Market Failure Food Adulteration in Bangladesh Essay Example

Market Failure: Food Adulteration in Bangladesh Essay Market Failure * Adulteration in Food Industry Submitted to: Mr. Sheikh Morshed Jahan Associate Professor Course Instructor Bangladesh Studies Submitted by: Samia Khan (RQ 16) Adel Mostaque Ahmed (ZR 22) Ahnaf Zabee (ZR 35) Rituraj Baidya (ZR 56) Institute of Business Administration University of Dhaka April 9, 2012 Table of Contents Market failure3 Food adulteration in Bangladesh3 Mouthwatering looks:4 Endurance:4 Examples of food adulteration5 The consequences:6 The awareness issue:6 Penalties7 The Solution8 Conclusion8 Market failure Market failure is a concept within economic theory describing when the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not efficient. That is, there exists another conceivable outcome where a market participant may be made better off without making someone else worse-off. Market failures can be viewed as scenarios where individuals pursuit of pure self-interest leads to results that are not efficient – that can be improved upon from the societal point-of-view. Food adulteration in Bangladesh Food adulteration is the process of adding chemical substances with foods, which should not be contained within food and beverages. Chemical substances or simply adulterants may be added to substances to reduce manufacturing costs, or for some deceptive or malicious purpose. When profit in business is more important than morality, then it is possible to add the poisoning contents to the foods and beverages. A limited number of people may die without foods but a large population has been suffering from complicated diseases related to food adulteration, which may be even lead to death in future. Adulterated food consuming is the waiting for death, which is a worse punishment than death. Food adulteration has become a major problem in Bangladesh. Vegetables, fish, milk, fruit, and sweetmeats nothing is safe, and is being sold in the market profusely. However, the adulteration that affects the consumers directly comes from restaurants. The restaurants are using toxic chemicals like formalin and textile dye stuffs in preserving foods, which play havoc in health system. Most of the country’s population, especially women and children would be the worst victim if the authorities fail to stop food adulteration. We will write a custom essay sample on Market Failure: Food Adulteration in Bangladesh specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Market Failure: Food Adulteration in Bangladesh specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Market Failure: Food Adulteration in Bangladesh specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The number of people afflicted by cancer and other chronic diseases due to taking of adulterated foods has of late gone up to such an alarming level that some people have even stopped buying many essential nutritious foods and vegetables other than some basic food grains, for mere survival, that they assume are not adulterated. Mouthwatering looks: There is a special demand for fresh good-looking foods among customers and they are willing to pay extra just for the look. However, we need to be cautious because, Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) confirmed that wholesalers use several mechanisms to make foods attractive. In their study, it came out that in most cases the spices are mixed with brick dust, cumin is mixed with sawdust, and sugar syrup is added with honey to enhance the sweetness. Dishonest traders use a host of ingredients such as animal fat, palm oil, potato mash and vegetable oil to produce fake butter oil. In another study, the Food and Nutrition Institution, University of Dhaka6 have found alarming level of deadly bacteria like E-coli, Salmonella and Shigella bacteria in most of the restaurant food and street food in the city. Many street food vendors and restaurants recycle burnt cooking oil for frying food items. Once the oil is used for cooking, it becomes oxidized and its further use generates peroxide, which is very harmful for the human body. Endurance: It is a challenge to keep fresh produces, meats and fish for a longer time in Bangladesh. Most of the traders do not have freezing vans or climate control storage facility to ensure the quality of the food. However, many traders came up with unusual ideas to keep their products intact for longer time that pose a long-term health risk to the consumers. Restaurant owners use this technique to reduce their raw material purchasing cost. Often formaldehyde is sprayed to fruits and fishes to keep them fresh for longer duration. Some other examples of food adulteration Views about the proportion of adulterated food items on the market vary between 70 and 90 percent. More than 76 percent food items on the market were found adulterated in a random survey by Public Health Laboratory of Dhaka City Corporation in 2004. There are approximately 150 food items in the country, said SK Roy, a senior scientist at the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B). Roy said that brick dust is applied in chili powder; urea is used to whiten rice and puffed rice; sawdust in loose tea; soap in Ghee; and artificial sweetener, coal tar, and textile dyes in sweetmeats. Formalin applied on fish, fruit, meat, and milk causes throat cancer, blood cancer, childhood asthma, and skin diseases, he said. Poisonous coloring agents like aura mine, rhodomine B, malachite green, yellow G, allura red, and Sudan red applied on food items for coloring, brightness, and freshness damage liver and kidney, and cause stomach cancer, asthma, and bladder cancer, said Roy. Coloring agents chrome, tartzine, and erythrosine are used in spices, sauces, juices, lentils, and oils causing cancer, allergy, and respiratory problem. Calcium carbide may lead to cancer in kidney, liver, skin, prostate, and lungs. Rye flour used in barley, bread, and wheat flour contribute to convulsion and miscarriage. Hormone used in cauliflower causes infertility of women. Agino moto or monosodium glutamate used in Chinese restaurant food items cause nervous system disorder and depression. Urea put in puffed rice and rice causes nervous system damage and respiratory problem. Sulphuric acid used in milk for condensation causes damage to the cardiac system. Application of excessive and unauthorized pesticides also cause contamination of food, he said adding that additives used for making food items attractive can be lethal if those are cancerous. However, some permitted preservatives, thickening agents, gelling agents, antioxidants, and stabilizers could be harmless if applied in appropriate quantity, said Roy. Food grains, vegetables, and fish also are contaminated by industrial pollution of the soil, air, and water, he said. Burnt engine oil is used to fry Jilapi, while artificial fragrance is applied on flours, said Khalil Ahmed, executive magistrate of Dhaka City Corporation, who operates a mobile court against adulterated foods in the capital. The consequences: The long-term consequences of consuming chemical treated food items will be devastating. The children would be the worst affected group among all if they eat chemical mixed food items. Formaldehyde causes various gastro-intestinal disorders if consumed for long. Most of the chemicals may result in long-term skin diseases, damage lungs and kidneys and some of them can