Overfishing and it Effects to the Environment Essay

For the last 10 years, the world had been aware of the various changes which had been occurring within our environment. It is known to us that the actions which our ancestors had done in the past have now caused us many problems such as global disasters that could truly ruin the future of the next generation. In the event of the problem of climate change (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005), various things had come up such as pollution of the air and various water resources. Due to this, different aspect of the environment is deeply affected and sometimes devastated because of the scenarios present. For many people who live in a place where in fishing is their main industry, it is immediately declared that their primary source of income is directly affected by the harsh conditions of the changing weather brought by climate change. Although it is true the climate change is affecting the waters which is one of the main source of our resources, it could not be hidden that the individuals who are directly involved in the industry are also to be blamed to the catastrophe in the water industry. In the waters, one of the main problems which are faced by the industries is the lessening of the fishes in the see. One of the main culprits of this issue is the over fishing of various fishermen who are connected to the huge companies. Over fishing had been a main concern for various non-governmental organizations such that of the Green Peace. It was said by the respectful environmental group that â€Å"over-exploitation and mismanagement of fisheries has already led to some spectacular fisheries collapses. The cod fishery off Newfoundland, Canada collapsed in 1992, leading to the loss of some 40,000 jobs in the industry. The cod stocks in the North Sea and Baltic Sea are now heading the same way and are close to complete collapse† (Green Peace, 2008). Even before human beings have discovered new technologies, it is known that fishes are the main source of food for many. Based on various historical books such as the Bible, fish was the main commodity for the people in order for them to eat. As years gone by, more and more people are inclined to get more fish in order for them to gain income to provide their families. Various innovations and technological advancements were also used to increase the number of catch due to the increasing number of demand for fish. Based on the studies made by the Green Peace and their team of scientists it was stated that overfishing truly is causing a grave danger for the marine life and diversity of our oceans. Most of the fishermen who have the capacity to catch enough fish are those that utilize nets which are not suited to legally catch fish. Many of the fishermen use nets which has smaller holes which do not allow the smaller fishes to escape. This type of scenario happens most of the time, therefore the young fishes were not given a chance to grow and be mature enough to be caught. Through the Young People’s Trust for the Environment, types of events happen due to commercial fishing. There are various techniques that are done by fishermen in order for them to capture various kinds of fishes. There are fishes which are called â€Å"pelagic† meaning they live within the upper parts of the water making them the most accessible fishes to be caught by fishing nets which are connected to the gigantic ships that fishermen use. It is stated that, â€Å"net suspended from floats is stretched between two boats so that fish swim into it. Fish are unable to swim backwards, so once they are caught in the net, there is no escape unless they are small enough to fit through the net’s mesh† (Young People’s Trust for the Environment, 2008). Other fishes that are in the deeper level of the sea are caught differently. There is also a big net placed under the boat which then gets everything that it captures along the way. The marine resources that I catch were not only fish but also the coral reefs, the schools and other organisms which are not supposed to be captured during the act of fishing. Such action is not only disastrous for the young fishes but also the organisms within the environment because they are also being displaced and even killed when there are commercial ships around. (n. p. ) In order to mitigate the problem of over fishing different agencies have created ways in order for them to fully destabilize the problem which is being caused by over fishing. One of the main agencies are the United Nations in which launched various types of programs and amendments to protect the marine resources all over the world as well as protect the marine resources that our world currently have. In 1995, an article was written about the treaty in which was proposed under the United Nations which addresses the problem in over fishing. It states that the treaty should be approved by 185 countries which then be ratified by 30 countries in order for the treaty to be fully taken into place. In addition, another program which had been under the United Nations is the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (Government of Canada, 2006). However, Green Peace and World Wildlife Fund had expressed that this treaty would not directly answer the problems of over fishing. In fact, Matthew Gianni had stated that there is a great possibility that yearly there will be new innovations of boats which will be able to detect fish which then result to much more damage to our marine resources (Crossette, 1995). With such article, it directly states that these international organizations does not trust that a plain agreement with various countries thus they suggests more than just an agreement but a full arrangement and limitation of the types of vessels which should be reasonable to be able to catch enough fish. In addition, fishes which will be caught will be enough in size and maturity which will then leave the small fishes to be fully grown and create another generation of fishes. The World Wildlife Fund have done their own actions in order for help create a sustainable fishing for the future generation. They have noted various types of steps in which they called: Fisheries Partnership Agreements which listed these various general actions to fully attain sustainable fishing: †¢ respect sustainable fishing levels account for environmental costs †¢ protect local fishers †¢ include compliance with flag state laws †¢ are based on best practice fisheries management †¢ include cooperation on research and monitoring †¢ ensure adequate monitoring and enforcement capacity †¢ ensure fairer sharing of economic benefits between producer and extractor nations (World Wildlife Fund, 2008) In conclusion, many of our world’s resources had now been gone and are still being abused by various types of industries due to the demand of resources the global economy has. But then, we should remember that we must learn how to conserve our natural resources so that there would not be scarce resources for the future. Like the World Wildlife Fund and the Green Peace have stated, it is not enough the there will be treaties and agreements under these types of issues. It is still important that the mitigation process should be continuously checked in order to incur changes for the environment, the amount of resources as well as to secure the lives of the future generation. The continuous efforts of the international community, through the help of various countries as well as the international organization will lead to a prosperous and much more peaceful fellowship with one another. On the other hand, the issue of climate change must also be resolved for the reason that it also affects the issue regarding overfishing and lessening of the resources available for various marine industries. Although there are issues like this, it should be taken into mind that the responsibility is not only through organizations but also through an individualistic perspective.

Criminal Punishment: Utility vs. Retribution

Eva Rivera 3/7/13 Phil 108 – EthicsShort Paper #2 Criminal Punishment: Utility vs. Retribution Chapter 10 – Topic #3 The practice of punishment is part of our society and functions to maintain social order. However, there are a couple different view points regarding how to appropriately carry out punishment. Retribution and Utilitarianism are two philosophies that have very different views on the theory of punishment. Philosopher Immanuel Kant asserts that Retribution is the model for punishment.Kant argues that punishment should be governed by two principles: 1. people should be punished solely for the reason that they have committed a crime and 2. punishment is to be in proportion to the severity of the crime (Rachels 142). For example, a small punishment is suitable for a small crime and a more serious punishment is suitable for a more serious crime. Furthermore, Retribution means that a person committing a crime will be held responsible for their actions.Kantâ€℠¢s moral theory states humans, having the capacity to reason and make choices for themselves, need to be held accountable. If we don’t, then we are treating them as if they were not rational, reasonable agents. Furthermore, justification of punishment comes from the nature of the crime and does not consider if the consequences are good or bad, just that the person pays the penalty for having committed the crime. This view point is vastly different that the Utilitarian model of punishment (Bzdak PP). The Utilitarian view point always considers the consequences of punishment.The foundation of Utilitarianism is that happiness is the ultimate goal and we need to do whatever we can to maximize this. Punishment is wrong (immoral) because it is, inherently, an unhappy circumstance. However, punishment is moral if the good outweighs the bad. Punishment should lead to good consequences; it should help the person being punished so both society and the criminal benefit. The principle of rehabilitation is at play here and the goal is to do whatever is needed to make the criminal a productive member of society.The view of Retribution not only differs with Utilitarianism on the view of consequences but also human integrity or dignity. The Utilitarian justification of rehabilitation is not in line with Retribution. Retributivists would say that it is disrespectful to humans to treat them as though they were not rational beings and because of this, need to be rehabilitated. As stated before, there are only two principles governing punishment – having done the crime and receiving an appropriate punishment – disregarding other reasons like consequences.In my opinion, I think that retribution is more appealing than the utilitarian view. The biggest factor that sways me to retribution is the concern of those who don’t commit crimes. Retribution is only concerned with those who commit crimes be held accountable. Utilitarians can easily justify punishing an innocent person on the grounds that it would benefit the greater happiness of the world. References Rachels, S. , & Rachels, J. (2012). The elements of moral philosophy (7th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Theories and Principles that Govern Ethical Decision Making in Research Paper

Theories and Principles that Govern Ethical Decision Making in Medicine - Research Paper Example the systematic inquiry into man’s moral behavior with the purpose of discovering the rules that ought to govern human action and the goods that are worth seeking in human life†. These ethical standards governing the existence of human life also encompass the realm of medical entities. This essay is written to present the underlying theoretical concepts and principles governing ethical decision making in the field of medicine. In addition, it aims to determine the ways in which conflicts of interest inherent in various financial and organizational arrangements for the practice of medicine can pose threats to the medical professionalism. There are basically five underlying theoretical framework for ethical decision making in the medical profession, to wit: deontological theory (what one must do, based on duties and obligations), teleological theory (the purpose or consequences of the moral acts), consequentialist theory (the moral value of an act, rule or policy is to be found in its consequences, not in intentions or motives), virtue ethics (seen in the way we feel is the ‘right’ way to behave towards patients and to colleagues) and casuistry (or case based reasoning, does not focus on rules and theories but rather on practical decision-making in particular cases based on precedent). (Slowther, et.al. 2004) Slowther, et.al. (2004) averred that â€Å"Beauchamp and Childress’ Four Principles approach is one of the most widely used frameworks and offers a broad consideration of medical ethics issues generally, not just for use in a clinical setting†. These principles are: â€Å"(1) respect for autonomy: respecting the decision-making capacities of autonomous persons; enabling individuals to make reasoned informed choices), (2) beneficence: balancing benefits of treatment against the risks and costs; the healthcare professional should act in a way that benefits the patient, (3) non maleficence: avoiding causing harm; the healthcare professional should not

