English Learning Methods Essay Example for Free

English Learning Methods Essay Although most people can realize the importance of English in modern life. Mastering English is quite difficult for them, Why? Because they dont find out a suitable way to learn. I state you about the way to learn English I think it is the best. It is combination of two factors: learning inside the class and learning outside the class. Learning inside the class is very necessary for learners for experience, a good environment for practicing and motivation of studying. Firstly, you should take part fully in class to get knowledge from teachers who can share their valuable experiences for studying English with us, and they also give comment or feed back about your mistakes if you have , they can explain about what you dont understand the English lessons. Second, class is good environment for studying, is where we can communicate with your friends in English and check your knowledge level, beside when you learn inside the class, you have competition with others, which make you have more motivation for studying but joining in class every day isnt still enough time for your practice to become a good learner. You should spend more time on practicing yourself at home. Learning English outside is also important. You can study English online at home with threes reasons: not spend much fees, have suitable lesson for each person and have more interesting for lessons. First learning English online at home, which decrease fees for us and dont much time for moving, second there are many kinds of lesson which are suitable with each learners level, there are courses for beginners, both adults and children, as well as more advanced courses for those who work their way up through the lessons. The advanced lessons are also suitable for those who do have the basics of the English language and want to increase their skills in reading, speaking, listening and writing. Thirdly, having many funny activities from English online course. It makes learners more interesting for studying. For example, play funny games such as play cards, puzzle, crossword, or hangman. Moreover, you can watch English film, listen to English news, read English newspaper or chat with native speakers. Many people have the idea that learning English is a difficult process. In fact, the opposite is true and the language is really easy to learn if you spend time on practicing it everyday with above method. You will become a good learner English.

The Political And Legal Systems Of Indonesia

The Political And Legal Systems Of Indonesia 1. Country profile: Indonesia is located in the southeast part of Asia. Indonesia stretches 5120 km along the equator and has 13000 islands between Australia and Asia. Due to this there has been an influence on the social, cultural, economic and political life of the country. Indonesias total area is 80% sea mass. Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua and Sulawesi are the five a largest island of which java is the most populated island, a total population of 125 million (CIA 2010). Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. Indonesia has a tropical climate which consists of two seasons summer from May to September and the rainy season from October to April. Indonesia experiences rain during both the seasons. The fourth most populated country in the worlds is Indonesia with a population of 242.96 million (CIA 2010). Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. It is an ethnically diverse country with more than 300 languages. http://mapoftheunitedstates.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/indonesia_.jpg Figure 1: Indonesia Map Sources: CIA Website 2010 2. Political system and Legal systems: Indonesia today is Southeast Asias most vibrant democracy. The Indonesians enjoy a level of political freedom. The present improved political system now encourages freedom and equality for the people of Indonesia. Figure 2: Political system of Indonesia Source: Indonesia 2009: An official handbook The three key branches of the Indonesian government are The executive branch The legislative branch The judicial branch 2.1 Executive branch: The president is the head of the state and government, in turn is on top of the executive branch. Under him is the vice-president, cabinet ministers and also non-departmental agencies. He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The main role of the president is to govern his nation, make policies and look in to the foreign affairs. The president has the power to assign and reject the cabinet ministers. One of the main roles of the president is to assign the judge for the Supreme Court. 2.2 Legislature branch: This branch consist a representative body which is the peoples consultative assembly or (MPR). The MPR has the right to question the integrity of the president. The MPR has two lower chambers i.e the Peoples Representative Council or the (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council or (DPD). 