develop cancers. BSTI revealed that about 1,000 drinking water factories exist in the country, only 400 of which have licenses from the BSTI. Bottlers of drinking water factories have mushroomed with little regard to compliance of standard or BSTI license. Despite BSTI cancelling the licenses of 139 bottling factories in the last 18 months, there has been news of setting up of new factories in new locations. The result: children and aged people are facing constant threat of diseases even with the bottled water produced by these factories. The awareness issue: The depressing part is that most of the traders or producers using chemicals in foods are not aware of its long-term impact on human body and surrounding environment. The only driver, which motivates them, is the additional income on sales. Many of them even do not know the name of the chemicals they are spraying on the foods to speed-up the ripening process. They just go to the pharmacy and they get the medicine without any permit. Besides, contaminated food once consumed does not result quickly in human body. Over time, these chemicals slowly turn a human body into an ideal host for deadly diseases and sometimes result in the development of cancer and other fatal diseases. Nevertheless, the government along with media is trying to improve the awareness condition with many activities. The most successful initiative to date was the anti adulteration drive led by a mobile court. This drive started back in 2007 with a team that included a magistrate, media partners and police. For two consecutive years, the drive was a success and the magistrate Rokon-Ud-Dowla became a celebrity. During that time, the mobile court unveiled most of the adulteration mechanisms used by traders and producers. Since the drive was not backed by a comprehensive plan; later when politically challenged; the effectiveness diluted eventually. Penalties The Pure Food Act 1959 that prosecutes offenders of food adulteration has a ludicrously low penalty of Tk. 200. In spite of the nominal fine, the amount realized from the mobile court drives has been enormous. In 2012, a vigilance team of National Consumers Right Protection Directorate has realized taka two lakh and six thousand as fine from different hotels, restaurants and fast food shops for selling adulterated and rotten foods in the International Trade Fair at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. * Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was sued in Dhaka due to its use of adulterated vegetable oil to prepare high cost food this year. Authority says KFC out lets of Dhaka and Chittagong have taken no step to maintain standard of foods though many of those were fined for sub-standard foods and unhygienic condition of their kitchens. On August 7, 2011, a mobile court for food in Chittagong found rotten vegetables and tomatoes in their (KFC’s) refrigerator, and found that their salad packets do not have information about the compositions and nutrition facts. Later the court fined BDT 25,000, but said they are punishing minimally only to warn them, KFC should be careful about their quality. 11 BSTI sources revealed that it conducted 1,039 mobile courts across the country in seven months from July 2010 to February 2011 and detected rampant malpractice and adulteration in the food production centers. Some Tk. 23. million were realized as fine during the drives while 1,086 cases were filed and 66 people were sent to jail. 7 The Solution The best solution to reduce adulteration is transparency and regulation. If the process of food produ cers is exposed, they will be forced to provide the customers with good healthy and hygienic food. Some of the solutions could be: * Return of Mobile Court: As mentioned previously, the anti-adulteration mobile court led by Rokon-ud-Dawla was a huge success. It made the restaurants show their true face. The mobile court still exists and has recently found adulterated oil at a KFC outlet. However, many more small and large restaurants have such complaints against them. Therefore, the mobile court’s activity needs to be more widespread and regular. It may also be led by a permanent organization. With such activity restaurant owners will have to be aware about healthy food. * The Transparent Window: The transparent window is a concept where the customers will be able to see the kitchen of a restaurant to ensure hygiene. The kitchen should not be made completely open to public, as restaurants may not want to show their recipe. A completely open kitchen is also vulnerable to dust and therefore unhygienic. Therefore, every kitchen should have a large transparent window through which customers themselves will be able to judge whether the kitchen is hygienic enough. This will directly affect the restaurants as they always look forward to satisfying their customers. * Tax Cut: Restaurants should have an evaluation system governed by the monitoring/regulatory committee. The current VAT rate for restaurants is 15%. If a restaurant gets a full-marks review from that committee the restaurant may be charged with a lesser VAT – say 12. 5%. This will be a great way to motivate restaurant owners to making healthy food. Owners will, to a certain extent, find healthy food a way to lower their price of food and thus be able to attract more customers. Conclusion Food adulteration has been a burning problem in Bangladesh since a few years. Especially after the initiation of the mobile court drive in 2007, widespread media attention has been given to the malpractices prevalent in the food industry. Although it seemed initially that the drive would bring fruitful results, the effort has sagged in recent times. Through revival of the mobile court drive, increase of transparency and motivation of food akers through tax benefit, we can hope to ensure that food will be kept in its own unadulterated form. [ 1 ]. Kurgan, P. Wells, R. (2006). Economics, New York, Worth Publishers. [ 2 ]. Haque, M. M. (2009). Food adulteration by chemicals and diseases. The Financial Express. Retrieved from http://www. thefinancialexpress-bd. com/2009/07/31/74799. html [ 3 ]. Mass campaign to stop food adulteration. (2011). Ret rieved from http://www. rdrsbangla. net/Resources/ContentFile/contentFile_4e82cdc5d1c17. pdf [ 5 ]. Yousuf, M. A. (2011). Nourishment or Toxin: A Critical Appraisal on the Food Adulteration Issue in Bangladesh (Part A). Business Innovation Facility. Retrieved from http://businessinnovationfacility. org/profiles/blogs/nourishment-or-toxin-a-critical-appraisal-on-the-food [ 6 ]. Food adulteration rings alarm bell. (2011). The Daily Star. Retrieved from http://www. thedailystar. net/newDesign/news-details. php? nid=198096 [ 7 ]. Khan, M. A. (2011). Rampant adulteration still a havoc. The Daily Star. Retrieved from http://www. thedailystar. net/newDesign/news-details. php? nid=193429 [ 8 ]. Amin, A. M. ; Rahman, A. S. ; Ahsan, S. ; Khan, I. H. (2004). Eating away our health. Star Weekend Magazine. 4(20). Retrieved from http://www. thedailystar. net/magazine/2004/11/01/cover. htm [ 9 ]. Consumers Rights Protection team realizes fine over Taka two lakh. (2012). Bangladesh Shangbad Shangstha. Retrieved from http://www1. bssnews. net/newsDetails. php? cat=0=223298$date=2012-01-26=2012-02-02 [ 10 ]. Jibon, S. I. (2012). KFC was sued in Bangladesh for using adulterated oil. Digital Journal. Retrieved from http://digitaljournal. com/blog/15050

