(AP STYLE) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

(AP STYLE) - Essay Example Many have included it as a popular destination and metaphor for the social issues. This paper delves into how the ‘cradle of life’ has been depicted in different films. One of the many popular movies is Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond. Zwick commented: â€Å"[w]hen I first read about Sierra Leone, I was shocked. I’d read books about the colonial scramble for Africa, about the exploitation of its ivory, rubber and gold, but to learn the history of diamonds was to learn the history of Africa all over again† (2006, p.1). The story shows meaningful concepts on the continent’s background, human rights violations, and rich natural resources. Included in its themes is the violence that has been happening in the territories of Africa. For instance, the main character (Danny Archer) states â€Å"[o]ut here, people kill each other as a way of life. It’s always been like that†. The story line shows that many Africans may have already accepted the cruel nature of humanity. Their history has been perforated with subjugations from different oppressors. The aforementioned line of Archer may represent several ruthless mortalities, such as the genocide in Rwanda, slaughter of Muslims in Godhra, and the tribal cleansing in Bosnia. Furthermore, some acts from the picture exhibited hands being hacked off to stop people from practicing their right to vote. The scenes have shown gory details on how Africans get hurt and mercilessly killed. Comparably, White Material is a drama that centers on a French woman who chose to stay in Africa. The director Claire Denis utilized artistic imagery in revealing the nation as ravaged by war. The protagonist, Maria, is an owner of a coffee plantation amidst a civil war. In the story the continent was regarded as a very unpleasant place. This is particularly intuited when Maria’s son gazed at a vat full of blood-red coffee beans. Consequently, he looked at his mother. This scene implies th e young man’s hatred toward his mother for choosing to stay in such an iniquitous environment. Probably, Denis wanted to show that the land can be both hated and loved. The violence in Africa has also been presented in other pictures, such as Cry Freetown, Tsotsi, and Battle of Algiers. The first is a 1999 documentary film by Sorious Samura. It was quite informative regarding the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone. Similarly, Tsotsi is a 2005 picture set in the locale of Soweto, South Africa. It became well known especially when it won an Oscar award for best foreign film. It is about one of the crime infested towns. Battle of Algiers is a 1965 movie that depicts the fight for independence in Algeria during the 1950s. It was banned in France for 5 years after its release. These films showcase guerilla revolutions, mass-killing by authorities, and coups. Peoples in different nations have perceived Africa as a very troublesome place. Numerous of them have come to this conclusion because of the bloody and pugnacious scenes in big screens and in the news. However, as compared to the present and actual situations, vicious local conflict is not that much of an everyday occurrence. Though there are indeed some territories that have gone through civil wars, most of the borders were established without ferocious social unrest. The most usual kind of struggle is amongst government militias and rebels. In contrast to the general conception, wars between state armies are quite rare. The vast continent is composed of 54 states. With

Snakes and People Are One Essay Example for Free

Snakes and People Are One Essay In the Bible, it is written Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the great lizard in its kinds. † Furthermore it is said that These [including the snake] are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they [the ‘swarming things’] are dead becomes unclean until evening (Leviticus 11:29 and 31). Thus many, across cultures and different religions, have equated the snake as well, with sin, pestilence and devils and demons. No wonder many of us fear the snake. Indeed the snake is fearsome for its lethal capacity given its venom and all. But how fair is it to say ‘Just be gone with this creature’? How many of us have taken this beautiful creature for granted? Or better yet, see how many of us will respond to the presence of a snake the way the young man in the following story reacted: (www. australianexplorer. com) Quite some years ago I was visiting friends in a lovely seaside spot (well very near the sea) called Pottsville in New South Wales. An appropriate name it seemed at the time. My friends had an English friend staying with them also. His name was Nigel. My friends house was a rather dilapidated old weatherboard house with natural air-conditioning, i. e. , lots of holes. Nigel decided to have a bath in the rather primitive and holey bathroom. We could hear him singing happily away. Next minute there was a shriek ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!! We heard the bathroom door slam and saw Nigel making for the woodheap, nude. He went behind the woodheap and next thing we heard was thump, thump, thump coming from the bathroom along with cries of I got you, you b I got you We all thought it might be a good idea to go and see what was bothering Nigel. Imagine our horror to see Nigel, axe in hand, standing triumphantly astraddle a very large snake cut into several large pieces. We were horrified because the snake was Bob, our friends pet ratter, a rather sweet and lugubrious carpet python of nearly 2 meters in length who had a penchant for curling up at the bottom of my friends bed. Nigel explained, somewhat incoherently, that the snake had fallen out of the roof into the bath with him. What would you have done? he asked us. Yes, what would you have done in such a situation? We reckon that many would not pity the snake in this story and would quickly empathize with the man. If that is so, then there is a need to take a better look at the serpent, this reptilian that forsook its legs. If you said yes, consider the brief points raised here. We do not only have life in this small planet, but a web of life. That web wobbles and stretches in space-time as the existence of millions and millions of species hang in a precarious balance, all nurtured by one resource: the planet Earth. Various flora (that’s plant life), mammals (that’s includes us humans), birds, fishes, insects and, of course, snakes and reptiles — all life — are interconnected. That is why scientists have raised the specter of extinction of many species of flora and fauna. If we wipe out other species, like that of the snake, we will create a significant imbalance in the ecology and create a whole in the so-called web of life that could eventually destroy it, decimating us, humans, as well. Snakes and the other so-called â€Å"ugly creatures† have become a worldwide concern especially in congested habitats where human and snake populations overlap in certain territories (Firth, Sheikh-Miller, and Woodcock, 2001). Exploitation of natural snake habitats are further forcing the two species to live together and now with the human population expected to double within the next 40 years, both snakes and humans will greatly be affected as human needs world grow exponentially as well (Ricciuti, 2001). . Well, humans and snakes can live well together. There is no doubt. Early societies have shown this. For instance, there is evidence that the early North American people have manipulated their surroundings in such a way that snake and human habitats overlap. Eyewitness accounts from the early European explorers, trappers, soldiers and missionaries affirmed that prior to their settlement in the wilderness native Indians even consume some snake species (Nagda, 2002). This is not unique to the Americas and the relationship is not only about one serving as gastronomical delight for the other. Around the world, nature has provided humans with all the resources needed in order for both humans and snakes to survive. In this arrangement throughout history, the snake has been a food source, habitat balancer (being a natural predator of smaller animals), source of unique proteins for medical use, as pets (as in our story here), as symbols for religious practice, as source of sophisticated raw materials for clothing, footwear and accessories, and then, of course, snakes are also popular subjects for art and photography. (Firth et al. , 2001) Given all these, unfortunately, snake hunting, poaching, and especially indiscriminate killing continues (Mattison, 1992). Humans, why kill wantonly? Why be unduly afraid? References Graham, B. (2008). Murder by serpents. The mystery quilt, p. 439. Mattison, C. (1992). A-Z of snake keeping, p. 143; (1992) Keeping and breeding snakes. p. 132 and 183. Nagda, A. W. (2002). Snake charmer, Vol. 1. Ricciuti, E. R. (2001). The snake almanac, 192: 116. Sheikh-Miller, J. , Woodcock, J. (2001). Snakes. Usborne discovery, p. 63. Travel stories. Retrieved 10 May 2008, from http://www. australianexplorer. com/ forum/stories/128. htm

