Latitude and Longitude Essay

When looking at a map, latitude lines run horizontally. Latitude lines are also known as parallels since they are parallel and are an equal distant from each other. Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles (111 km) apart; there is a variation due to the fact that the earth is not a perfect sphere but an oblate ellipsoid (slightly egg-shaped). To remember latitude, imagine them as the horizontal rungs of a ladder (â€Å"ladder-tude†). Degrees latitude are numbered from 0 ° to 90 ° north and south. Zero degrees is the equator, the imaginary line which divides our planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. 90 ° north is the North Pole and 90 ° south is the South Pole. Longitude The vertical longitude lines are also known as meridians. They converge at the poles and are widest at the equator (about 69 miles or 111 km apart). Zero degrees longitude is located at Greenwich, England (0 °). The degrees continue 180 ° east and 180 ° west where they meet and form the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Greenwich, the site of the British Royal Greenwich Observatory, was established as the site of the prime meridian by an international conference in 1884. How Latitude and Longitude Work Together To precisely locate points on the earth’s surface, degrees longitude and latitude have been divided into minutes (‘) and seconds (â€Å"). There are 60 minutes in each degree. Each minute is divided into 60 seconds. Seconds can be further divided into tenths, hundredths, or even thousandths. For example, the U.S. Capitol is located at 38 °53’23†³N , 77 °00’27†³W (38 degrees, 53 minutes, and 23 seconds north of the equator and 77 degrees, no minutes and 27 seconds west of the meridian passing through Greenwich, England).

Field Work, Non-Verbal Communication Essay

A few days ago I took a trip to my local mall and took a seat at the food court. My objective was to observe individuals engaging in non-verbal communication and document what I witnessed. After only a few minutes I became aware of a couple sitting within public distance, about 15-20ft away from me. They were having an argument about how the male was being cold and unaffectionate. While observing them I realized they were using various gestures while arguing. I will inform you of what type they were and what they were conveying. During the argument, both individuals demonstrated affect displays. These are facial expressions motivated by emotion such as a smile or frown. The female had a frown on her face to demonstrate that she was sad and discontent while informing the male that she was feeling lack of affection him. The male had what I can best describe as a half smile; imagine half of the mouth engaging in a smile while the opposite half stays normal. He also kept looking around and rolling his eyes. These indicate that he believes that the female’s thoughts are unimportant or that they may be incorrect and he believes that he indeed is affectionate. Illustrators were used by the female. Illustrators are gestures that complement our words such as pointing when giving directions. While talking about the male’s lack of affection, she constantly pointed at him with her index finger to further enhance the fact that she was talking about him. When describing how she felt, she would put her hand over her chest for the purpose of indicating that she is talking about how she feels. When the male finally decided he was going to speak, he used regulators. Regulators are gestures that may prolong or terminate the conversation such as looking at your watch, walking away or nodding and leaning forward. He raised his hand with the purpose of making the female stop talking so he could say something. The female felt that the gesture was disrespectful and noted it verbally, then continued talking about the issue as if what he had to say could wait. The male used another regulator; he leaned forward and opened his mouth. The purpose of this was to communicate to the female that he would like her to stop talking so he could say something. After the male verbally communicated that he doesn’t believe that he is being cold and unaffectionate, the female used an emblem. Emblems are gestures that have a direct verbal translation and can stand alone such as the â€Å"ok† sign. She twisted her head to the right and then to the left repeatedly indicated â€Å"No, I disagree with you†. The male put his hand out in front of him, palms facing up and tilted his head up, this combination of gestures is usually translated into â€Å"what? † or â€Å"why? †, in this situation, it means â€Å"why? †. Near the end of this argument, a couple of adaptors were utilized. Adaptors are gestures that make you feel more comfortable in a communication situation such as twirling your hair or tapping your fingers. While the female mentioned various situations where the male is unaffectionate she puts her elbows on the table and massages the sides of her head with her hands, I believe she did this to relief tension she was feeling from the argument in order to feel more comfortable. The male decided that her reasons for feeling that he is unaffectionate are legitimate. While verbally communicating that he agrees with her and he will make changes, the female reaches her hand out and holds his, further seeking comfort now that the argument has been settled. In conclusion, it is evident that non-verbal communication is constantly happening around us, all we have to do is look for it. As you read, by simply sitting down at the local mall’s food court I was able to observe a couple using the five different types of gestures which are: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators and adaptors. Most of them occurred multiple times during the argument I was observing. After understanding that different types of gestures, it is very easy to identify them in everyday life.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Profit Essay