2.3 Judicial branch: The Indonesian judicial system has three main courts i.e. the high court, Supreme Court and the district courts. The Supreme Court is the highest level. These courts have the rights to exercise both civil and criminal cases. Indonesia has different courts for different matters, religious courts, military courts and administrative courts. Firstly all the civil disputes are handled in a state court and then forwarded to the high court. A commercial court exists to handle bankruptcy and commercial matters. The three branches of the legal system in Indonesia are The notaries Advocates Legal consultants. A notary is appointed by the Department of Justice Human Rights who is trained legally to notarise deeds. A notary prepares and executes the formal deed called the notarised deed, it is also known as the authentic deed. The legal documents require notarised deeds. The role of the notary is to make sure that the parties have considerable amount of proof for their deeds and the deed is executed properly. The notary should be present when a party plans to start a company. A notary is appointed by the government and his duty does not include giving legal advice. These parties need to get legal advice before they meet the notary. The main duties of the notary are to prepare and verify the documents. The parties are free to choose any notary they want. Advocates are lawyers who practice privately and have formal legal training. The main duty of the advocates is to focus on litigation but they can also provide general legal advice. For advice on foreign transaction experienced lawyers are needed.Hiring a good and trust worthy lawyer is essential for doing business in Indonesia. Some of the important laws relevant for businesses in Indonesia are given below: The Law on Investment The Labour Law The bill on Mineral and Coal Mining The Oil and Gas law The Shipping Law Law on Disputes and Conflict resolution Corporate Law Land rights Few tips for the foreign investors There should not be any restrictions on the type of business the company is planning to start. A good notary is a must to set up a business. The employees who have an important position should be paid well. Build good relations with the company and the society. 3. Economic system Under the leadership of Suharto who was the president of Indonesia for over three decades the economy had witnessed two major financial crises. This was during 1997- 98 and 2008. Indonesian economy is directly dependent on three main sectors, Agriculture Manufacturing Service. These crises were direct result of corrupt politicians, natural disasters, disturbances in the society and terrorism. The result was that the economy suffered which in turn caused in drop of employment opportunities and loss of manpower that migrated in search of employment. The graph shows the distribution of workforce among the three key economic sectors. Indonesias Employment Figure 3: Indonesian Employment Source: Economy Watch The three main sectors that constitute the Indonesian Economy are: Primary Sector: Agriculture by far is the largest employment sector. Some of the common produce is rice, pork, coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, rubber, eggs, copra, palm oil and peanuts. Indonesia stands 4th in world market for the production of coffee and rice. Secondary Sector: Nearly 27.9% of Indonesians GDP comes from the manufacturing sector (EIU 2010). Tertiary Sector: Service sector has for long has been the pillar of Indonesian economy contributing nearly 38.5% towards the countrys GDP. Global financial crises slowed down the IT sector. However, it has been predicated to contribute up to 15% towards the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the period of 2010-2014 (EIU 2010) . Hospitality industry has surprisingly started contributing towards Indonesian economy. The tourism industry flourished with no major impact due to the global recession. 4. Economy: Indonesia has the largest economy in Southeast Asia. It is a market based economy with a significant involvement of the state. There are a large number of state owned enterprises (SOEs). Indonesia is considered as an emerging economy. In the end of 2009 the GDP was $540.3 billion and the per capita GDP was $2717. The GDP growth in 2010 reached 5.9% and to further accelerates to an average of 6.2 % a year in 2011-2014. In terms of GDP industrial sector is the largest (46.9%), followed by services (37.2%) and agriculture (15.9%)  [i]  . Indonesia is a major exporter of oil (US Department of State 2010) Indonesia is market leaders in the production of palm oil and one of the main producers of rubber, coal, liquefied natural gas and cocoa. Some of the prime industries are mining, petroleum and natural gas, cement, textiles and chemical fertilizers. There is a reduction in the poverty of the population. Indonesian economy has been improving after some major financial crisis in the past, thus investing on Indonesian Economy would be associated with low risk. Growth in GDP by field of business from 2005 to 2009: Growth (%) 2007 2008 2009 Agriculture 3,5 4,8 4,13 Mining and Quarrying 2 0,5 4,37 Manufacturing 4,7 3,7 2,11 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 10,3 10,9 13,78 Construction 8,6 7,3 7,05 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 8,4 7,2 1,14 Transportation and Communications 14 16,7 15,53 Finance, Rental and Business Service 8 8,2 5,05 Services 6,6 6,4 6,40 GDP 6,3 6,1 4,55 Sources: Bank Indonesia and Asian Development Bank 2010 Distribution of GDP by field of business from 2005 to 2009: Distribution of GDP (%) 2007 2008 2009  [ii]   Agriculture 13,8 13,7 15,3 Mining and Quarrying 8,7 8,3 10,5 Manufacturing 27,4 26,8 26,4 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 0,7 0,7 0,8 Construction 6,2 6,3 1,0 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 17,3 17,4 13,4 Transportation and Communications 7,3 8 6,2 Finance, Rental and Business Service 9,4 9,5 7,2 Services 9,3 9,3 5,6 Sources: Bank Indonesia and Asian Development Bank 2010 4.1 Inflation Rate: According to the financial report in April 2011 Indonesian inflation rate stood at 6.16 %. During the period between 1997 to 2010, Indonesian inflation rate averaged between 13.26% and reaching its all time high of 82.4% in the third quarter of 1998 and reached a all time low record of -1.17 % in first quarter of 2000. 