Healthcare Comparison: New Zealand and South Korea

Healthcare Comparison: New Zealand and South Korea MERVIN STEVEN RECTO Write a comparative analysis about the practical barriers that exist in the healthcare provisions in New Zealand and in those of one overseas country of your choice through using the following determinants: D. SOCIOECONOMIC BARRIERS Socioecomic barriers are usually common nowadays in industrialized western countries. It has become evident within the population in those countries because it has become multi-cultural due to the fact that these countries’ market place has been internationalized and borders have opened up to invite migrants from other countries which is not new in present days. Migration has come in different forms such as labour migration and refugees seeking refuge to get away from hostilities in their own land and perhaps start a better life in a better country. But the negative side of these migrants are that they come from a country with low standards in living and in health which can be a barrier for them in health care services. (Scheppers, van Dongen, 2006) According to the American Psychological Association (2014), a barrier in socioeconomic can be related to one’s status. The socioeconomic status is based on education, income and occupation. When an individual is successful and has that entire basis then he or she will be able to garner a better access in health care compared to the people who have not met those standards. People with low levels of socioeconomic status are bound to be correlated with poor health and low quality of life. In addition, a journal written by Veugelers and Yip in 2003 stated that wealthier and highly educated people experience better health care than the poor and less educated ones. Furthermore, it was written that the inability of lower socioeconomic groups to purchase health insurance will hinder their access to health care. But since then publicly funded health care has been slowly implemented to cater to the needs of the poor and reduce inequity in the process. New Zealand as a country is known for its diverse and equal treatment to all foreign people who migrate to their land. The health care system of this country has been funded via partial fee-for-service payment from the government for consultations with physicians and medications with the patients also having being co-payees to a substantial amount. But there is still presence of inequities in the health care access especially to the poor and the MÄ ori community. They have rates that are lesser compared to the others. But the government are finding ways to lessen the inequities in New Zealand health care pertaining to socioeconomic status by changing or making new policies that are directed to alter both the funding and organisational arrangements in which primary health care will be launched. The new policy focuses on primary health care which is the key to the improvement in health services to all regardless of socioeconomic status. This policy, in collaboration with the New Zealand Health Strategy, is pursuing equal policies in health care to be implemented within the District Health Board’s framework. Although the partial fee-for-service is still in effect today and is assisted by government subsidies, patients still have to grab a small amount in their pockets since subsidies do not also fully cover the costs. (Barnett, R. and Barnett, P., 2004) South Korea, on the other hand, also has its disparities in its health care system socioeconomic-wise. Like the western countries, South Korea is no different in socioeconomic barriers. People with less income are prone to illnesses or sickness as to those who have higher income. An example that can be pointed out is an article written by Joh, Oh, Lee and Kawachi (2013) wherein obesity is said to be more prevalent among individuals who are from a lower socioeconomic party. Obesity has increased substantially in South Korea for the past two decades. This problem is patterned by an individual’s socioeconomic status. This is where health inequality in South Korea has been identified through uneven distribution of resources such as economic, social and cultural. It is also said in the article that norms, perceptions and behaviours are elements that changes social inequality to health inequality. Thus differing values, weight perception and control are the underlying causes of obes ity across socioeconomic class. They have come up with solutions in order to deal with this kind of situation. As we know that the South Korean health care system relies solely in private sectors since public hospitals comprise of a measly ten per cent in the whole nation. Because of that, in order to provide equality in health care delivery to the people, especially to the poor, they developed single payer system insurance so that those people regardless of socioeconomic status can have equal access to health care. E. ORGANISATIONAL BARRIERS Pexton (2009) stated that in a health care organisation, a system succeeds when it adapts to various strategies the management has imparted and when there are improvements in its techniques. She also stated that in order for an organisation to garner the success it wants, it has to be prepared to show improvements in its system year over year. An organisation must be prepared to make a change for the better of the organisation and its people especially in this kind of economy where everything is getting harder and harder. Other organisations find it important to transform or change culture in order to get through or around and above the competitive environment. Pexton also identified the most common organisational barriers and they are: cultural complacency or scepticism, lack of communication, lack of alignment and accountability, passive or absent leadership support, micromanagement, overloaded workforce, inadequate systems and structures, lack of control plans to measure and susta in results. New Zealand’s health care services are provided by practitioners with private business approaches for funding and the likes. Over the past decade, the primary health care providers approach to organisation and funding has become rather different. Little can be said about any organisational barrier in New Zealand health care since the country itself is diverse and equal. New Zealand easily adapts to different cultures since it has migrants from all over the world. It is open to change for it to provide fairness in health care delivery to all. New Zealand is also likely to develop a primary health organisation that will support and provide quality health care treatment to different populace. The most important matter with regards to health care in New Zealand is with the Maori people. They have organisations that fund the Maori health providers. Different health organisations have met and discussed ways to improve Maori health years back up until now without harming or disrespec ting their culture and way of life. (Barwick, 2000) South Korea, together with its enviable health care system and its rise in the technological industry, organisational barriers that were mentioned prior could be a forgone conclusion. The country is set to use the so called healthcare IT system which enables data sharing and remote monitoring and diagnosis. This system will be of greater help to the country since healthcare spending is increasing year in and year out. The population in country is not getting any smaller either. There is also a change in the country’s profile concerning diseases that are long term and costly to treat which makes it unaffordable to some individuals. These diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, which are rising rapidly within the nation needs constant and strict monitoring and will affect the individual’s quality of life. With the said technology, government organisations have acknowledged not only the cost but also the benefit that this program can give to the people of South Korea. There are still barriers that hinder the adoption of the healthcare informatics, namely, slow regulatory reform which recognises only the one to one consultations between the doctor and the patient and not by through monitors. Another barrier is the division within medical establishment; this is due to the fact that only the bigger and richer facilities can afford these types of technologies. Establish clinical buy-in through demonstrations and incentives states that the government should do more trials so as to really know that this type of technology is for the better and for the future of South Korea’s health care system. One more barrier that I would like to point out is get patients involved since they are the ones being taken care of, let them see it first-hand if it can be successful and useful in order to have a better health care system. (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2011) REFERENCES: American Psychological Association. (2014). Disability and Socioeconomic Status. 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-disability.aspx Barnett, R. and Barnett, P. (21st March 2004). Primary Health Care in New Zealand: Problems and Policy Approaches. Ministry of Social Development. University of Canterbury, Christchurch. Retrieved from https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/spj21/21-primary-health-care-in-new-zealand-pages49-66.html Barwick, H. (December 2000). Improving access to primary care for Maori, and Pacific peoples (p. 13, 3.1). A literature review commissioned by the Health Funding Authority. Retrieved from http://www.moh.govt.nz/notebook/nbbooks.nsf/0/0ff9b7c2186f2628cc2574b2000220cf/$FILE/HFAimprovingaccess.pdf Economist Intelligence Unit. (November 2011). Connect to care: The future of healthcare IT in South Korea. Retrieved from http://www.economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/GE_SouthKorea_main_English_Nov17_FINAL_2.pdf Joh, H., Oh, J., et. al. (March 2013). Gender and Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Weight Perception and Weight Control Behavior in Korean Adults. Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. Retrieved from http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/346805 Pexton, C. (23rd of February 2009). Overcoming Organizational Barriers to Change in Healthcare. Financial Times Press. Retrieved from http://www.ftpress.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1327759 Scheppers, E., van Dongen, E., et. al. (13th February 2006). Family Practice: Potential barriers to the use of health services among ethnic minorities. Oxford Journals. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/3/325.full Veugelers, P. and Yip, A. (2003). Journal of Epidemiology Community Health: Socioeconomic disparities in health care use: Does universal coverage reduce inequities in health? Retrieved from http://jech.bmj.com/content/57/6/424.full Relationship Between Tourism and Economic Growth: Cyprus Relationship Between Tourism and Economic Growth: Cyprus ABSTRACT Although the relationship between international trade and economic growth has found a wide application area in the literature over the years, this can not be said about tourism and growth or trade and tourism. This study employs co-integration and Granger causality tests to examine long-run relationship between tourism, trade and growth, and the direction of causality among themselves for Cyprus. Results reveal that tourism is not co-integrated either with growth or trade whereas latter two are co-integrated and there is bidirectional causation between tourist arrivals and growth, between exports and growth and finally between exports and imports in Cyprus. Finally, results suggest unidirectional causation from tourist arrivals to export growth in Cyprus. I. INTRODUCTION International tourism and international trade are two major sources of foreign exchange for small countries as well as larger ones. Small countries, in particular small islands, have more dependency on tourism and trade than the larger ones since their economies are based on only a few sectors. For example, according to Kuznets (1966), as the country gets smaller, its dependency on international trade would increase. On the other hand, although many economists agree that small countries have similar advantages and disadvantages when compared to larger ones, there are differences in the origin of these disadvantages. Among common disadvantages are international tourism/trade dependency, vulnerability, high population growth rate, limited labor force, low labor efficiency, diseconomies of scale, low GDP (Gross Domestic Product), high dependency on imports of intermediate and consumption goods, and production of only a few basic goods/services. The small size of a country, in terms of area and population, may be economically advantageous. The smallness of a state in terms of area and population may in fact be a source of comparative advantage rather than being a constraint on economic growth and development. Specifically, smallness may be more than compensated by certain unique characteristics possessed by small states. Export-oriented services tend to represent such uniqueness and, therefore, a basis for a potential comparative advantage (Mehmet and Tahiroglu 2002). In the last few decades, some small states have been important service centers in banking, financial and trade services. Among them are Singapore, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Bermuda, Malta, Jersey and Cyprus. The tourism sector has been a locomotive industry for some small economies and the sole source providing a comparative advantage. Bermuda is a good example in the sense that it has emerged as a tourism center, successfully exploiting the ability to take advantage of a favorable climate and location. The strategic location of small states also serves as an important factor for providing banking and financial services. In the Mediterranean Sea, two examples of this category are the south of Cyprus and Malta. Bermuda, Bahrain and Jersey are among other states as studied by Bowe et al. (1998). On the other hand, in the north side of Cyprus, higher education emerged as number one sector contributing to national income of the country. Having restrictions on international trade and tourism in dustry with other countries, Turkish Cypriots living in the north of Cyprus succeeded in