Case Analysis of OD Letter Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis of OD Letter - Case Study Example Is that true? I could sure use someone to bounce some ideas off. I’d appreciate any insights. Sorry to have missed your call but I was in Oklahoma City doing some work with one of my new field teams. And now that I’m back, your secretary said you were out of the area on company business. So this is what we get paid the big bucks for! I thought I’d zap this e-mail off instead of waiting for you to get back at headquarters. Your e-mail triggered some old memories. Excuse my rambling in what I will share with you. I’ll add the details when I see you. Please keep this confidential. Yes, you were right about me working with the XRS project team. I looked in my records and it was three years ago that I worked with XRS. I have been indirectly keeping in touch with how things are going there through one of my old contacts. Their project manager, John Everet, had been under a lot of pressure from his department head, Kate Pringle, to get the project moving at a faster pace. It seems that the team was not turning out any results, and John had been the team manager for over two years. Kate talked to me about the team. She seemed to think there was some friction among members andmaybe that John was causing some problems.†¨Anyway, Kate contacted me to see if I would go along on the team’s annual retreat and maybe help them with severalissues—mainly personnel stuff—and, me being an outsider, bring in a new perspective. Because the company requires an out- sider from another division to go along and help with the training on team retreats, John didn’t have much choice about me being there. He sure didn’t go out of his way to make me feel welcome. I decided it would be wise to go easy at first until I got the lay of the land, and retreats generally have gone pretty well. Most teams have gone away from the retreat thinking they have worked out some team issues. Well, this retreat broke the mold. Anyway, the three-day retreat was weird. The retreat

Food and Its Impact on Health and Environment Research Paper

Food and Its Impact on Health and Environment - Research Paper Example The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese: I have selected a very popular fast food item on the menu of fast food chains, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It is one of my favorite meals too but I have got to know many impacts it holds upon our health and long term living, also not to mention the impacts on animals and environment. A very popular documentary â€Å"Super-Size Me† was based upon the very similar issue. The maker of the documentary tries to gauge the impacts of fast food on his health and he goes on to eat McDonald’s meal every day three times for a period of 30 days. The impact it has on his health are enormous; he picks up a lot of fat and weight in the process. The doctors who had analyzed him said that he was also suffering from depression and anxiety and the meals had caused great damage to his heart. The documentary proved extremely shocking for many since it brought about the very true picture of how bad the impact of fast food is on our health. Composition of the Quarter Pounder: Now let’s delve into the ingredients of what makes a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese so interesting. The double quarter pounder contains 4 oz. beef patty, 2 slices of cheese and a sesame seed bun. Well it is also served with barbeque and mushroom sauce on many occasions. The calories count is 740 which are very high on any scale in the world. Its nutrition grade is also D. The amounts of calories are predominantly fat and cholesterol. (Calorie Count) The Sourcing & Production of its Ingredients: The Beef Patty is composed of beef usually locally sourced depending upon the location of the food chains. The beef patty is composed of corn fed beef which gives it the crisp and color. A United Nations study has found that almost 18% of greenhouse gases come from the ranching and slaughtering of cows. Due to the various techniques of cow breeding and corn based feed, the beef is now much cheaper and fattier than ever before. (Ecoliteracy) The b eef processing is done by large conglomerates and a patty may contain meat form many different cows. The cows are bred in a very inhumane level and through different scientific treatments are grown bigger than their bones and body can sustain. After slaughtering, the beef is transported in its raw form to different places across the country where the beef is processed. The beef is processed in machines that bring together the mince and process them with corn to form patties. These patties are then hauled to local fast food producers where they are deep fried in oil and used in the burgers. The Cheese is very similar to this. Cows are given heavy dosage of stimulus and steroids to expedite milk production which not only causes diseases in animals but also decreases their life and may also transmit some of that in the milk too. The milk is then transported for further process where it is made into cheese and shipped to local food stores. Now a lot of fuel is being burnt in the process and global warming is one of the causes of fuel burning through transportation. On average a food related products has to travel almost fifteen hundred miles to reach to a store and this transportation accounts for about thirty eight thousand tons of greenhouse gas emission per annum. (Ecoliteracy) Health Impacts: 1 – Headaches The processed meat is contained in the burgers that is a cause of

Inflation in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Inflation in the United States - Research Paper Example The case with the nation of the United States is not in any case different. Recent report from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in less than a month ago that the price index for all items has increased by 1.4 percent over the first twelve months (USDL, 2012). This could be an indication that inflation rates have increased in the United States. However, as the following chat indicates the increase in inflation has not increased in a rate that would affect the economy. The CFI-U chat above shows only a very slight upward shift on the consumer price index during the period suggested by the report. This period is subsequently followed by a period of lower CFI-U as indicated by the chat. The lowering of CFI-U indicated by the chat show that inflation rate in the United States has been decreasing since July this year. Moreover, the raise in CFI-U is very slight thus indicating that the increase in inflation during that period was insignificant. The current consumer price index is lower than the one that was reported five years ago. This indicates a significant decline in the inflation rates in this country. Inflation in a country is mainly caused by economic activities and the volatility of the economy. One reason why United States has been able to reduce inflation is that it has been able to reduce the volatility of its economy. Another reason is that it has been able to increase the economic activities undertaken on its economy. All this has been done through adapting an effective monetary and fiscal policy. Fiscal and monetary policies have been identified as the most essential tools of solving economic problems. In solving economic problems, the two policies help to reduce the inflation rates in an economy. Moreover, they help to sustain low inflation rates in an economy despite the external factors that might try to increase the inflation rates. According to Yang & Traum (2010), the fiscal policy adapted by the United States focuses on adjusting government spending and tax rate. Increase in government spending has several effects to this country’s citizens. Among these effec ts is the increase in the commitment of the government in the provision of essential services. This raises the standards of living of individuals in this country thus resulting to economic growth. Lowering tax on the other had stimulates economic activities in a nation. United States has been maintaining a low tax rates in its economy thus raising the aggregate demand and expenditure in its economy. The raised aggregate demand and expenditure stimulates the economic activities thus resulting to economic growth. The economic growth has been enabling this nation to lower its inflation rates and sustaining the low levels of inflation. United States has been maintaining low interest rates on its economy. This is mainly aimed at reducing the supply of money. As a result, it could be categorized as a contradictory monetary policy (Dwivedi, 2010). The policy plays a very significant role in raising the price of this country’s currency. This assists in reducing the inflations rates i n the economy of the United States. However, in an attempt to overcome unexpected increases in inflation, the monetary authority in this country is forced to introduce expansionary monetary policy in the economy. Expansionary monetary policy is one that focuses on increasing the supply of

Social Entreprenuerism Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Entreprenuerism Questions - Research Paper Example Communities play an intricate role in the development and growth of the social enterprise. The community creates the legitimacy for the enterprise by providing marketing and distribution channels. It is; therefore, correct to insinuate that they are donor-investors as they contribute to the growth of the enterprise (Dees et al., 2002). Analyzing performance in this enterprise in crucial since everybody needs to be well- prepared for the task at hand. Any failure or laxity may prove detrimental to the growth of the enterprise (Dees et al., 2002). The rapid growth of profit-maximization organizations may prove difficult to come back from such a decline. One vital characteristic is their ability to convince a customer of the possible nature of the seemingly impossible. Their confidence is a personal trait that sets them apart from the rest (Dees et al., 2002). Confident individuals who try to sell something always have an edge over their competitors. I met a street vendor selling action figures who convinced me to purchase one. It was his confidence that enabled him to grab my

Value of Art to the People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Value of Art to the People - Essay Example To this end, the piece of art serves them a memory of what they normally refer to as the sacrifice of Christ and so as it would naturally be expected, the value the sacrifice and thus the art dearly. The notion I develop about the people is that they are highly religious with so much emphasis on the Christian religion. From the piece of art I saw and how carefully the people have invested into the beauty and glamour of the art, it will not be out of place to say that most of the people are Christians who cherish the sacrifice of their religious leader highly. Again, I get the notion that even though there may as many popular cultures associated with the people, they are more inclined to their religious concepts than other aspects of their lives. There were two major components of the piece of art that was seen. The first has to do with the scene of an oval vessel with a sealed base. The vessel is made of clay and so could be said to be a ceramic art. The vessel can, therefore, hold w ater and food. The second scene is a tripod that has been made of stone. The color of the vessel and the stones are the same but there has been any color used to create other designs on the vessel. Looking closely at the piece of art, one can tell how the people value the availability of food and water, which are two of the major needs for human existence. However, the piece of art preaches that food and water can be made available only when the people come together as a collective force; as in the case of the tripod to work together. Indeed, the vessel cannot stand if any of the three stones is removed. From the value of the art to the people, I get a notion that the people are highly hard working and believe in the virtue of unity. It is not surprising there is the saying among the Chinese, who are also Asians that in unity is strength.  

