribal beliefs gave rise to the ancient religions of Hinduism and Jainism. As a consequence, these two religions share many similar cultural practices, festivals and traditions. Arabs brought the Abrahamic religion of Islam to South Asia, first in the present day Kerala, Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands and later in Sindh, Balochistan and much of Punjab. Subsequently, Muslim Turks/Pashtuns/Moghuls furthered it not only among the Punjabi and Kashmiri people but also throughout the Indo-Gangetic plains and farther east, and deep south up to the Deccan.Afghanistan[1]Islam (99%), Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity (1%) Bangladesh[77]Islam (89.5%), Hinduism (9.5%), Buddhism (0.7%), Christianity (0.3%) British Indian Ocean Territory[78]Christianity (45.55%), Hinduism (38.55%), Islam (9.25%), Others (6.65%) Bhutan[79]Buddhism (75%), Hinduism (25%) Burma[80]Theravada Buddhism (89%), Islam (4%), Christianity (Baptist and Roman Catholic) (4%), Animism (1%), Others (including Hinduism) (2%) India[79][81]Hinduism (80.5%), Islam (13.4%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%), Jainism (0.4%), Others (0.6%) Maldives[82]Sunni Islam (100%) (One must be a Sunni Muslim to be a citizen on the Maldives[83][84]) Nepal[85]Hinduism (80.6%), Buddhism (10.7%), Islam (4.2%), Kirat (1.5%) Pakistan[86]Islam (96.28%), Hinduism (1.85%), Christianity (1.59%), Ahmaddiyya (0.22%) Sri Lanka[87]Theravada Buddhism (70.19%), Hinduism (12.61%), ), Islam (9.71%), Christianity ( 7.45%). Economy Further information: Economy of Bangladesh, Economy of India, Economy of Nepal, Economy of Pakistan, and Economy of Sri Lanka South Asia is the poorest region on the earth after Sub-Saharan Africa. Three South Asian nations — Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal — are characterized as least developed country. Poverty is commonly spread within this region. According to the poverty data of World Bank, more than 40% of the population in the region lived on less than the International Poverty Line of $1.25 per day in 2005, compared to 50% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa.[88] Sri Lanka has the highest GDP per capita in the region, while Afghanistan has the lowest. India is the largest economy in the region (US$ 1.90 trillion) and makes up almost 82% of the South Asian economy; it is the worlds 11th largest in nominal terms and 3rd largest by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates. Pakistan has the next largest economy and the 5th highest GDP per capita in the region,[89] followed by Bangladesh. According to a World Bank report in 2007, South Asia is the least integrated region in the world; trade between South Asian states is only 2% of the regions combined GDP, compared to 20% in East Asia. The Economist has blamed this on Indian neglect of its neighbors.[90] [edit] Governance India[91] and Pakistan[92][93] are the dominant political powers in the region. India is by far the largest country in the area covering around three-fourths the land area of the subcontinent.[94] It also has the largest population of around three times the combined population of the 6 other countries in the subcontinent.[95] India is also the most populous democracy in the world[96] and is a nuclear power. The second largest country in the subcontinent in terms of area and population is Pakistan and has traditionally maintained the balance of power in the region due to its strategic relationships with nearby Arab states[97] and neighboring China.[98] Pakistan is the 6th[99] most populous country in the world and is also a nuclear power. Bangladesh is the third largest populous country in the region. The single largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations is Pakistan.[100] Diplomacy among the countries of South Asia has been mainly driven by populist politics, with the center stage taken by India-Pakistan conflict ever since their independence in 1947, and then the creation of Bangladesh under tense circumstances in 1971. While the elite rulers of Pakistan chose the USA led bloc during the cold war era, India formed the Non-Aligned Movement. The political situation in Sri Lanka has been dominated by an increasingly assertive Sinhalese nationalism, and the emergence of a Tamil separatist movement under LTTE, which was suppressed recently. Burmas politics is dominated by a military Junta, which has sidelined the democratic forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi. [edit] Health and nutrition There are 421 million MPI-poor people in eight Indian states alone Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal while there are 410 million in the 26 poorest African countries combined.[101] Roughly 42% of Indian children under age 5 suffer from malnutrition.[102] According to the World Bank, 70% of the South Asian population and about 75% of South Asias poor live in rural areas and most rely on agriculture for their livelihood.[103] According to the Global Hunger Index, South Asia has one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world.[104] In a latest report published by UNICEF in 2008 on global hunger shows that the actual number of child deaths was around 2.1 million.[105] As of 2008 India is ranked 66th on the global hunger index.[citation needed] The 2006 report stated that the low status of women in South Asian countries and their lack of nutritional knowledge are important determinants of high prevalence of underweight children in the region. Corruption and the lack of initiative on the part of the government has been one of the major problems associated with nutrition in India. Illiteracy in villages has been found to be one of the major issues that need more government attention. The report mentioned that, although there has been a reduction in malnutrition due to the Green Revolution in South Asia, there is concern that South Asia has inadequate feeding and caring practices for young children.[106]