The question which stands before is whether the Founding Fathers were democratic reformers. It is an excruciating and complicated task to come to a conclusion upon this inquisition. To find this answer it can be readily simplified by taking a look at two contending arguments found inscribed in the book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History. In the text lies the position of Howard Zinn and John P. Roche who are great historians; one writes controversially and radically, and the other writes in conformity to government, and conservatively. The position of Howard Zinn is that the founding fathers were not what they have been illustrated to be. That is that they were not concerned with democracy but were really just concerned in their prosperity, in their property, their money, and their freedom, but not concerned with the peoples liberties. Freedom was a new word at the time, which many knew little of, it was but the elite who had an understanding of this sort of philant hropy. â€Å"What was not made clear-it was a time when the language of freedom was new and its reality untested-was the shakiness of anyone’s liberty when entrusted to a government of the rich and powerful(Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 99).† John P. Roche dedicates his attention to the giving the founding fathers their veil of liberators and democratic reformers, and depicts them as gentlemen of good nature, and of having the highest intrinsic values; he portrays them as benevolent wise men, which based the constitution on the needs of the people. â€Å"They were first and foremost superb democratic politicians†¦they were committed (perhaps willy-nilly) to working within the democratic framework, within a universe of public approval (Wikispaces.com, Taking Sides Issue Seven: Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers, P. 3)†. Between the two representations of the issue in question, the more persuading argument 10is towards Howard Zinn who viewed the founding fathers to not have been democratic reformers. The Founding Fathers were not  democratic reformers; rather they were an elite group of men who came up with the Constitution to find compromise â€Å"between the slave holding interest of the south a nd the money interest of north† (Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98)†, their true motives for uniting the thirteen states was to create a vast market for commerce and not to create a democracy. The Founding Fathers always depicted the majority of men as ignorant and irresponsible. For them to be democratic reformers they would have needed to add literacy and education as necessary for the creation of a democracy in the writings of the Constitution. Instead they persisted to argue that the populous was ignorant, â€Å"†¦Federalist Paper #63 argued the necessity of a â€Å"well-constructed Senate† as â€Å"sometimes necessary as defence to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions† Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98)† rather than adding that citizenry should be educated and informed so that they would be able to take part in the democratic processes of political and economic policy making, therefore they were not democratic reformers. John P. Roche tends to be overly conservative, to actually make a compelling argument, and Howard Zinn might appear to be radical but he is factual and presents both sid es to an argument and does not rely solely on emotions and in his political idealism as does Roche. Howard Zinn gives the more profound argument. Howard Zinn rather than making statements based on nationalism or patriotism brings up logical inferences and although it is impossible to give an unbiased approach to the question, Zinn gives the less bias approach of the two. When he presents his reasoning he tends to bring up both sides to an argument, one at least opposed to what he wants to represent and one at least supportive of what he is more in favor to represent.   As when he mentions Robert E. Browns point that the Constitution omitted the phrase â€Å"life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness† from the Declaration of Independence to â€Å"life, liberty, or property† to the Constitution, he presents the acknowledgement that people did have property, but stands to say that it was misleading to make this statement for only 3 percent of the population had enough land to be considered wealthy (Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98). On the other hand John P. Roche presents most of his views by using words such as â€Å"national interest†, â€Å"public approbation†, and always tends to give reason to why some of the things they did that were  not democratic were indeed democratic. Although the drafting and signing of the constitution was held in secrecy, according to Roche, â€Å"They were practical politicians in a democratic society†(Wikispaces.com, Taking Sides Issue Seven: Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers, P. 8). The Founding Fathers did not have it in their interests to be democratic reformers. They had in their interests to create a new nation which would create a certain order to keep the nation’s wealth in the hands of a few and to maintain their privileges, â€Å"Charles Beard warned us that government-including the government of the United States-are not neutral, that they represent the dominant economic interests, and their constitutions are intended to serve their interests† (Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 98). The Founding Fathers were afraid of a majority faction and opted for a Republican form of government to keep the country divided so that the populace could not come to the same conclusion and unite to fight against the tyranny of the minority, they had to make it possible for the existence of minority factions to prevent from a future insurrection. This can be noted in Federalist Paper #10 in which James Madison makes the following statement, â€Å"it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other†¦The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other states† ( Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 97). They also had to make the Constitution appealing to the people. It needed to give a few rights and liberties to the citizenry to keep a revolution from arising from the monopolizatio n of wealth that they were creating. It needed a Bill of Rights, â€Å"The Constitution became even more acceptable to the public at large after the first congress, responding to criticism, passed a series of amendments known as the Bill of Rights† Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United State, P. 99). They needed soldiers for the revolution; they had to appeal to the people, they used the words freedom, liberty and equality to get them to fight. It is has been the history of revolution through the ages that a few educated men can persuade a majority to fight for liberty or for a common goal and after the revolution is over they put into place a government for their own privilege. The United States has not been the exception. They used the same pretexts as  the revolutionaries of anytime to create a society after their own image based on their principles, privileges and their ruling ideas, â€Å"The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force† (Marx, Karl, The German Ideology, P. 64). Their ideas were not ideas for the founding of a democracy. â€Å"Still the mythology around the Founding Fathers persists. To say, as one historian (Bernard Bai lyn) has done recently â€Å"the destruction of privilege and the creation of a political system that demanded its leaders the responsible and humane use of power were their highest aspirations† is to ignore what really happened in the America of those these Founding Fathers†( Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 101)† Zinn then states that the Founding Fathers wanted to create a balance between the forces which were dominant to that time, and not a balance â€Å"between slaves and masters, property less and property holder, Indians and white ( Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States P. 101).† His arguments continue to be reinforced by bringing into account many different views from other historians and by presenting documents from that time and by bringing into account the writings of the Founding Fathers themselves. He clearly reinforces the argument that the founding fathers were not democratic reformers. In reading both sides of the argument one can acquire an unbiased approach to the question, yet it is impossible to remain without any sort of bias, to be working class or being wealthy will play in the outcome of any given men’s stance to the question. The level of education that a person may have acquired will also depend on his view, and also his or her sus ceptibility to what stands as a norm will also give his reasoning a bias approach. Just as well as a person’s idealism being it political, economic or social or even of the combined three will not allow an unbiased standpoint from him/her. Howard Zinn makes the most compelling argument, his answer to the question holds the most validity in the two clashing responses, it is brought upon with great historical anecdotes, it is fairly easy to find the historic facts that he represents in his outlook of the issue; and it is the more logical of the two. Zinn does not speak with emotions of nationalistic fervor, or political idealism, nor does he stay compelled to the narrowness of a one sided argument, but looks upon both sides. â€Å"As Brown says about Revolutionary America,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"practically everybody was interested in the protection of property† because so many Americans owned property† (A People’s History of the United States P. 98). His response to Robert E. Brown (Charles Beard and the Constitution), who is a critic to Beards approach was, â€Å"However, this is misleading. True, there were many property owners. But some people had much more than others†¦Jackson Main found that one-third of the population in the Revolutionary period were small farmers, while 3 percent of the population had truly large holdings and could be considered wealthy (A People’s History of the United States p. 98).† The people of the Americas did not fight a revolution for their freedom, not for equality, they fought the revolution of the elite, they won them a political victory, handed them the wealth of the nation. The slaveholders of the South found compromise with the money interest of the North and the Founding Fathers were able to create the great market of commerce they envisioned when they came to the conclusion for independence from Great Britain. The People of America in that time fought a Revolution for the Founding Fathers who were not democratic reformers.

Accounting is not a root cause of the financial crisis, but it has an Essay

Accounting is not a root cause of the financial crisis, but it has an important role to play in its resolution - Essay Example The United States of America was the epicenter of this crisis. The sub-prime crisis caused many key businesses to close down and equity markets all around the world recorded tremendous decrease of their respective indices. This financial crisis almost created mass scale unemployment around the world. It is very interesting to study the role of financial accounting in this crisis. Many experts have expressed the view that the method of fair value accounting have exacerbated this crisis but did not initiate it. The first part of this essay will aim to analyze the role that fair value accounting played during this crisis and whether it has enhanced the crisis or not. Second part of this essay tries to find out whether accounting can provide remedial solutions to this crisis. Role of accounting in the financial crisis According to Financial Accounting Standards, even in the absence of active market or during unfavorable market conditions the banks are required to calculate the values of its assets which will be different and lower than the true value. The final figures of various financial instruments like the Credit Default Swap are calculated at fair value and as a result create misleading impressions. Due to the fair value accounting the banks will sell the various securities at a relatively cheaper price. This would trigger the panic button in the markets and as a result there would be a global meltdown. Through the fair value method of accounting it is not possible for the banks to measure the financial instruments accurately. As a result the banks are forced to incur losses because it sells its assets at lower prices. These losses affect the entire financial markets. There is also a possibility that the banks spent large amount of money to acquire assets at market value calculated according to the fair value accounting method but these investments eventually becomes a burden and cause huge losses. But a closer examination of the situation will bring out the f act that the role of fair value accounting in this financial crisis is very minimal. The US banks lost most of their fortune on loans that they made to non credible borrowers. Losses due to mark to market were far lower than the losses the bank made from bad loans to non credible borrowers. The banks recorded high losses even when they have not valued the price of their various financial instruments under the method of fair value accounting. The major portion of the losses constitute of defaulting loans that their debtors failed to pay off in time. Economists like Easton, Burks and Badertscher have tried to find whether due to the fair value accounting the banks during the sub-prime crisis had sold their securities at lower prices than the actual but they have not found any evidences which would support this idea. According to another expert Shaffer the impact of loan losses was much greater than the losses suffered by the bank due to fair value accounting. So it is quite clear that fair value accounting method did not play any significant role to create the financial crisis but it only helped to worsen the crisis further1. Role of accounting in the recovery from the crisis Generally, most of the organizations use a method of accounting that combines the methods of historical cost accounting and fair value accounting. This creates confusion in the minds of the investors. Panic among the investors accelerated the crisis as the companies failed to give their investors a clear picture of the net asset values and the total values of its assets. The common investors lost all

