Contemporary Problem

Ethics and the Net essays

Ethics and the Net essays As millions and millions of people embrace the World Wide Web as a part of their daily life, particularly at work and in the business world, significant changes took place in the diverse aspects of man's life. From the previous decades' paper-based form of communication into today's electronic way, the trend in today's technologically influenced business and commercial transactions has changed not only the methods of dealings between parties, but also the ethical and moral standards as viewed by man. Before, the paper-based form of communication and transactions between parties is the primary method to exchange critical information. From confidential information to financial matters, the paper-based form of agreements was considered before as a secured phase in trading. However, when computers started to emerge, the process of keeping data was diverted into the computer's fashion of electronic storage. Moreover, with the coming out of the Internet, it is not only the electronic form of keeping data that has become important in the business world, but the quick accessibility of data and information as well. Though this innovation in the fast changing world of information technology presents comfort to every user, the technological development poses threat to the confidentiality of information, thus presenting ethical issues on the use of the Internet and The following pages will briefly discuss ethical issues concerning the use of the Internet in commercial trading, nowadays known as e-commerce. As more and more businesses and users worldwide use the Internet as a medium of trading, there have been quite a number of reported crimes that were maliciously conducted to interfere the electronic and quick process of Buying and selling products has never been easy and fast during those times when the Internet and Internet-based ...

Depend on the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Depend on the topic - Essay Example Yet, it pains me a lot that I, and those who look like me, my brothers, scattered around the world, suffer the same prejudice because of the physical features we inherited from Esau; linked to hatred, revenge, and murder based on the September 11, 2001 suicide attack, not to mention a few others in different parts of this world we are living in. For so long, I never felt at ease with foreigners because they made me feel they have a certain sense of fear that I am posing a threat on them. Consequently, I keep my peace and always have a longing for my home whenever I have to perform my duties and responsibilities in school or in other places. Although I have always been a lover of outdoor sports and other activities, I now feel more comfortable and would rather stay inside the house than go out with friends. It all started when I was confronted by a white young man who has been frisking me with his eyes from head to foot. Unable to move out from the queue I have been standing for some precious minutes, waiting for my turn to pay my groceries, I nervously smiled at him hoping I would make the atmosphere better. However, my efforts turned out to have flamed the stranger even more, muttering things to himself. I simply ignored this, knowing that I was in a foreign land where my people are hated for matters that we do not have any knowledge about, and because of the thought that I do not like to stoop to such a level. Gathering all the anger and hatred that he probably had for my people, he hissed his accusations at me saying, â€Å"Don’t come living with us, murderer.† Luckily, the lady in front of me was already picking her groceries so I made myself busy with mine, pretending I did not hear a word from the man who was standing beside me. Trembling from anger, I headed home after paying my groceries, pondering about the event. The questions that haunted me for years came afresh that day. Why do we have to look different?

Edit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Edit - Essay Example Fairy tales never have both sides of the characters in their story. If one person is shown to be kind and smart, the other character must be stupid or mean. Children realize who the â€Å"better† people are and can easily comprehend the differences between the two characters having opposite characteristics. A fairy tale’s ending of â€Å"happily ever after† explains how the clever and â€Å"good† people can overcome and win their conflict with evil. In addition, fairy tales teach children of when to encounter trials and tribulations in their lives; Children are bound to experience hardships and obstacles in the future. They will know that evil gets punished in the end and they will overcome the dilemmas through their virtuous deeds. Bettelheim convinces that fairy tales make children realize that they can overcome dilemmas and hardships through virtuous deeds, morality and hope. I agree with Bettelheim that fairy tales can guide children’s developme nt. This is because at the end of each tale, children are taught how to overcome hardships and avoid being punished due to evil characters (Bettelheim 128). Virtuous deeds and morality can lead to happy endings and give a positive lesson to the reader. In most cases, fairy tales do not deal with ambivalent characters. Instead they show characters that are either evil or bad without the mixture of the two characters. For instance, in the Cinderella fairy tale the main character is a kind and good person. On the other hand, the stepmother to Cinderella is an evil character. We find that even after Cinderella growing up in an evil family, she does not turn to be an ambivalent character. Instead she uses her Virtuous deeds and morality to become a good person that overcomes hardships and conflict with her evil family. This Fairy tale teach the reader that even though a person may experience an environment that is evil her or she can avoid being ambivalent through Virtuous deeds (Bettelheim

