Standard of living

By standard of living we mean the degree or extent to which we satisfy our needs or wants. In the olden days, the basic needs were food, shelter and clothing. Today, all countries of West Africa have passed that level. Wants are now satisfied beyond these three basic needs. For example, our basic wants are now better satisfied. The foods we eat are now richer and in greater variety. Most families now eat bread and eggs and drink tea or coffee as breakfast. In the past, these would have been found in only very few houses in West Africa. The clothes we wear are more fanciful, more elaborate and elegant, and the houses we live in are far more superior and more comfortable than those enjoyed by our grandfathers. But in addition to all these, we now enjoy more luxury than our forefathers did. We now have wireless radio and coloured television sets, video and cassette recorders. We can cover a great deal of distance in a very short time by air. Also today, better education and medical facilities are now making it possible to live well and longer. We now also enjoy a faster means of communication or sending messages. We have the telephone, the Internet and the global system of mobile communication. All these, put together, determine the standard of living. So when we say that a country is poor, we are saying that the standard of living in that country, compared with the standard of living in some other countries, is low. Our knowledge about the standard of living in other countries is now better. Not only is it now comparatively easier to travel, but advancement in the publishing industry has made it possible and easier to read books about other countries.
The economics of West Africa is concerned with the nature and causes, that is the determinants of the standard of living in West African countries. Economics is concerned with explanation and discussion, with analysis and not with mere description. It answers questions beginning with "why" rather than "how". It does not answer in the form of "what should be done about it? Rather, it discusses the probable effects of doing this or doing that and thereby helps people to form their own opinion.

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Rock Formation

A rock may be defined as a hard compact mass made up of cluster of primary or secondary minerals. The primary minerals are those that are as they were made in nature. Some of them are Quartz, Olivine, Pyroxene, Hornblende, Biotite, Muscovite and feldspar. On the other hand, secondary minerals consists of particles worn out from original minerals which have combined with other elements. They exist in form of: (i) Oxide such as those of magnesium, Iron and Aluminum. (ii) Sulphates and carbonates of Iron, Magnesium and Calcium. (iii) Clay minerals such as the silicate clays and the hydrous Oxide. TYPES OF ROCKS (i) Igneous rock (ii) sedimentary rock (iii) Metamorphic rock. Based on their chemical composition, we have basic and acidic rocks. Granite is a very good example of an acid rock. PROCESSES OF ROCK FORMATION IGNEOUS ROCK :This is formed through the process of cooling and hardening of the molten magma. This molten magna is confined deep down below the earth crust und...

TEACHING AND PEACE CORPS

Teaching today is hard work. The old demands that one knows his subject and master the art of teaching are increased by the need to prepare students for a world that is constantly changing, and in ways that were unfamiliar and complicated. We now inhabit what we should call spaceship earth, and the instructor's book didn't come with it. But it is not true that the demands of our own technological world represent the only or even the most difficult challenge to the teacher. Beyond the technological world, there is a world not constantly changing, in fact, where change has not come fast enough, and when change alone can bring partnership in the 20th century. To the developing world, the peace corps teacher is asked to bring skills and knowledge. He is also asked to bring understanding, which respects the beauty of that world's religious beliefs and customs. The peace corps teacher must guide and, at the same time, respect the student's uniquene...

HERNIA

Hernia occurs in an individual when part of the intestine pushes through the wall of the abdomen and appears as a bulge at the site. There are many sites where hernia can occur, although the commonly encountered type is that found in the groin. This type of hernia is known as femoral or inguinal hernia. Hernia may occur on the navel or near it. The hernia which occurs on the navel is called umbilical hernia, while that which occurs close to it is known as paraumbilical hernia. These two types of hernia are less common than the femoral type. Groin hernia occurs more commonly in males, but can also occur in females in a few cases. In this kind of hernia, there is a weakness in the abdominal wall in the groin region about midway across the groin. It may appear on either side or, sometimes on both sides. A good sign is that swelling increases, initially it can be pushed back manually into the body. Later on, it gets bigger still and lies almost permanently outside the body, especi...

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