Brutuss significance in Julius Caesar

Brutuss significance in Julius Caesar [Type text] [Type text] [Type text]Abdullah Hussain Homework 11-09-2013Brutus is a complex and important character: What is his significance? - EssayBrutus is portrayed as a very complicated character, the most complex of all characters in the play.He is a proud of his reputation for honour and nobleness. In act 1, scene 2, Brutus replies, 'I do fear the people choose Caesar as their king,' this shows that Brutus is thinking about the future for the people of Rome, and thinks that it wouldn't be good for the general good of Rome if Caesar were to become king. Subsequently, Brutus says, ' set honour in one eye, and death in th' other. ' This displays that Brutus is willing to risk death to uphold the good of Rome, expressing his selflessness and kindness towards the reputation and people of Rome. Brutus claims that he loves the name of honour more than he fears death.The Death of CaesarHe says, 'I love the name of honour more than I fear death.' Brutus is characterized as a very noble and generous character, however he is often na ¯ve in his behaviour.Although Brutus is depicted as a honourable and noble character, he is also na ¯ve in his actions throughout the play. Brutus's motives for the assassination of Caesar was for the good of Rome, however, the other senators' reasons were mainly for their own personal political gain. He also underestimates Anthony's power and influence of the people of Rome. He refers to Mark Anthony as a 'limb' of Caesar, implying that without Caesar, he is weak. Brutus is very na ¯ve in trusting Anthony and realises how dangerous he really is towards the end, even without Caesar. After Caesars death, Brutus lets Anthony speak to the crowd and in the end, Anthony riles...

Computer-Based Crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Computer-Based Crimes - Essay Example The misuse of the computer may involve the falsification of computer signatures through unauthorized codes; the creation of false bank accounts; theft of personal information and misuse of the stolen information; the virus infection created on computers that can hamper the proper software operations and damage records. In the theft of personal information, victims may not even be aware of the crime perpetration until a very considerable damage on their assets, credit card, and societal status have already been inflicted. Criminals may use programs that would remove any evidence of the committed crime. Today, the biggest crime created through computer use is the electronic financial account transfer. Intellectual challenge is the most significant reason for creating computer crimes. Computer hackers commit such crimes for financial reasons and for personal motives, such as anger or revenge (Computer-Based Crime, 2011). Identity Theft To date, identity theft has the fastest growing cri me rate in America. Identity theft is the pilfering and illegal use of private information from an unsuspecting individual to access personal financial accounts. The targeted personal data include a victim’s address, birth date, telephone number, social security number (SSN), bank account number, credit card number, or other valuable identification records to be used for the thief’s economic gain. Criminals use this information in opening new credit and depository accounts, applying for home or car loans, leasing homes, apartments or vehicles (Brody, Mulig & Kimball, 2007) applying for benefits, or filing fake tax returns (Palmer, 2006). In worst cases, perpetrators use the obtained private information to take over the victim’s identity, create enormous debts, or use in a criminal activity under the victim’s name. In businesses, criminals pilfer their financial accounts, confidential access codes of their computer systems, or restricted records of workers . In phishing scams, thieves of company identities carefully pick businesses that may seem appealing to their prospective victims. Banks and prestigious businesses, and the most visited sites, such as the eBay and PayPal are the favorite targets of identity thieves (Brody, Mulig & Kimball, 2007). The electronic exposure of private information in a majority of business deals attracts the interest of identity thieves. Thieves gain access to private information given out by credit card holders when purchasing goods online; using cards in restaurants and gasoline stations; or when withdrawing cash in ATM outlets. In 2005, there were reported incidences of around 10 million identity theft cases, equivalent to 4.6 percent of the U.S. annual population (How Many Identity Theft Victims Are There? What is the Impact on Victims?, 2006). Reports taken from the Chief Securities Officer (CSO) Perspectives Conference confirmed 53 million identity theft cases to date and a further 19,000 cases eac h day. On the average, a victim loses $40,000 to $92,000 per incident (Friedenberg, 2006). The American consumer group loses roughly $5billion per year, while U.S. businesses and banking institutions lose around $47.6 billion per year (How Many Identity Theft Victims Are There? What is the Impact on Victims?, 2006). Since hacking started in the middle of the 1990s, attacks have dramatically increased. Computer hacking attacks are now more supported and financed by big-time syndicates. Moreover,