establishing and developing higher education institutions that attracts many foreign students from different regions of the world. Currently, there are six universities in North Cyprus where they attract students and academicians from more than 69 countries (SPO 2004). International tourism not only contributes to economic welfare of countries but also to their socio-cultural, environmental and ecological activities (Lindberg and Johnson, 1997; Bull, 1991; Ryan, 1991; Pearce, 1989). Luzzi and Flà ¼ckiger (2003) defines international tourism not as an industry but as a single, complex and differentiated product. It is complex because it includes a wide variety of goods and services, and differentiated because each destination has unique features. On the other hand, the purpose of tourism can be in different forms: Leisure tourism, business, visiting friends and relatives, education, conferences, or sports. Thus, international tourism is a major contribution to the welfare of countries in every field. As a result of these activities, tourists are likely to consume and purchase of goods/services that bring economic impact to every sector of countries such as transportation, accommodation, tour operators and shopping areas (See also Chang, 2000). There is an unverified question of whether international tourism growth actually causes economic growth or does economic growth contributes to tourism growth instead. Empirical studies of the relationship between tourism and economic growth have been less rigorous in tourism literature (Oh, 2005). International tourism receipts are a major source of foreign exchange together with export revenues that well compensate current account deficits as well due to the fact that tourism spending serves as an alternative form of exports contributing to ameliorated balance of payments in many countries (Oh, 2005). On the other hand, since international tourism contributes to every sector of the economies, budget deficits also benefits from these activities via tax revenues. As McKinnon (1964) argues international tourism brings foreign exchange that can be used to import intermediate and capital goods to produce goods and services, which in turn leads to economic growth. Balaguer and Jorda (2002 ) prove the validity of tourism-led hypothesis for the Spanish economy where the Spanish economy is the second largest recipient of international tourist earnings (5.9% of its GDP) in the world after the United States (Oh, 2005). However, there is a question if this hypothesis can be proved for other countries. Therefore, the tourism-led hypothesis deserves further attention for the other economies. On the other hand, many studies in the literature proved the importance of international trade for economic growth well. Some support export-led hypothesis while others support import-led hypothesis for particular countries. Although results on the direction of relationship between international trade and economic growth are still again inconclusive (Balaguer and Jorda, 2002), these studies prove that international trade is crucial for economic growth of many countries (Shun and Sun, 1998; Xu, 1996; Jin, 1995; Bahmani-Oskooee and Alse, 1993, Marin, 1992; Chow, 1987). Recent theoretical literature provides two main mechanisms through which international trade may affect growth. The first is its effect on the rate of innovation. The second is its effect on the adoption rate of technologies from more advanced countries that also increases the economys rate of total factor productivity growth (Proudman et al., 1998). International tourism and international trade mean greater integration into the world economy which also brings benefits to the economies such as employment creation, foreign exchange earnings, government revenues, and income and employment multipliers (See also Clancy 1999). There have been numerous studies analyzing the effects of international tourism and trade sectors on especially developing economies. However, the linkages between international tourism and international trade did not find a wide application area in the literature (See Shan and Wilson, 2001). Do international tourist arrivals promote international trade, or does international trade promote tourist arrivals, or is there feedback causality among them? When international tourism leads to international trade, there will be an increase in import demand for foreign goods/services as well as an increase in export earnings through its service account of balance of payments. Another implication of international tourism f or international trade is that it increases the image of domestic goods/services around the world which create new trade opportunities (Shan and Wilson, 2001; Kullendran ad Wilson, 1998). On the other hand, when international trade leads to international tourism, this might happen through business travel which in turn causes holiday travels at later stages as a result of greater trade opportunities. Therefore, the relationship between international tourism and international trade is another issue that deserves further attention from the researchers. Aim and Importance of the Study Having the importance of this issue that deserves further attention, this study empirically investigates the possible co integration and causal link between international tourism, international trade and economic growth in a small island, the south of Cyprus, which has become a new member to European Union (EU) apart from May 1, 2004 and is a developed country with 15.1 billion US$ GDP and 20,701 US$ per capita income as of 2004 figures (Statistical Service, 2004). There are important implications and motivations for doing this study: First, international trade plays an extremely important role amidst economic concerns, on the other hand, little mention is of international tourism, in spite of its importance among foreign expenditure items (Luzzi, 2003); and majority of empirical studies on tourism forecasting are built on tourism demand functions. As Shan and Wilson (2001) mention several areas remain incomplete in this sort of studies and hence deserve further studies. For example, first, the role of international trade as one of the determinants of tourism demand is not well recognized in these studies. Thus, this study will search the relationship of not only international tourism growth with economic growth but also with international trade growth in a small island. Second, the econometric techniques used in the previous studies of international tourism are generally poor lacking new developments in econometrics such as co integration and Granger causality concepts (Shan and Wilson 2001; Lim 1997; Song et al. 1997; Witt and Witt 1995). Additionally, this study is unique in the sense that it for the first time searches the link between international tourism, international trade and economic growth triangle at the same time by employing the latest econometric techniques in the field where previous empirical studies in the literature considered the link between any pair of them for particular countries (Oh, 2005; Shan and Wilson, 2001; Clancy, 1999; Andrew, 1997; Wagner, 1997; Zhou et al., 1997) till the moment. Third, another implication of this study is that although there have been extensive studies (Andronikou, 1987; Ioannides, 1992; Clements and Georgiou, 1998; Ayers, 2000; Cope, 2000; Ioannides and Holcomb, 2001; Sharpley and Forster, 2003; Sharpley, 2002) analyzing the development and management of tourism in Cyprus; however, none of them has considered its impact on economic growth and international trade in the literature. Furthermore, there are very few studies analyzing international trade and its effect on economic growth of Cyprus (Andrikopoulos and Loizides, 2000; Ayres, 1999; Pattichis, 1999; Asseery and Perdikis, 1991; Kamperis, 1989). Therefore, empirical studies deserve attention to be made for the South Cyprus economy. Yet, the results of this study for the first time are expected to give important implications for this island economy. And fourth, Cyprus problem has been at the agenda of world countries for more than 40 years. Now, the south of Cyprus became a member of the EU whereas the north of the island does not benefit the EU regulations. Thus, this situation will continue to deserve attention from the world countries and the results of this study are also expected to give important messages to policy makers. The paper proceeds as follows. Section II overviews the literature on international tourism, international trade and growth and gives brief summary of tourism and trade in Cyprus. Section III defines data and methodology of the study. Section IV provides results and discussions and the paper concludes with Section V. II. TOURISM, TRADE AND GROWTH Evidence from Literature This section attempts to provide a review of the literature with an emphasis on international tourism, international trade and economic growth. Exports and international tourism receipts postulate the existence of various arguments for which both exports and international tourism receipts become a main determinant of overall long run economic growth. More specifically, export revenues and international tourism receipts bring in foreign exchange which can be used to import capital goods in order to produce goods and services, leading in turn to economic growth (Balaguer and Jorda, 2002; Xu, 1998). Thus, international trade and international tourism can be thought of one within the other that together contributes to economic growth. Exports plus imports divided by GDP is a well known measure for openness of a country (See Yanitkaya, 2003). Since small economies have more trade dependency, the openness rate of these countries is also higher than larger ones. Recent theoretical literatur e provides two main mechanisms through which international openness may affect growth. The first is its effect on the rate of innovation. The second is its effect on the adoption rate of technologies from more advanced countries that also increases the economys rate of total factor productivity growth (Proudman et al. 1998). Whether export promotion leads to economic growth has been subject to considerable debate in the development and growth literature. Newly industrialized Asian countries in particular, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand can be cited as examples of countries experiencing export-led growth (ELG). This strategy of growth has doubled their standards of living in every ten year cycle. Many studies have tested the ELG hypothesis for economic growth to search for the relationship between export growth and economic growth. Extensive empirical studies in the literature have adopted the concept of causality proposed by Granger (1969) and Sims (1972) to detect the causal relationship between exports and output. Many of the studies in the empirical literature show conflicting results. Furthermore, although exports are a component of GDP and thus lead directly to the growth of output, while some studies found support for the export-led growth hypothesis (i.e. Chow, 1987; Bahmani-Oskee and Alse, 1993; Xu, 1996), some others have found negative relationship, even for the economies that are well known for their export promoting policies (i.e. Jung and Marshall, 1985; Darrat, 1986; Ahmed and Kwan, 1991; Dodaro, 1993). The new trade theory has contributed to the theoretical relationship between exports and growth regarding effects on technical efficiency (Doyle 2001). Rivera-Batiz and Romer (1991) show that expansion of international trade increases growth by increasing the number of specialized production inputs. However, this outcome is ambiguous when there is imperfect competition and increasing returns to scale (Doyle 2001). Krugman (1979), Dixit and Norman (1980) and Lancaster (1980) show economies of scale as a major cause of international trade, hinting the validity of the growth-led exports hypothesis. There are extensive empirical studies of the Trade-Led Growth (TLG) hypothesis which fail to produce conclusive findings (Giles and Williams 1999; Deme 2002). Some empirical studies in the literature confirmed the TLG hypothesis for some countries whereas some others rejected it for some other countries, while, on the other hand, some studies in the growth literature support the ELG hypothesi s and while some others investigate the Import-Led Growth (ILG) hypothesis (Deme 2002). In the last decade, in addition to cross-country applications, time series and causality analyses examining the export and economic growth relationship has gained importance. Additionally, the concept of the ILG hypothesis was also practically considered in addition to the ELG hypothesis having the fact that imports are mainly vital for raw materials, as well as intermediate goods and capital goods which are used in the production process of exported goods and services. This mechanism stimulates economic growth for many countries. In the work of Bahmani-Oskooee and Alsee (1993), bidirectional causality between export growth and economic growth was empirically tested. Chang (2000) added imports to the relationship between exports and GDP and founded a bidirectional relationship between income and exports, income and imports, and exports and imports in the case of Taiwan. Arize (2002) found a long run convergence and therefore a long run equilibrium relationship between exports and imports using data for 50 countries around the world. This was parallel to the findings of Fountas and Wu (1999), Granger (1986), Gould and Ruffin (1996) and Husted (1992). Howard (2002) worked on the causality between exports, imports and income (GDP) in Trinidad and Tobago, a petroleum exporting country where oil export booms raise income levels but are usually followed by a slump. He found a unidirectional Granger causation from exports to income and bidirectional causation between exports and imports, and imports and income. He also hinted to the importance of the relationship between export growth and income due to a promotion of export sector as a key to economic g rowth and development in most of the developing countries. Chow (1987) found a bi-directional causality export growth and economic growth for Hong Kong, Israel, Singapore, Taiwan and Brazil, unidirectional causality from export to economic growth for Mexico and no causality between these two