Colonialism in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colonialism in Africa - Essay Example The indigenous people in Africa reacted differently to European colonialism. Most of them were against the colonial powers since they saw it as a way of undermining their cultural values and practices. The colonial powers came with a new system of formal education and religion that Africans were not ready to adopt. The Europeans also introduced new systems of government that collided with the systems that governed the indigenous people. The chiefs and other leaders of the African communities lost their significance in their own land. Many African communities went into war with the Europeans to drive them out of their countries. Although there is a number of the countries that collaborated with the European rule, this was only based on a short-term basis after which they resisted. The major goal of the American Revolution is to attain the independence of America by fighting back the control by the British government. Initially, the colonies did not have problems with the British powers because there was no direct parliamentary control by the British. Following the Indian and French wars between 1754 and 1763, Britain lost huge amounts of money that had to be recovered. The colonial power imposed taxes on the colonies without their knowledge to pay for the huge national debt. This was the initial action that outraged the colonialists and the primary factor that led to the violent revolution that followed. From 1765 to 1783, the rebel colonialists in the American colonies rejected the aristocracy imposed to them by the British.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example k Douglass† is an essay that is meant to be read after one has had a briefing on the history of African - American slavery in the United States and its subsequent result, which is the Civil War between the North and South for the freedom of the slaves. In his narrative, Mr. Douglass clearly points out the main reasons why there was a need to free the slaves and why the slaves who did not wish to be freed should support the abolishment of slavery just the same. Using all three avenues of rhetoric -- ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his essay gives the reader the sense that although the writer came from a slave background, he was far from being ignorant and uneducated. Rather, Mr. Douglass acquitted himself quite well as he presented his well thought out case for the demise of slavery and the need to punish those who had done them wrong. The writing of Mr. Douglass was amazing for its time because he had accomplished something that the slave owners said could not be done. He had proven that even slaves, when given a chance to learn and educate themselves, can equal their masters in terms of intelligence and intellectual capacity. This is a belief that is easy to admit to since, as one reads â€Å"Life of Frederick Douglass† it shall never cross the mind of the reader that he was reading the work of a man who did not have a formal education and that the person behind the writing, was himself an escaped slave. Of all of the three rhetorical methods that he used in the narrative, it is my opinion that the most effective method that he used was Pathos. Why is that you might ask? Although I could have chosen to say that he used Ethos to the best of his abilities, since he was after all speaking from the point of view of a former slave, he did not dwell long enough on a point of view in order to drive home his arguments. Instead, he made ample of use his personal stories to connect with the reader. Quotes such as; â€Å"Never having enjoyed, to any considerable

Macroeconomics Assignment Essay Example for Free

Macroeconomics Assignment Essay Current economic conditions in the U. S an all around the world are rising to alarming situations, with the dilemma being common that whether its inflation or recession, which is hampering the economy badly. The liquidity issues are affecting the U. S economy badly, the money supply is shrinking although the Federal Reserve is pursuing an accommodative monetary policy, but due to its lesser control and the dynamism of the U. S economy, this policy seems to have a very low effect on the liquidity situation in the overall economy. After a rise in the money supply for few months the money supply has been contracting since then, the M2 component of the money supply, which consists of cash, consumer deposits and checking has been shrinking. While M3 which consists of the above, plus the large time deposits and other items is also changing its direction towards a lower end. The figure depicts the trends of the money supply and how it has dipped gradually. Figure 1: Annual U. S. Money Supply Growth Source: Shadow Government Statistics, 2009 This condition can result into the weakening of economic activity and pulling out money from stocks. Recently the downfall in the consumer spending and the lowering of the stock prices is the sign of scorched liquidity in the economy (Kellner, 2003). In this current situation of economic dilemma, the current economic conditions demands active measures from the new president and the U. S congress to overcome the hazards created by the weakening economy. Government should try to push more liquidity into the market; the FED should try to increase the money supply through lowering the interest rate, pushing more money into the economy by funding the companies and the corporations that can create more stability in the economy. The government should try to create more jobs into the economy by pushing their spending this will surely create more consumers spending and thus providing a ground to combat recession in the economy. These economic measures are the need of the time and they will certainly have their effects on the economy. Thus, by acting proactively on these strategies the government can easily face all the difficult circumstances. References Kellner, I. (2003, November). Where has all the money gone? Retrieved Feburary 10, 2009, from Market Watch : http://www. marketwatch. com/News/Story/Story. aspx? guid=%7BF1B1B20B-EBDE-435F-8349-A19E26DBB945%7Dsiteid=mktwdist=nwhpm Figures Figure 1: Annual U. S. Money Supply Growth Shadow Government Statistics. (2009). Annual U. S. Money Supply Growth. Retrieved Feburary 10, 2009 from http://www. shadowstats. com/charts_republish#m3

Situation analysis and market plan for a UK bank

Situation analysis and market plan for a UK bank In UK I am working in a Harvest bank and I have to prepare a business plan for a bank in the situation when there was global recession in the country and now banking industry is coming out of recession. There are a lot of opportunities in the current market because new businesses are growing, new migrants are coming in the country specially students, many Europeans are also coming because of the recovery toward stability in the country. In this situation many sole proprietors and partnerships are taking place many people want to start business. There is an opportunity for banks so our bank can take benefits from this situation by launching an online bank because of the intervention of technology in banks which are reducing the costs, giving competition and tough time to every business so a banks. UK market analysis In a report from Office of National Statistic in opinion survey in August 2010 it was stated that about 30.1 million of adults uses the internet every day which is approximately 60% of the total population. The number of persons who never used the internet is decreasing day by day in every year about 9-10 million user adds in previous years. The number of person who bought the goods or services from online source was about 31 million in last year. This figure represent about 62% of all person who are above the age of 16, mostly people purchased sports and clothes from online. There was about 73% internet connection in houses for total house holds which is almost 19.2 millions houses. People use more internet connection in London than outer / other part of the London. Large numbers of people especially teenagers use internet for social networking websites like Facebook, twitter, Bebo, Twitter, Yahoo, Hotmail and others. So UK market is use to of the internet so they can also use internet online bank account because of the shortage of time, 24 Hrs banking, and all banking facilities through online. You can do online purchasing and check the banking transactions simultaneously. Time saving is a key factor for these types of banks and banking transactions, bank can reduce cost for its operations. They can give competitive edge in facilities as compare to there rivals and create a bench mark in the banking industry. Product and Technology Analysis In product and technology analysis, our Harvest bank is introducing manly two product in the UK market which are online direct deposit product and online residential mortgagees lending product which are very easy for Harvest bank to manage. These are the introductory products besides these we will launch other more products completion of the introductory phase of the above mention products. Customers want to get more and more facilities from new companies at a competitive price as well as new products with innovative features. From technological perspective in UK, it is well establish and there is well develop infrastructure which is capable of handling these types of business products. As we mentioned above that the technology is very cheap in the country, telecommunication sector is developed which is the basis of online banking because bank has to provide online and telephoning banking facilities so it is good for the new harvest online bank. The technology and telecommunication sectors are interlinked with each other in UK both sectors are well equipped and have a good technological infrastructure. Environmental Analysis In environmental analysis we will analyse both internal and external environmental analysis of the bank. by doing this we will be know that what strategies we will be need to achieve our objective / goal in the banking industry because of the competition in the banking sector. External Analysis In external analysis we our bank will look on the broader prospect and external environment out side the organization which will be helpful for our bank for making strategies efficiently and effectively. Political The political situation of the UK is stable, country is coming out of recession, govt and investors are investing in the country especially in stock market and financial market. FSA ( Financial Services Authority ) is making new policies for money laundering activities, customers satisfaction, quality services from banks, banking industry growth, and safe guard of depositors interest and the money. Soon when BASEL III will launch than there will be more regulatory policies for banking industry so it is better to launch bank now because the conditions and circumstances are good for launching a bank in UK now a days. Social, Demographic Cultural Social and Culture of the UK is mix people belong to different demographic sectors so there cannot be a universal rule or policies for the customer. We should be aware of the fact and formulate those policies which are beneficial for all public at large, which cover all the sector of the society. There is about 61 million population of the country, both male and female work together with about 55 and 45 respectively. There are equal opportunities of employment for every one. Every one is independent in this country so there are more opportunities for opening a bank account because people use to surf internet every day about 60% of the adults use internet every day which is lot so people will like to use online baking facility. Now days almost every one has mobile internet facility or smart phones which can enable customers to check web sites and internet on their phones which is good banks and customers. Economic The Economic situation of the country is making progress because of the fiscal and monetary policies of the country. Although the county was in the bad recession period of the time but now it is progressing toward recovery which is good for the country, banking industry is playing very important role in it by investing the economy which is the need of the time. In UK there is more import than export so there is deficit in balance of payment which is negative for the country. Although county more export is services, technology, machinery and innovation, but is not enough for the country because there is less productivity or industrialization in the country. Technological The technology of the UK is advance which is helpful for launching our online bank and its products. There is modern telecommunication system in the country which is wireless and fibre optic cables system. In banking industry there is IBAN and SWIFT code system exist which is very helpful for international banking. The infrastructures of ATMs exist in whole country which allow customer to withdraw their money at any time for their convenience, now in most of the banks there are ATMs machine which allow customers to deposit money in machine instead at the counter. Modern infrastructure of internet is very advance in the country which is top most requirement of the online banking. Market UK market consists of Govt. Semi govt. Public, private, corporate, insurance companies, teachers, students, self employed, job seekers and national residents. By the law of the country it is required by the companies, govt. Corporate entities, partnership firms and sole proprietors to have a bank account and do business transactions through banking channel, because they have to show in their business transaction for VAT, income tax return and companies house return that their business transactions are through banking channels. Thus online baking service will provide them a better and clear cut picture of business transaction and their needs. For employees they can get salary direct to their account which they can use for their needs. They have 24 hour access to their account transactions, any one can do banking at any time they dont have to wait for the opening hours of bank. Competition The UK market is well educated because more people are educated. The people already have a knowledge of online banking because there are different competitor in the market, main competitors are ING Direct, Metro and HSBC Direct other are Lloyds, Barclay, Natwest, Hlifax, Santander etc. Now in UK almost every bank is providing online banking facility but they have speciality in different fields but the ING Direct and Metro are main bank who are primarily in online banking. Metro was lunched just recently about one year ago and it is doing well so metro bank is our main competitor in online banking with recent launch, we should be aware of it. Besides these competitors there are many other competitors in the market like credit card companies and insurance companies. All of these companies are accepting deposits and providing traditional banking facilities like virgin group of companies it comes in insurance, banking and credit card. There are many other companies which are providing services which banks provide so there is more tough competition in the banking industry. Swot Analysis For SWOT analysis we have to look at the company internal and external environmental factors. In internal environmental factors we have to look at the bank from inside perspective i.e. management, organization it self, its policies / Strategies, human resource, bank infrastructure and customer satisfactions. Strengths Our Harvest bank already exists in the banking industry so it is our strength that our brand name exists in the industry customer and general public know our bank. There are a lot of customers in our existing bank which are helpful for our new banking product which will suit our existing and new customers. Our organizational structure is flat which is very helpful in decision making and efficiency of the organization. Most of our bank staff is young and energetic, they have the require capabilities and training for new technology and system which is progress, all staff is fully motivated. We have local staff in every city and town, who can attract the local customers. We have the best technological infrastructure for online banking requirement. Safety and security of the banking software is very high because they have the strategic alliance which top software manufacturing company of the company. Weaknesses Our staff is young they dont have much exposure of the competitor, customers and banking which can lead to poor performance and effect our reputation and high standard of service. We have a lot of competitors which are international and bigger than us, they have research department and more qualifies staff who can deal with legal, operational, technological and other changes. Our competitors have more correspondent banking relationship for foreign exchange business, we are not familiar with this so it will be difficult for us in this tough competition. Opportunities Harvest bank is well known in the eye of customers, govt. public and private sector so our products of online deposits and online mortgages will be easily taken by the customers. Country is coming out of recession, customers have not sufficient fund for deposits but we can take money from international financial market and invest in online mortgages services. In recession property prices went down now people are again investing in houses for save and secure investment purpose. It is good time for us to invest in mortgages for the persons who have less money for house by providing them competitive rate on property mortgages at the basis of credit rating / score of customer. Govt is encouraging house holder to remain in their property and providing them financial sport for mortgage instalment, it is save and secure investment. The competitive rates and pricing of the products provide us better image in the eye of the customers and we can attract customers. There is more scope for our bank to advertise through electronic media and create awareness of our product and services to attract customers. The tourism industry of Europe and UK is increasing alot of students, investors and migrants are coming which could be prospective clients for our bank for money depositing. In upcoming years there is more advance technology in banking when there will be no paper money and all the transaction will be through banking / online, we should be prepare for it. Threats Some clients still want to do business with our competitors Source: Office of National Statistic Opinions Survey Statistical Bulletin: Internet Access 2010 www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iahi0810.pdf http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=8