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Discussion - Essay Example These gases in the atmosphere provide an invisible blanket around the earth and help keep the planet warm enough. Global warming occurs because of the greenhouse effect, or when the gases like carbon dioxide increase resulting in more energy trapped and re-emitted back to the earth. This paper will attempt to describe in more detail the global warming phenomenon. Global warming was a term that was first used in 1975 by American scientist Wallace Smith Broecker who discovered that the climate of the earth is warming consistently due to various human activities. In a magazine, he published a paper entitled Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming which was where he first coined the term. In 1979, the term was used again to depict the physical phenomenon that is heating up the planet. The article with the title The Charney Report was published by the National Academy of Science. (Yukozimo, 2014) The phenomenon of global warming can be further understood by taking a look at the earth’s ozone layer. The ozone layer is a region of dense gases in the stratosphere of the earth that is capable of blocking most of the harmful solar ultraviolet radiations. More than ninety percent of the ozone is present in the stratosphere of earth. It has a higher concentration of ozone as compared to the earth’s surface. Unfortunately, this important part of our atmosphere is slowly becoming more and more fragile and both nature and man can be held responsible. Manmade chemicals like halocarbons, CFCs, HCFCs, freon and halon contribute largely to the depletion of the ozone layer. Due to the increasing concentration of the refrigerants, solvents and propellants in the atmosphere, the ozone layer is under depletion of the rate of four percent per decade. As the ozone layer becomes thinner and thinner, ultraviolet light penetrates through

On the debates pertaining to inference of an effect from its cause Essay

On the debates pertaining to inference of an effect from its cause - Essay Example 172). Taking off from Hume, John Stuart Mill â€Å"held that causal inference depends on three factors: first, the cause has to precede the effects; second, the cause and effect have to be related ; and third, other explanations of the cause-effect relationship have to be eliminated† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). In other words, the notion of causation and effect that can be found in the ideas of John Stuart Mill is that causation requires precedence of the cause from the effect, correlation, and that rival hypotheses are ruled out. For Cook and Campbell (1979), however, the most significant contribution of John Stuart Mill to the theory of causality pertains to his notions of the criteria, principles, or â€Å"methods† of agreement, differences, and concomitant variation. The principle of agreement â€Å"states that an effect will be present when the cause is present† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). The principle of difference â€Å"states that the effect will be absent when the cause is absent† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). Finally, the principle of concomitant variation â€Å"implies that when both of the above relationships are observed, causal inferences will be all stronger since certain other interpretations of the co-variation between the cause effects can be ruled out† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). According to Cook and Campbell (1979, p. ... 183) pointed out that â€Å"the concept of a control group is implicit here and is clearly central in Mill’s thinking about cause.† In 1913, Bertrand Russell â€Å"looked to physics and astronomy of his day as the most mature sciences, and he noted their lack of concern with unobservables and explicitness and parsimony of the functional relationships that physicists sought to test† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 172-173).1 However, Russell had asked that asked whether the concept of cause continues to be relevant given that cause â€Å"is not implied by functional relationships of mathematical form† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 173). The Russell viewpoint is positivist â€Å"rejecting unobservables (like cause), and seeking to establish explicit functional laws between continuously measured variables in a closed system† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 173). Positivists like Russell believe that â€Å"causation is unnecessary because it is unobservable† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 175). The essentialist viewpoint â€Å"argue that the term cause should only be used to refer to variables that explain a phenomenon in the sense that these variables, when taken together, are both necessary and sufficient for the effect to occur† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 177). The essentialists â€Å"equates cause with a constellation of variables that necessarily, inevitably and infallibly results in the effect† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 177). In contrast, those â€Å"who restrict cause to observable necessary and sufficient conditions (or sufficient conditions that operate when all the necessary conditions are met) reject as causes those factors which are known to bring about effects sometimes, but not always† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 177).

Hong Kongs Economy Development

Hong Kongs Economy Development Hong Kong Economy 1. Introduction The development of a knowledge-based economy is a global trend. By 2003, Hong Kong was following this direction to transform into a knowledge-based economy. During this economic restructuring, Hong Kong was suffering from structural unemployment, marginal labour and mismatches of jobs. 2. The importance for HK to develop its human capital According to population’s statistic, the median age of the labour force increased from 34 in 1991 to 37 in 2001 due to ageing of the overall population and delayed entry into the labour force as a result of increased postsecondary educational opportunities. Unlike, increases in gross domestic product (GDP), increases in the quality of human capital show the extent to which development has reached the population. Investment in education that caters to the immediate needs of industry both foreign and domestic is essential. The educational system should also maintain the long-term goal of self-reliance and promoting programmes that create thinkers, innovator and entrepreneurs. Because of Hong Kong’s neighbours such as Singapore has already owned a completely human capital strategy for rising in competitiveness. So Hong Kong needs to optimize the economic structure and labour pool. Obviously, Hong Kong need invest to human capital to reinforce the strengths of its four main economic pillars finance, logistics, tourism and manufacturing services. The accumulation of human capital is an important contributor to economic growth. Although human capital takes at least eight years to mature and requires constant support, its returns are fundamental for improvement. Investment in human capital has proven successful in many developing nations. The attainment of education can contribute significantly to the generation of overall output in economy. The general finding is that more educated individuals tend to have higher employment rate and earnings and produce more output relative to those who are less educated. Moreover, education is deemed as an investment that enables individuals to be equipped with knowledge and skills that improve their employability and productive capacity. 3. The role of Government The role of the government should be establishing the enabling environment and that of the public and private sectors as active partners in the provision of the economic services. Collaboration between public and private sectors in the productive economy is an area where the optimal use of public and private sector resources can create added value for a society as a whole. 4. Best work together with Private and Public sectors The government should coordinate between the public and private sectors and give them some beneficial policy or regulation for their collaboration. Ideally, the collaboration between them should prefer use a project base. Moreover, the project should have a strong political commitment, open mindedness, clear responsibilities and the correct apportionment of risk for them. As a result, the private sector should cover the main commercial risks, including project completion risk, operating cost and market demand. However, the private sector may not be able to absorb the full market risk when it is not given direct access to the market. In these cases, long-term take or pay contracts with government may be required. Another partnership, a fine balance must be struck by the public sector between easing risk perceptions of private sector partners and maintaining sufficient incentives for the efficient private sector management of projects. 5. Hong Kong needs Managerial and Professional people During economic restructuring, the proportion of professionals, associate professionals, managers and administrators in the working population increased from 3 .7%, 10.5% And 9.4% respectively in 1991 to 5.9%, 16.2% and 11 .4% respectively in 2001. It represent that Hong Kong focus on develop its four economic pillars. Therefore, Hong Kong need many high-level people with managerial experiences in the fields of finance, tourism and logistic and manufacturing. Moreover, Hong Kong will also need professional to develop the high value-add industry such as software development and innovative multi-media. HK government also has the admission scheme to utilize the foreign talents and mainland’s professionals. 6. The advantages and disadvantages of the Admission of Talents Scheme and the Admission of Mainland Professionals Scheme The Advantage of two schemes Attract talents from outside Hong Kong with expertise and skills not readily available locally, who could enhance the competitiveness of the territorys economy as manufacturing or services centre, particularly in technology-based, knowledge intensive or high-value-added activities. Different country’s talent come to Hong Kong, it can make the Hong Kong has an international image. The disadvantage of two schemes If the government is wrong to evaluate the application and approve the talent or professional for admission into HK, it may affect the local job vacancy. The disadvantage of the Admission of Mainland Professionals Scheme Unlike talent schemes, the existing policy on entry of Mainland professionals was so restrictive that less than 600 Mainlanders were admitted under the Admission of Mainland Professionals Scheme in the past two years. 7. Hong Kong Long-Term Policy The following policies could be used to improve the quality of skills in the Hong Kong’s economy for long-term: 7.1 Education and Manpower Policy The HK government should continue to pursue extensive programmes to upgrade the educational attainment of population at all levels. At the same time, it also will promote and facilitate skills upgrading and life-long education. Especially, the low-level workers will need these programmes to enhance their skills to meet the changing demands of the economy. Consequently, HK government will adopt a strategic, responsive and coordinated approach to manpower planning and development. 7.2 Admission of Mainland Professionals and Talent The HK government should provide more flexibility and incentives to tertiary institutions to attract academics and students from the Mainland and overseas. Also, it may continue to improve arrangements for Mainland businessmen to visit Hong Kong for business-related purposes. To step up efforts to encourage Hong Kong people being educated overseas to return to live and work here. 7.3 Training and Other Needs of New Arrivals The HK Government should continue to provide and develop appropriate programmes to address the training needs of new arrivals of different age-groups and foster closer partnership between the Government and Non-governmental Organizations to identify and address the needs of new arrivals in HK. This helps to enhance the employment skills of new arrivals. 7.4 Investment Immigrants The HK government should extend the existing immigration policy to cater for persons who will make substantial investment (HK$6.5 million) in Hong Kong but do not themselves run a business i.e. capital investment entrants and to apply this extended policy initially to foreign nationals, residents of Macao SAR and Taiwan. 7.5 Policies Impacting on Childbirth The HK government should continue with current family planning programmes emphasizing healthy, Planned Parenthood. On the other hand, HK government also should encourage the citizens to bear child and consider to granting the same level of tax deduction for all children irrespective of number. 7.6 Elderly Policy The HK government should revisit and redefine the notion of retirement and old age and continue to develop programmes that promote active and healthy aging. As a result, it may develop a sustainable financial support system for the needy elderly. 7.7 Mobility of population The HK government should have some policies to enhance mobility of people, portability in welfare, education and housing entitlements should be introduced. Cross-border taxation should also be studied. 7.8 Portability of Benefits For longer term, the HK government should address the issue of portability of public benefits taking into account the pace of economic integration with the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and examine in detail the cost implications of portable benefits on the Government fiscal position and the local economy. 7.9 Reorganization of mainland universities The HK Government should recognize the qualification from the mainland universities. The mutual recognition of professional and academic qualification between Hong Kong and the PRD needs to be speeded up. More generally, standards between Hong Kong and the PRD should be harmonized through a benchmarking process. 8. Conclusion As Hong Kong developing into an innovative and knowledge-based society, Hong Kong was suffering from structural unemployment, marginal labour. Therefore, the HK government should have a series of population policies to improve Hong Kongs soft and hard infrastructure to meet the challenges of a knowledge-based economy. Moreover, this population policy will be designed to fit Hong Kongs long-term social and economic development, complement family requirements and address the interests of different sectors.