for Argentina using the Sims procedure. Jung and Marshall (1985) used Granger causality tests and supported the ELG hypothesis for four out of thirty seven developing countries under consideration. They also found significant output growth and export growth relationship for three countries, an export-reducing growth relationship for six countries and a growth-reducing exports relationship for three countries. The empirical literature on ELG world wide generally shows that export growth plays an important role in economic growth, although many countries have recently adopted liberalization in their trade policies. Empirical studies also proved that developing countries with favorable export growth have experienced high economic growth rates. Therefore, th is shows that exports are one of the major sources of foreign currency for national economies. Recently, few studies have applied new developments in econometrics including co integration and Granger Causality procedures to tourism studies (Shan and Wilson 2001). The effect of international tourism on economic growth of countries has found limited application area in the literature. Balaguer and Jorda (2002) tested international tourism as a long run economic growth factor for Spain using co integration and Granger causality techniques. They confirmed the tourism-led hypothesis through co integration and causality testing for the Spanish economy. They also confirmed that economic growth in Spain has been sensible to persistent expansion of international tourism. On the other hand, Hazari and Sgro (1995) developed a model that indicated that world demand for tourism would have a positive effect on the long run economic growth of a small economy. Shan and Wilson (2001) found bidirectional causation between international travel and international trade for China. They also imply t hat trade flows do not link with tourism in China. Therefore, Shan and Wilson (2001) suggest that previous tourism studies using single equation approaches may lead to biased estimates since they fail to consider possible feedbacks between trade and tourism, because international trade (both exports and imports) and international tourism are found to reinforce each other in many countries. Tourism and Trade in Cyprus Cyprus has an open, free-market, serviced-based economy with some light manufacturing. It promotes its geographical location as a bridge between West and East, along with its educated English-speaking population, moderate local costs, good airline connections, and telecommunications. In the past 20 years, the economy has shifted from agriculture to light manufacturing and services. The service sector, including tourism, contributes 75.7% to the GDP and employs 70.7% of the labor force (Statistical Service, 2004). Over the years, the services sectors, and tourism in particular, provided the main impetus for growth. Trade is vital to the Cypriot economy the island is not self-sufficient in food and has few natural resources. Thus, as it is one of the characteristics of small islands, Cyprus has heavy dependency on foreign trade. As is typical of island nations with strong tourism sectors, Cyprus runs consistent merchandise trade deficits which are partially offset by strong surpluses in services trade with foreigners, but the net result of these two largest components of the current account balance is a current account deficit because the services surplus is smaller than the trade deficit. In 2003, Cyprus ran a current account deficit which was about 3.4 % of its GDP (Statistical Service, 2004). Cyprus enjoys a wide range of natural resources in terms of landscape, traditional folklore, gastronomy, culture and a pleasant climate. Over the last 40 years, Cyprus has emerged as a major Mediterranean summer-sun destination (Sharpley, 2002). The successful growth of international tourism underpinned a remarkable socio-economic development on the island (Sharpley, 2002; Ayers, 2000; Seekings, 1997; Kammas and Salehi-Esfahani, 1992; Ioannides, 1992). Thus, the tourist industry in Cyprus is one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy and one of the main driving forces behind economic growth. Having this fact, the Cyprus Tourist Organization has drawn up a Strategic Plan for Tourism for the 2000-2010 period. As a marketing plan, it addresses every conceivable relevant aspect (Smith and Zwart 2002). Among the targets of this plan are to increase real revenue to CYP (Cyprus pound) 1.8 billion in 2010, to increase average spending per tourist to CYP 512 in 2010, to lessen the extent of the tourism sectors dependence on the season by realizing a 33% to 40% decrease in tourist arrivals during the peak season (from July to September) and a simultaneous increase during the remaining period to a level of about 250,000 tourists per month, to increase the number of tourist arrivals to 4 million in 2010 and to increase the share of return visits to 35% in 2010. However, tourism sector has recently experienced a downturn in Cyprus largely as a result of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and the economic slow-down in Europe. For example, total tourist arrivals showed a decline by 10.3% in 2002. Due to the events of 11 September, the year 2001 showed an increase of only 0.39%. The tourists who visit Cyprus originate mainly from Central and Northern Europe, particularly the UK (United Kingdom) and Germany. In 2004, 56.7% of total tourist arrivals (2.3 million tourists) to Cyprus were from the UK where 6.9% were from Germany and 5.7% were from Greece. International tourism receipts of Cyprus were almost 1.9 billion US$ in 2004 where these experienced a fall between 2002 and 2004 (Statistical Service, 2004).. Cyprus, due to its small domestic market and the open nature of its economy, considers access to international markets as of utmost importance. As a result, foreign trade has always been one of the main sectors of the Cypriot economy, contributing considerably to the economic growth of the island. Trade balance in Cyprus has been consistently unfavorable since before 1960. Given its large and expanding trade deficit, Cyprus was fortunate to have a large and growing surplus in its invisibles account, enough even to offset the trade deficit in 1987 and 1988. The major factors contributing to this surplus were tourist receipts, receipts from transfers, and income from other goods and services (such as foreign military expenditures in Cyprus, and foreign exchange from offshore enterprises). Trade balance was also chronically unfavorable even after 1974  [1]  . There were decline in exports of Cyprus after 2000s as well. The share of goods and services exports in GDP was 55.0% in 2000 , 51.4% in 2002 and 46.4% in 2003 (Statistical Service, 2004). The main domestic exports of Cyprus are agricultural exports, especially citrus fruits and potatoes, and manufactured products, most importantly clothing, footwear, chemicals, and machinery. The EU is the main market for the exports of Cyprus. Among the EU members in export market of Cyprus are UK (24.4% in 2003), France (11.0% in 2003), Germany (7.2% in 2003), Greece (6.4% in 2003) and Poland (3.7% in 2003). The other major block of countries to which the exports of Cyprus continued to do well is the Arab countries. On the other hand, Cyprus is dependent on imports for many raw materials, consumer goods, transportation equipment, capital goods, and fuels. The share of goods and services imports in GDP was 60.2% in 2000, 59.5% in 2002 and 57.8% in 2003. The imports of Cyprus mainly come from Russia (36.2% of total imports in 2003), Greece (6.4% of total imports in 2003), UK (5.3% of total imports in 2003), Germany (5.2% of total imports in 2003) and Italy (5.1% in 2003) (Statistical Service, 2004). III. DATA AND METHODOLOGY Data used in this paper are annual figures covering the period 1960 2003 and variables of the study are real gross domestic product (GDP), real trade volume (exports plus imports), real exports, real imports and total tourists visiting and accommodating in tourist establishments of Cyprus. Data are taken from World Bank Development Indicators CD-ROM (World Bank, 2004) and Statistical Service of Cyprus (Statistical Service, 2004) and variables are all at 1995 constant US $ prices. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP)  [2]  Unit Root Tests are employed to test the integration level and the possible co-integration among the variables (Dickey and Fuller 1981; Phillips and Perron 1988). The PP procedures, which compute a residual variance that is robust to auto-correlation, are applied to test for unit roots as an alternative to ADF unit root test. Unless the researcher knows the actual data generating process, there is a question concerning whether it is most appropriate to include constant term and trend factor in the unit root process (Enders 1995). It might seem reasonable to test the existence of a unit root in the series using the most general of the models. That is, (1) where y is the series; t = time (trend factor); a = constant term (drift); ÃŽÂ µt = Gaussian white noise and p = the lag order. The number of lags p in the dependent variable was chosen by the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) to ensure that the errors are white noise. One problem with the presence of the additional estimated parameters is that it reduces degrees of freedom and the power of the test. On the other hand, the researcher may fail to reject the null hypothesis of a unit root (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ § = 0) because of a misspecification concerning the deterministic part of the regression. Therefore, Doldado, Jenkinson and Sosvilla-Rivero (1990) also suggest starting from the most general model to test for a unit root when the form of the data generating process is unknown. The general principle is to choose a specification that is a plausible description of the data under both the null and alternative hypotheses (Hamilton 1994). If the intercept or time trend is inappropriately omitted, the power of the test can go to zero (Campbell and Perron 1991). Reduced power means that the researcher will conclude that the process contains a unit root when, in fact, none is present (Enders 1995: 255). A linear combination of integrated variables are said to be co-integrated if the variables are stationary. Many economic models entail such co-integrating relationships (Enders 1995). On the other hand, Perron (1989, 1990) and Perron and Vogelsang (1992) suggest that a structural break in the mean of a stationary variable is more likely to bias the DF-ADF tests towards the non-rejection of the null of a unit root in the process. Perron (1990) argues that ignoring the effects of structural breaks can lead to inadequate model specifications, poor forecast, spurious unit root test results and improper policy implications. Thus, Perron (1990) proposes an integration level test for structural break, which is known as the Perron test and provides the appropriate critical values  [3]  . In this study, Perron (1990) test was employed to see if the order of integration is changed by the structural break. The use of the Perron (1990) test in this study is justified by the fact that intervention of Turkey in 1974 had significant effects on the Cypriot economy. Perron (1990) suggest two types of methods to measure the effect of structural breaks: (i) the additive outlier model, which is recommended for series exhibiting a sudden change in mean, and (ii) innovation outlier model, which is suggested for a gradual change in the series (See also Perron and Vogelsang, 1992). The additive outlier model was used in this study due to the fact that intervention of Turkey in 1974 was a sudden event. Thus, in this study it is assumed that there might be a structural break in 1974 for the variables under consideration. Perron (1990) test was carried out in two steps. First, residuals were estimated using OLS (ordinary least squares) as follows: (2) Where DUt = 1 if t > Tb and 0 otherwise. Tb is the point where the break occurs. And Second, the following modified regression models were run by using OLS. The test of negativity of à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ § is checked by using appropriate critical values reported in the study of Rybinski (1994, 1995): (levels) (3) (first differences) (4) Where (DUTB)t = 1 if t = Tb + 1 and 0 otherwise. Tb is the break year (1974 in this study), DUTB is dummy variable for the break year, à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¥t is the residual obtained from equation (2) using OLS and ut is the error term. After the order of integration is determined, co-integration between the variables should be tested to identify any long run relationship. Johansen trace test is used for the co-integration test in this paper. Cheung and Lai (1993) mention that the trace test is more robust than the maximum eigen value test for co-integration. The Johansen trace test attempts to determine the number of co-integrating vectors among variables. There should be at least one co-integrating vector for a possible co-integration. The Johansen (1988) and Johansen and Juselius (1990) approach allows the estimating of all possible co integrating vectors between the set of variables and it is the most reliable test to avoid the problems which stems from Engel and Granger (1986) procedure  [4]  . This procedure can be expressed in the following VAR model: (for t =1,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦T) (5) Where Xt, Xt-1, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, Xt-K are vectors of current and lagged values of P variables which are I(1) in the model; à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ 1,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.,à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ K are matrices of coefficients with (PXP) dimensions; à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­ is an intercept vector  [5]  ; and et is a vector of random errors. The number of lagged values, in practice, is determined in such a way that error terms are not significantly auto-correlated. Adding Xt-1, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, Xt-K and à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ 1 Xt-2, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ K-1