4.2 Social Economy: The population of Indonesia stood at 232.4 million during 2010. It has a healthy percentage of population who are young. The median age is 27.2 years and the population growth is 1.175%. Looking at the age structure, 28.4% of the population is between 0-14 years, 67.5% are between 16-67 and 5.8% over 65 years. Life expectancy is 70.46 years. As of February 2011, labour force was 116.5 million. When dividing the labour force by sector, one finds that agriculture employs the most people (42.1%), closely followed by the services sector (39.3%). 18.6% are employed in the industrial sector. The table shows the distribution of the employment among the major industries. Industry # of employees % Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fishery 42,689,635 41.83 Mining and Quarrying 1,062,309 1.04 Manufacturing 12,440,141 12.19 Electricity, Gas, Water 207,909 0.20 Construction 4,733,679 4.64 Trade, Hotels, Restaurants 20,684,041 20.27 Transportation, Storage, Communication 6,013,947 5.89 Finance, Real estate and Business services 1,440,042 1.41 Community, Social and Personal services 12,778,154 12.52 Source: Indonesia 2008: An Official Handbook Indonesias official unemployment level is currently 7.4 %; a decrease from former levels of unemployment between 8 and 9 %. 5. Cultural issues Indonesias workforce values is as given below: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/graphs/hofstede_indonesia.gif Figure 5: Geert Hofstedeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Cultural Dimensions Sources: Geertz Hofstede 2009 The above graph indicates that Indonesians are generally inclined towards distribution of power in a pyramid like structure as opposed to individualism which is promoted in western cultures. Culture is a multi layered which incorporates a multitude of aspects which has to be closely understood before any new venture is planned. Below figure outlines a few key determinants which constitutes a culture, Figure: Cultural Norms Source: International Business, Asia pacific edition. The Indonesian culture is quite different from the western culture. Tradition is very important for the Indonesians even though they live in a modern society. This does not mean they dont welcome the western culture. Indonesians are proud of their background and are not very keen on learning about different cultures. They in turn expect the foreigners to invest time and effort in learning their culture. In order to build good relations with the Indonesians it is better to learn their language and culture. This wont be an obstacle since the Indonesians are friendly and polite people. To establish itself it is mandatory for business to invest and participate in the development of the social structure and economy of Indonesia. Variables such as gender, age, marital status and education affect the ease with which personal and commercial relationships are formed. In order to penetrate and govern smooth operations it is advised to nominate older and mature executives to be in charge as opposed to young executives. It has been proved that aggressive nature of pursing business has many risks associated as the social structure calls for investing time in nurturing and building relationships adhering to the cultural norms which in turn will lead to successful business operations. 6. Ethical Issues: The most common ethical issues encountered are employment practices, human rights, environmental regulations, corruptions and the moral obligations. Skilled labour is more of a commodity in Indonesia as the local companies invest minimal time and effort on training their staffs. Investing on training and development is one of the key initiatives that have to be undertaken by any new ventures. Recent trends show employees value the time and money invested in training and development which in turn leads to increased loyalty and increase production. Drastic changes in management policies have to be subtle and well planned, as this might lead to insecurity and misunderstanding. It is suggested to seek assistance from independent auditors to review any human rights violations that might indirectly affect the business. But recent trends suggest minimal human right violations. Environmental regulations in Indonesia are still being formalized and this in turn posts a challenging dilemma of adhering to the policies which is far inferior to that of the home nations environment policies. Added measures have to be put in place to maintain the delicate balance of the local surroundings and ensuring minimal impact to the environment. Corruption in Indonesia has been a long standing issue. Recent change in the government structure has not been to counter this major concern. This has been a major determinant for foreign investors to shy away from Indonesian markets. To negate this factor the organizations culture and leadership should draft a code of ethics against corruption. And emphasize all business practices to strictly adhere to these ethics. 