A Speech Given By Frederick Do -- essays research papers

FREDERICK DOUGLASS’S POWERS OF APPEAL After his escape from slavery, Frederick Douglass chose to promote the abolition of slavery by speaking about the actions and effects that result from that institution. In an excerpt from a July 5, 1852 speech at Rochester, New York, Douglass asks the question: What to the slave is the Fourth of July? This question is a bold one, and it demands attention. The effectiveness of his oration is derived from the personal appeals in which he engages the listener. At once in this speech, Douglass appeals to his listeners’ religious tendencies. He asks his audience, “am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar…'; (441). Religious appeal is so important because the majority of his audience is Christian, and he implies that Christianity, in its ostensible purity, allows the mishandling of human life to the degree of slavery. By relating Christianity directly to slavery, his listeners must question the validity of their Christian doctrines in relation to the institution of slavery. In doing so, they must eliminate their acceptance of one of these traditions; the odds are that Christianity holds a much more loyal following than slavery, in which case slavery will be given up as a practice. Douglass also quotes from Psalms 137:1-6, and the ludicrous concept that slaveholders expect their slaves to be joyous in their state of bondage is the essential meaning of the passage he chooses as it relates to the comparable situation of the Babylonians’ captives (442). His persuasive appeal in this case is the notion that any pious Christian would have sympathy for the lamenting captives and contempt for the captors in the Psalms passage. If this assumption is correct, then the same pious Christians surely should realize the situation of the slaves on this day and every other. Additionally, in asking this question, he asserts immediately that the meaning of the Fourth of July is entirely different from that of the free, white American. Douglass concedes that the whites of America had reason to rejoice: “the rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence'; (441). However, he also illustrates that there are just as many reasons for slaves to scorn the traditional meaning of the Fourth of July. Furthermore, these reasons are as ... ...w, with all of the activity and thinking life requires, the slave’s manhood can be questioned (443). For the white man listening to this argument, it is required that he empathizes with the situation of the slave, because in actuality there is much in common between the free and the enslaved. This is precisely Douglass’s point; bondage is the only hindrance of slaves’ abilities to lead a fulfilling life. Douglass’s appeals to his audience are specifically directed toward white, Christian males. He is fully aware at all times he must show that he can relate with them. As Christians, how should they have felt had they been denied their right to practice religion and believe in their god? What would they do if the country they so loved chained them to a life of servitude? Finally, what would all the work to support a family and desire for self-improvement have accomplished if it only benefited a master, but not a wife and children? Douglass deliberately addresses those aspects of life that mean the most to his audience because in doing so he is sure to gain the listeners’ full attention and consideration of the immorality of slavery.

Aggression In Children

Aggression is any behavior that is hostile, destructive or violent. Its intended is to harm, injure or damage a person or a target object. Aggression in human beings can be blamed on very many things that affect the growth and development of the mind. Such triggers include fear, family difficulties, emotional trauma and the media.This research helps show that television does not significantly cause aggression but there are other factors help in the development of aggressive behaviors although the television cannot be ruled out to contribute slightly.Children learn behaviors through watching and imitating others peoples’ behavior as they try to equate with them. Watching the violence on the television is suggested to slightly increase violent behaviors in children, although those already in violent behavior are greatly influenced by the media as they try learning defensive ways to protect themselves from any aggression.Aggression is manifested in children through swearing, shou ting, throwing and kicking whatever is around them and it thus needs to be measured to determine its levels for the proper control measures to be taken so as to avoid further injury.The measurement can be done using a checklist, observation for any noticeable changes in the previously known behavior; a subtype scale may as well be used to determine the aggression levels (Berkowitz, 1993, pp1-25).Aggression in children is learned through enactive learning of behavior as well as observation learning by watching others. In cases where parents resolve differences through fights the children learn to use aggression as a way of dominating over others from their early days and carry on with this behavior to their later lives.Aggression portrayed in the television is jus but fantasized by children but in actual sense has minimal contribution to aggression and other related violent behaviors evident in children.Causes of AggressionAggression in children results from very many factors that af fect them as they grow up. Some of these include:Unfulfilled human needs and other personal desires are the one of the leading causes of aggression in children. The desire for children own what their parents cannot afford like being in a fancy home, getting education from expensive schools in relation to their peers and other desires result to aggression towards those children whose parents are able to afford such luxuries.Children should thus be taught to be realistic with live and get content with whatever is available within them. Failure to control such desires results to aggression ranging from petty theft to even massacres. Aggression is not part of human life, but it is a reaction to circumstances that frustration on the acquisition of basic needs that have not been fulfilled.Pain and discomforts caused to children by their parents and other elder people in an attempt to discipline them may cause aggressive behaviors to be manifested since the child cannot fight back but will direct their anger and frustration to other children of their age or young than them who cannot fight them back.It is thus important to administer pain is a light manner. Hot environmental conditions trigger discomforts that make children aggressive.Frustration is a major cause of aggression in children; children whose achievements do not much with those of their peers are usually frustrated and end up into aggressive behaviors so as to cover up for their failures. This may either in school or other social activities where children are competing.Birth complications increase aggressive behavior latter in childhood though there is direct link. Aggressive behavior develops when birth complications combine with other factors such as disadvantaged families that cannot fully provide for their children and poor parenting. Birth complications are believed to result to damage in the nervous system that affects the brain function.This is referred to as brain dysfunction. Impaired brain funct ion predisposes the child to aggressive behaviors later in their lives because their brain is poorly functioning (Berkowitz, 1993, pp 45-169).Brain dysfunction results to aggression when the prefrontal region of the brain which controls and regulates emotional reactions is functioning poorly and cannot keep aggressive impulses in check. This results to increased likelihood of aggressive acts.Some situational factors such as exposure to alcohol impair ones judgment on making decisions. Alcohol disrupts the information making processes and this is even serious in children who get drunk they view an event as a purposeful one, and act more aggressively.Children who are desperate in live tend to be more aggressive. Desperation can be a result of massive poverty, crime or even violence situations within the community where the child is being raised in.If the rich and powerful individuals in the society are drug dealers and gangers and those who live straight are poor then the children wat ching them may conclude that to succeed in life one has to become a drug dealer or a gangster which triggers aggressive behaviors in children.Consequences of Aggression.Aggression has both positive and negative consequences to both the individual and those around them. One of the positive elements of aggression is that it preserves and protects an individual from other aggressive individuals; it also helps the child to increase their dominance in the social environment through suppressing their peers and subjecting them to their way of thinking.The negative consequences of aggression are worse to both the perpetrator and the victim. Children who are aggressive in school are more likely to be rejected by their peers because they cannot accept to be dominated by them. In worst cases aggression can result fines, loss of freedom due imprisonment. Such cases make the affected person even more aggressive and can engage in criminal acts.Aggression makes the victim lack confidence and trust with themselves because others are belittling them. This makes them develop aggressive behaviors as they try to cope with the aggressor .The child within a school setup lacks trust with every around them since they view all the other people as untrustworthy and out to oppress them. This makes them feel unsafe and insecure (Berkowitz, 1993, pp 200-290 ).Aggression results to the development of an aggressive personality on the aggressor. This type of personality develops to worse aggressive behavior as the child develops to adulthood. Aggressors have a lower intellectual achievement in their academic live because their mind cannot concentrate on one specific activity rather their minds are spread across a number of activities.Control of AggressionAggression can be controlled by giving children positive attention for desired behaviors so as to reinforce it. Parents and children caretakers should always realize that anger is a common emotion in children and the way to deal with it dete rmines the levels of aggression in children.Parents should be good role models when their children display aggressive behaviors. By becoming upset and angry when dealing with an aggressive child makes them more aggressive.By providing many physical activities such as exercise and outside play helps aggressive children to direct their energies to better and more constructive activities and avoid releasing unwanted emotions.Violent television programs and toys that encourage aggressive behavior such as the guns, sticks should be eliminated. Children usually imitate what they see rather than what they are told so through avoiding some activities that may escalate and promote aggression and redirect these children to appropriate activities.To cut defiant behavior and replace it with positive experience parents should be able to play with their children, learn how to recognize and respond to their needs and develop and mend the relationship.This will help them identify any unwanted aggre ssive behaviors that may develop due to the feeling of being neglected, some parents do not play with their children and need to learn how to connect with them, recognize and respond to their needs in the most appropriate way.Rules and commands should be explicit, constant, firm and brief. Children learn their mistakes through comparing the past to the present mistakes and how they where dealt with/It is thus important to approach a similar way of administering punishments for similar mistakes without disparities.Aggression needs a firm and consistent response for any misbehavior. Shouting out or uttering a string of dire threats to an aggressive only makes the child more resistant to any change of behavior that you wish to suppress and helps develop aggression.Planning and avoiding places which trigger aggression in children such as supermarket where a child grabs whatever is around them helps in minimizing aggression behaviors incase the child does not get what they wish to have ( Berkowitz, 1993, pp 350-465)..ConclusionHuman beings are not born violent but rather bent towards brutality and self-destruction due to their aggressive behaviors. Aggression is usually a result of unfair environments that frustrate and degrade the human dignity. It’s difficult to eliminate aggression entirely but can be reduced through the creation of free societies that encourage prosperity by providing moral education to the young people and clearly explaining to them that aggression has no importance in the long-term.Aggression like all unwanted behaviors involves biological forces and social environment that regulate behavior. Aggression is thus an outcome of the regulations between the external and internal stimuli.The television should not be fully ignored as a cause towards aggressiveness in children but the society must play a communal role in providing a good environment that does not promote frustration in the lives of the young children.Parents should ensure that they provide their children with almost all the basic needs within their reach and spare enough time to relate with their children so as to learn them as well as discover any aggressive behaviors that may be developing and stop them before they get to distractive levels.Reference:Berkowitz, L (1993).Aggression: Its causes, consequences, and control. New York; McGraw-Hill