Colombian Democracy Essay -- Politics Political Science

Colombian Democracy There is a practical problem to capturing a cogent understanding of Colombia in a single snapshot. There are two realities of Colombia scholars use to frame analysis of the birthplace of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s magical realism: â€Å"armed conflict† and â€Å"political democracy.† These phenomena are a defining feature of modern Colombia. They have coexisted since 1958 when the National Front political pact ended intra-elite conflict in La Violencia but failed to guarantee a stable social order. In a sense, Colombian society was never successfully â€Å"pacified† in the way its neighboring nations were. The question of whether and how these two realities will be linked in the future is what stimulates my interest in this Andean nation. To submit an intelligible diagnosis and prospective commentary about Colombian democracy, it is worthwhile to review how scholarship treats the trajectory of this unique arrangement. Divorced research approaches to studying Colombia For a number of reasons, under the current administration of President Alvaro Uribe the tradition of utilizing an integrative approach to understanding the tortuous epic of Colombian democracy and violence is diminishing in credibility. In general, divorcing the realities of the Western hemisphere’s second oldest â€Å"democracy† (defined as the electoral party politics practiced in Bogotà ¡ and other urban centers) and the significant violent resistance and repression which characterize vast rural areas from one another by politicians is a means to establishing a binary of terrorism and democracy. The corollary is often to promulgate attractive panacea-like policy prescriptions. In the academy, scholars too can fall victim to this oversimplification an... ...d de Chile, Instituto de Ciencia Politica, Vol. 42, Fall 2004, 1-25. Pizarro, Eduardo, Una democracia asediadaa, Bogotà ¡: Grupo Editorial Norma, 2004. Posada-Carbà ³, Eduardo, ed., The Politcs of Reforming the State, London: Institute for Latin America Studies, University of London, 1998. Richani, Nazih, Systems of Violence The Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia, Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002. Vargas, Ricardo, â€Å"State, Esprit Mafioso, and Armed Conflict in Colombia,† in Burt, Jo-Marie and Mauricci, Philip, eds., Politics in the Andes: Identity, Conflict, Reform, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004. Whitehead, Laurence, â€Å"Reforms: Colombia and Mexico,† in Garreton, Manuel A and Newman, Edward, eds., Democracy in Latin America: Reconstructing Political Society, New York: United Nations University Press, 2002.