7. Trade: Due to the improvement in Indonesias trade the economy had seen a lot of positive changes. This change has increased employment opportunities, has reduced poverty and increased the status of the middle class. Indonesia has been able to recover well after the financial crisis when compared to the neighboring countries. Because of this Indonesia can increase its share in the global market and increase the domestic sales. For this to happen successfully Indonesia needs to reform its trade structure and reduce the tariffs and quotas. Even though there has been a drastic growth in the export of the countries resources, it has not made any progress in the exports of manufactured products. The main concern of the producers in Indonesia is they cannot compete with the producers who manufacture with reduced costs. One of the main reasons for Indonesias products to be weak in competition is the low level of connectivity. The high cost of transportation is one of main causes in the declining of trade. Trade between countries might be cheaper than trading among the islands. Transportation using trucks is inconvenient because of the poor roads in Indonesia. Another main disadvantage that reduces international trade is the low performance of Indonesias main ports. Just-in-time production is not possible in Indonesia because of the inefficient and expensive transports. Another issues concerning international trade is licensing and policies imposed by the government. Indonesia does not encourage in improving the logistics which deprives them of new technologies. 8. Investment opportunities by sector: Indonesian economy has great potential for foreign investments, as it is a large country with ample natural resources, mining and energy, forestry, agriculture, and marine resources, many of which are not exploited yet. The country has a very large and inexpensive workforce as well as a significant market. Indonesia has been experiencing a steady annual economic growth and this growth is continuing for years. 8.1 Energy: As an emerging economy, Indonesia depends heavily on an increased production domestically of energy resources. Energy is the largest export product and the second largest import product. When considering both the exploited/developed and unexploited/undeveloped energy resources, there is still a great potential for increased trade and investment in the energy sector. 8.2 Oil, gas and coal: Among the countries in Asia, Indonesia is among the top ranked country as it has proven gas reserves of about 3.18 trillion. It is predicated that the requirement is likely to increase in local power plants. Due to disappointing exploration by major players, oil production has decreased during the last decade. Its currently consumes nearly 1.2 million bbl/d of oil which makes it a net importer. The country has invested heavily on the production of natural gas targeting the export market, but declining oil production has forced them to divert most of its gas production into local markets. 8.3 Telecommunications: Indonesia for several years has been the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the Asia-Pacific region with annual growth rates of up to 60%. Even though Investing on mobile markets has been high its relatively small compared to the cost of establishing a fixed-line network. Millions of Indonesians who otherwise would not have access to telecom services now have a mobile Phone (CIA 2010). 8.4 Infrastructure: Indonesia has experienced rapid growth in the total number of road vehicles, particularly motorcycles, but also cars and trucks. Inadequate infrastructure is therefore often mentioned as one of the main impediments to investments in Indonesia. The government with the help other financial aids, is trying to improve the infrastructure by introducing new projects (Bloomberg 2010). 9. Foreign exchange: Exports are an integral part of Indonesian economy as it generates foreign exchange. This in turn allowed it to acquire raw materials and machinery required for the development. The earnings from Export helped Indonesia to borrow from international financial markets and development agencies. This helped government sponsor developmental projects in Indonesia. Because of the increase in borrowing by 1990 Indonesias total foreign debt was US $ 54 billion. A committee was established in 1991 named The Foreign Debt Coordinating Committee to check the growing foreign debt. Indonesia was funded by World Bank, Netherlands, Japan, Denmark and Asian Development Bank. The supply and demand relationship between international and the domestic market is determined by the foreign exchange rates in Indonesia. In an effort to stabilize the exchange rates the Bank of Indonesia regularly sterilizes the exchange rate. 9.1 Currency: The currency of Indonesia is the Rupiah It is a