Compare and contrast the state-building strategies Essays

Compare and contrast the state-building strategies Essays Compare and contrast the state-building strategies Essay Compare and contrast the state-building strategies Essay Essay Topic: Best Worst American Stories To Build a Fire Brief 123345 Compare and contrast the state-building schemes of autocratic provinces and that of rentier monarchies in the Middle East and North Africa. Which type of province is more stable? Use a instance survey for each type of province to exemplify your statement The followers will compare and contrast the province edifice schemes of the autocratic provinces and so rentier monarchies in the Middle East and North Africa. After the two types of governments have been compared and contrasted, decisions and observations as to which type has the best province edifice schemes and therefore offers the highest degrees of stableness will be outlined. The autocratic provinces of the rentier monarchies of the Middle East and North Africa have common factors in their histories, societies and economic systems and spiritual beliefs. On the other manus, there are factors that have contributed to the differences between the autocratic provinces and rentier monarchies being greater than merely being down to them holding different province edifice schemes. Whilst some of the provinces in the Middle East and North Africa have a long history other provinces are more recent creative activities. As will be outlined below province edifice schemes were needed through out the Middle East and North Africa as a effect of the prostration of the Ottoman Empire and de-colonisation by the European powers, particularly Britain and France. As a point of mention province edifice can be seen as the effort to obtain a permanent population, a defined district and a authorities capable of keeping effectual control over its district and of carry oning international dealingss with other states’ ( Evans A ; Newnham, 1998, p.512 ) . The Middle East and North Africa have factors that have had a strong influence on province edifice whether in autocratic provinces or rentier monarchies. The strongest links between all the provinces in the Middle East and North Africa with the exclusion of Israel, is Islam. The provinces in the Middle East and North Africa have found it hard to set up any signifier of authorities that has been to the full representative, to the full democratic and that has been able to happen an effectual balance between secular authorization and the Islamic communities within each province. The terminal of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent backdown of France and Britain from the part left behind provinces that were either ruled by dictators or one party regulation and the rentier monarchies. These provinces have the differentiation of being unrepresentative and autocratic ( Akbar, 2003, pp. xvi-xvii ) . The relationship between Iran and autocratic provinces or the rentier monarchies of the Midd le East and North Africa is non ever easy to specify and it either strengthens or destroys these governments. Islamic fundamentalist motions seeking to transform their states in to truly Islamic provinces can be found across the part endangering the stableness of what fundamentalists would see as illicit governments. The most successful fundamentalist group was that led by Ayatollah Khomeini who gained power in Iran after tumbling the rentier monarchy of the Shah ( Choueiri in Eatwell A ; Wright, 2003, pp.270-71 ) . As a whole the Islamic influence has been stronger in the Middle East than in North Africa, where provinces such as Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria have had to make up ones mind whether to put the greatest accent on being African or Islamic. The stableness of the provinces in the Middle East and North Africa have besides had to take into history patriotism, socialism and liberalism when organizing their province edifice schemes ( Deegan, 1996, p.21 ) . The state chosen as the instance survey for the ways that authoritarian provinces have a province edifice scheme in the Middle East and North Africa will be Iran, although prior to 1979 it would hold made a good instance survey for rentier monarchies. Iran has long history as a state and at assorted times has been a great power. As Persia, Iran took portion in major wars against the Greeks, the Romans, and the Byzantine Empire. Iran was one of the first topographic points to be conquered by Muslims in the 7Thursdaycentury and Islam has been a cardinal portion of the province since ( Lewis, 1995, p.36 ) . Iran became and remains the state with the largest Shia Muslim population, a fact that both the Shah and the radical government that overthrew him have emphasised ( Mansfield, 2003, p.15 ) . Persian Shah portraying themselves as the guardians of the Shia religion was non a creative activity of the 20Thursdaycentury Shah in the efforts at province edifice, although they did utilize it for that intent. The Safavid dynasty attempted to vie with the Sunni Ottoman Empire from the 16Thursdaycentury ( Lewis, 1995, p.114 ) . Persian independency was at times threatened by Britain and Russia, due to the British controlling India and the Russians spread outing their imperium. It was, nevertheless, the British that gave the Iranian’s greater prosperity by utilizing oil to power the Royal Navy’s ships merely before the First World War. British influence in Iran was strong plenty to coerce a alteration in the dynasty of the Shah. As British power declined the Persian government turned to the United States for arms engineering and aid with modernization, which the United States agreed to provide to procure oil supplies ( Aburish, 1997, p.79 ) . There had been much bitterness in Iran that the British made more money out of Persian oil than the Iranians did. The Iranians nationalised the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1951 with the United States step ining to halt the British from taking military action. Once the United States pulled off the remotion of the Prime Minister Mossadeq, the Shah relied on his confederation with them to keep his clasp on power. As a province edifice scheme it finally failed ( Akbar, 2003, pp.244-45 ) . The Shah deluded himself that his government was popular, non gaining that the confederation with the United States and his efforts at modernization would finally take to his autumn from power ( Keay, 2003 p. 461 ) . As for the Americans they put Persian oil in front of the Persian people in their support for the Shah. That is the usual American attitude to the governments of the Middle East and North Africa, back up the pro-American regimes no affair how they run their states ( Painter, 1999 p. 80 ) . Ironically plenty, the autocratic province edifice scheme in Iran would alter under the leading of a adult male that believed patriotism was yet another signifier of political and moral debasement from the West, Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini asserted that Iran was free to support itself, yet that patriotism if directed against other Muslim states is contrary to the baronial Qu’ran’ ( Khomeini, 1981, p.302 ) . The Persian government regarded itself as the first true Islamic State and was to construct itself up by distributing radical Islam across the Islamic universe ( Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 454 ) . Once in power the province edifice schemes of the radical government in Iran was straightforward plenty. Khomeini and the government merely stated that the autocratic nature of their government was required for them to set up and keep Iran as the world’s foremost Islamic State. Khomeini and the other Ayatollahs were non corrupt, greedy, and evil sovereign like the Shah or the male monarch of Saudi Arabia. They were non secular minded swayers like Nasser in Egypt or Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The biggest selling point of the government was non that it was autocratic but that it was the righteous regulation of the imaums that would do Iran a beacon of virtuousness throughout the Muslim universe. The government was implementing Islamic jurisprudence as it should hold ever have been implemented ( Mernissi, 1993, pp.24-25 ) . The Persian government bases its political legitimacy upon its spiritual legitimacy. The government as the defender of true Islam against the benign influence of Western broad democracy and the lip service of Islamic states no affair whether they were autocratic provinces or rentier monarchies. The Ayatollah Khomeini and his government used propaganda and censoring both as a province edifice scheme and a agencies to export the constructs of extremist Shia Islam. In a sense internal propaganda was non needed as the Persian Revolution and the government that emerged from it was what the bulk of Iranians wanted. The Iranians were glad to see the terminal of the greedy and corrupt shah’s regulation, with his unpopular efforts at modernization and secularization. The anti-American stance of the government was a successful portion of its province edifice scheme, anti-American sentiment meant that it gained popular support across the Middle East and North Africa even though the autoc ratic provinces and rentier monarchies feared the effects of the revolution ( Aburish, 1997, p.41 ) . Interrupting the links with the United States that the Shah had maintained was popular, yet no government with the spiritual and ideological mentality of Khomeini could digest such links. Any hopes that the United States may hold held of retaining those links were broken by the Tehran surety crisis. The Persian Revolution shocked many other states ; it raised frights of farther revolution, which peculiarly concerned the Americans, the Soviet Union and Iraq ( Hobsbawm, 1994, p. 453 455 ) . For the United States the loss of a friendly government in Iran was a sedate loss in military, political, and economic footings, for that government to be replaced by a extremist Islamic government intensified those loses ( Keay, 2003 p. 389 ) . It was Iraq that unwittingly gave the Persian government a encouragement for its province edifice scheme by motivating an rush in patriotism. Patriots feelings had been running high due to the revolution and the subsequent surety crisis with the United States, the Iraqi invasion of 1980 meant that every loyal Iranian supported the government, whilst for the government it further justified the remotion of the leftovers of resistance within the state. The Iraqis had expected a fleet triumph due to the convulsion caused by the Persian Revolution and the purge of the shah’s protagonists in the Persian ground forces and their replacing by the Revolutionary Guard. Given that the initial advantages that Iraq had in the ready supply of weaponries from the United States and the Soviet Union in peculiar, the Iranians did really good to drag the war on until 1989. The Persian government used the war with Iraq to speed up its province edifice scheme, Iranians were exhorted to contend on s piritual and loyal evidences, those of supporting their state, whilst get the better ofing the evil Saddam Hussein and his Sunni Muslim compatriots. The Persian government found it comparatively easy to enroll voluntaries to contend Iraq, mentioning to their dead as sufferer. The Persian government continued the war despite its homo and fiscal cost as it believed licking would destroy its province edifice scheme and even stop the government itself ( Deegan, 1996, p.204 ) . The war itself transformed the Revolutionary Guard from an unequal reserves into an effectual combat force that guaranteed the internal stableness of the radical province ( Davies, 2003, p.195 ) . By the clip the war against Iraq had finished and despite the decease of Khomeini in 1989 the province edifice scheme of radical Iran had achieved stableness. The biggest menace to its endurance could stem from its difference with the United Nations over its atomic programme ( Dean, 2004 p.22 ) . This difference is soon being used to bestir anti-American feelings in Iran, yet the government may hold to see the possibility of an American led invasion, particularly whilst President Bush remains in office. Whilst Iran is confronting economic countenances and even military onslaught, it is utilizing rhetoric for onslaughts on Israel plus suicide bomb onslaughts on Britain and the United States. Iran has declared that it has squad of self-destruction bombers available ( Sunday Times, 16 April 2006 ) . Iran has enriched U quicker than the United Nations and United States expected which merely increases their uncertainness over Persian purposes, they do non believe that Iran merely has peac eable