Teachers: Unsung Heroes of the World

DEDICATION * * * This reflection paper is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the world—TEACHERS; To all morally upright and just individuals whose sense of integrity and humility are rooted deeply within them; To Mr. Books who never fails to inspire me with his words and wisdom; To my parents and my mentor, EXPERIENCE, for making me understand at an early age the essentialities of life here on earth; And to my Creator, You are beyond the superlative degree of adjective. You are the Minerva and the hair of Samson in my life. You have always been there leading me along the path that I have chosen! I salute you all! – K. A. P. C. * * * Introduction The writing technique that I used in this paper was a little different than those that I have written before, specifically during my undergraduate studies. In here, I made use of chapters instead of uninterrupted, paragraph by paragraph account. The reason is as simple yet complicated as to how a raindrop is able to produce rainbow with different colors from a single beam of sunlight or how a prism bends white light into different colors. As to this paper, each chapter reflects the unforeseeable and offensive truths that The Story of Teddy Stoddard implies, which are often hard to swallow by many people maybe because of pride or blindness. These paper includes both reactions and reflections. Commonly as it has always been, the story of Teddy Stoddard was no different with a lot of movies that I have watched and stories that I have read and heard before—all of which had communicated the same genre as the former. It is but an ordinary ripped page, no rarity or unfathomable terminologies, existing behind the great literary masterpieces of the world. But with its simple approach and language to whomever the reader may be, paired with its emotional quality, is like one of my favorite movies—Titanic. I can watch it over and over and cry to my hearts’ content time and again. On a profound understanding of the story, I was able to nod my head as each word of the story mumbled deeply within me as if letting me know that there is more to teaching as there is more to life. The story does not only happen in real-life teaching where some teachers tend to act like Mrs. Thompson but as well as in many other fields of profession and even in congregation of ordinary people. Let me discuss first, in a broader perspective, the story’s implication to human and life before I discuss the minutest details of its implication to the teaching profession and to me as a teacher. Chapter 1 Myths of the World Ever wonder why the world is becoming evil? Or why in spite of many sound philosophies and theories of education the world continues to move forward to its downfall? Why almost all men, especially educated men, are more foolish than a beggar on the street? Simple. A beggar is the happiest man in the world when somebody drops a coin in front of him, but to a man who knows a thing, a coin will do him no good unless that coin happens to be gold. We only worry on things that concern us or have direct effects in our lives. Those that do not seem to matter in their diminutive, powerless forms are taken for granted—consider Teddy’s case for instance. Nero, Alexander the Great, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Hussein, Bin Laden and many others who are like them—weren’t these men, who had been leaders of their own dominions, able to earn a degree in college? Unfortunately, none of them was able to show genuine compassion towards their subjects, was able to leave something behind that future generations can make use of. It is not very often that people thank Hitler or Hussein for what he did because not many are born with mental retardation. (But of course, Teddy’s gratefulness to Mrs. Thompson was a different matter. ) It is very obvious to notice that only a few people in the past —Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa, Ghandhi, Mandela, and others—were able to show what real compassion means. As for Einstein, he’s a genius. Yet there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Had he only made use of his common sense, world leaders of today will stop accusing each other on issues about the use of nuclear weapons. Einstein’s actions were enough proofs that, even to genius, common sense is not very common. Thus, our first myth is: Not everything that glitters is gold. 1 Even other metals or â€Å"rusty† metals can reflect light and can have shiny appearance if furnished well. What and whom am I talking about? Find it out The Story of Teddy Stoddard. When I heard the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death, I did not believe it in an instant. What if it were a mere propaganda of Obama’s administration? What if Bin Laden’s look-alike were the one who got killed? Or did he really have a look-alike? From the book that I find no time to finish reading, entitled The Road Less Traveled, Scott Peck discussed what he termed as scientific tunnel vision—that is, according to him, â€Å"patients [people] are able to see only a very narrow area directly in front of them. They cannot see anything to the left or to the right, above or below their narrow focus. † I would strongly agree that, too often, a lot of people in this world, including I, have this kind of vision. We find it too difficult to look beyond the surface of things. Our perception of the world is no more than skin deep or subjective like that of Mrs. Thompson’s. Thus, the second myth is to see is too believe. 2 We are realists or materialists most of the time in the sense that what we see is independent to what we think. An object continues to exist independently of the mind. Mrs. Thompson were aware of the presence of Teddy. He comes to school, takes exams, et cetera. Yet, Mrs. Thompson ignored to use her mental faculty to the most logical and sensible manner that she could to diagnose the problem of Teddy. It’s like when a man and a woman were seen by somebody moving out a motel. It is not hard to imagine what would immediately come in the mind of the observer. It is a prejudice akin to judging the book because of its worn-out cover. Having been explained that ‘seeing is believing’ is not always reliable, it is to be rejected. What we hear or see is not what we should always believe in. At times, we need to be idealists. There are times when we need to be rationalists, or skeptics or moralists, so on and so forth. There are even times when we need to be generalists. Remember this overused line: â€Å"Together we stand, divided we fall†? Adopting only one philosophy in life is discriminatory but it surely will lead us somewhere although our vision will be much like that of a tunnel. As for me, too much is enough. If these â€Å"too much† ideas being introduced to us at any given time anywhere in the world will solve human strife, it should have started a long time ago. Sadly, it did not. Sometimes, I feel disoriented into thinking how men, through the ages, are able to move forward, leaving the world behind at its deterioration. Or how a teacher is to be promoted whose responsibilities to his pupils he failed to accomplish. Nonetheless, everything comes and goes, and all that remain are unfinished businesses. At the end of the day, when exhaustion from every day work pays me a visit, I just sit and try to remember one thing that I learned from The Little Prince: â€Å"What is essential is ‘invisible’ to the eye. † It amazed me how Mrs. Thompson was able to realize her mistake and was able to understand the concept of â€Å"invisibility† on the latter part of the story. He that never changed any of his opinions never corrected any of his mistakes; and he who was never wise enough to find out any mistakes in himself will not be charitable enough to excuse what he reckons mistakes in others. † -Shakespeare- No matter how intelligent, how good, how rich or how respected a person is, it is an undeniable fact that he often commits false accusations and hypotheses. It’s our n ature as humans. Even philosophers and men of God cannot escape this inevitable â€Å"offense† because whatever their beliefs are, they too, commit mistakes. Luckily, we can bail out of this â€Å"offense† because of Alexander Pope who once wrote metaphorically, â€Å"To err is human. . . † but it didn’t just end there. He further added, â€Å"To forgive divine. † Thus, forgiveness itself cures mistakes. But there is an exemption: Laws are created because not every mistake can be excused by a simple sorry. Here comes the concept of pride. From this, the third myth arises: â€Å"Everybody can forgive†. Why is that? The sentence seems to be lacking. Nobody forgives unless he forgets. We will remain prisoners of our own hatred unless we forgive and forget. But doing both things is as hard as judging oneself. The good things about the story were Mrs. Thompson’s humility as a teacher to correct what she had done wrong and Teddy’s disregard of anger towards Mrs. Thompson. In all of these things that I have written, one thing in life, for sure, is universal that applies to all men: We see unrighteousness when we are right; we do not see righteousness when we are wrong and, there is no such thing as â€Å"between right and wrong†. It is a necessity , therefore, to evaluate ourselves continuously. It might appear as a science-related issue as to how Mrs. Thompson metamorphosed from unrighteousness to righteousness. An â€Å"ugly caterpillar† once she might had been, she later transformed into a â€Å"beautiful butterfly† who was able to touch the life of a unique wild flower named Teddy. Thus, we can never tell what type of impact we may have on another's life by our actions or lack of actions. Whatever and whoever we are, let us not stop remembering that the best gift we could give or receive is touching a life and making a difference on someone’s life. As Gandhi said: â€Å"We must become the change we want to see in the world. â€Å" So the last myth is: Butterflies are beautiful to look at especially on their colors. It’s a paradox. Why? Because a butterfly is a camouflage of a caterpillar that it once had been. A caterpillar can live without being a butterfly, but it is impossible that a butterfly will appear without being a caterpillar. The underlying fact about it is that it CHANGES—from ugliness to beauty (like Mrs. Thompson). Same principle applies to humans. But most of the time, the reverse happens. â€Å"Are we caterpillars who get fat by obtaining nourishment from leaves until they finally run out r are we butterflies who add beauty to flowers every time we perch on them? † -Kristel- Like a butterfly, each of us has/had bones in our closet and we act according to norms as a camouflage of our little â€Å"secrets†. True? Hell, right! Freud was a genius with his concept of id, ego and super ego! â€Å"All humans have behavioral problems. A person with behavioral problem is not normal. If you’re normal, then you’re not human. † (Kristel, 2011) Chapter II â€Å"What Does It Take To Be Human? † In light of my twenty-one years of existence, the world has shown and taught me so much that it can offer. Though most of the time, asking how and why things behave in ways I cannot understand is like dragging myself into a labyrinth. My own logic often convinces me that doing such a thing is just putting myself into a dilemma. People and books can give answers but their answers often lead to another chapter which makes it become very obvious that life really is an indecipherable puzzle. A lot of life’s opportunities, difficulties, persons who are dear to me have come and gone in my life—opportunities that caused me to have regrets, challenges that taught me the importance of humility and loved ones who made me cry. Through all of these I realized that whether we take life seriously or not, it has never been easy to take. Life is difficult and it will always be that way. But once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. Life, aside from its being difficult, is finite as well. This is the greatest truth in the world. Because of this truth, we, humans, have tried everything to outdo earth’s rotation by shortening ten years of men’s consistent labor to its half. This was made possible because the birth of industrialization gave humans the need to invent. Destiny dictated our triumphs. But is it a triumph or a failure that the birth of machineries is able to overpower Time? The answer is evident. Because of our obsession to change the world, we forget to change our attitudes. I guess the reason why a lot of people, specifically people in the past who often â€Å"defy† and critique norms, die poorly and unlamented is not because their beliefs are right but because society’s attitude towards them and their attitudes towards society fail to have a point of tangency (like in Geometry) thereby they are excluded in the â€Å"system†. Human weakness is power and too often, as power strengthens esponsibility weakens (in Physics, it is termed as inverse proportionality). Spider Man said: â€Å"Great power comes great responsibility† but when one is greater than the other, there arises masters and slaves. After I read The Story of Teddy Stoddard, I came into deep deliberation of what it takes to be human and trust me, I do not know if people would agree, for we all have our own way of thinking, that to be human is to become conscious that we are not in power to rule but we are responsible to serve. This would be more realistic if action would speak louder than words. CHAPTER III What Does It Take To Be Teachers? First and foremost, teaching had never been in my list of one-of-many things that I dreamt of doing someday. Well, truthfully, I believe that none of them really have been brought into realization. My first love was architecture but my true love is writing. Life really is not everything. Things that we do not expect happen as if they were to tap our backs to say â€Å"Hey, learn from us! †. When I was just a little girl, though living was as tough as it is now, I was always wondering what I would be someday. First, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. I was in grade school then when I thought of it. My sister and I used to pretend that we were teachers. We used to write on a mini chalkboard that our mum bought for us using varied colors of chalk. I have always been the one pretending as teacher and she was my pupil. As years past, when I finally entered fifth grade, I thought of becoming a journalist instead. My classmates often think of becoming like that so I decided to do the same. The feeling was similar when at one time I terribly ached for sweet candy because my playmate happened to have one. Things happened too swiftly before I realized that I was already a high school student. A year before my senior year, I was so sure of taking architecture in college. I discovered that I have a talent in designing houses and decorating their interiors. It has always been my passion to draw houses and appreciate the beauty of them whenever I go to places. It was on my last year in high school when I wished of becoming a writer and at the same an architect, and a teacher, and . . . and . . . well, I wasn’t quite sure right on that very moment. I lost my momentum. Perhaps I have been so engrossed of thinking over what I would be like. It was like trying to become ten different persons all at once though I knew that I was just an average. I mean, I was just a nobody way back in high school and up until now. Thin. Pimpled face. Shy. Unpopular. Out-of-style. Hermit. And other disgusting adjectives that one would happily attach to my name. I found that my previous ‘detention centers’ were too tight and were ‘pains’ in my ass. College life was different. I found freedom, comfort, appreciation, and friendship. I have the difficulty liking my course because I was forced to take it. I mean, nobody forced me to. It was I, myself. During that time, I feel like there’s nothing else to choose from so I took it anyway. My parents were not able to send me to prestigious college or university in the city because of lack of money. Architecture was, thus, forgotten. But in spite of that, I was learning wonderful things each day in college. I was beginning to be comfortable with the new environment and the people around. But I still could not accept the fact that I would soon be graduating despising the course that I have taken. But, but . . . things really happen for a reason, you know. God has His way of sending blessings in disguise. Even though I failed to fulfill my greatest dream, I somehow feel that I am leading on the right track though too often a few destructions shake my momentum. Sometimes I think that God put me into this profession because He wants me to learn and unlearn things in life. Or why I took the life that a few people in the world would buy. Or why I am making life difficult when on the other side is a greener pasture to walk on. Mother understands me for the decision that I have made, though father is not as understanding as her. I know that deep within them they want to see in me the daughter that they wanted me to be —happy, the one that would take them out of poverty, earning a much higher salary, self confident, and candid. I do not know. All I know is that when we hold on to our principle, we will be like a tree fixed on the ground—full of nourishment to give away yet never moving forward up to its death. Up to this day, I as well do not know the reason why I teach until I read The Story of Teddy Stoddard. I admire Mrs. Thompson because she was able to make a big difference on Teddy’s life. Someday, I wish I could do the same thing not only by being a teacher but by being human on this planet that I am living in. Now that I’m in the teaching profession, I am beginning to realize what it’s like to be human and to be a teacher. Some people may raise their brows on us making us feel so sick, others may say bad things about us as if they had never been bad all their lives. As for me, humility really matters. Within the four months of being in my line of work, I can say that there is more to teaching than meets the eye. Teaching is difficult. So far, it is what I can say. Difficult to the point that aside from everyday teaching, I meet a lot of people with different personalities wherein sometimes a person who doesn’t know how to control emotions or does not comprehend right from wrong may probably just burst out. Thank God, I am learning a lot with people who are as imperfect as I am. (Am I this bad Sorry. Hehehe! Peace! I’m not just in good mood today. OOO) I guess you have heard someone said: â€Å"Politics is not dirty. The ones who make it dirty are the people involved in it. † Same thing happens in teaching even with Mother Earth, but I do not want to discuss it further. For crying out loud, I am too judgmental! Peace every one! I, too, make mistakes! A lot of moral lessons can be taken from the story. I am beginning to have an extraordinary motivation to write as many pages as I can though my time is running out (it’s not that I’m going to die soon . . . L. O. L! just busy). I believe that there are many Mrs. Thompson in the world who transformed from being caterpillars to being butterflies. Some may even remain as caterpillars. I, well, I do not know what I am. Sometimes I am a caterpillar, sometimes a butterfly. I cannot run away from being a caterpillar especially when anger hits me. Anger is a state of mind. How can I escape from anger without losing my mind? But I am the type of person who, most of the time, does not speak out what I want to say (In teaching, we must be careful with the command of language. Everyone has his own interpretations). As an escape, (heheh) I write everything down on a sheet of paper. At least, through it, there’s an indirect communication. I can even delete words that seem not quite good to the reader. It’s not because I want to please everybody because that is hypocrisy. It’s just that people will not be satisfied unless they have scrutinized every inch of us. If enough were not enough, trust me, scrutiny won’t end. (What am I doing right now? Am I not scrutinizing? L. O. L! OOO) From time to time, we must weigh things up. We are never always right neither always wrong. Acceptance is a key to a contented and harmonious living. The Story of Teddy Stoddard tackles the concept of acceptance. In connection to teaching, a lot of teachers say, and too often I try to agree, that once we are in the system, we have to face facts, to accept things as they are. No but’s, but that’s how the world works. Many people have tried to reverse its working, but they all ended being ridiculed and condemned. What’s the relevance of all these things that I’ve written into taking Master’s degree units? I do not know, but one thing for sure is I know: as I continue learning, I am ‘knowing more and more about less and less’. It’s a cliche, but literally cleared my mind up (deep sigh). . . Thanks be to God! You’re my everything! Chapter IV Insights Gained From Mrs. Thompson and Teddy: Relevance to My Growth as a Teacher and as a Person Today, teaching for me is perceived as art with passion. It has its intricacies that a truly devoted and passionate individual can only see. It is mastered so as to get the best out of the worst from the learner. It is not merely an act of inculcating ideas to young learners that may turn these young individuals to become mere copycats of the indoctrinator. Asking thought provoking questions elicits active and creative reasoning. Teaching is not telling the individual the what’s, the why’s, and the how’s of life. Teaching is just giving the learner facts that will guide him to find the answers for himself. â€Å"Teach with passion,† this I heard several times from a former teacher. Love to teach. Be passionate. Let the child feels you are a part of the process. With your guidance he will discover the facts of life. Be enthusiastic in teaching no matter how insignificant the topic may be. Passion and love for teaching make one an effective teacher. No amount of master’s degrees can equal a committed teacher who has loved to teach and has mastered the art of teaching. It is not in the amount of accolades or recognition a teacher received that define success. It is through the eyes of these young minds that benefited from your guidance. A tyrant teacher is remembered indifferently but a good teacher is admired forever. We pass this life only once. Leave an impact so others may continue the work started like what Mrs. Thompson did! Chapter V My Philosophy in Life My philosophy in life is simple: Life itself is a philosophy. Never take it easy. *** End â€Å"It is hard to fill a cup which is already full. † â€Å"A little learning is a dangerous thing: -Mother of Neyteri, Avatar- Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. † -Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism

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Smoking Prohibited with Minors in Vehicles essays Smoking Prohibited with Minors in Vehicles Children do not have a choice whether or not an adult smokes while driving a vehicle. According to Chest magazine, 4.8 million American children have been diagnosed with asthma. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta report that in 1993, 159,000 children under the age of fifteen were hospitalized for acute asthma, and 5,300 people died. The American Lung Association states that the annual health care cost for asthma is 12.6 billion dollars. The value of reduced productivity due to loss of school days represented the largest single indirect cost related to asthma, approaching $1 billion. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease states that, More than 10 million school days are missed annually due to asthma. Annually in America, there are approximately 10.4 million physician office visits for the treatment of asthma. Approximately one-third of those visits are for patients under the age of 18, as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. This law would be authorized by the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3...To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes. This Commerce Clause would pertain to those individuals traveling in vehicles. Added authorization is found in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18. The necessary and proper clause would allow for the novel idea of regulating individual habits inside privately owned vehicles. In American Government and Politics Today, this clause has allowed Congress to adapt the government to changing needs and times. Enforcement of this law would be delegated to each state. Each states Department of Transportation, Highway/State Patrol would also then enforce this law. Local law/County Sheriff offices would give their support likewise. ...

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8 Classic Storm Poems Poets love stormy weather. The powers of the natural world revealed in a tempest can be shocking, terrifying and destructive, but they are also awe-inspiring, exhilarating, and metaphorically rich- a perfect source of poetic inspiration. Here we’ve selected a few classic poems describing or inspired by storms. Attune yourself to the natural havoc outdoors by reading them while you’re safely sheltering inside from a storm, perhaps, or declaim them to the sky outside after the storm has passed. William Shakespeare, Storm speech on the heath from King Lear (1623)William Cullen Bryant, â€Å"The Hurricane† (1854)Walt Whitman, â€Å"Proud Music of the Storm† (from Leaves of Grass, 1900 edition)Algernon Charles Swinburne, â€Å"A Channel Passage† (1904)Amy Lowell, â€Å"Storm-Racked† (1914)Robert Frost, â€Å"A Line-Storm Song† (1915)Siegfried Sassoon, â€Å"Storm and Sunlight† (1918)Jean Toomer, â€Å"Storm Ending† (1922)

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Multinational corporation - Essay Example The areas of corporate social responsibility are such as management of the environment, maintaining labour standards and good working conditions, engagement of stakeholders, observance of human rights and practicing good governance. A multinational corporation will show corporate irresponsibility on failure to take the social responsibility measures (Adeyeye, 2012). According to McIntyre et al (2009) one of the corporate irresponsibility incidents of multinational corporations is the violation of human rights by these corporations, and another one is environmental mismanagement. For instance the MCNs in oil extracting countries have been observed over the years to have violated the rights of the oil bearing communities. The violation usually arises from the conflicts between the two groups concerning land rights and compensation for the ecological damages that are caused by these corporations during oil extraction. The extraction mainly causes negative effects on the environment and the MNCs show corporate irresponsibility by not finding the appropriate measures of managing the effects caused. The multinational corporations further fail to meet the expectations of these communities concerning compensation as well as environmental management. The result of this corporate irresponsibility is frustration of the communities arising from unfulfilled expectations as well as violence as form of response. The operations of these multinational corporations have been attributed to the cases of underdevelopment in the countries (Sornarajah, 2010). The efforts of free trade markets to better the global economy and making sure that multinationals are accountable for their effects on the environments and stakeholders, have failed since the multinational corporations are making more efforts to cover their abuses on the environment as well as the human rights instead of preventing them. Among the multinational

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Dark Tourism in Prague - Essay Example ke the basic scenario of a fire in an apartment, it is just normal many people will run towards the scene to either assist, get answers or simply just look. Such is the attention dark tourism has achieved amongst scholars, humanitarians and adventurers all over the world. In Prague, the Church of SS Cyril and Methodius is one such site and has even been ranked Best Dark Tourism site by the country’s Tourism authority. (Hannam & Knox 2010, 28).the site acted has a rich history content regarding the assassination of Reichsprotektor Heydrich. These are not the only centres in Prague. Evidently, the increased demand in dark tourism in Prague has been boosted by the number of the sites this country harbours (Martina 2011, 02). An increase in these centres simply means more place s to visit for the tourists. In a bid to access the rich history in Prague’s dark sites, tourists have flocked the country to have a piece of these fascinating stories. Some of these Dark sides include: The aim of this research is to explore dark Tourism in Prague, view all the effects of this practice of economic, social and political life in Prague. This is because of the vast stories every center holds therefore tourists are bound to learn a lot from their visits. Therefore, the ability of these sites to attract tourists must be outlined to discuss the increase demand for tourists in Prague. I am interested in dark tourism in Prague because I find it quite intriguing that areas associated with death could spur interest in people. Furthermore, I think these places harbor vast historical content that I aim at making