freely convertible currency. Since the rupiah was subjected to high inflation during the Asian Financial crisis in 1997-98, the rupiah has been considered as risky currency to hold. After the recovery of the economy the currency has been relatively stable. Today, this perception has changed as the solid fundamentals of the economy and sustained high yields underpin the attractiveness of investment. Historical exchange rates: Year IDR/USD IDR/NOK 2004 8,939 1,335 2005 9,704 1,507 2006 9,159 1,431 2007 9,143 1,559 2008 9,699 1,721 2009 9,754 1,675 2010 9,048 1,525 2011 8,590 1,534 Sources: Norges Bank, CIA 10. Financial management: Indonesia Financial sector in Indonesia is divided into banks held by local governments, banks held by state, private sector banks, foreign banks and cooperative banks. However three major players in the microfinance industry which govern the Indonesian markets are the state-owned BRIs, BPRs are small financial institutions and pawning company. Since 1986 the BRI unit has been profitable and has operated as an autonomous entity since its 1987. The Indonesian Movement for Microfinance Development (GEMA PKM) which is an organization comprising representatives of the government, NGOs, financial institutions, the business sector, universities, and research institutes. There primary objective is to partner in the drafting of a Microfinance Act, also formulating some best practices which would aid in poverty reduction and for the growth in economy. One such change was to introduce Tax Laws to fix corporate income tax to 25% from 2010.Description Description Final Income Tax Rate (%) Rentals of land and buildings 10% Proceeds from transfers of land and building rights 5% Interest on time or saving deposits and on Bank of Indonesia Certificates (SBIs) other than that payable to banks operating in Indonesia and to government approved pension funds 20% Interest on bonds other than that payable to banks operating in Indonesia and to government approved pension funds 15% Sale of exchange-traded shares on the Indonesian stock exchange 0.1% Forward contract derivatives 2.5% T ax Rate (%) The primary agenda in front of National Committee is to draft out issues and road blocks that are elevating poverty; It also organizes meeting between business and institutions in order to identify and assess policies that are currently imposed on small businesses and MFIs; They are in the process of accelerating the passage of a new Credit Collateral Law that will simplify distribution of microcredit system. 11. Recommendation: Indonesia remains as attractive destination to invest, but has been found vulnerable to multiple risks. Therefore is it imperative for Organizations to take a proactive approach while considering investment options. Below are some of the strengths which will aid in decision making and also some of the weaknesses that have to be assessed in order to formulate an effective risk management strategy. Weakness Low investment rate Limited bank intermediation Infrastructure deficiencies Persistent corruption and lack of transparency Interethnic tensions exacerbated by high unemployment and poverty Strengths Strengthened banking sector Diversity of natural resources (agricultural, energy, mining) High competitiveness underpinned by low labour costs Consolidation of political stability Dynamic tourism 12. Conclusion: The above report provides a high level overview of the feasibility and associated risk involved in investing in Indonesia. The current business environment posts several challenges some of the main issues are bureaucracy which lacks transparency, uncertain legal structure, poor infrastructure and lacks security. But recent trends all point towards organizations exploring developing economics in search of expansion as the market has tremendous opportunities. Decentralization of power is not adding in smooth investment as this structure introduces further levels of bureaucratic process. Adding to the above mentioned problems Indonesia has been prone to natural calamities which add to the existing risks. 13. Executive Summary: As the fourth most populated country in the world, Indonesias large domestic market offers a wide range of investment opportunities for foreign and domestic investors. This report will try to assess some of the key elements such as the political system and legal system asses the favorability and ease of investment in Indonesian markets. Then the report shifts its focus on the economic system which by far is one of the most important factors that directly influences investment decisions. Economic growth which has been predicated to be in the range of 5% and 7 % for the next five years, which shows proactive approach by the Indonesian government to attract FDI. The projected FDI by 2014 is expected to reach approximately US$222 billion. The government has made amendments to reduce income tax on cooperates and fixed it to a flat rate of 25%. The licensing process has been made easy to encourage investments in the mining and shipping sectors. Decentralization of government sectors has acted as a major road block in simplifying the licensing process for foreign organizations to invest in Indonesian markets. Indonesia currently has some of the largest deposits of natural gas and oil resources across Asia. According to the recent trends and investigating the various sectors contributing towards the current situation, Indonesia can be considered as a medium risk investment opportunity. It is recommended to take a cautious approach in investing in Indonesian markets. Foreign investments should consider investing on Indonesian Limited Liability Company to reduce potential risks. Also opening small branch offices and assessing the market condition is the most suitable option of investment.