1886 Earthquake of Charleston Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

1886 Earthquake of Charleston - Research Paper Example Even though the quake lasted less than one minute, its implications on Charleston were significantly damaging to property and life.1 It is estimated that the earthquake resulted in the destruction of more than 2,000 structures and buildings. The value of the damages which the earthquake caused is approximated to be over $145 million. The loss of human life is estimated to be about 108 people. Some of the negative implications of the 1886 Charleston earthquake are observed even up to the present days.2 This paper gives a critical analysis of the Charleston quake of 1886 with illustrations of its consequence for the region at the time and of what it means to the modern political, social and economic systems. The physical damages that the earthquake caused in the Charleston region include the displacement of large portions of tracks and curvy formations in addition to longitudinal land movements. In the region, more than 75 km of rail lines were also destroyed. Geographic malformations such as fissuring and craters were formed extensively in the region.3 These malformations indicate the powerful nature of the earthquake. Therefore, both economic and social implications were felt as a result of the earthquake, as revealed by the deaths of people, displacement and destruction of infrastructure which served to support the economy within this region. The regions surrounding Charleston also felt the impact of the earthquake which was experienced even more than 60 miles away. Other sources reported that structures were damaged as far as in Kentucky, Ohio and Alabama which are located hundreds of miles away for the region of Charleston. Toward the Northern Side, reports showed that the quake was experienced in Boston and New Orleans to the West.4 The extensive nature of the earthquake is illustrated by its reach and the geographical scale that it was measured to have reached. The measurement of the quake was estimated to have reached up to 7.3 as revealed in the Richter scale. The soil liquefaction which characterized this earthquake was recorded along the affected areas. It is said that there are minor quake activities in this region which have been recorded and measured by geologists in order to determine the possibility of a major quake happening again and the implications that would result from it. The minor activities of quakes experienced in the Charleston area have been attributed to the aftershocks of the 1886 quake. This implies that the major Charleston quake is being experienced up to the present days through in a smaller scale. The damaging Charleston earthquake has been explained by geologists as a consequence of the faults and malformations which occurred when the Pangaea was breaking. However, some scientists argue that there were less significant earthquakes which were experienced in the Charleston region and they would be attributed to the severity of the 1886 earthquake and the extensive damage which resulted out of it.5 The impli cations of geological studies and investigations of earthquakes in the present times are related to the fact that the faults of the Pangaea breaking may have future consequences in other parts of America such as the Northern coast. Because of the high magnitude of the Charleston Earthquake of 1886, it is an area of extensive study and investigation. As an example of an intra-plate earthquake, scientists and geologists study the Charleston quake with an aim of predicting the possibility of future experiences of such quakes. As a result of these studies, geographic and political implications of earthquakes have increasingly become significant in America.6 The severity of the Charleston quake was demonstrated by the widespread ejection of sand along the epicentral region. Geologists say

Christian Ethics Moral Compass Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Christian Ethics Moral Compass - Essay Example Customers normally prefer lower priced goods over the higher priced goods (Griffin, 2010). Going back to the issue, reducing the store prices to the level set by the competitors is economically correct. The store will be able to generate revenues. More customers will flock to the store to buy the products and services. With the high demand, the company or store will be able to stay in business for many years (Johnson, 2011). In addition, the giving of warranties to the customer will achieve the company or store’s purpose. The warranties will encourage the customers to trust the company or store. The warranties assure the customers that the company or store will be able to back up its sales Further, the company or store’s purpose process includes lowering its expenses in order to achieve the revenue targets. Lowering the store’s expenses allows the reduction of the company or store’s selling prices. The company or store correctly used old parts that were re cycled from other machines. The chosen machine sources are either damaged or no longer in use (Gill, 2011). In addition, God emphasized, â€Å"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15).† The first man, Adam, was immediately given a purpose in life. His job was to manage the Garden of Eden. Adam was immediately given a purpose in life, to take care of the Garden. As the story goes, Adam was also required to comply with some of God’s rules. The rules include God’s prohibiting Adam from eating the fruit of life. Just like in any organization, everyone, especially the organization’s requiring the leaders to comply with organizational rules. Craig Johnson (2011) emphasized that the purpose of leadership is to ensure that ethical values are implemented.  

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci - Essay Example The Mona Lisa wasn’t considered as Leonardo’s most important work during his time but as the years passed it was considered to be important in the history of art. During the time of Leonardo, many artists and contemporaries fail even to comment on the painting, until an artist named Vasari did, which leads other artists to give their attention to the painting. Vasari caught his attention on the skill of Leonardo which is the subject of admiration or she was focused more on the technical part of the painting. The painting was one of the reasons for new thoughts and techniques for the artists of the Renaissance period. Through this painting da Vinci was able to introduce a form of accomplishing realism. He used sfumato, chiaroscuro and atmospheric perspective, shadow painting which molds composition. Chiaroscuro has the capability to provide lifelike objects. Leonardo had proven that by blurring the edges and the light that strike them will blend the forms and provide lif elike objects. Sfumato has the ability to hold space to the objects’ depth and be a mysterious environment. Atmospheric is one the techniques that had been introduced through this painting. This kind of technique is more on â€Å"optical phenomena that a structure mathematical system† (Kleiner 547). The hues are more bluish and paler, the outlines are less precise, the small details are lost, and the color contrasts are muted. Through these techniques, Leonardo was able to give the other artists a thing to be handed down.