Wheelchair Propulsion Forces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wheelchair Propulsion Forces - Essay Example Consequently, the Smart Wheel users group identified four parameters generated by use of a smart wheel that would be the most clinically relevant when attempting to improve preserve upper limb function. Smart Wheel is a measurement devices that attaches to a variety of wheelchairs, used in the clinical setting to measure parameters involved in movement of the wheelchair. These four parameters are: velocity, push force, push frequency and stroke length. It is these four parameters that will be analysed as part of this study. Wheelchair velocity can be best described as the speed in metres per second that the wheelchair will travel. â€Å"A velocity of 1.06 m/s represents the average minimum velocity needed to safely cross an intersection† (Hoxie RE 1994, as cited in Cowan 2008). This was chosen as a guide for this study for the purpose of discussion. They found that â€Å"velocity ranged from 0.8 to 1.6 m/s for propulsion on a level surface.† Newsam (1996) also conducted a study looking at the effects of terrain on propulsion. The research found that â€Å"when wheeling over carpet, the velocity of propulsion was reduced to 78% of normal walking velocity.† It also found that individuals with cervical lesions had an even slower velocity, suggesting that users with higher lesions must work near or at their maximum capability for basic community functions. In reference to wheel position and its affect on velocity little research is available. In a study by Walsh (1986) the relationship between seat position and linear velocity in wheelchair sprinting was investigated. Testing was conducted with nine male subjects with various physical disabilities, pushing at maximum speeds on an Ergometer. The results revealed no significant differences between the maximal linear velocities at each of the nine seat positions chosen for investigation. These findings