Ethnic Conflict Or Insurgency In Nepal Politics Essay

Ethnic Conflict Or Insurgency In Nepal Politics Essay Although the unification of Nepal began in the later-half of the eighteenth century, integrating many small principalities and emerging as a nation state of the Westphalian model, Nepal always remained a multiethnic, diverse country without having any core ethno-federal region.  [1]  While Nepal did not experience any significant ethnic problem for almost two and half centuries after it came into being, some of its ethnic groups enjoyed more privilege in the socio-politico-economic sector than others. Yet, after the establishment of a democratic system in 1990, grievances of underprivileged groups surfaced. As the ethnic grievances were burgeoning, the abrupt start of the Maoist insurgency in 1996 overshadowed all ethnic movements, assimilating them into the large-scale Maoist rebellion. Thus, it is difficult to classify the Nepalese ethnic problem and perceive it either as an ethnic conflict, ethnic violence, or a rebel movement. Prior to the initiation of the Maoists armed move ment, ethnic problems in Nepal were based on political, economic, social, and cultural issues, limited, to the level of conflict but did not escalated to the level of violence. However, with the beginning of the Maoist insurgency, the Nepalese conflict turned into an ideological based violent political power struggle against the existing government by a rebel organization. While there may be different interpretations and perceptions regarding whether the Maoist movement was successful or not; one thing is clear, it was successful in outmaneuvering the then governing regime becoming the largest political party bloc in the Constitutional Assembly election. The puzzle remains why the ideological conflict was successful despite the proclamation of end of the history by Francis Fukuyama and a Clash of civilization as a form of future conflict by the eminent political scientist Samuel Huntington after the end of the Cold War.  [2]  My purpose in this paper is to analyze this divergent outcome in Nepal. There has a been a nascent ethnic awareness after the establishment of a democratic system in Nepal, yet, the political mobilization of ethnicity by elites would not have been possible without the political incentives to activate it. I argue that the intervention by the Nepalese Maoists mutated the nature of the ethnic conflict into a fusionist one. Before addressing the core question, I attempt to analyze the Nepalese ethnic conflict through different theoretical lenses. Nepalese Conflict from a Broad Perspective Generally, any ethnic conflict can be explained in the light of three broad approaches -situational, instrumental, and primordial. While explaining the various motivations of conflicts in Nepal, the situational and instrumental approaches seems to be more convincing than a primordial one.  [3]  However, some dimensions of primordial force cannot be ruled out; especially a rise of grievances caused by taking the lid off after the collapse of the monarchy in 2006. When the authoritarian Panchayat system ended in 1990, it had created a power vacuum in Nepalese politics. When political and ethnic entrepreneurs rushed in to fill the void, namely vested, as well as parochial interests weakened the state and formed new democratic institutions. Manipulating these opportunities of political chaos and ethnic grievances, the Maoists came entered the scene with a strategic objective of establishing a totalitarian communist regime. They divided the country into their own administrative units and subunits to consolidate and advance their struggle more effectively and efficiently. Their administrative division of the country based on ethnic lines validated their excessive reliance on ethnicity to achieve ideological strategic objectives.  [4]  According to Michael E. Brown, a single-factor explanation cannot fully explain the evolution and intensity of internal and ethnic conflict, rather he advances multiple arguments derived from in theory existing, causes of internal conflict. Therefore, the Nepalese conflict can also be analyzed by means of three main arguments underlying factors, catalytic or proximate factors, and a role played by domestic elites.  [5]   Underlying Causes of the Nepalese Conflict Four underlying factors suggest why the Nepalese situation and its geography contributed to ethnic conflict. First, the structural factors explain the likelihood of ethnic conflict in terms of weak states, intra-state security concerns, and ethnic geography. While other symptoms of weak states are also more or less prevalent in Nepal, where the political institutions remained in a rudimentary state. Some of the reasons for such an existence of rudimentary political institutions in Nepal are explainable by unhealthy inter-party political rivalry after the establishment of the multiparty democracy in 1990, and the legacy of 104 years of the Rana oligarchic, political system from 1846 through 1950. Some other endogenous factors such as endemic corruption, administrative incompetence, and inability to promote economic development also have contributed immensely as precursors to the conflict. When the Nepalese state became weak, the power struggle between and among various political parties increased. The two major political parties, the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), and other political parties formed different alliances to claim paramount state power. Most of the time, during the multi-party democratic period, the Nepali Congress was in power; nevertheless, it could not complete even single full term of its tenure in the government following a split in the party. Because of this power struggle among the major political forces, ethnic groups such as Rai, Magar, Limbu, Tamang, Sherpa, Newar, Tharu, and Madhesi, which formerly had been oppressed by the center, were able to assert themselves politically. The weakening state structure also resulted in a less effective control of the Nepal-India border. Such a less effective control rapidly increased cross-border movements of arms, ammunitions, explosives, and other smuggl ed goods. This was a fertile environment for the Maoists to launch their violent ideological struggle. Many people from rural areas moved to neighboring India for greater security and employment. This situation also created a huge number of Internally Displaced People (IDP) within different parts of Nepal When the state grew further weaker, different groups and individuals started arranging for their own security. This also provided incentives to the Maoists for military preparations. The establishment of a Maoist Militia to defend themselves and fight against their enemies threatened the states security apparatus and other groups at community level, resulting in doubling the size of Nepals military and lead as well to the formation of anti-Maoists community defense forces at the local level. This again galvanized an upsurge of the Maoists military structure and a resulting armed violence creating a vicious cycle of security dilemma. At times, community defense forces exhibited offensive capabilities, even if they were formed for defensive purposes. This intensified the security concern caused by the Maoists.  [6]   Nepal was a multi-ethnic fabric woven by a thread of a common language, religion, and tradition obtained through the unification process. During some thirty years of authoritarian rule, from 1960 through 1990, the Panchayat system was relatively successful in consolidating a nation-state based on a single language, religion, and culture; intermingling various ethnic groups throughout the country. However, the melting pot did not completely melt everything in the pot and Nepalese leaders were unable to produce a homogeneous mixture. Some ethnic groups such as the Brahmins and Chhetries intermingled with other ethnic minorities throughout the country while some other ethnic minorities existed in a separate ethnic-geography. Many ethnic groups did not raise secessionist demands; whereas other ethnic non-integrated groups were on and off raising their secessionist demands. At times, these secessionist demands weakened because of the some effects of intermingling with other ethnic communi ties. After establishment of the multi-party democracy in 1990, as a result of a third wave of democratization, ethnic minorities started to demand their rights in a now more liberal political, social, and economic environment. Among various ethnic groups, the Magars in the western part of Nepal became more aggressive and consequently were effectively utilized by the Maoists to initiate their armed struggle. Second, political factors such as the dimensions of discriminatory political institutions; exclusionary national ideologies; inter-group politics; and elite politics serve to explain the Nepalese conflict. The closed authoritarian Panchayat system generated much resentment over time because many minority ethnic groups viewed the system serving primarily the interests of higher caste groups, such as Brahmins and Chhetries. The perceived disproportionate representations of ethnic minorities in government, the military, the police, the political parties, and other state and political institutions created substantial grievances in them. The ethnic conflict grew especially during the political transitioning from authoritarian rule to democracy in the early 1990s. The states repressive attitude during the democratic transitioning as well contributed to propagate insurgency in Nepal. While there were no exclusionary national ideologies per se, the lack of pragmatic implementation of egalitarian principles enshrined in the constitution and civil code contributed the outbreak of the conflict. Although the Nepalese people usually demonstrated civic-nationalism while protesting against foreign interference, the ethno-nationalism prevailed when the institutional vacuum occurred due a drastic political change. But, so far, the