According to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who is God Essay

According to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who is God - Essay Example Un-astonishingly, these questions have been of sole interest not only for religious people but also for skeptic mythologists, which motivated the work of various researchers who further introduced varied perspectives to the issue. One of such perspectives was put forward by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in his book â€Å"Introduction to Christianity†. From ages, in different religions, in different communities as well as in different cultural clusters, God has been defined from varying perspectives, mostly being based on the beliefs rather than on the mythological facts or implied gestures. Hence, no single definition for God exists today. Christianity was also no exclusion from this particular aspect based on which, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in his book ‘Introduction to Christianity’, expressed his opinions about God. According to him, God could not be categorized as something practical or just a theoretical conclusion. Rather, he stated that God is something subjec tive, who belongs to a private realm and not fundamentally in the common activities of public life. Based on this theory, Ratzinger argued that Christ was not God Himself, but the only son of God who dwells among people as a man bestowed with the responsibility to communicate the words of God within the public life.... In his words, â€Å"In the formative period of the New Testament comes a completely unexpected event in which God shows himself from a hitherto unknown side: in Jesus Christ one meets a man who at the same time knows and professes himself to be the son of God†¦The result is a curious paradox: on one hand, this man calls God his Father†¦But, on the other hand, he is himself the real proximity of God coming to meet us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp: 163) Hence, the emphasis of Ratzinger’s discussion advocated the concept of God to have fundamentally changed over time with the influence of continuous evaluations in relation to the presumptions and faith. However, in the realistic phenomenon, it values less for Christians whether to consider God as personal or impersonal as the mystery of God is supposed to be beyond all the concepts and images. Accordingly, he stressed that God is infinitely greater than any concept or image that people holds about God. From a critical perspective, he also stated that God is and will remain invisible for men. He also stated that God is a creator who directs and measures the actions of all human beings judging and setting limits and standards to guide humanity on an estimable pathway. From a rational viewpoint, he further emphasized that God himself is only a single being who certainly holds a distinct identity to the Christ. Correspondingly, based on religious faiths, he described God to be above all powers1. Considering the summarized perspective presented in Ratzinger (2004), God’s remoteness from the world is behind the humble pragmatism and loss of God’s connection with people is also regarded as a part of that realism. God is present inside all human beings. God in his mask approaches

Public Meeting Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Public Meeting Paper - Essay Example Under the open meeting law, Phoenix city hall building notice board is the only official board to be trusted with official postings of the phoenix city council. Alhambra village planning committee and the public was to hold a public open meeting on 26th February 2013, 6.00pm at Washington Adult Centre. The village planning committee of Alhambra usually meets on the 4th Tuesday every month at the Washington Adult Center. The residents of Alhambra village are mostly stable, mature and the area is characterized single-family home neighborhoods. The area boasts of houses built in 1920s and 1930s but are well maintained (City of Phoenix 1). Located at the entrance of the meeting was the sign- in table for the attendees to register and to be given the handouts. Input and contribution to the meeting by attendees was encouraged in many ways. The attendees interested in public participation during the hearing were to fill the speaker card, write comment forms, and send emails to the planning committee. The total numbers of the local citizens who signed in and attended were one hundred and thirteen. Also in attendance were the members of the Neighborhoods, Housing, and Development Subcommittee. The committee is empowered to provide policy guidance on matters of housing, historic preservation, preservation, homeless, planning, zoning, domestic violence, and reviews developments such as site plans and inspections (City of Phoenix 1). Apart from the people presumed to be the residents, local politicians and the members of the committee which represented the authority, there were no strange people. The media was conspicuously absent. Also absent were the professionals like the surveyors and land economists. The attendees were given the option of returning their speaker cards and written comment forms before the meeting or even submitting comment forms or sending emails

Virginia Business Lawsuit Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Virginia Business Lawsuit - Term Paper Example This would lead to the endangerment of their lives and would also inconvenience them in their shopping. The plaintiffs complained of there parking spaces being built on slopes and that the curb ramps were built on excessively steep grades. They also complained of the mall having improper access point to the buildings making access to the building for the disabled difficult. The malls also lacked handrails to assist the disabled in their movements into the mall. This made it to be increasing difficult for the disabled customers to navigate efficiently in the malls. The restrooms had toilet facilities that were unsuitable for the disabled customers since, they did not have the required specifications to accommodate the disabled. All this factors led to the disabled taking action against the mall for discrimination and ignorance on the needs of the disabled. The lawsuit involved the major malls located in the region. They included â€Å"Crossroads mall, Valley View Mall, Tanglewood Mal l, Towne Square Shopping Center, Lake Drive Plaza and Spartan Square Shopping Center† (Hammock, 2012). The lawsuit was forwarded on behalf of the plaintiffs by the national alliance for accessibility. The group cited the lawsuit was because of the gross violations by the malls on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act was created to protect the rights of the disabled by ensuring they can access public places. The act has litigation that governs the environment that is needed to make certain that this admission is realized. The lawsuit also included other public institutions. These institutions comprised of two motels and a university (Hammock, 2012). The management of the malls had not put the interests of the disabled high on their agenda. They seemed to have forgotten about the special needs of the disabled segment of the clientele. This neglect led to the lawsuits that not only discredited malls, but also suffered financial consequences for the violations. It is essen tial for the management to ensure that their companies or organizations follow the rule of law. This is by ensuring that the set requirements for the business are met to avoid legal consequences. In the case of the disability lawsuit, the managers of the malls mentioned in the lawsuit could have avoided this whole scenario if they complied with the law. The managers of the malls and the other mentioned institutions should have carried out a risk assessment. This is in order to know what risks the customers and employees face, in the mall environment. This would have enabled the management to categorize the issues that need to be rectified and the matters that need to be addressed. This risk assessment would have enabled the management to be conscious of the predicament of the disabled and correct them before they became a legal matter. The risk assessments are inclusive since the views of customers and employees are collected. If the risk assessment would have been carried out, the management would have become aware of the plight of the disabled customers. This would have made it possible for them to rectify the problem avoiding lawsuits that would rise from the issue. This would have saved the company legal fees and settlement payments. The risk assessment would also have been helpful in that other problems that the management was not aware of would be brought to light