Comparing Death in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall and A Worn Path Ess

Comparing Death in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall and A Worn Path Death is not something to be feared, but faced with awe. Although, by nature, aging and death are merely facts of life; a loss of hope, the frustration of all aspirations, a leap into a great darkness, and the feelings of fear and anguish. Phoneix Jackson of Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" and Granny of Katherine Anne Porter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" face these inevitable signs of aging and death. Phoenix Jackson, an old Negro lady, haltingly struggles with her age while walking through the woods and fields on her way to town. "Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far." Phoenix Jackson walks a worn path and overcomes obstacles and adversity to reach her goal. "She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her." The fact that she kept persistently tapping the earth in front of her could only indicate that she was visually impaired. She may not have been completely blind, but she had to have been substantially impaired ...

Hindu women Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout history, there have been many different aspects that have been looked at in all culture ways . Many researcher’s have studied the history and the lifestyle of the different societies and particular cultural norms. This information is gathered from media, weather be it through internet, newspaper, television or simply history books as educational informers. Although these are the most common bases for societal general knowledge, in the inner truth occurs within the inner realms of particular societal. We as Americans sometimes fund the ways in which many of these cultures do things different, weird, or crazy. They are for us to look forage deeper into these different aspects but sometimes many of us choose to just believe the contrary, the truth that is tainted and not rooted within history. One of these mistakenly miscnceived cultures is the Hindu Culture. Americans may not see things in our cullture the way others do in their own private communities. In our societ y, women are beginning to get respect for the things they do and they are being looked at in the same way that men are, in various occupations. In the Hindu culture this is quiet the opposite, their society views women the same way a any other society would view those in the lower social aspects. This suppressing and inferorating view has had a large impact on their society, economically, as well as politically. The women in this culturl are looked upon as being something great, according to their cultural and religious believes. This aspect of Hindu society is the only that has had credit to the respect and value of women, where if compared to the status of women in other societies. Though the women are vied very highly by the gods, they are viewed from a society with a caste system. India like any other society is divided into different classes. The classes are division is marked by wealth and production industries. The adjoining part of the society is ruled by higher authority. Women are a large of this particular society. They are subjected to agricultural and exploitation by the men who rule them. The women in these particular communities have many duties that come with being a part of that society. â€Å" The chief duty of a women is to maintain her Pativrata Dharma. To a women there is no higher duty than service of her husband. She should worship him daily† (Shivanada, 1963). Women... ...ntirely socialized and restricted to their family-kin community. Tremendous effort has been to ignite, for they have come a long way from the beginning, hoping to see a fair end. As an American women in a westernized culture, one sometime takes the freedom given for granted, not realizing that there are women out there that have to fight for things that they want in life. True, we do choose to go out and get an education, but we should sometimes stop and think what things would be like if we were not able to even try to get an education. Education is given abundantly, there is equal opportunities in exchange for self enhancement, to think that all these rights can be taken away, not only paints a painful life but gives one a glimpse into the lives of the Hind women who had to endure such mistreatments. The Hindu women have lived under the incubation of powerful men, who have no regard to their equality nor their intelligence and capability. These women have not just fulfilled a dream but have economically, politically, and socially, broken the barrier as well as the stereotype that they may no amount to anything. They have taken that initiative, and made it i nto something great.