ethno-nationalism has not progressed towards an intense secessionist movement. It is pertinent to mention here that the Nepalese exclusionary practices were based on the caste system rather than on religious or ethnic grounds. Occasionally, Nepal experienced inter-group politics especially between Madheshi and non-Madheshi groups, but elite politics played a dominant role most of the time. Desperate and opportunist politicians always tried to take advantage of political and economic turmoil. For instance, the Maoists took advantage of fragile pol itical and economic situations to start their armed revolution. Third, economic and social factors also played important roles in initiating conflict in Nepal. Nepal remains an agrarian society and lacks an infrastructure for a market-based economic development in most parts of the country. Tourism is one of the important sources of income and employment, after agriculture. Over the last decades, foreign employment and remittance have become the main sources of national revenues. After the establishment of a democratic system in 1990, the aspirations of people for economic development went up astronomically. Nevertheless, peoples aspirations could not be met because of the lack of political stability, clear vision, commitment, and political consensus. Rather, unemployment, inflation, and resource competition provided the breeding ground for the conflict. Failure to jump start economic development by the new political elites contributed to an ever deepening political crisis. The failure to adopt an all-inclusive economic policy widened the gap bet ween rich and poor. Peoples from the oppressed community, scheduled caste, and minority ethnic groups did not have a stake in the countrys economic activities. Corruption, mismanagement, nepotism, and bribery moved the economic situations from bad to worse. Although there was no profound discriminatory economic policy, unequal economic opportunities, unequal access to resources, and vast differences in the standard of living were seen as unfair and illegitimate by the disadvantaged members of the society. Lastly, cultural or perceptual factors also had a considerable impact on the evolution of ethnic problems. Cultural discrimination against minorities was one of the principal, contributing cultural factors for ethnic conflict. The people from different ethnic groups found the educational opportunities inequitable; especially, teaching in minority languages became problematic because of lack of resources and investment. The Madheshi felt the compulsory Nepali language in school as languistic colonialism. Ethnic groups such as Magars, Gurungs, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Newar, Maithili, and Bhojpuri wanted teaching in their own languages. Group histories and group perceptions also played a role in triggering conflict. Brahmin, Chhetrie, Thakuries and some other martial castes considered themselves the creators of a unified Nepal and took great pride in their nationalist feelings; whereas, other ethnic groups such as the Newar, who were defeated and subjugated during the unification process, c onsidered themselves apart from such glory. Proximate Causes of the Nepalese Conflict While the aforementioned underlying factors have been essential to explain what situations and conditions led to ethnic conflict in Nepal, the proximate causes of internal conflict are more convincing in explaining the ultimate triggers. One of the major proximate causes of Nepalese conflict was the persistent, internal problem of governance after the establishment of democracy in 1990, such as rampant corruption. The power vacuum created by removing the king from the center of state power galvanized many political parties to rush for power. The political parties created various alliances to remain in power in order to serve their personal or partisan interests. This situation made the government unable to cope with societal demands and ameliorate peoples stark challenges. However, a threatening security dilemma did formerly not exist in Nepal; however, as Nepal was not created from the rubble of a larger entity or gained independence from a colonial power. Rather, the government dee mphasized the military structure inherited from the previous Panchayat system, considering it unimportant in the new democratic environment. The government clearly showed skepticism to take ownership of the military. The deemphasizing of the military on one hand, and the emergence of a power struggle between, and among, elites on the other hand, triggered the initiation of ethnicity-based movements all over the country by desperate and opportunistic politicians thereby, preparing the ground for insurgency. As there was a lack of coordination and cooperation between the civilians and the military, the growth of ethnic movements and ineffectiveness of states mechanisms provided the breeding ground for the onset of the insurgency. The Maoists were able to transplant their communist ideology effectively into the ethnic movement. Thus, the energy created by the ethnic movement proved to be a force multiplier for the Maoists to advance their communist agenda. The issues, especially relate d to the inequality, exclusiveness, and discrimination formed basic grievances for different ethnic groups.  [7]  Despite the global declining trend of ideology as a source of conflict, the Maoists were successful in creating a fusionist violent movement by ingeniously combining ethnic conflict and communist ideology. Social and economic problems such as sharp competition for the scarce resources, the increasing divide between the poor and rich, and social, caste-based, inequalities and exclusiveness were the catalyst for the initiation and the growth of the internal conflict in Nepal. The Roles of Elites in the Nepalese Conflict While social and economic problems provided the underlying causes, the internal and external elite-level and mass level factors were more responsible to trigger the conflict.  [8]  External mass-level factors influenced especially the Terai region of the country. The many people of Indian origin that migrated to the plains area of Nepal along the border compounded ethnic tensions with the other non-Terai population. Although there were bad domestic problems and some bad neighborhood effects, the elite-level factors seemed more responsible than mass-level factors. Internal elite-level factors such as power struggles between different political parties; power struggles between political parties and the king; and ideological contests over how to manage the countrys political, economical, and social conditions among different political parties, played important roles in escalating the conflict. The bad leaders problem, created, in turn, an ethnic problem and subsequently lead to open conflict between, and among the government and different minority, ethnic communities. The major political parties were in the government most of the time, yet they could not lead the country towards a positive direction. Instead, the political leaders split the parties to fulfill their vested interests. The political opportunism led to the creation of many undesirable alliances. Such alliances kept on making, and breaking, government power. Some alliances lasted about a year, where some lasted just a few months. This situation created a fertile environment for an insurgency. The external, elite-level contentions, also played an important role in generating ethnic tensions. The foreign powers attitude towards Nepal, intermingling with domestic politics, covert cooperation with disgruntle political parties triggered the conflicts. These countries always had an interest in Nepal for their own security and not least for the vast water resources available in Nepal. The external powers also wanted to maintain their market monopoly in Nepal to pursue their own economic interests. Although they advocated promotion of democracy in Nepal publicly, claiming themselves as promoters of democracy in the world, democracy never remained a real priority in the face of their own national interests. Their indirect interventions became successful because of the attitude of the pro-foreign power political leaders in Nepal. They overtly did not support the Maoists, but the proxy war launched by them effectively paralyzed the states mechanism and contributed to the conflict in tensification. The bad neighbor effects may not have happened without the discrete and deliberate support by these countries. Although neighboring countries meddling in the Nepalese domestic affairs played an important role for the conflict, without the decisions and actions of the Nepalese domestic elites, the conflict could not have been sparked. The domestic elites conflicts were mainly power struggles and were ideological in nature. However, before the emergence of the Maoist Party, the conflict that erupted between competing elites was in effect only a struggle for power. The burgeoning political parties in the new democratic milieu contended for power and forged alliances between one another for one purpose to become the principal national power. Even within the political parties, the leaders competing and forging alliances were numerous, which contributed frequently to making and breaking of governments. This led to aspirations and grievances of underprivileged and minority ethnic groups, to go unheard and unaddressed, causing serious frustrations and dissatisfactions among these groups. These frust rated ethnic groups as well as some political opportunists unable to grasp power through democratic elections, started movements for the rights of ethnic minorities to gain power by another venue. Analysis of ethnic conflict in Nepal At some point, the ethnic self-images and the images of others played important roles to shape ethnic conflict in Nepal. During the monarchical period, the different ethnic groups co-existed because they shared the mutual history of unification of greater Nepal, and converged into a unified language and national character.  [9]  The Chauvinist mythmaking by the Shah dynasty was a hallmark of civic nationalism that contributed to overshadow the ethnic nationalism to some extent. Until the state was strong, no significant ethnic conflict existed in Nepal; however, the ethnic groups started devising mechanism to protect their groups after the state became weak. In certain degrees, the rise on the ethnic conflict was the result of the self-help mechanism employed by ethnic groups to protect their groups interest when the state failed to provide security. However, the decision to adopt a federal system in Nepal by amending the interim constitution acted as an important confidence building measure to promote the rights and positions of minorities by mitigating the strategic dilemma that would have produced violence.  [10]   The third wave of democratization changed the Nepalese political system and institutions as it swept throughout the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. The establishment of a liberal democratic institution and globalization changed the social structure in many of the countries around the world. The drastic change in political and economic structure broke existing social contracts resulting in resentment as well as opportunity, and provided fertile ground for the Nepalese political entrepreneurs to mobilize support around ethnic and sectarian identities leading to ethnic conflict.  [11]  Before the beginning of democratization, the ethnic issues were weak and limited among the people at large in Nepal. The political transitioning and democratization in 1990 provided elites ethnicity as a tool to harness popular energies for securing state power as more voters began to play a larger role in politics.  [12]  This led to ethnic conflict when contested elections we re held and varieties of political groups criticized the governmentand each other. Although the new constitution addressed the issue of minority rights, they did not feel their rights guaranteed because the privileged groups showed reluctance to surrender real political authority enjoyed by them versus that of the average Nepali citizen. Thus, initial steps in the rocky transition to democracy increased the risk for ethnic conflict when the immature political parties indulged simply in parochial party politics. Although many ethnic groups were demanding an ethnically-based federal state, only some sections of Madheshi had occasionally demanded an autonomous state with the right of self-determination. This section of the Madheshi people felt that the control of Terai region ensures their survival by protecting group identity. Since the Terai region was populated with Madheshi people and was considered their homeland, they launched a violent conflict when their interests clashed with those of the Maoists. Yet, some of the non-Madheshi groups and some factions within the Madheshi community heavily criticized this idea. Also, for the state, the control of territory was vital for physical survival.  [13]  However, after realizing the state would oppose their sovereignty demands with violence if necessary, these Madheshi backed down from their demand and contended for an autonomous region. It appears that Indian interests also might have played an important role to forgo the right for self-de termination, because such an action might lead to an intensification of a similar demand in an already contested situation in India. The Terai region being the breadbasket and strategically vital Nepal tract of land, the State was likely to use any means and level of violence to secure its control. The Madheshi uprising gained momentum after the Maoists entered the political main stream. The uprising was widely believed to be covertly backed by India primarily for two reasons. First, India wanted to counter the Maoists growing influence over the Terai region. Second, India wanted to exert its influence and control on the Terai region so that it could influence Nepals internal politics. When the Maoists tried to counter the Madheshi activities in the Terai, they faced fierce opposition, and violence broke out. Hostilities targeted the non-Madheshi people living in the Terai region, and many people fled to other areas leaving their homes. The mix of Madheshi and non-Madheshi populations raised the risk of inter- communal conflict during the violent Terai movement started in Gaur.  [14]  However, the rejection of secessionist demands by Madhesh-based political parties and patience from non-Madheshi groups, controlled violence from spreading further. The risk of communal violen ce was not observed in other multi-ethnic parts of the country. The two centuries of cordial intermingling among diverse ethnic groups and three decades of consolidation of civic nationalism under the Panchayat system based on single language and tradition, hardly left any room for a bottom-up demand for ethnic mobilization in Nepal. Certainly, there was ethnic awareness in Nepal, but it would, most likely not have evolved into organized political competition without being capitalized on by the political elites. As Jessica Pimbo asserts, Enduring ethnological cleavages were not likely to occur in the absence of political parties that attempt to mobilize ethnicity.  [15]   The dynamics of massive mobilization of ethnic groups for group-level purposes is not very clear. Altruistic and chauvinist leaders identified with specific groups seem to forgo their individual self-interests while seeking group interests. The subjective identity seems to go along with group identity rather than objective identity, which may only deal with an individuals life history. According to the logic of collective action, the group interests and the personal interest cannot progress concurrently, and most of group-oriented activities do not commensurate with group interests. Thus, alignment of group and self-interest leads to spirals of violence, and a groups betterment comes only at the cost of others. This leads invariably to zero-sum, or even negative-sum, situations in which nobody gains from the conflict.  [16]   The presence of rightist, centrist, and leftist ideologically-based political parties, such as the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), the Nepali Congress (NC), and various Communist Parties created tension over the organization of political, economic, and social affairs in Nepal. The ideological tensions existed between hardline communist parties and other political parties. The ideologies were mainly based on economic and class terms, creating struggles over how political, economic, and social affairs should be organized to create a New Nepal.  [17]  Although class-based movements with communist agendas were dwindling in many parts of the world, the Nepalese rebel movement transplanted into the political agendas of indigenous people and ethnic minorities was burgeoning. The Nepal Communist Party (Maoists) emerged because of political, economic, and cultural discrimination; widespread dissatisfaction, inequitable distribution of resources and disproportionate economic development. The Maoists effectively and efficiently utilized the energy and momentum gathered by the different ethnic groups political movements and gave voice to those ethnic minorities agenda with their own. As the amalgamated movement was progressing under the leadership of the Maoists, the government started repressing the movements rather than addressing the underlying causes for the conflict. This approach further propagated the movement and finally resulted in political negotiations; and, ultimately resulted in establishing the Maoists as a largest political party in the country. This movement attempted to shift civic-nationalism to ethno-nationalism in Nepal, and provided the political elites with powerful incentive to play the ethnic card. The mounting economic problem constituted the main reason for people to initially follow an ethnic movement and subsequently as well, a Maoists agenda which in turn had successively taken over many ethnic groupings. Although there were some traces of inter-group grievances, yet the existence of significant antagonistic group histories did not exist. Existing economic problems such as unemployment, increased inflation, and intensifying resource competitions forced more people to join the armed movement for a radical change in the countrys political course. It is evident that the emergence of elite competition was a major proximate cause, where as the socio-economic problems constituted the core for conflict in Nepal. Intensifying elite competitions and mounting economic problems played a crucial role promoting a strong political movement in Nepal; nevertheless, the movements would not have been successful, had there been homogenous populations and fewer ethnic grievances. In other words, had there been economic advancement like in Malaysia, Indonesia, or Thailand, which had ethnic grievances with a similar intensity as in Nepal, the ethnically energized Maoist conflict would not have occurred or succeeded so easily. Michael E. Brown and et. al assert: Sustained economic growth, which gives groups, even relatively disadvantages groups, incentives to avoid conflict and destruction of a system that is bringing more and more economic benefits.  [18]   With the Maoists armed movement causing the death of more than 13,000 human lives, and the ethnic mobilization as part and parcel of the Maoist insurgency, the Nepalese conflict graduated from an ethnic conflict to a hybrid conflict. It was a fusion of ethnic grievances of various ethnic groups and the ideological movement of the Maoists. This hybrid conflict was successful mainly because of the Maoists stratagem to combine ethnic movement with their ideological precepts acquiring the energy of a fusionist movement to fuel their ideological movement. Since this marriage of convenience was primarily focused on achieving success for the Maoists rather than to take on seriously solutions to existing ethnic issues.