The Atomic Bomb and its Destructive Power Essay Example for Free

The Atomic Bomb and its Destructive Power Essay An Atomic Bomb is a very powerful explosive device that entails fission of enriched Uranium or Plutonium nuclei in a chain reaction. The power of the explosion is measured in terms of the number of tons of TNT that would have to be exploded to release the same amount of energy. This fission reaction cannot be sustained unless a specific amount of plutonium or uranium, known as the critical mass, is present. When this specific amount is present, then the number of neutrons being produced by the fission of the nuclei will exceed the number of neutrons that leave the surface of the material. This results in a chain reaction, which ultimately leads to an explosion (Atomic Bomb). The nuclear device or Atomic Bomb consists of several less than critical mass parts that are separated by lead walls. Moreover, all these portions of nuclear fuel together exceed the required critical mass. At the time of detonation, either a chemical or mechanical device is set off that causes the various sub critical mass portions of Uranium or Plutonium to combine. Subsequently, the emitted neutron density is sufficient to set off a nuclear fission reaction releases more neutrons, this process continues until the fissile material is exhausted or is dispersed (Atomic Bomb). Such a nuclear fission reaction gives rise to an enormous amount of energy, which is mainly in the form of extreme heat. In addition, this explosion generates a huge shock wave, flash burns, high winds and radiation consisting of neutrons and gamma rays or very short wavelength light. This radiation is fatal to living matter and makes the soil and water unusable (Atomic Bomb). The neutrons and gamma rays released during an atomic bomb explosion cause extreme harm to living tissue and constitute a prime cause for cancer. The surrounding area of a nuclear explosion becomes unusable due to contamination with radioactive fission products. A portion of these radioactive products reach the upper atmosphere either as dust or a gas and thereafter reach the site of explosion as radioactive fallout, which continues to decay over a period of time (Atomic Bomb). Amongst nuclear weapons, the Atomic bombs have the dubious distinction of being the first to be developed, tested and deployed. Towards the end of the 1930’s physicists belonging to Europe and the USA became convinced that it would be possible to create a truly powerful explosive device that was based on the fission of uranium. In August 1939 Albert Einstein wrote to the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt a letter that gave particulars of this process and the danger that could be posed to the Allies if such an explosive device were to be created by the Axis Powers. The President took cognizance of this warning and initiated the Manhattan Project in 1942, in order to invent such an explosive device. The Manhattan Project team led by U. S. Army Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves was ably guided by J. Robert Oppenheimer in this endeavour. This team was successful in creating the first Atomic Bomb (Atomic Bomb). The first test atomic explosion was performed at Alamogordo, New Mexico, on the 16th of July, 1945. The energy released by this explosion was the same as would be released if 20,000 tons of TNT were to be exploded. On the 6th of August, 1945 the USA used the atomic bomb for the first time in history. This bombing, which took place almost at the end of World War II, was made on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This bomb attack was repeated on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on the 9th of August, 1945 (Glasstone). The casualties reported due to these nuclear explosions were enormous and the USA stated that around sixty to seventy thousand people had been killed in Hiroshima by the atomic bomb, which had earned the sobriquet of Little Boy. The same US sources placed the number of dead at forty thousand in Nagasaki, due to the explosion caused by the atomic bomb that had been dropped there, which had been nicknamed as the Fat Man. These two bombs effectively brought about the surrender of Japan to the Allies on the 14th of August 1945. These were the only occasions on which nuclear weapons had been used in warfare (Eubank. P87). The Hiroshima bomb was prepared using refined uranium – 235. The bomb was made by diffusion enrichment techniques, which utilized the minute differences in the mass of the two main isotopes of Uranium, namely U – 235 and U – 238. The difference of mass is similar to what UF6 has with only one percent between the molecules. Thus it became much simpler to concentrate the less common isotope. The atomic bomb that destroyed nearly ninety percent of the city of Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945 was prepared using approximately sixty kilograms of highly enriched uranium (Atomic Bomb). Three days later the second bomb was exploded over Nagasaki. This bomb contained approximately eight kilograms of plutonium – 239. Special types of nuclear reactors were utilized in the preparation of this bomb. The first human designed atomic reactor was constructed on the premises of the University of Chicago in the year 1942 during the last phase of the Second World War. In order to slow down the emergence of neutrons in fission, highly purified graphite was used in the reactor as a moderator of neutrons and to control the nuclear fission reaction. Subsequently more reactors were constructed based on the design of the Chicago reactor. They engaged simple chemical techniques to isolate plutonium – 239. There were no complexities involved in the separation of the isotopes. The first test explosion had taken place at Alamogordo in New Mexico on the16th of July 1945 using a plutonium explosive device (Glasstone). Initially the creation of the atomic bomb proceeded at a slow pace. However, the results of different research groups clearly indicated that its destructive power could be awesome and this led to a considerable hastening of the development process. Subsequently, the US Government became convinced of the fact that this world war was based on technology to a very great extent. Accordingly, it accepted the fact that there should be consensus between science, technology and the US Government (Eubank. P. 8). The destructive effects of both uranium and plutonium fuel nuclear fission bombs relied upon the energy released during the explosion caused by nuclear fission, which resulted in instantaneous fires, destructive blast pressures and maximum radiation exposures. The quantity of deposits of fission particles on the ground was very limited because these bombs had been exploded at a height of around six hundred metres above the ground. However, some traces of deposit of these particles were found in the surrounding areas of the cities in which these explosions took place and this was attributed to the rainfall that had occurred immediately after these explosions. Areas at a few kilometres distance to the east of Nagasaki and in west and north – west of Hiroshima had recorded these radioactive traces. Most of the radioactive fission particles got carried away by the heat emanated from the explosions into the outermost atmosphere (Atomic Bomb or A Bomb). The death toll was estimated at 45,000 of the civilian population out of a total of 250,000 in Hiroshima on the day the bomb went off and 19,000 resident civilians succumbed in the succeeding four months. The population of Nagasaki was 174,000 and out of these 22,000 died on the day of the explosion and another 17,000 died during the succeeding four months (Smith). A large number of malformations or deformations of fetuses was recorded among the civilians who had been exposed directly to the radioactivity. This resulted in deformities in children who were born subsequent to the explosion. Apart from these untoward incidents, no significant gene damages were found to have occurred in the children of the survivors (Smith). Gamma radiations and neutrons had emerged during and immediately after the fission. These were the major components of the radiation in those cities. There were other sources of exposure derived from the black rain which precipitated in some areas. The rain water contained radioactive materials that had emanated from within the rising cloud of fission products. However, there was little exposure to these depositions. Traces of radionuclide cesium – 137, which was a by – product of the fission were detected for a long period after the explosion in areas of Nishiyama district (Smith). Other category of nuclear bombs, fusion bombs, such as hydrogen or thermonuclear bombs have been developed and tested in the 1950s. However, these weapons have never been detonated in warfare. The modus operandi of a thermonuclear bomb is that a fission reaction takes place first to produce very high temperature. Hydrogen isotopes of deuterium and tritium combine because of the extreme heat and in the process give out a very large amount of thermonuclear energy. The primary source of energy depends on the fusion reaction. This process is similar to the process that gives the Sun its energy (Atomic Bomb). Nations that had developed atomic bombs test them in order to determine their efficiency and to study the effects caused by such explosions. These tests are usually conducted by exploding them in the atmosphere, under the earth and under the sea. The countries that have admitted to the possession of a nuclear warhead are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India and Pakistan. South Africa proclaimed that it had developed a number of such bombs and that later on it had dismantled them. Since the war came to an end due to the Atomic Bomb, a new era has begun, which makes a logical analysis of the basic concepts in respect of human life, technical innovations and society. In the social context, the deep sorrow caused by the destruction of the atomic bomb was immense. Its impact extended into the hearts of the nations of the world crossing the borders of Japan. In addition to the immense grief caused, the use of the atomic bomb made some of the people of the United States a target for criticism from the people of the world for having caused such a large number of deaths. Although the Americans wanted to depict the atomic bomb attacks on Japan, during the war, as a symbol of their hatred towards the Japanese who had attacked Pearl Harbor, these bombings were criticized as being unjust to the people of Japan. Any country with the required amount of technology could have used the atom bomb. However the United States had the benefit of possessing not only the money but also the technology to take up such a project. However, the fact remains that the atomic bomb, saved a million lives though it killed tens of thousands of people. The rules of war were changed forever by the atomic bomb. It not only exterminated the enemy but also ruined humanity itself. The inventors of this weapon had hoped that their invention would result in the end of war. This new weapon was so terrible that its architects were terrified of the idea that it could again be put to use. Works Cited Atomic Bomb. Microsoft Encarta Premium . Redmond, WA, 2006. Atomic Bomb. Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia. 2003. Atomic Bomb or A Bomb. The Columbia Encyclopaedia . 2004. Eubank, Keith. â€Å"The Bomb. † Kreiger Pub Co. Glasstone, Samuel. Nuclear Weapons. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA, 2005. Smith, Mikki. Hiroshima was no longer a city. International Socialist Review, Issue 13. August September 2000.

Examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages Essay Example for Free

Examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages Essay To what extent can Hindu arranged marriages survive in a multi cultural society In this essay I will examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages and how they are surviving in s multi cultural society. I shall use secondary research to back up what I mention within this essay. An arranged marriage is a marriage in which neither the bride nor the groom has a say over the selection of their future spouses. However, in an arranged marriage, both parties give full consent to the marriage. Arranged marriages have been proven to be successful. Arranged marriages have been a traditional aspect of family life in Hinduism. According to Hinduism, a marriage between two people is seen to be a holy relationship, that is just not limited to this one life, but extends across seven or more lives during which, the couple will help each other grow as people and progress spiritually. Two souls come together and marry because their karmas are intertwined and they have to resolve many things together upon earth in order to ensure their mutual salvation. In Hinduism, man and woman represent the two halves of the divine body. There is no question of superiority or inferiority between them. When parents are in search for a partner for their child, they firstly look at the religion, language and caste. These are very important factors that most parents do not overlook for arranged marriages. In India, parents feel that a girl can be a potential wife at the age of eighteen and parents get worried if she remains unmarried past twenty four or twenty five. It is acceptable for a boy to remain unmarried till his late 20s, but after that questions are asked about his appropriateness as a husband. This does not necessarily apply to a growing urban middle class population. Once the families have agreed on their childrens marriage they consult a family priest or an astrologer to fix the wedding date according to their astrological charts and thereafter invitations are sent to family and friends. The Hindu marriage ceremony entails several functions before the big day. However the wedding day itself has many religious rituals which need to be followed and is a custom for all Hindus. Firstly there is the Panigrahana; this ritual is carried out by the brides father, where he would offer the hand of the bride to the groom. The next ritual is the exchanging of the vows with fire as the witness. A Havankund or fire is lit and the priest recites the relevant hymns from the scriptures. Each time the bride and groom go around the fire they exchange vows. The next ritual is the Saptapadi; at the end of the ceremony the couple take seven steps together; each step represents strivings for their married life. The first step is taken for God and the growing of their spiritual progress together, the others are for health, wealth, strength, children and happiness. The seventh step represents life long friendship between husband and wife. The other key feature of a Hindu marriage, which everyone is familiar with, is the marking of the brides forehead with red powder called kumkum. This merely shows the females status. Love marriages are on the increase in Britain, but there is still a lot of doubt about them amongst the elder generation. Love marriages within the same caste and financial background are favoured, compared to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages. Couples who dare cross the social conventions have to cope with a lot of social pressure within their families and outside. These problems are more acute in the rural areas compared to the urban areas and metropolitan cities. Much depends upon the family background. If parents are educated and enlightened on both sides, things would be easier for the children, who get involved in unconventional relationships. I would say one of the evils of Hindu arranged marriages in India especially is the ever- present dowry system. The amount of dowry can be a very substantial amount, even in dollar terms, depending upon the financial status of the parties involved. Sometimes greedy mother-in-laws and husbands subject the poor brides to innumerable hardships for not meeting their expectations in respect of the dowry. Cases of bride burning are not unknown. Indian penal code prescribes severe punishment for such acts. But the cases take years and decades before the courts deliver justice. Many Indian families who have settled outside of India still uphold the tradition of arranged marriage. Being part of two cultures can be hard. Young people born in Britain but from an Indian family can find this particularly difficult if their modern western lifestyles clash with their parents hopes and wishes.2 Many young Indian people living in Britain know that one day they will agree to an arranged marriage. To deny their parents this would be a sign of deep disrespect. Many families are able to discuss the issue and reach compromises that are suitable for everyone. For example insist that you are happy to meet with prospective partners but that you must like your match. Family, friends and relatives will be informed once they have decided to go ahead and soon meetings will be organised. They will be matched according to their education and experience, a suitable caste, or social class associated with the Hindu religion. Many non Hindus have a huge misconception about arranged marriages. It is important to make a clear distinction between arranged marriages that are consensual and marriages that are arranged without the consent of the individuals involved. These are sometimes called forced marriages and are against the law in this country. However in rural parts of India this idea about forced marriages still takes place even today. Although Western societies tend to ridicule arranged marriages as backward and uncivilized and old fashioned, there are positive aspects. For example, Westerners focus more on the physical aspect of relationships, and are thus obsessed with love, sex, and beauty. As a result, people get married based on these factors and then get let down by one another very easily. The divorce rate in Western countries such as the U.S. has increased rapidly. 