Find out whether or not congestion zones are a good idea

Are Congestion Zones A Good Idea? In this report I will be finding out whether or not congestion zones are a good idea, using researched data, charts and tables to back up my ideas. The conclusion of this matter relies on how accurate and reliable the information is. Congestion Zones are used in hope that traffic gets reduced. The mayor of London has recently put congestion zones into place in hopes they will reduce traffic by 15%. Critics of the scheme however, say that it is unworkable and unfair. They also claim it will probably lead to more congestion as people try to avoid the charging areas. Central London has had a dramatic cut in traffic since the introduction of the congestion charge. 40 000 less people are driving through the zone each Some people agree with the congestion charge, and can produce many facts to support their view. My source one can also provide many facts and figures. Source one says that since the congestion zone was put into place, traffic had been cut by 18%, and delays were down by 30% since the congestion zone has been bought in, the advantage of congestion zone was clear as the traffic was rapidly decreasing after the introduction of congestion zones. If the traffic is reduced then there will be no delays so not that much pollution released in to the atmosphere; which leads to climate effects for example global warming. The public transport in the city has improved dramatically by 20%, with 29,000 more people using the service- which will mean much more money towards its improvement. This also contributes to the protection of our planet against climate changes which can have social effects. If more people chose to use the bus or taxi then this would improve their health as they would walk and always go on separate cars. Source one also says that the streets of London were ‘clogged' and the heavy traffic on the roads were costing businesses approximately i2 million a week. Congestion zones are good because people only use them if they really have to, the evidence to this point is in source 1 when it states â€Å"there are 65,000 fewer car trips†, and so this means a cut down on gases being emitted into the air. So, less pollution. Source 1 also states that the costs that people pay are going towards the environment, new more environmentally friendly buses. As i50m is contributed mainly through quicker and more reliable journeys for road and bus users. This is also an advantage as the money is not going to the government but is used to help our transport. The news article declares that, Research, polls and surveys also shows that 75% of Londoners supported the scheme ‘because it works'. That factor that it really helps us as all of the congestion charge is kindly contributed to improving the public transport. Source 2 goes on saying that there research have shown that there was much urgently street works done with the help of this money, such as replacing ancient leaking water pipes. If congestion zones are reducing traffic by 21 per cent and 70,000 cars every day then it must really work. On the other hand congestion zones can also become a disadvantage. For my second source, I have a newspaper article from London Evening Standard news to support my point. In this source, Angie Bray sates that the rate of traffic rose to 2. 6 and 2. 7 minutes per kilometre. This is a disadvantage as if there is a high traffic rate then the will be more pollution caused than cars at normal speed. The number of cars that was entering the congestion zone has rapidly increased from previous years. The newspaper clearly states that â€Å"surely now is the time to start thinking about an alternative way to tackle congestion†. Evidently, the congestion charge did not really work out as the number of cars has risen. The local newspaper gave me evidence that congestion charge was a failure as it states that earlier this month their research has told them that traffic in the morning rush hour was running more slowly than before the scheme began. Angie Bray speaks that the charge has lost its main justification. Which is truly concerning as there is no change in climate. Congestion charge has a knock on effect on the environment and economically. Not many people will want to pass through the zone unless it's necessary, so they would find other alternative ways to pass the area causing more congestion in other roots. This effects the people around that area as they live in an atmosphere filled with bio-products. Thus, many would use buses to travel instead of their own cars. This again results in a disadvantage of congestion zones as there is more buses equals' huge amount of pollution made by one bus against 10 cars. Congestion charges can affect people and also businesses. This is because businesses have lost profits after the congestion zones were placed. As businesses need stock delivery which might need to cross the charging area which trails to extra costs, leading to lower profits. The workers might have to cross the congestion