Building Services Engineering Science Construction Essay

Building Services Engineering Science Construction Essay This essay will discuss the available green and advanced renewable technology systems to be used in new built extension, the impact on Carbon footprint and effects on the thermal comfort for end users and discuses the building regulations apply. Building services system Building services engineers provide the internal environmental conditions that enable business processes to function at an optimum level while providing comfort conditions for occupants to achieve their maximum performance potential. (CIBSE, Choosing Building services). Designing a building services system is typically a great challenge for designer and the first element to consider is the client needs; this is the key to provide satisfaction and value. However clients relay on advisers to avoid spending great deal of time and effort, and its vary from client to another and use of building therefore each and every client needs should be studied carefully, clients should provide all necessary information in depth to the advisor to help him gain full understanding of what is the client business about and how the proposed project will enhance the business. Many researchers identified environmental factors provided to work force are fundamental to achieve good productivities specially in commercial or service environment, they have reported relationships between air quality and factors such as; speed and accuracy of work, sick leave, accidents and injuries and cost of product or service. Carbon footprint has become a popular name in political meetings, media and almost in all commercials advertising for heating products and services, but what is carbon footprint. A good understanding of the carbon footprint and its effect on the environment should enable designers to understand the importance of selecting the most suitable system to fit the purpose of proposed building, a definition for carbon footprint according to British Petroleum (BP/2007) the carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted due to your daily activities. How the selection of building system will have effect on carbon footprint? The UK has passed legislation  that introduces the worlds first long-term legally binding framework to tackle the dangers of climate change. The Climate Change Bill was introduced into Parliament on 14 November 2007 and became law on 26 November 2008. The  Carbon Plan  published in December 2011, sets out the Governments plans for achieving the emissions reductions committed to in the first four  carbon budgets,  on a pathway consistent with meeting the 2050 target. This publication brings together the Governments strategy to curb greenhouse gas emissions and deliver our climate change targets, as well as the updated version of our actions and milestones for the next five years; replacing the draft Carbon Plan published in March 2011. Buildings are responsible of using nearly 40 percent of global energy and therefore they are major emitters of Co2 and other gases, the main common types of end use in buildings are: Heating (Ventilation and air conditioning systems). Water heaters. Lighting Computers (data centres and electronic appliances). Refrigerators and all white goods. Research by Centre for Research in the Built Environment has revealed a significant amount of over- estimating in the amount of internal heat gain in UK office design. The over design in building services system can lead to over sizing plant, maintenance cost and surely increase in operating cost which leads to emitting extra carbon in to the environment, as well as the under sizing could have same if not larger effect on carbon footprint as the demand for the source (heat, lightingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc) will continue the satisfaction for the comfort not met will result in continues use of energy. Ground source heat pumps The ground source heat pump system extracts heat from the ground, where temperature will be warmer than the air in winter and cooler than the air in summer. For this reason they are more efficient than air source heat pumps, especially in the coldest weather when they are most needed. They last for many years some manufacturing companies generate for minimum of 25 years, the noise from operating very little, and minimal servicing. The most practical way of extracting this energy is through water circulating through pipes in the ground. The pipes for the ground loop are usually laid in horizontal trenches at two metres deep, but vertical boreholes are an alternative, if more expensive, way of achieving similar results where there is not enough land to lay pipes horizontally. At depths below six metres, the ground temperature does not vary much from the Mean Annual Air Temperature (around 9 °C -11 °C in the UK depending on location). At a depth below two metres, there is a large store of warmth that can be tapped for heating in the winter. However, this temperature will drop quickly where a heat pump is extracting a lot of heat from a small ground loop it is therefore very important that the size of the ground loop matches the heating load of the building. Advantages of Ground Source Heat Pumps Heat pumps save money. Heat pumps are much cheaper to run than direct electric heating. They are cheaper to run than oil boilers and can be cheaper than running gas boilers. Because heat pumps can be fully automated they demand much less work than biomass boilers. Heat pumps save carbon emissions. Unlike burning oil, gas, LPG or biomass, a heat pump produces no carbon emissions on site (and no carbon emissions at all, if a renewable source of electricity is used to power them). Heat pumps save space. There are no fuel storage requirements. Heat pumps are safe. There is no combustion involved and no emission of potentially dangerous gases. No flues are required. Heat pumps require less maintenance than combustion based heating systems. Heat pumps can provide cooling in summer, as well as heating in winter. Disadvantages of Ground Source Heat Pumps GSHPs are more expensive to install than air source heat pumps because of the need to install a ground heat exchanger. However, this connection to the ground is what enables a GSHP to perform much more efficiently than an ASHP particularly when the external air temperature is low in winter and you most need heating. Problems arise with ground source heat pumps if the installation is poorly designed or not matched to the heating needs of the building. 1-s2.0-S0378778811004385-gr1.jpg Interseasonal Heat Transfer (IHT) The Interseasonal Heat Transfer offers sustainable energy source by using new technology observed from the site where installed, by storing the direct heat from the sun to the ground in summer and back the building in winter without using any other source of heat or burning fuel. By integrating solar thermal collected in summer to heat storage in Thermal Banks to increase the efficiency and coefficient of performance of ground source heat pumps in cold days. It works also in reverse by transferring captured cold in winter stored in Thermal Banks in the ground to the building to cool down in summer. (IHT) advantages and disadvantages Advantages Could save up to 50% of carbon emission in compare to other heat source such as gas boilers for heating. Could save up to 80% of carbon emission in compare to the use of standard air condition for cooling. Could save up to 100% of the cost in running heating system when claiming for producing renewable energy. Low maintenance. Disadvantages Cost of installation Poor installation will reduce the efficiency of the system. Solar Panels The sun provides a rich, free source of clean energy in the form of natural light and heat. It is likely to capture some of this free energy directly to exchange sunlight into electricity using solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Solar PV systems convert light into electrical power using a thin layer of semi-conducting material, typically silicon, enclosed between a sheet of glass and a polymer resin. The variety in size from a not many square centimetres, for instance on calculators and watches to systems of hundreds of square metres made from interconnected modules that form any range. When exposed to daylight electrons in the semi-conducting material turn into energised, these electrons are then able to flow through the material producing a direct current (DC), the DC is carried through wiring to an inverter which converts the current to 240V alternating current (AC) so it can be associated to the building electricity supply. http://www.which-solar.co.uk/wp-content/themes/victoria/images/howimage.jpg Summery The new technology, the fast developing to the technology and the responsibilities on the building owners and designers encourages the use of green technology and reduce carbon footprint emitted from buildings. In the proposed office extension that faces southwest it would be recommended to use combined of two systems for electricity and heat of solar panels and Interseasonal heat transfer (IHT) to achieve a maximum reduction of carbon footprint and maintain the comfort for staff and end user. Task 2 Class room 309 according to readings on dry and wet bulb readings were as follow 17 wet 21 dry Using the Psychrometric chart the wet and dry readings met to 66% Humidity According to CIBSE (Health Issue in Building Services, TM40, 2006) publication there are no regulations on moisture however its recommendations for normal building are set to be 40% to 70% and the target for design to be 60%.