50% of American marriages end in divorce1. In contrast, Eastern cultures that practice arranged marriages place far more emphasis on the practical, such as integrity, diligence, ambition, modesty, and kindness. People get married based on practical reasons, and work on building affection later. Strong characteristics like the ones described above are very favourable to building love and affection in Eastern marriages. As a result, these marriages are much longer-lasting than many Western marriages. It is because the primary emphasis is not on love, sex, and physical beauty that arranged marriages are usually so successful, because the spouses get to know one another on a practical level first, looking beyond trivial issues such as beauty. I know it can go both ways, there are many arranged marriages that are just total hell, and there are marriages that started out based only on infatuation and grew stronger as time passed. But I think as long as one looks for the right characteristics in a potential spouse, then, arranged marriage can definitely work. People within the western civilisation are mistaken by the term arranged marriages. Arranged doesnt necessarily mean fixed. Arranged marriages it encompasses a lot of different varieties: the harshest arranged marriages are almost forced upon the bride or groom while the most liberal ones start with just an introduction of the couple through their parents and the rest is up to the couple. If they feel they are compatible then they would go ahead with the marriage. If they decided not to get married they would remain friends. I feel that within Britain today, Hindu parents have become liberal with their children dating and seeing each other. Parents are now influencing their children to look for someone within University get to know them for at least a couple of years and then decide on whether they are right for you. I think if the parents know about the son or daughters partner and they are Hindu, have a good family background and most importantly are educated then the parents would definitely agree to the marriage. In fact, the advantages and drawbacks of arranged marriages cannot be so easily appraised. The incidence of divorce among Indian-born British/Americans is dramatically lower than among British/Americans generally, but that partly reflects the continuing disgrace of divorce. Even as the divorce rate among Indian British/Americans appears to be increasing, the topic is rarely discussed. Divorce reflects poorly on an Indian family, and some proportion of arranged marriages endures not because they are successful or rewarding, but because leaving them would bring such shame. In addition, the concept of a woman living independently is foreign to most people in South Asian culture. Also, a majority of women dont work in rural areas of South Asian countries and hence find it difficult to have enough money to support them without getting married or after getting divorced. And many endure because the definition of success differs from Western ideas. Traditional Indians dont expect a partner to be that improbable combination of soul mate/confidante/red-hot lover/best friend. The husband-wife bond is one of reliability and dependability and complementary family roles raising children, caring for elders, explains Karen Leonard, author of The South Asian Americans and a University of California-Irvine anthropologist. They may communicate very little in intimate ways, and its still a good marriage.3. The custom of arranged marriages in India has survived migration and modernization remaining central to the fabric of society. However 95% of all marriages in India are arranged, even among those in the educated middle class. Many Indians challenge that arranged marriages are more successful than marriages in the West, particularly given the latters staggering divorce rates. Romantic love does not necessarily lead to a good marriage, and often fails once the passion dissolves, they argue. With most unions between individuals from the same background, the arranged marriage reflects and reinforces the social, economic, geographic and historical diversity of India itself. More like a continent than a country, India is made up of 14 states, with as many languages, thousands of dialects, three major religions, hundreds of sub-religions, an outlawed but still practiced caste system amongst Hindus. The Hindu religion, strongly intertwined in the concept of duty, order that parents are responsible for providing their childrens education and marriage. Once married, their sons take over the running of the household and provide for their parents for the rest of their lives. The arranged marriage has adjusted to modernization. Prospective grooms were once not even allowed to see the photograph of their prospective brides so as to protect an unmarried womans purity, her most valuable asset. By the 1930/40s, such as in my grandmothers marriage, the couple exchanged photographs, in order to decide if they liked each other. Today couples, depending on how liberal their parents are, have a coffee or meal on their own either at home, or in a restaurant, before deciding to commit. Middle-class women are allowed to reject suitors favoured by their parents. Engagements can now last six months. Western concepts of love triumphing over tradition can be seen in popular Indian films. However, many Indian women in the diaspora are in change. Freedom comes with a price. Some women, after having ended several long term relationships, find themselves in their late 30s alone, with one foot in either world and judged by both. It goes without saying that no marriage, not even an arranged one, is accustomed from basic incompatibility or abuse. But the arranged marriage does have its advantages. Living with the extended family, daughters traditionally live with their in-laws including brothers-in-law and their wives and children which means a free staff of child minders. Apart from the economic savings of a family home, shocks such as a death or the loss of a job can be absorbed. The system cares for elderly parents and grandparents who are generally isolated in Western societies. Also, because the arranged marriage tends to be a union of two families of strong moral and cultural values provides checks and balances against areas that may splinter it, such as unfaithfulness. Most people tend to equate Hindu marriage with arranged marriage. The parents in order to meet this domestic obligation prepare themselves mentally and, more importantly, financially when their child reaches marriageable age. They search for a suitable partner keeping in mind the community rules regarding cast, creed, birth chart, and financial and social status of the family. Traditionally it is the girls parents that bear the cost of the wedding and to jumpstart their daughters married life they shower her with gifts and ornaments to take to her in-laws. Unfortunately, this has aggravated peoples greed end in the many evils of dowry system. In the end, the discussion of arranged and love marriages comes down to which is better? Obviously, the one that leads to more successful marriages. Supporters of arranged marriages claim that it is more successful, but their definition of success focuses on divorce rates. But are divorce rates really a measure of a successful marriage? Do all the couples that dont get divorced stay happy with each other? The occurrence of divorce in society depends on a lot of factors including the stigma of divorce. It should be a matter of great concern that we have begun to ignore the ancient and lofty ideals of Hindu marriage and are anxious to follow in the footsteps of cultures that do not value these ideals. No wonder, the number of divorce suits filed by Hindu couples is on the rise. Instead of strengthening the traditional ideals, which for thousands of years have helped us prevent marriage and family break-ups, we are misdirecting our energies towards promoting the ideal of sense-enjoyment and self-interest. In my opinion it is still not too late to be proactive to protect the sanctity of Hindu marriage. 1: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm 2: http://www.youthinformation.com/infopage.asp?snID=805 3: http://lair.xent.com/pipermail/fork/2003-March/018427.html Words 2,582 (not including Bibliography)