The Characters Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh :: Epic Gilgamesh essays

The Characters Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh "Aruru molded out of clay in the image and 'of the essence of Anu', the sky god, and of Ninurta the war god named Enkidu" (pantheon.org/articles/e/enkidu.html). "His whole body was shaggy with hair, he was furnished with tresses like a woman, his locks of hair grew like grain. Enkidu was the bull-man (a human with horns, tail, and rear hooves of a bull). In the Akkadian Gilgamesh Epic, Enkidu is said to have lived with gazelles and jostled other wild beasts at the watering place, until civilized by Aruru's harlot. After being with the harlot for six days and seven nights Enkidu wanted to return to the wild beast, but they fled from him. "You have become wise Enkidu, you have become like a god" (piney.com/Enki.html). "Enkidu is gradually introduced to civilization by living for a time with a group of shepherds, who teach him how to tend flocks, how to eat, how to speak properly, and how to wear clothes. Enkidu then enters the city of Uruk during a great celebration. Gilgamesh, as the king, claims the right to be the first with every new bride on the day of her wedding; as Enkidu enters the city, Gilgamesh is about to claim that right. Infuriated at this abuse, Enkidu stands in front of the door of the marital chamber and blocks Gilgamesh's way. They fight furiously until Gilgamesh wins the upper hand; Enkidu concedes Gilgamesh's superiority and the two embrace and become devoted friends" (myfortress.org/EpicofGilgamesh.html). "Enkidu was the companion of Gilgamesh, and a wild or natural man" (pantheon.org/articles/e/enkidu.html). "Because Gilgamesh was too energetic for the people of Uruk, the gods decide to create a partner for him. Later he was considered a patron or god of animals" (piney.com/Enki.html). "Gilgamesh proposes a great adventure: they are to journey to the great Cedar Forest in southern Iran and cut down all the cedar trees" (wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM). "To do this, they will need to kill the Guardian of the Cedar Forest, the great demon, Humbaba the Terrible. Enkidu was extremely terrified they were headed to the dark forest to hunt Humbaba" (gilgamesh-solutions.com/epic.cfm). "Unlike Gilgamesh, Enkidu had seen this brutal monster before, he warned Gilgamesh, "Oh my lord you do not know this monster and that is the reason you are not afraid. His teeth are dragon fangs, his countence is like a lion, his charge is like a flood, and with a look he crushes alike the trees of the forest and the reeds of the swamp.