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Magic Realism Essay -- One Hundred Yea

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Magic Realism One Hundred Years of Solitude   Magic realism is a literary form in which odd, eerie, and dreamlike tales are related as if the events were commonplace. Magic realism is the opposite of the "once-upon-a-time" style of story telling in which the author emphasizes the fantastic quality of imaginary events. In the world of magic realism, the narrator speaks of the surreal so naturally it becomes real. Magic realism can be traced back to Jorge Luis Borges, who wrote during the 1920s,according to noted critic Franco (309). In fact, Jean Franco notes that "the techniques utilized by Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez in One Hundred Years of Solitude are frequently compared to those of Jorge Luis Borges" Franco (309). However, it was not until the 1940s that Latin American writers began to experiment widely with new techniques and introduced stream of consciousness narration, unusual time sequences and other devices into the novel. In the 1940s, a group of Latin American writers published works which incorporated new techniques. ...

Essay --

Magic Johnson once stated, â€Å"You can’t get AIDS from a hug or a handshake or a meal with a friend.† AIDS and HIV is not something you can receive by touching someone’s outer skin. AIDS and HIV can only be transmitted when an infected persons; fluids meets with another person. AIDS and HIV is one of the most deadliest disease in the world that already has killed 1.6 million civilians. People need to understand the facts behind AIDS and HIV so people do not treat others who are infected like they are going to kill them. Everyone has possibility of contracting AIDS and HIV; it can change one’s world in a heart beat. 1 HIV/AIDS has become a pandemic virus because of how quickly it has spread throughout the entire world. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which means that it is a virus that attacks the immune system and it can only infect humans. HIV are like other viruses but there is an important difference, overtime your immune system can clear most viruses out of your body. HIV is different, the human immune system can’t get rid of it and scientist are still trying to figure out why our immune system can’t clear it. HIV hides in your body for long periods and it attacks a key part of our immune system, your CD4 cells or T cells. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that circulate around our bodies, scanning for cellular abnormalities and infections (www.tcells.com). Which your body must have to fight the virus. AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, which means that AIDS is the cause of a different virus, which is HIV. Over 2.5 million people are infec ted with HIV worldwide. HIV/AIDS can be so deadly to humans because of the viruses capability if attacking our immune system. When HIV replicates itself ... ...ns; it affects us all in every aspect of our lives. Thanks to the efforts made for research , and treatments have been made to control the virus. Most importantly, the HIV/AIDS virus cannot replicate violently in the immune system because of these treatments. I think humans hold the real key to cure, if they would think about there actions before they do them, then we can save a lot more lives from the virus and stop the spread of it. Sharing needles with infected individual is a way of acquiring the disease. If we do this the percentage of people with HIV/AIDS will decrease significantly. If we do the little things to help solve this big health issue, it might help find the cure. So it is important that information about this virus is being shard and education is being taught to people all over the world who are not familiar with the virus to help the spread of it.

Spellbound By Alfred Hitchcock :: essays research papers

Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck star in this mystery/thriller that dabbles in psycho-analysis and the troubles of the mind. Constance Peterson is a renowned psycho-analyst, whose ability to analyze data is unquestionable, but who has no life outside of her work. This all changes the day the new Chief of Staff, Dr. Edwardes (Peck) arrives. It is love at first site, and Constance’s barriers break down in a flash. Critics have noted that Alfred Hitchcock always had trouble with women. His films are known for having blond women portraying troubled, morally challenged women. This holds true in Spellbound, with Constance’s initial emotional frigidity, which later gives way to intellectual stupidity. In Spellbound, Hitchcock’s treatment of women is at an all time low. Constance is dismissed repeatedly throughout the film, as not being capable of clear, intellectual thought because she is in love. Before she falls in love, she is dismissed as a cold fish, incapable of feeling, and her femininity is challenged. There is therefore no middle ground left. Despite the inherent sexism of the film, the story is captivating. We soon find out that Edwardes is not who he claims to be. He is in fact an imposter, who has no idea who he really is. Suffering from amnesia, he is impersonating the real Edwardes, who is assumed to be dead. The intrigue is kept high, and we are never certain whether the man, called J.B. after initials found on a cigarette case he found on himself, is a killer or not. Constance, going against reason, decides to help him. Despite evidence to the contrary she will not believe that a man she loves is capable of murder. Spellbound is a good mystery, with entertaining characters, which keeps you guessing until the end. What I found surprising in this film is that everyone in it is so refreshingly smart.

Pit and the pendulum analysis Essay

Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. The morbid short story consist on an innocent man’s fears coming to life after he is sentenced to death. â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† showcases the theme of terror and cruelty by developing descriptive setting, intense plot, and creative irony. Setting is a major part of the thesis because it captures the readers attention to see what the character sees. One of the most influential setting Poe creates is when the main character is engulfed in total darkness. The quote, â€Å"the blackness of eternal night encompassed me,† help the reader fully imagine what it would be like to see absolutely nothing creating a sense of terror of not knowing what’s around. Another impactful setting was when Poe writes the pendulum scene. The pendulum quickly starts to descend swinging back and forth, all the while â€Å"ravenous† rats circle around you like p redators waiting to devour what’s left. Read Also:  Topics for an Analytical Essay The theme, cruelty, is more than clear in this setting, trapping the reader in true suspense. Further more, Poe builds a sense of suspense and suspicion with the uncertainty of the fate that is to come to the main character. â€Å"It seemed evident that mine was not, at least, the most hideous of fates.† Through out the story the character always manages a way to cheat his death. However, that doesn’t stop his torturers. With this in mind, Poe intensifies the plot by providing more nail-biting situations. For example, when the character has to choose his death. The walls are closing in on him, forcing him to either jump into the pit or get crushed to death. What could be more terrifying? The building up of the plot promotes the theme, terror, by having the main character make the ultimate decision. It is all too ironic the fact that despite all the character’s best efforts to save himself, he fails because the enemy is there to impede them. For instance, â€Å"w hen the motion of the hellish machine ceased and I beheld it drawn up, by some invisible force†¦ My every motion was undoubtedly watched. Free!- I had but escaped death in one form of agony, to be delivered unto worse†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However, when he gives up all hope at the end of the story, he is surprised to have been saved by General Lasalle. The sick recognition of irony supports themes such as terror and cruelty by showing how the character  succeeds only to fail, just to be saved in the end. In conclusion, Poe does an impeccable job at developing the themes of terror and cruelty by truly including the reader in every aspect of the story. â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† by Edgar Allan Poe proves to be outstanding in all perspectives of settings. He always keeps the reader interested through the suspense of the plot. The irony in the story oozes out of every word. The themes are easy to pick out only because the story is so well developed.

Dantes Inferno

The Inferno is more than just a fictional story about someone traveling through life. It is actually more like an autobiographical journey of life through its author, Dante Alighieri’s. He basically wrote with the personal purpose of recording where all of the people he came in contact within his life, will go when they die. This could be one of three places; Hell, Purgatory, or Heaven. He went on to design specific, fitting punishments or rewards based on each person’s life. Dante then tied this all together and made himself a character that walks the entire length of the abstracted world.Written in the early 1300s by an angry Dante living in exile, he literally describes a man who has been trapped, and must find a way to escape. He also includes the hidden Renaissances darkness, and the people who are Manipulating. As Dante passes through the depths of hell he begins to see sins that would be punished and tortured in medieval times to the same acts that are displayed in the era of the Renaissance, and yet are treated differently. The Renaissances era that had a lot of influence on Dante and the journey through hell.Whether they were someone that betrayed him in his political career or the girl that he fell in love with when he was 9 years old, he found a way to integrate them into the Inferno. It’s not hard to notice that in the symbols, Dante considers trust and loyalty to be one of the most important human characteristics. He basically felt this way due to the point that he was betrayed and exiled away from his beloved homeland, by the pope. It is because of this that he places offenders of breaking these at the center of hell. Dante was exiled from Florence in 1302 and this is where his feelings that helped structured the story.When he comes out of the dark forest Dante is blocked by the three beasts. The beasts are a lion, a leopard, and wolf. The lion is seen to poses pride, the leopards' role is that of lust and the wolf represents is greed. The three ferocious beasts have three of the seven deadly sins. Canto 3 started the read when Dante comes to himself again and realizes he is lost in a dark, savage, threatening forest deep in a valley. He tries all night to find a way out; when he comes to the foot of a high hill and his way is blocked by three beasts.He thinks he's going to get past the leopard that comes first, but the lion is more fearsome, and the wolf drives him back, despairing, to the dark wood. He then sees a human shape and calls out for help. It is the shade of Virgil, When researched he was the great Roman poet of the time of the emperor Augustus, where he as a poet has learned so much, and Dante begs him for help against the wolf. Virgil tells him that the wolf is too fierce to get by, that she is ravaging all of Italy, and will do so until the person comes who can chase her back to Hell.But Virgil promises to get him out of the dark wood, not by taking him past the beasts, but by leading him through Hell. Once he has seen those who suffer in Hell, Virgil will lead him up the mountain of Purgatory, where souls become ready for eternal bliss, and then someone else will take over and lead him up to Heaven. Virgil can't go there because, living before Christianity had spread, and he was not a Christian. Dante accepts Virgil's guidance through hell, and they set out. The first circle he sees was beings that where not good enough to go to heaven, or bad enough to join the bottom of hell.As the reading continued I realized it also showed that the angles had a choice between heaven and hell, which made it different from anything I have read from the past. Canto 5, is when he first enters the Second Circle, Dante sees Minos, a horrible, snarling demon to whom each soul confesses everything. Minos warns Dante to turn back, but Virgil again asserts that Dante's journey is divinely ordained. Dante hears wailing again. Spirits pass through the air like a flock of birds, tormented by Minos; they have no hope of rest, and no hope of less pain. One long line of spirits gets Dante's attention, and he asks Virgil who they are.Virgil replies to him, all having died because of love, and Dante is bewildered by pity. Canto 34 is in the deepest depth of Hell, the lowest point in the whole universe. Virgil lets Dante know that he is about to see the being who is the ruler of Hell. Dante looks through the sadness and sees something that looks huge and like a windmill in the distance. The wind is strong, and he has to shelter himself behind Virgil. In the icy plain beneath them the souls are now completely buried in the ice, through which he sees them. When they get closer, Virgil makes Dante come out from behind him and look at Satan.Dante is so frozen and weak he feels neither dead nor alive, but he looks. There is the being who was once the fairest angel in Heaven, Lucifer, who rebelled against the one and only God who had made him so fair. Who was once beautiful but ug ly now from where he sits, he is much bigger than the giants Dante saw at the outer edge of the deepest pits. His head has three faces, one red, one white and yellow, one black. Two big bat wings sprout under each face, and it is the flapping of those wings that made the ice of Cocytus. He weeps tears and blood from each of his six eyes, and in each mouth he chews on a sinner.Virgil having seen everything, they must go. Dante holds tight to Virgil, with his arms around Virgil's neck, and Virgil goes right up to Satan and takes hold of his flanks, which are covered with hair. From tuft to tuft he descends to the midpoint of Satan's body, and then manages to turn himself upside down and start climbing. They reach a cleft in the rock and there Virgil puts Dante down on the edge. Dante looks back, and there are Lucifer's legs upside down. Dante is utterly bewildered. Virgil explains that the midpoint of Satan's body is the center of gravity of the earth.The story also reminds me of Reve lations more than just the relation of Rome. It is the same idea of describing others who have live into a different situation or character. Both Authors must have had similar feeling towards the groups, they both had hatred and wanted revenge. They describe the groups for who they were as a character that nobody would like. Dante Had made people change their family name, because he had shown a lot about the person to others, just because a relative was in the poem. He needed something to help him relived all the hatred he carried with him self; the Poem did not spike me as a comedy but more of a drama.