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Using economic principles, analyse the law of obligation (Negligence) - Essay Example Economic analysis of law uses microeconomic hypotheses to examine rules of negligence and obligation. Economic analysis of law brought at the centre of academic discourse by Richard Posner in 1973 in The Economic Analysis of Law. His work paved the way for precise legal debates on the economic analysis of the law and laid strong foundations for subsequent literature on the economic analysis of the law of negligence. There have been several writers on the economic analysis of the law, some with same viewpoints and same with variations on how law should be affected by economics1. For example, Friedman calls for an economic analysis of law for the simple reason that there should be some strong connection liking effectiveness and justice. He believes that effectiveness stands at the centre of what economics provide today and for this reason, it is better if economic ideas can shape the law. Friedman further asserts that economics is a deep-seated issue is the connotation of reasonable ch oice, and therefore, an indispensable tool for sculpting the outcomes of legal rules. Wolfgang on his part states that economic analysis of the law means that there should always be awareness on the issue of why, along with how human interactions can be guided effectively by the law. He believes economic tools can be used to guide human actions, with particular attention to obligations owed towards others. 3. One yet school of thought is that posited by Mitchell and Shavell who believe that there should and for all times, be a good probability for the imposition of sanctions on negligent behaviour. Economic analysis will therefore guide the magnitude and form of these sanctions so that eventual liability would cause deterrence on the part of the torfeasor.4 Much debate about economic analysis of law has been also been propounded by Ronald Coase (1961)5, Guido Calabresi (1961)6, Commons [1924]7, Hale [1952]8 as well as Richard Posner [1973]9 with controversial ideas in his assertion that rules of common law are efficient and that rules of law must be efficient. He explains â€Å"efficient† to mean compliance to pay. In trying to have comprehensive understanding of these, Kornhauser (1984, 1985)10 brings two assertions: efficient rules are selected for legal processes and people are motivated to fear the law because of its economic consequences. These assertions however, do not match up unswervingly to conventional questions in the philosophy of law because normativity and the requirement to comply with the law are not openly looked at. Economic analysis of law will use a policy perspective to make this evaluation and this angle of reasoning often absolutely adopt some alternative of legal positivism. Analyzing the behavioral effects of the law, it is posited that the law is clearly known only by judges rather than the subjects of the law. Of course, there is strong reason for wanting to believe that the present American tort law supports the basis for th e economic analysis of the law. This particularly relates to the section of economically analyzing the law often called wealth maximization stating that there must be equality of positions between the plaintiff and defendant. This is very true if the plaintiff is thinking of productively benefiting from the negligence of breach of obligations on the part of the defendant. Amartya says: â€Å"The need for incentives may be rightly seen as including an element of blackmail. It would typically include the claims to higher reward for the better endowed and the more productive, who can decide to do less of those of their activities that benefit others, unless they receive more ‘compensation’. If this connection does actually work this way, then an uncompromising pursuit of equality may be self-defeating. Blackmail or not, the incentive connections must be taken into account by someone trying to promote equality†.11 In the late 19th century, economic analysis

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Definition of Faith - Research Paper Example The Bible describes faith as â€Å"substance of things that are hope for and also as the evidence of things that cannot be seen. The description of the Bible shows that faith entails believing that something will happen and also the fact that there is confidence in something that exists even if it cannot be seen. Faith, therefore, focuses on religious issues and sacred believes that certain things like God exist even if we cannot see Him. This leads to beliefs in the existence of God and the infinite wonders of nature that were created. It also expresses confidence that a certain idea, person or a thing is true and should be trusted without a doubt. The fact that people also have confidence in another human being or a thing reveals acts of faith. There are also principles and doctrines that are held as true especially by believers and the express faith and loyalty towards a certain being, idea or a thing. Thus faith can be described as a strong and unwavering belief that something i s real even without evidence (Deighton 73). Faith is not only based on religious practices but also on scientific explanations and events that affect the lives of human beings. For instance, in science, there are certain things that people believe they exist but they have never seen them. Electricity is one of the examples that can be outlined. People believe in the existence of electricity but they have never seen it. The universe is full of inspiring infinite and complicated phenomena that have been extensively been outlined to people through the use of books and other resources. However, since the knowledge of human beings constitutes a small fraction of the universe’s knowledge, people are made to believe in the existence of various phenomena through the construction of certain perspectives in their minds to form the picture of the  universe.

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Organisational behaviour - Essay Example Leadership plays a significant role in organizational management through offering directions and influencing people towards the direction. This involves development of effective teams and effective links between management and other employees. Effective leadership also ensures motivation in an organization (Gupta 2008, p. 110). Consequently, existence of effective leadership in Ecobot Plastics would have prevented or resolved the problems by identifying lack of motivation as the main factor to the problem areas, developing a recovery plan, and influencing implementation of the plan. Leadership traits such as knowledge on effective leadership, â€Å"integrity,† â€Å"initiative,† â€Å"communication skills,† â€Å"motivation skills† (Tulsian 2009, p. 7-22), interpersonal skills, flexibility, and analytical skills are however necessary for addressing the organization’s problems (Gupta 2008, p. 111). Ensuring these traits in the organization, through training and development is therefore necessary and the neo-human relations’ approach to motivation supports this. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory explains the approach that focuses on need to realize self-actualization in people (Wilkinson 2003, p. 90). According to Maslow’s theory, desire to satisfy human needs motivate people (Griffin and Moorhead 2013, p. 93). The needs are further hierarchical, with self-actualization at the highest level, and once needs at a level have been satisfied, they cease to motivate and needs at higher levels becomes new motivato rs (Mosley, Mosley, and Pietri 2014, p. 207). Leadership development will change the organization’s culture from focus on machinery and processes to focus on employees through identification of need for the change and influencing the change. Developed leadership, with motivational skills as a product, will then help in

Using economic principles, analyse the law of obligation (Negligence) Essay

Using economic principles, analyse the law of obligation (Negligence) - Essay Example Economic analysis of law uses microeconomic hypotheses to examine rules of negligence and obligation. Economic analysis of law brought at the centre of academic discourse by Richard Posner in 1973 in The Economic Analysis of Law. His work paved the way for precise legal debates on the economic analysis of the law and laid strong foundations for subsequent literature on the economic analysis of the law of negligence. There have been several writers on the economic analysis of the law, some with same viewpoints and same with variations on how law should be affected by economics1. For example, Friedman calls for an economic analysis of law for the simple reason that there should be some strong connection liking effectiveness and justice. He believes that effectiveness stands at the centre of what economics provide today and for this reason, it is better if economic ideas can shape the law. Friedman further asserts that economics is a deep-seated issue is the connotation of reasonable ch oice, and therefore, an indispensable tool for sculpting the outcomes of legal rules. Wolfgang on his part states that economic analysis of the law means that there should always be awareness on the issue of why, along with how human interactions can be guided effectively by the law. He believes economic tools can be used to guide human actions, with particular attention to obligations owed towards others. 3. One yet school of thought is that posited by Mitchell and Shavell who believe that there should and for all times, be a good probability for the imposition of sanctions on negligent behaviour. Economic analysis will therefore guide the magnitude and form of these sanctions so that eventual liability would cause deterrence on the part of the torfeasor.4 Much debate about economic analysis of law has been also been propounded by Ronald Coase (1961)5, Guido Calabresi (1961)6, Commons [1924]7, Hale [1952]8 as well as Richard Posner [1973]9 with controversial ideas in his assertion that rules of common law are efficient and that rules of law must be efficient. He explains â€Å"efficient† to mean compliance to pay. In trying to have comprehensive understanding of these, Kornhauser (1984, 1985)10 brings two assertions: efficient rules are selected for legal processes and people are motivated to fear the law because of its economic consequences. These assertions however, do not match up unswervingly to conventional questions in the philosophy of law because normativity and the requirement to comply with the law are not openly looked at. Economic analysis of law will use a policy perspective to make this evaluation and this angle of reasoning often absolutely adopt some alternative of legal positivism. Analyzing the behavioral effects of the law, it is posited that the law is clearly known only by judges rather than the subjects of the law. Of course, there is strong reason for wanting to believe that the present American tort law supports the basis for th e economic analysis of the law. This particularly relates to the section of economically analyzing the law often called wealth maximization stating that there must be equality of positions between the plaintiff and defendant. This is very true if the plaintiff is thinking of productively benefiting from the negligence of breach of obligations on the part of the defendant. Amartya says: â€Å"The need for incentives may be rightly seen as including an element of blackmail. It would typically include the claims to higher reward for the better endowed and the more productive, who can decide to do less of those of their activities that benefit others, unless they receive more ‘compensation’. If this connection does actually work this way, then an uncompromising pursuit of equality may be self-defeating. Blackmail or not, the incentive connections must be taken into account by someone trying to promote equality†.11 In the late 19th century, economic analysis