purposes for its atomic programme ( Al-Ahram, 13 –19 April 2006 ) . The rentier monarchy chosen as a instance survey is Saudi Arabia. Arabia contains the two holiest metropoliss in Islam, Mecca and Medina ; hence, how it is ruled, and who regulations it has ever held great significance for Muslims across the Earth. Arabia’s geographical place every bit good as its spiritual position has made it the most prized plus in the Middle East and North Africa. The British successfully orchestrated Arabian rebellion against the Ottomans, which led to the formation of the Arabian land under the control of the Saud dynasty. Since so the chief province edifice schemes have revolved around holding a more conservative less extremist Islam internally, whilst being happy to advance extremist Islamic political orientation to the remainder of the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. Such an attack may hold apparently helped the stableness of the province but it is seen as lip service by Islamic fundamentalists and is non precisely popular with the United State s who ignore it merely because they need Saudi oil ( Esposito, 1999 p. 15 ) Ibn-Saud was the first swayer of Saudi Arabia and his policies for province edifice proved extremely effectual, if non ever popular with the Saudi people. Ibn-Saud started by settling the kingdom’s boundary lines. District was lost to Iraq, yet gained from Kuwait. Ibn-Saud delegated disposal and patroling to the tribal heads, although he ensured that his ground forces was strong and effectual. Saudi Arabia’s province edifice owed a great trade to Ibn-Saud shrewdness and personal prestigiousness ( Mansfield, 2003, p.186-87 ) . The Saudi’s built up the land without upsetting Britain, which was the dominant power in the Middle East during the inter-war period ( Lewis, 1995, p.344 ) . Prior to the find of big oilfields, the Saudi monarchy was non abundantly affluent ; it had to acquire by through doing money out of the pilgrims that went to Mecca and Medina. It was the find of huge measures of oil that made the province edifice scheme successful, it brought wealth to the big royal household and paid for royal castles, plus a good equipt ground forces. Although, a strong ground forces was considered critical for province edifice, the Saudi monarchy has ever been careful to hold the backup of Britain and particularly the United States ( Akbar, 2003, xvii ) . Hand in manus with military and fiscal links with the United States, the Saudi monarchy has frequently tried to keep up to day of the month engineering as portion of its province edifice attempts. The relationship with the United States provides the Saudi monarchy with the bulk of its military equipment and is the biggest consumer of Saudi oil. Since the Gulf War of 1990-91 the Saudi government believes it has boosted its security due to the presence of American armed forces within the state. However, a strong relationship with the United States is no longer a province edifice scheme that enhances the stableness of the government. Even before the United States established bases in Saudi Arabia the Saudi government had felt the demand to hold specialist anti-terrorist units to protect the oil refineries and the royal household. Outside of Israel it has some of the best-trained units in the Middle East and North Africa ( Davies, 2003 P 163 ) . In fact the presence of United States mili tary in the Arabian heartland of Islam has prompted terrorist onslaughts on both American and Saudi marks within the land and generates internal and external resistance to the Saudi government. In many respects the Saudi government has miscalculated in leting a big American presence into their state. Ibn Saud, for case, may hold taken British and American money plus arms, yet he neer allowed any Western military bases within the land as it was beyond the picket for many Muslims to believe that Mecca and Medina could be controlled by non-Islamic provinces ( Cameron, 2003 p. 140 ) . Paradoxically the stableness of the Saudi monarchy could be the victim of one of its other province edifice schemes, the publicity of extremist Islamic motions abroad. The Saudi government has attempted the complicated reconciliation act of friendly relationships with the West, advancing itself as the defender of Islam, whilst back uping extremist motions, and advancing the Palestinian cause against Israel. These schemes are evidently contradictory in many respects, whilst maintaining good dealingss with the West and back uping those that aim to destruct Israel, a province that the United States has strongly backed since its creative activity in 1948. The Saudi government has tried to cover up its contradictory schemes through repression and censoring ; it besides tries to strip unfriendly parts of the Saudi imperativeness of any information at all ( Aburish, 1997 p. 362 ) . For the Saudi government there can be no allow up in inhibitory steps and censoring as it believes that a rela xation of its controls would rush the death of the government itself. Journalists can be detained without charge for showing positions that the government disfavors. Journalists nevertheless likely have a better opportunity of being released than ordinary Saudis ( Arab News 15/4/2006 ) The Saudi government has funded extremist Islamic groups for decennaries, particularly those stand foring the Palestinians. The Saudis besides bankrolled at assorted times other provinces in the Middle East and North Africa such as Syria and Iraq that had larger armed forces that could be used against Israel. The Saudis financed the Iraqi war attempt against Iran, as it feared the rise of extremist Shia groups in the Middle East. The publicity of extremist causes was aimed at beef uping internal and external support for the government whilst debaring unfavorable judgment of its relationship with the United States. The publicity of extremist Islamic philosophies had the consequence of escalating resist ance to the monarchy within Saudi Arabia with a inhibitory response by the government ( Akbar, 2003 p. 208 ) . The human rights record of the Saudi government is far from being the best in the Middle East and North Africa, yet it is barely criticised by the United States, although human rights misdemeanors are frequently used as an alibi to take action against more openly anti-American governments. The state of affairs over human rights demonstrates the moral corruptness and lip service of the Saudi government whilst besides demoing up American dual criterions. That is a combination that farther undermines the Saudi monarchy and strengthens anti-American feelings ( Cameron, 2002 p. 167 ) . The administration that threatens to turn over the province edifice scheme of the Saudi government is one that is led by a Saudi whose household has near links with the royal household, and has many Saudi members, Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda was amongst many of the extremist Islamic groups formed to contend against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda received Saudi support every bit good as American arms and preparation, although after the Soviet backdown from Afghanistan, it looked for farther struggles to contend in. Al-Qaeda respects any Islamic province or single Muslim that supports the United States as being legitimate marks for being attacked and even advocates the overthrow of governments if possible. For Al-Qaeda the presence of American forces in Saudi Arabia is the perfect stalking-horse for contending a war against the United States and the Saudi monarchy, the worst confederates in the Middle East and North Africa ( Akbar, 2003 p. 159 ) . Al-Qaeda therefore is the best illustration of how the Saudi regime’s province edifice scheme of advancing radicalism has backfired severely. The Saudi government possibly has no alternate but to go on its inhibitory internal steps and its close links with the United States. The importance of oil to the United States will intend that the Americans will go on to back up the Saudi government as it would see the remotion of the Saudi monarchy as being even more black to American involvements than the Persian Revolution ( Keay, 2003 p. 389 ) . Therefore, there are similarities and differences between the province edifice schemes of autocratic provinces and rentier monarchies in the Middle East and North Africa. Both autocratic provinces and rentier monarchies claim to set up their provinces on the footing of being Islamic provinces based on Islamic rules and ideological mentalities. Authoritarian provinces and rentier monarchies alike promote themselves as the defenders of Islam and morality and often use the defense mechanism of Islam as a stalking-horse for internal repression and censoring. In Iran both the Shah and the radical government after 1979 used the defense mechanism of Shia Islam as a province edifice scheme. The radical government could utilize that scheme more convincingly after being attacked by Iraq in 1980. The Saudi monarchy besides claims to be defender of Islam, particularly as Mecca and Medina are within its boundary lines. The shah’s government collapsed due to his efforts to modernize the sta te and the close links with the United States. The radical government has invariably shown anti-American rhetoric, which has proved popular domestically and besides in many parts of the Middle East and North Africa. The West frights Iran for its sensed combativeness and alleged support for terrorist groups. Internally the government seems secure. The biggest menace to its stableness could be the difference between itself and the United Nations and the United States over its atomic development programme. There is a strong possibility of economic countenances and military action being taken against Iran. However, the United States would happen Iran far more hard a state to suppress and get the better of than Iraq. Saudi Arabia’s stableness, like that of other rentier monarchies is surely non guaranteed. The Saudis need the Americans to vouch their security and their prosperity. However, it is the links with the United States that promote the internal and external resistance to the Saudi government. Al-Qaeda, an administration that owes so much to Saudi Arabian radicalism could keep the key to whether the Saudi monarchy survives or perishes. It would be a error to presume that the province edifice schemes of autocratic provinces and rentier monarchies have brought long-run stableness to the government. Rentier monarchies are likely somewhat more stable than autocratic provinces yet take off United States support from them, or if faced with a revolution with the same strength of the Persian Revolution and that stableness could stop overnight. The stableness of autocratic provinces depends on how good they maintain internal repression, deny any efforts at meaningful democracy and finally if they avoid struggle with each other or the United States. Bibliography Aburish S K, 1997A Brutal Friendship – the West and the Arab Elite, Indigo, London Al-Ahram Weekly online,Explosive proclamation Iran s declaration that its scientists have successfully enriched U took the West by surprise, writes Marian Houk 13 –19 April 2006 Akbar M J, 2003The Shade of Swords – Jihad and the Conflict between Islamand Christianity, Routledge, London and New York Arab News.com -Saudi journalist arrested for knocking Saudi spiritual extremism, 15/4/2006 Cameron F, 2002US Foreign Policy after the Cold War, Routledge, London and New York Choueiri Y,Islam and Fundamentalismin Eatwell A ; Wright ( 2003 )Contemporary Political Political orientations2neodymiumEdition, Continuum, London Davies B, 2003Terrorism – Inside a universe phenomenon, Virgin Books, London Dean, J W, 2004 Worse than Watergate the secret Presidency of George W. Bush, Little, Brown and Company, London Evans G A ; Newnham J, 1998The Penguin Dictionary of International Relations, Penguin, London Esposito J.L, 1999The Islamic MenaceOxford University Press, Oxford Hobsbawm E, 1994 -Age of Extremes The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991Michael Joseph, London Keay, J 2003Sowing the Wind – The Seeds of Conflict in the Middle EastJohn Murray, London Khomeini I, 1981Islam and Revolution, Mizan Press, Berkeley Lewis B, 1995The Middle East – 2000 old ages of history from the riseof Christianity to thepresent twenty-four hours, Phoenix Press, London Mansfield P, 2003A History of the Middle East 2neodymiumedition, Penguin Books, London Mernissi F, 1993Islam and Democracy – Fear of the Modern World, Virago Press, London Painter, D S, 1999The Cold War – An International History,Routledge, London Sunday Times Persian self-destruction squads ready to hit US, British marks, April 16 2006