50 Fun Things to Do in Supermarket

50 Fun Things To Do In A Supermarket 1. Take shopping carts for the express purpose of filling them and stranding them at strategic locations. 2. Ride those little electronic cars at the front of the store. 3. Set all the alarm clocks to go off at ten minute intervals throughout the day. 4. Start playing Calvinball; see how many people you can get to join in. 5. Contaminate the entire auto department by sampling all the spray air fresheners. 6. Challenge other customers to duels with tubes of gift wrap. 7. Leave cryptic messages on the typewriters. 8. Re-dress the mannequins as you see fit. 9.When there are people behind you, walk REALLY SLOW, especially thin narrow aisles. 10. Walk up to an employee and tell him in an official tone, â€Å"I think we've got a Code 3 in Housewares,† and see what happens. 11. Tune all the radios to a polka station; then turn them all off and turn the volumes to â€Å"10†. 12. Play with the automatic doors. 13. Walk up to complete stranger s and say, â€Å"Hi! I haven't seen you in so long!†¦ † etc. See if they play along to avoid embarrassment. 14. While walking through the clothing department, ask yourself loud enough for all to hear, â€Å"Who BUYS this junk, anyway? â€Å"15. Repeat Number 14 in the jewelry department. 6. Ride a display bicycle through the store; claim you're taking it for a â€Å"test drive. † 17. Follow people through the aisles, always staying about five feet away. Continue to do this until they leave the department. 18. Play soccer with a group of friend, using the entire store as your playing field. 19. As the cashier runs your purchases over the scanner, look mesmerized and say, â€Å"Wow. Magic! † 20. Put M;M's on layaway. 21. Move â€Å"Caution: Wet Floor† signs to carpeted areas. 22. Set up a tent in the camping department; tell others you'll only invite them in if they bring pillows from Bed and Bath. 23.Test the fishing rods and see what you can  "catch† from the other aisles. 24. Ask other customers if they have any Grey Poupon. 25. Drape a blanket around your shoulders and run around saying, â€Å"†¦ I'm Batman. Come, Robin–to the Batcave! † 26. TP as much of the store as possible. 27. Randomly throw things over into neighboring aisles. 28. Play with the calculators so that they all spell â€Å"hello† upside down. 29. When someone asks if you need help, begin to cry and ask, â€Å"Why won't you people just leave me alone? † 30. When two or three people are walking ahead of you, run between them, yelling, â€Å"Red Rover! 31. Make up nonsense products and ask newly hired employees if there are any in stock, i. e. , â€Å"Do you have any Shnerples here? † 32. Take up an entire aisle in Toys by setting up a full scale battlefield with G. I. Joes vs. the X-Men. 33. Take bets on the battle described above. 34. Nonchalantly â€Å"test† the brushes and combs in Cosmetics. 35. Hold indoor shopping cart races. 36. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from Mission: Impossible. † 37. Attempt to fit into very large gym bags. 38. Attempt to fit others into very large gym bags. 39.Say things like, â€Å"Would you be so kind as to direct me to your Twinkies? † 40. Set up a â€Å"Valet Parking† sign in front of the store. 41. Two words: â€Å"Marco Polo. † 42. Leave Cheerios in Lawn and Garden, pillows in the pet food aisle, etc. 43. â€Å"Re-alphabetize† the CD's in Electronics. 44. When someone steps away from their cart to look at something, quickly make off with it without saying a word. 45. Relax in the patio furniture until you get kicked out. 46. When an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, assume the fetal position and scream, â€Å"No, no! It's those voices again! 47.Pay off layaways fifty cents at a time. 48. Drag a lounge chair on display over to the magazines and relax. If the store has a food court, buy a soft drink; explain that you don't get out much, and ask if they can put a little umbrella in it. 49. Hmm†¦ only 48 things so far 50. Naaawwww, go in the next supermarket and ask an employee for the 2 Missing fun things to do in his supermarket. 51. Submitted by Eeyore002: Get you some popcorn and a comfy seat and plant yourself in the movie section and watch whatever movie is on, if you can't conquer the VCR's control

Identifying Quantifiable goals for the monitor, control and effectiveness of the marketing plan Essay

In order to evaluate, monitor, and control the effectiveness of the marketing plan, identifying quantifiable elements are detrimental to V-Techs financial gains and holdings. Marketing campaigns are the most costly measurement to the company and the launch of V-Techs Virta Window new product line in its marketing practices needs to show financial accountability. The focus of controlling and effectiveness to quantifiable elements reside in the metrics analysis of: 1. Revenue 2. Sales 3. Lead generation 4. Sales feed back 5. Return on investment 6. Customer retention Once the elements of V-Tech’s marketing campaign is identified, quantifiable goals can be set to counter financial loss and actionable measures can be taken to offset the losses for exchange of returnable gain. To begin identifying the elements of concern, V-Tech accounting management will look at: A. Product B. Place C. Price D. Promotion The product is an innovative technological breakthrough, meant to create real time life and learning experiences for its target audience. The product has little competition but may be hard to catch on in the marketplace and cause resistance within consumers. Quantifiable marketing goals that would need to be set: Be flexible to understanding that new products may need a longer campaign run. Placement metrics track the impact of consumer awareness and the impact of individual campaigns ability to reach marketing goals. Calculating metrics for analysis will determine if the whole of the marketing plan is bringing in more profit than it cost to run. Placement of the products marketing geographical and economic stature is an important  quantifiable element. A metric analysis of location placement will measure the buying power and behavior of the consumer by geographic location. If the product is not selling well in placement, location factors may be that the target areas do not have the right selling class. Geographical metrics indicate a target audience income, medium house hold income, pay scale and if the economics of the area are depressed or thriving for businesses and product buying. The goal would then be to move the marketing campaign into better location areas where purchasing is a stronger asset for the product. Measuring the metrics of geographic locations can also help the company keep a competitive advantage as more technology companies advance to offering consumers a similar product. By being better able to understand consumer behavior by geographic V-Tech will have a higher ROI(return on investment) strengthen their marketing campaigns that keep customer retention, loyalty and target a larger audience base. Pricing by far may be the most important aspect in finding quantifiable controlling elements. A new product of technology changes the whole atmosphere of the market place from how it is developed to the price of manufacturing and distribution. The marketing of V-Techs new product is to reach a broad base of a consumer audience over affordability. This may cause a huge financial loss for the company. The campaign of the marketing needs increasing without the extra-added expenditures to cover the cost of loss and turn a profit. The reasoning behind quantifiable control is marketing the product to show value, and to measure financial gains where the product and marketing campaign will exceed profit and generate profit growth. The goals would then be to do a review of past sales to compare to sales of the new product and build on the strengths that previous campaigns have generated. A metrics analysis can be done in order to find out how many people clicked on an ad from online, what the numbers of new sales are and the percentage of new leads generated. From measuring sale metri cs, the company will be able to tweak the marketing campaign, generate a new marketing design, or repeat the campaign until the marketing goals meets its value. The company will also be able to determine the effectiveness of its Public relations effort in relation to its marketing efforts. A cost saving measurement to the company and the marketing campaign would be to get out in front of the face of the audience. Increase web activity, broaden the scope of social media awareness and depth in which marketing the product can help exceeded sales goals. The promotion of V-Techs product quantifiable control elements are to measure consumer awareness and set goals if the product is failing in brand awareness, website traffic, and not generating the sales lead expectations. Taking advantage of sending out Brand Ambassadors to area store locations and increasing trade market showings will promote and target the customer audiences awareness of the new product, how it is designed and will demonstrate why the consumer has a need to purchase the product. Social media marketing is limitless for brand awareness, in where a campaign can go to reach a borde r target buying audience. The quantifiable elemental goals are to take advantage of the use of the internet’s effectiveness of marketing to cost with web videos, direct coupons to the consumer, customer loyalty incentives, package discounts on education and parental sites. Identifying the quantifiable elements that help to control a marketing plan is an invaluable asset to V-Tech technologies and its new product launch. The analyzed metric data sets timely goals to which the company can redefine its control of marketing execution to increase sales and profits. The wealth of information extracted from the identification process takes on a new format that will find strengths and weakness of the consumer target audience, and will help to keep a competitive advantage as new companies move in the territorial locations of the innovative technology that V-Tech Windows will bring to a new market place.