generalized anxiety disorder Essay -- essays research papers

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic and often disabling condition that is associated with uncontrollable worry and tension. The vicious cycle of anxiety and worry interferes with relationships, careers, and education, and often leads to depression. This disorder is much more than the normal anxiety that everyone experiences from time to time, and can be crippling in its severity. GAD is unlikely to disappear without proper treatment, and often worsens over time. Physical manifestations of GAD often include headaches, trembling, twitching, fatigue, irritability, frustration, muscle tension, and inability to concentrate. Sleep disturbances may also occur. Individuals suffering from this disorder may appear to be always tense and unable to relax, or may startle more easily than others. Often they might seem to be constantly moving or fidgeting, unable to sit comfortably through a movie without worrying about something else that needs to be done. Some research suggests that GAD may run in families, and it Generalized Anxiety Disorder may grow worse during times of stress. Symptoms can begin at any age, but the risk is highest between childhood and middle age. GAD affects about 4 million adult Americans. Women are twice as likely to be affected than men. The disorder usually comes on gradually, although it can be suddenly triggered by a childhood psychological trauma, the death of a loved one, divorce, and losing or changing a job. DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The person finds it difficult to control the worry. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past 6 months). Note: Only one item is required in children. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  being easily fatigued -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  difficulty concentrating or mind going blank -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  irritability -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  muscle tension -  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nb... ...he anxiety the patient is having. There are many studies pertaining to generalized anxiety disorder. The studies examine the genetic and environmental risks for major anxiety disorders, their course-both alone and when they occur along with other diseases such as depression-and their treatment. Like heart disease and diabetes, these brain disorders are complex and probably result from a combination of genetic, behavioral, developmental, and other factors. Much of the research of anxiety centers on the amygdale, an almond-shaped structure deep within the brain. The amygdale is believed to serve as a communications hub between the parts of the brain that process incoming sensory signals and the parts that interpret them. Other research focuses on the hippocampus, another brain structure that is responsible for processing threatening or traumatic stimuli. By learning more about brain circuitry involved in fear and anxiety, scientists may be able to devise new and more specific treatments for anxiety disorders. Researche rs are attempting to learn how genetics and experience interact in each of the anxiety disorders-information they hope will yield clues to prevention and treatment.