Group Essays Develop 21st Century Skills

Group Essays Develop 21st Century Skills Teachers in any discipline should consider assigning a collaborative writing assignment, such as a group essay or paper. Here are three practical reasons to plan to use a collaborative writing assignment with students in grades 7-12.   Reason #1:  In preparing students to be college and career ready, it is important to provide exposure to a collaborative process.  The skill of collaboration and communication is one of the 21st Century Skills embedded in academic content standards.   Real world writing is often completed in the form of group writing- an undergraduate college group project, a report for a business, or a newsletter for a non-profit institution. Collaborative writing can result in more ideas or solutions for completing a task. Reason # 2: Collaborative writing results in fewer products for a teacher to assess. If there are 30 students in a class, and the teacher organizes collaborative writing groups of three students each, the end product will be 10 papers or projects to grade as opposed to 30 papers or projects to grade.   Reason #3: Research supports collaborative writing.  According to Vygostsky’s theory of ZPD (zone of proximal development),  when students work with others, there is an opportunity for all learners to work at a level slightly above their usual capacity, as co-operating with others who know a little more can boost achievement. The Collaborative Writing Process The most obvious difference between an individual writing assignment and a collaborative or group writing assignment is in the assigning of responsibilities:  who will write what? According to  P21s  Framework for 21st Century Learning, students engaging in collaborative writing are also  practicing  the  21st Century skills of  communicating clearly  if they are given the opportunity to: Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contextsListen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentionsUse communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade)Utilize multiple  media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impactCommunicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual) The following outline will help teachers and then students address the logistics of running a collaborative assignment in which all members of the group have defined  responsibilities.  This outline can be adapted to be used in groups of various sizes (two to five writers) or to any content area. The Writing Process Any collaborative writing process must be taught to students and practiced several times a year with the goal for students to manage the group writing process themselves.   As in any writing assignment, individual or group, a teacher must clearly articulate the  purpose of the assignment  (to inform, to explain, to persuade...)  The purpose of writing will also mean identifying the target audience. Providing students a rubric for collaborative writing in advance will better help them understand the expectations for the task. Once purpose and audience have been established, then designing and implementing a collaborative writing paper or essay is not very different than following the five steps of the  writing process: PrewritingDraftingRevisionEditingPublishing Pre-writing process Students in the group review the  assignment and the requirements for the final product or paper;Students in the group  brainstorm and share ideas;Students in the group  formulate a draft or working thesis:This is a first attempt at developing a position or assertion;Because the  early stages of the writing process are where the groups writers are guided by questions they have (inquiry based learning), the working thesis is not the final thesis statement. Planning and Logistics Students in the group  decide together who will write which parts of the paper.  This will require that students collaborate, rather than merely cooperate. Here is the difference:When collaborating, students work together on a single shared goal;When cooperating, students perform together while working on selfish yet common goals.Students in the group  document the collaboration plan based on  the assignment requirements  (Ex: book review, pro/con persuasive paper) and agree upon the plan;Students in the group  determine a timeline that outlines deadlines for both individual and group responsibilities;Students in the group  determine when work can be done synchronously (in class/in person) or asynchronously (online). With the use of online writing platforms such as Google Docs, these group  determinations will help the group share updates and information more effectively. Management of Research Students in the group  draft how the assignment will be managed  (Ex: sections, chapters, paragraphs, appendices);Students in the group  determine how and where they will find trustworthy and timely source materials (books, articles, newspaper articles, videos, podcasts, websites, interviews or self-created surveys for research on topic);Students in the group  determine who will read and process the information;Pro/con evidence should be balanced;Evidence must be cited;Citations must be cataloged;Students in the group  analyze the evidence as to how well it supports position;Students in the group  determine the best way to include additional evidence (EX: pictures, graphs, tables, and charts.) Drafting and Writing Individual students keep in mind how the material and individual writing will fit into the paper or product.Students writing together synchronously  (in class/in person) or  asynchronously  (online):Writing as a group is  time-consuming; these opportunities should be left to making sure the document is organized to give the reader the impression of one cohesive voice.Student in the group should make sure that the paper or products content is clear and the writing communicates a single (or in the case of pro/con, a whole) message to the target audience before discussing stylistic changes. Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Students in the group review drafted parts of the document before merging into a single document;Students in the group  look for a logical flow of ideas. (Note:  Teaching students to use  transitions is critical to smoothing over individual drafts);Students in the group  revise content and structure of the paper;Students in the group  proofread paper and check for typos, spelling errors, punctuation problems, formatting issues, and grammatical mistakes. (Note: Reading the paper aloud  is an excellent strategy for editing). Additional Research on Collaborative Writing Regardless as to the size of the group or the content area classroom, students will manage their writing by following an organizational pattern. This finding is based on the  results of a  study  (1990) conducted by Lisa Ede and Andrea Lunsford that resulted in a book  Singular Texts /Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Writing,  According to their work, there are  seven noted organizational patterns for collaborative writing.  These seven patterns are: the team plans and outlines the task, then each writer prepares his/her part and the group compiles the individual parts, and revises the whole document as needed;the team plans and outlines the writing task, then one member prepares a draft, the team edits and revises the draft;one member of the team plans and writes a draft, the group revises the draft;one person plans and writes the draft, then one or more members revises the draft without consulting the original authors;the group plans and writes the draft, one or more members revise the draft without consulting the original authors;one person assigns the tasks, each member completes the individual task, one person compiles and revises the document;one dictates, another transcribes and edits. Tackling the Downsides to Collaborative Writing In order to  maximize the effectiveness of a collaborative writing assignment, all students in each group must be active participants. Therefore: Instructors need to monitor the progress of each group, provide feedback and assist when necessary.   Initially, this form of monitoring may be more time-consuming than traditional teaching formats, but a teacher can meet with groups more effectively over time than individual students. While the front-loading the collaborative writing assignment takes time, the number of final products is substantially reduced so the grading time is also reduced.A collaborative writing project must be designed in a way so that the final assessment is considered valid, fair and accurate. The final assessment must consider the knowledge and performance of all group members.   Grading complexities can make group assignments difficult for instructors. (See group grading article)Students may sometimes struggle with making decisions in a group setting.There can be  additional stress on students  because of multiple opinions and writing styles. These must be incorporated into one final product that pleases everyone.   Conclusion Preparing students for real-world collaborative experiences is an important goal, and the collaborative writing process can better help teachers meet that goal. The research supports a collaborative approach. Even though the collaborative writing approach may require more time in the set-up and monitoring, the fewer number of papers for teachers to grade is an extra bonus.

Outline the development of Britain's relationship with the Essay

Outline the development of Britain's relationship with the Commonwealth and discuss whether this organisation still has any relevance today - Essay Example Except Mozambique and Rwanda, all of the Commonwealth member countries were once part of the British Empire. The Commonwealth member states operate within a framework of common values and goals like the promotion of democracy, human rights, better governance, individual liberty, free trade, etc as outlined in the Singapore Declaration. Even though the member countries have diverse social, political, economical, and cultural backgrounds, all members enjoy equal status in Commonwealth. Even Britain enjoys the same status only like the other member states even though, as a courtesy, the member states give the opportunity to inaugurate commonwealth events to the British monarch. It should be remembered that the recently concluded Delhi commonwealth games 2010 was inaugurated by Indian president and the British monarch, Charles jointly. Commonwealth activities were carried out by the commonwealth secretariat headed by a secretary general. Even though Britain and its allies succeeded in winning the second world war, the after effects of that war was so profound so that the British empire started to show signs of exhaustion. Anti-Colonial movements and their agitations against Britain attained momentum after the Second World War. India, the largest colony of Britain succeeded in getting independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Apart from the Asian region, Britain forced to give independence to the African countries also in the 1960’s. The granting of independence to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in the 1980’s marked almost the end of the decolonization process started after the Second World War. The British national identity started to exhaust after the decolonization. Earlier, British people have shown immense pride of ruling the world, in their approaches, attitudes and dealings. After decolonization, they have realized that Britain has not much role in the global

Hurricanes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hurricanes - Essay Example The paper explores hurricanes centering on the formation and characteristics of the hurricanes. A hurricane assembles energy as it progress across the ocean water, drawing up warm, moist tropical air from the surface and supplying breezy air aloft. The Coriolis force is essential in the creation  of a hurricane  although the force becomes weak near the equator. Thus, hurricanes can never form at the equator. Hurricanes typically haves an average diameter of about 500 km (311 miles) with strong winds  spiraling inward and upward at speeds that range from 75 to 200 mph (Ahrens, 2007). Hurricanes usually start as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters with surface waters temperatures reaching at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees) or warmer. The low pressure systems  derive energy flowing from the warm seas. A hurricane usually starts as a tropical wave before it becomes a tropical disturbance. In the event that a storm attains wind speeds of about 38 miles (61 kilometers or less) an hour, the storm is otherwise referred to as a tropical depression. A tropical depression is known as tropical storm when it sustains wind speeds of about 39 miles to 73 mph (63 kilometers) an hour. If a tropical storm reaches sustained wind speeds of about 74 miles or more (199 kilometers) an hour, it becomes a hurricane and gains a category rating of 1 to 5 based on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Hurricanes represent massive heat engines that generate energy at an immense scale. Hurricanes usually derive heat from warm, moist ocean air and release it via condensation of water vapor in thunderstorms. Hurricanes rotate around a low-pressure centre known as the â€Å"eye,† exemplified by light winds and fair weather. The â€Å"eye† emanates from sinking air at the centre. Hurricanes mainly spiral in a counter-clockwise direction  with the