One Sample Hypothesis Test Essay

Earning potential and income of every person is severely different; many factors have a hand in determining the amount of money a person makes and how much his or her earning potential can increase. Some of the factors currently determining the earning potential of people around the United States are; education, marital status, age, union participation, race, age, years of experience, sex, the industry in which the individual works, and the position held by individual. This paper is going to show the correlation between marital status and income, the team has disregarded all other determinants to answer the research question clearly. The research question that the team has developed and the hypothesis was formed from goes as follows; does marital status affect earning potential? Every decade that passes, it seems as though people are waiting longer to get married. Waiting for job security, completion of college and social norms are just a few factors that influence this trend. This is a big change from 50 years ago, when most people would get married straight out of high school. The fact is being single has some advantages when deciding to start a career, it also affects ones earning potential. Being single allows more dedication to the job as well as the mobility to go wherever the job may take an individual. While being single may be good for starting a career, being married will actually increase a person’s earning potential in the long run. The mean salary for the single person is $24,864 per year. The mean income for married individuals is $33,303. This leads us to our null hypothesis (H0) that being married will not improve the earning potential of an individual. Our alternate hypothesis (H1) is that being married will help improve the earning potential of an individual. Numerically it is stated: H0: ÃŽ ¼1 ≠¤ ÃŽ ¼2 H1: ÃŽ ¼2 > ÃŽ ¼2 The five-step hypothesis test starts with stating the null and alternative  hypothesis. The null is H0: ÃŽ ¼1≠¤ÃŽ ¼2 and the alternative hypothesis is H1: ÃŽ ¼1>ÃŽ ¼2. The second step in find the decision rule. The decision rule is reject H0 if ÃŽ ¼1< ÃŽ ¼2< ÃŽ ¼1. Step 3 is to calculate the test statistics. It has come to the mean of the earning potential of those who are married and those who are unmarried. Married couples have a mean salary of $33,303.00 and unmarried individuals have a mean salary of $24,864.00. Step 4 is to compare the test statistics to the critical value. The test results in married couples have a greater income than the salaries of unmarried people. Step 5 is to state the results. In result, married couples have greater earning potential than that of their unmarried counterparts. Therefore, in this case the team has to reject their null hypothesis because they have discovered a greater earning potential for married couples over unmarried individuals. The team’s results provided support to the null hypothesis that a married individual has a higher earning potential than that of a single individual. As previously stated a single individual on average makes $25, 000 while married individuals make on average $34,000 a year. Our research also indicates more working individuals are married over single. Our sample only included 33 single and 67 married individuals. Our study also found non-married men have wages that range from $11,000 to only $27,000 while non-married females wages range from $15,000 to $83,000. Married men have wages that range from $28,000 to $84,000, married women however only have wages that range from $11,000 to $50,000. This shows independent women with one sole income on average make more than men. However, after marriage, the men tend to become the higher wage earner. Education does not appear to play a significant role it ranges from four to 18 years. A married man with 18 years of education can made up to $84,000 while a single man also with 18 years of education only made $27,000. That is in contrast with a single woman with 17 years of education who make $83,000 a year and a married woman with 17 years of education who made $34,000. The maximum wage for a married woman was $50,000 and this was with 12 years of education. We analyzed many different aspects of earning potential and the majority proves a married individual will make more than that of a single individual. With all of the numerical data analyzed, the research question answered, and the hypothesis being correct, the team has been able to state confidently that marital status drastically affects  earning potential. On average, those who are married make nearly $8,500 more than those who are unmarried. Several other factors determine the income potential differences, but without further analyses of data not provided in the data set, the team would just be throwing around assumptions on the matter. References David P. Doane, L. E. (2007). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics. New York: McGraw- Hill.

Energy Healing Essay examples - 10168 Words

For thousands of years, religions the world over have extolled the benefits of meditation and quiet contemplation. In Islam and Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism, and in religious practice from the Americas to Africa to Asia, the value of sitting quietly, using various techniques to cultivate stillness or focused attention of the mind, has been well recognized. The goals of religious meditation extend far beyond its potential physical health benefits and also extend beyond the scope of this book. Higher human function of body, mind, and spirit is explored in sacred literature throughout the world. An excellent summary of ancient and contemporary information on the subject can be found in Michael Murphys landmark book†¦show more content†¦Moreover, alpha waves, which indicate a state of relaxed alertness, are abundant during meditation, and rarely noted in the sleep state.1 Meditations Effects on Muscle Tension and Pain Numerous studies have shown a decrease in muscle tension during meditation. As Michael Murphy points out, this Ã’contributes to the bodyÕs lowered need for energy, the slowing of respiration, and the lowering of stress-related hormones in the blood.Ó In some studies, the decrease in muscle tension as a result of meditation even exceeded the impressive effects of biofeedback training. One interesting study measured the electrical patterns in muscles, and demonstrated that the lotus position (seated with legs fully crossed), a traditional posture for meditation, is the only position in which the bodyÕs muscles are as relaxed as they are when lying down.2 Meditation has also been shown to aid in the alleviation of pain. Extensive studies on chronic pain patients have been conducted by John Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., the founder and Director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Preventative and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn and his program were featured on the American public television (PBS) series Healing and the Mind, with Bill Moyers. 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