zone to go to work every day, resulting in quitting that job. This again affects the businesses to lose their workers. The evidence from source 1 supports my point as it states that 68% of retail businesses said the scheme would have been better without the charge. Source reliability can make all the difference, which is why I have picked three very reliable sources. My Source one is a report by BBCNEWS. I feel this makes it very reliable. This is because the BBC is a well-known and trusted organisation, backed by the government. The Source also includes exclusive interviews for the BBC by the mayor of the time, Ken Livingstone. This report was published on the 17th February 2004. Though this source is a lot years old, I think it is still reliable, because the evidence is still valid. The Source is very relevant to the question, as it provides facts supported and given by the government, but also includes opinions of Londoners. The Source also has validity, as it addresses all the factors that it claims to. My source 2 is as reliable as source one as it is a report from the local newspaper for London readers. It is well known in London so it is trusted a lot. This report contains exclusive interviews with Angie Bray. However it was published in 22th November 2007 as this means it are a couple of years old, so it is not reliable as this data is not up to date and might not be the case now. My source three holds a great importance of the reliability as it is reliable. This is because facts and figures form the article is as relevant and reliable. As it comes from a trust worthy newspaper article. Because the stats are from the government, they are going to be very reliable indeed, as they will contain no gossip, rumours or assumptions. Out of all my Sources; I feel that my Source two is most reliable. This is due to age, validity, fact, bias, author and the exclusive interviews. This Source shows both positive and negative points about the congestion charge. The congestion charge also has an impact on many other things, which I can place under Social, Economic and Environmental. The social effects are that the people that will be affected by this are local. It will mainly affect local, seeing as those in the area will either have to pay the charge, or they will be facing probable delays on alternate routes, due to the number of people trying to avoid the area. They will also benefit from the cleaner, safer air if they live around the congestion zones. If a person is caught up in heavy traffic their journey times will be unreliable, impacting on all sorts of thing such as family, work, health appointments etc. The economic effects are that for those that have no choice but to pass through the zone it is just adding to their payments. Not only do they have bills and road tax, but now they have to pay i8. 00 every time they need to get somewhere essential, such as my research shows some businesses are being affected by things such for instance stock delivery, which now costs the business more because of the charge. Finally the environmental effects are, obviously pollution plays a big part in the charge. My data shows that the pollution levels inside the zones are decreasing massively. With toxic nitrogen levels dropping quicker but still maintaining a normal level, it seems to be like the charge is working. As for the environment, if a vehicle is moving slowly or stationary, it produces more carbon emissions than if it moves at a normal speed. Thus, more global warming and other climate change which affect animals and humans. The other gases are released like sulphur dioxide, this will cause acid rain and damage the marble and other materials which costs a lot to repair. One of the negative effects of the congestion charge is its knock-on effect on the wider community; with people looking for new routes, surrounding areas could become clogged with congestion, and we would have the same problem all over again. To conclude, after considering all the evidence for both sides, I think that overall congestion charges are a good idea. That's not to say that it doesn't have its negative points though, because it does. The information that most helped me reach my decision was the data I found, and my source 1, BBCNEWS report. This is because I feel the health of the people will be improving, and you can't really argue with that. Also, the fact that the money is being spent on the public- which I think is a brilliant idea. However, like I have said, the congestion charge does not come without its negative points, such as: people paying a ‘double tax' when they have no choice, delays and congestion being created on alternate routes due to drivers trying to avoid the congestion charge area, and also, the fact that some businesses are suffering is something that I find quite unacceptable. So yes, the system does need some tweaking, but overall think it is a good idea that initially solves a problem. I think my conclusion is valid because I have considered all of the evidence and made an educated decision.