Foreign Literature Essay

Last night I was at the presentation of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, at the National Portrait Gallery, where a young Angolan writer, Josà © Eduardo Agualusa, was announced the 2007 winner for his novel The Book of Chameleons, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn. Set in contemporary Angola, the book is particularly notable for being narrated by a lizard. The judges this year were the poet David Constantine, writer and editor Jennie Erdal, Arts Council Literature officer Kate Griffin, novelist Ali Smith and the literary editor of the Independent, Boyd Tonkin. Admirably the prize is shared between the translator and author, thus honouring an art that often goes unsung. The book was evidently a popular choice and Agualusa received his award in person, accompanied by whoops and cheers. Tonkin extols the prize as â€Å"a unique bridge between writers abroad and readers at home†. As thrilled as I was that this talented newcomer beat such literary heavyweights as Ismail Kadare and Javier Marà ­as, however, I was even more delighted that the award honours a small literary publisher, Arcadia, who recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. The dedicated team at Arcadia are worthy recipients of this prestigious award, not just for bringing this imaginative young writer to an English readership, but overall for their championing of cultural diversity and for widening our literary choice – 50% of their 2007 lists are books in translation. Given the effects of globalisation elsewhere, it seems astonishing that we don’t translate more foreign literature in this country. Apparently, translated fiction accounts for only 3% of fiction sales in the UK, compared with 30-40% in France or Spain. The British are voracious readers, so why are we so insular? Don’t we welcome unusual voices and different perspectives? How can we exert pressure on publishers to produce more translated fiction? For those interested in foreign literature, an excellent resource is Words Without Borders, an online magazine dedicated to promoting international exchange through translation and publishing works/extracts on the web. And if you’d like to see Josà © Eduardo Agualusa and Daniel Hahn, they’ll be reading from The Book of Chameleons this evening at Foyles bookshop, London, 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

Expository Essay Writing

Expository Essay Writing In this article we will try to get you acquainted with the basic rule and strategy which must be used while writing an expository essay.   We have collected basic tips on how to write a good expository essay. Expository essays are the essays in which writers are required to give information, explanations about the subject or define something. The best way to write an expository essay is using the combination of statistical information and facts about the subject. Using examples is one of the important parts of an expository essay so, providing your expository paper with different examples will give it a better look. The most important rule of writing an expository essay is that it should be written to the point using specific ideas and information. An expository essay should be written without any emotions and in most cases written using passive voice. So, the use of the active voice must be avoided or in other words â€Å"I† must not be used in the expository essay. Expository papers have a distinctive format. They are started using a strong thesis statement which must be defined and supported enough while writing the expository essay. Then comes the supporting paragraphs, which must contain distinct controlling topic and all other phrases must point towards this topic and must factually relate to the topic. The use of transition phrases or words help the reader to understand and reinforce the logic. The concluding paragraph must be written in a way to stress the main thesis, and a couple of supportive ideas. The finishing sentence of the expository essay must be written in such a way that the finishing sentence must reflect the position of the writer in a meaningful way. We hope that the article above was helpful to you and it cleared all the doubts you had about expository essays. Now you are familiar with the rules to write an expository essay. But still if you have any questions and doubts we are always ready to assist you in writing expository essays. Just inquire with Customwritings.com, and we will help you with any assignment of any complexity with any deadline. Our company provides high-quality custom expository essay writing services at affordable prices.

How to Calculate the Density of a Gas

How to Calculate the Density of a Gas If the  molecular mass  of a gas  is known, the ideal gas law can be manipulated to find the density of the gas. Its just a matter of plugging in the right variables and performing a few calculations. How to Calculate Gas Density What is the density of a gas with molar mass 100 g/mol at 0.5 atm and 27 degrees Celsius? Before you begin, keep in mind what youre looking for as an answer in terms of units. Density is defined as mass per unit volume, which can be expressed in terms of grams per liter or grams per milliliter. You may need to do unit conversions. Keep on the lookout for unit mismatches when you plug values into equations. First, start with the ideal gas law: PV nRT where P pressure,  V volume,  n number of moles of gas,  R gas constant 0.0821 L ·atm/mol ·K, and  T absolute temperature  (in Kelvin). Examine the units of R carefully. This is where many people get into trouble. Youll get an incorrect answer if you enter a temperature in Celsius or pressure in Pascals, etc. Always use atmosphere for pressure, liters for volume, and Kelvin for temperature. To find the density of the gas, you  need to know the mass of the gas and the volume. First, find the volume. Here is the ideal gas law equation rearranged to solve for V: V nRT/P After you have found the volume, you must find the mass. The number of moles is the place to start. The number of moles is the mass (m) of the gas divided by its molecular mass (MM): n m/MM Substitute this mass value into the volume equation in place of n: V mRT/MM ·P Density (Ï ) is mass per volume. Divide both sides by m: V/m RT/MM ·P Then invert the equation: m/V MM ·P/RTÏ  MM ·P/RT Now you have the ideal gas law rewritten in a form you can use with the information you were given. To find the density of the gas, just plug in the values of the known variables. Remember to use absolute temperature for T: 27 degrees Celsius   273 300 KelvinÏ  (100 g/mol)(0.5 atm)/(0.0821 L ·atm/mol ·K)(300 K) Ï  2.03 g/L The density of the gas is 2.03 g/L at 0.5 atm and 27 degrees Celsius. How to Decide If You Have a Real Gas The ideal gas law is written for ideal or perfect gases. You can use values for real gases so long as they act like ideal gases. To use the formula for a real gas, it must be at low pressure and low temperature. Increasing pressure or temperature raises the kinetic energy of the gas  and forces the molecules to interact. While the ideal gas law can still offer an approximation under these conditions, it becomes less accurate when molecules are close together and excited.

International Standards and Information Systems Quality Management Essay

International Standards and Information Systems Quality Management - Essay Example Quality Management System is defined as a â€Å"set of coordinated activities to direct and control an organization in order to continually improve effectiveness and efficiency of its performance.† These activities are well integrated and synchronized that the understanding of one would not lead to understanding of the entire system as a whole (Gitlow, 2001). The basic purpose is not to detect the defective products after production rather than focusing in producing quality products free of any defects. Implementation of an effective quality management system would benefit an organization whether in manufacturing, service industry or public sector. These companies generally employ some information system to communicate within the organization and to supplier and customers external to the organization. The underlying concept is customer, supplier and the organization working together for their mutual interest. To implement said concept, efforts are required to integrate and str engthen interfaces not only between immediate customers and suppliers but also beyond that are linked to any organization. An efficient and effective quality management system would help in building customer’s confidence on organization’s ability to produce quality products and services, and deliver desired objectives while meeting their wants, needs and expectations. In similar way, quality management system enables an organization to achieve its objectives defined in its policy and strategy with minimum and effective utilization of resources at an optimum cost. Quality management system interfaces all activities of the organization in a coordinated manner starting from identification of customer requirements to meeting customer’s satisfaction at every step of the process. It can be compared to a wedge that ensures consistency of gains along the quality journey by preventing good practices from sliding back as shown below (Business Balls, 2008). An effective qu ality management system would improve process control, reduce waste, decrease costs, increase market share and help to meet customer’s expectations. Quality and Evaluation of Information Systems Evaluation of information systems is a crucial subject for the researchers and practitioners aiming for improvements in the processes of designing and developing the information systems (Checkland & Holwell, 1998). The evaluation of an information system

What does all this religious turmoil tell us about the Chinese Essay - 1

What does all this religious turmoil tell us about the Chinese government - Essay Example To begin with, the blanket ban on proselytism by foreigners anywhere in China evinces a deep suspicion of foreign spiritual activities in China, which is symptomatic of a concern on the part of much of the Chinese leadership that certain foreign ideas and systems would be deeply detrimental in China. To support such attitudes, they repeatedly talk of the humilitations which the western powers inflicted upon China in the last two centuries of the imperial era. Christian groups have been the focus of some repression, including the raiding of unregistered house churches and the arrest of their members, particularly in the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. However, it is towards independent clergy and members of the Catholic Church that the government focuses its repression of Christian groups. Relations between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China have always been tense, and since the 1950s they have enjoyed no formal relations. It seems that the government is still wary of the loyalty of Catholics to an authority outside of China – the Vatican, and its head, the Pope, whom they regard as God’s representative on Earth. This tensions between the Catholic Church and the Chinese government became obvious when, in July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote an open letter to the Chinese government urging it to respect the religious freedoms of its citizens. The Chinese government is always particularly sensitive to foreign criticism, and this instance was no exception, with Beijing replying that ‘it was willing to continue a dialogue with the Vatican, but a government spokesman said the Pope must not interfere in China’s affairs in the name of religion’3. While the Chinese government likes to present its country as a united and homogenous polity, it is rich in ethnic minorities, many of whom have distinctive religious practices,