Banking Industry Analysis: Zimbabwe And India

Banking Industry Analysis: Zimbabwe And India Banking industry is the major player in every countrys economy, and it influences the growth and prosperity of a nation. The following environmental analysis seeks to look at the banking Industry in Zimbabwe and India especially with regard to the PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) factors and how they have a bearing on the industry. It will further look at Porters five forces namely: New entrants, Threat of Substitutes, Power of Suppliers, Power of buyers and Competitive rivalry. In doing so, a brief history is important as it gives a mile view of the origins and development of the industry. . Based on these factors a comparative analysis is done between the two countries 1: Zimbabwe Banking Industry Analysis. Background When Zimbabwe attained its independence in 1980, the majority of banks were foreign owned. It was not until 1981 when the government acquired stakes in two banks namely Nedbank and Bank of Credit and Commerce of 62% and 49% respectively. Apart from stakes in these two individual banks, the government wholly owned and directed the operations of the central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). The Reserve Bank is the policing authority for the industry formulating policy direction through periodic monetary policy statements. Indigenous ownership and new entrants into the industry was not until mid to late 90s when a number of banks were registered (Makoni, 2010). Until mid to late 90s, Zimbabwe was regarded as a model developing African country with a small but strong banking industry. Agriculture was the backbone of economic growth with mining, manufacturing and tourism complementing it. The industry therefore benefited from a strong economy until things changed in the late 90s as a result of negative economic and political policies adopted by the government. Political Factors Since independence from Britain in 1980, Zimbabwe has been under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe through his political party ZANU PF. The country was virtually under a one party state system with no credible opposition until 1999 when a new political party entered the political field. The political environment was however stable with the international community having confidence in the way the country was governed. As a result Zimbabwe was experiencing strong economic growth due to the international support and such growth was reflected positively upon the banking sector, as it was working effectively. International lines of credit from international financiers such as the World Bank and IMF were made available benefiting the banking industry immensely. There was however a sudden change of fortune in the industry when Zimbabwe embarked upon a controversial land reform program around year 2000. The process was chaotic and often violent with the international community condem ning it. That resulted in Zimbabwes isolation from the international community. Some countries such as the U.S.A and the E.U introduced sanctions against President Mugabes government as a way of protesting against his policies (U.S Department of Treasury, 2010). Zimbabwes banking industry reeled under sanctions. Some banks especially foreign owned such as Barclays Bank had to downscale their operations as the conditions were no longer conducive to support a complete banking portfolio (The Independent, 2010). The country is still under sanctions, arguably targeted to President Mugabes inner circle members. Because of that, banks do not have access to foreign sources of capital and cannot enter into strategic alliances with most western banks who fear the political situation in Zimbabwe. A new government of national unity was recently formed to dilute President Mugabe era. The change has not had a significant positive impact on the industry as it is still new with vague views about ec onomic development. Moreover the government recently launched a short term recovery program in 2009, in order to stabilize the economy with a focus on multi currency due to the inflated exchange rate of the US dollar against the local currency. That left the industry without a long term view of economic direction (The World Bank, 2010). Economic Factors Zimbabwes economy is characterised by negative economic growth, high unemployment, high interest rates and absence of foreign investment. The economic situation started to deteriorate in the early 90s when Zimbabwe embarked on an Economic Structural Adjustment Program, ESAP supported by IMF and the World Bank. Although the intended benefits were to grow the economy and create jobs, the opposite actually happened (The World Bank, 2010). The economy started to shrink. It was further exacerbated by the sanctions imposed after a chaotic land reform program earlier mentioned together with mismanagement by the government. Banks were not and still do not have access to cheap sources of capital as a result. The population is poor and characterised by high unemployment levels. According to an AFP report (2009), such negative economic factors have been haunting the banking industry particularly in the last 10 years. Poor people are likely not to save, a situation that is negative for the banking industry. On the other hand, the rise in inflation coupled with the devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar meant banks could not cope with depositors need for daily cash withdrawals. Around 2003 and 2004, some banks collapsed while others were put under curatorship (Africa Monitor: Southern Africa, 2008). Those which survived had to limit their exposure to risks (Marawanyika, 2010). Although the situation has improved as a result of a power sharing government, banks still do not enjoy the benefits of a wide product portfolio as some products are still non-implementable. Good examples are lack of long term mortgages and credit cards. Banks remain uncertain as to the economic future and therefore are concentrating on products which are short term. Another factor which badly affected the banking system was the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe forcing private banks to acquire quantity of its related papers, and also to lend it free the compulsory statutory reserve of 40%, which is considered the highest in the world. Moreover, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe also forced financial institutions to use the excess surplus cash to invest in securities. Such influence significantly affected the performance of the banking sector (Africa Monitor: Southern Africa, 2008) Social Factors Zimbabwe has a population of around 13 million. There has been a steady outflow of people to other countries as a result of economic difficulties. Estimates put the number of Zimbabweans living outside the country to 4.5 million (Sunday Mail, 2010). That is a very significant percentage of the population. The end result is a population that is too small to sustain a vibrant banking industry. People who migrated to other countries are the middle age group, the very core of middle class society. In addition, emigration has starved the industry of essential expertise needed to run the banking industry efficiently as the educated and qualified left for greener pastures. Before the recession, Zimbabwes banking industry was already under stress and some of it is attributed to lack of proper management and lack of innovativeness. To compound the emigration problem, the country has been beset by HIV/AIDS epidemic which seem to affect the productive ages. It is estimated that 14.3 % of the po pulation was infected with the virus as of 2007, (UN report, 2009). Although the problem is not uniquely a banking industry problem, it has affected the way the industry operates by taking away both potential customers and the expertise needed to run the industry. Technological Factors Although Zimbabwe is a third world country, it is generally doing well in terms of technology. The country has seen an early introduction of ATMs in almost all cities and tourist destinations. ATM technology was first adopted around 1990 when two of the industry players Standard Chartered Bank and CABS introduced ATMs. Since then, telephone banking and online banking have been introduced as well. The industry is also linked to international big brands such as Visa and Mastercard. Travellers to Zimbabwe will have access to their cash on all ATMs so long they have Visa cards (Barclays Bank Zimbabwe, 2010). ATMs have greatly enhanced the capacity of the industry to reach a wider population and cover geographic areas which would have been costly Although most banks have adopted internet banking, the usage numbers are still very low (Thulani et al. 2009) Legal Factors Although the Zimbabwean government had little interference in the banking industry prior to 2003, the situation has since changed significantly. Government enacted various legislations meant to police the operations of the industry. This was necessitated by the collapse of some banks resulting in loss of depositors funds. As a way of protecting the public from such incidences, the government raised the minimum capital requirements needed to open and operate banks, both commercial and discount houses. The minimum is currently set at $12.5 million. This new capital requirement has not been easy due to the industrys inability to access cheap sources of capital. Further affecting the industrys ability to raise more capital and funds is the new government legislation requiring all companies to have a minimum local majority shareholding of 51%. Foreign investors with an interest in the industry can only take up the remaining 49%. (Zimbabwe Mail, 2010) This has not gone down well with foreign investors who feel the legislation strips them of their ability to manage and have an influence on their investments. As a way of trying to fight the AIDS epidemic, the government introduced a levy on banking profits towards an AIDS fund administered by the National Social Security Authority, NSSA. The rate is 3% across all income levels with banks however levied at a much higher rate of 5 % compared to other industries and individuals. This has the effect of reducing the amount available to shareholders. Environmental Factors. Zimbabwe does not have legislation compelling companies and businesses to direct their resources towards the environment and corporate social responsibility activities outside of the Aids levy earlier mentioned. It is truly lagging behind in this area. The banking industry, like any other industry has instead concentrated on its own survival with little regard to environmental issues. Industry Analysis by Porters forces. Porter explains and argues that there are five forces which determine the industrys profitability and attractiveness. These are threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and the degree of rivalry between existing competitors. Some of the forces mentioned above have limited applicability to banking because of the nature of the industry. An example is the substitute factor. The banking industry in general has limited room for substitutes. Looking at the banking history in Zimbabwe, there was a time soon after independence when suppliers had the power in the market because competition was very low. There were few players in the industry and customers were even lucky to be accepted to open a bank account. As the government liberalised the industry, more indigenous players came in making competition very stiff. Currently, there is little differentiation which banks can apply to have an urge over others. Rivalry is very high and the areas of differentiation come from good customer service and degree of risk expected. The collapse of some banks around 2003 and 2004 has left the market and customers jittery about which banks to be entrusted with their deposits. Banks with adequate capital such as Standard Bank and Barclays Bank have a competitive advantage over others due to their history of stability. They can use their foreign component of their shareholding structure to mobilise resources. 2.0 India Banking Industry Analysis 2.1 Introduction: The Banking Sector in India is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF). The banking sector comprises of Nationalised, Private and Public Sector, Cooperative and Foreign banks. A brief history tells us that the nationalisation of 14 largest commercial banks in 1969, and further nationalisation of 6 major private banks in 1980 has completely reformed the banking sector in India (Das and Ghosh, 2006). According to 2010 survey more than 80% of banks in India are nationalised, 15% are private and cooperative sector banks and the remaining 5% are foreign banks, serving a population of more than 1.1 billion. Political factors: The ruling government and the Ministry of Finance play a decisive role in contributing to the rules and regulations of the industry. A huge turning point came in 1991, when the Finance minister Dr. Manmohan Singh under the Narsimha Committee opened the doors for the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the country thus boosting the economy and uplifting the banking industry (Das and Ghosh, 2006). This served as a platform for the future decision making of the rules and regulations and law enforcement for RBI and other financial regulatory bodies. The relaxation of some regulations allowed the major foreign banking corporations to enter the developing Indian economy through mergers or independent setup. Economic factors Nationalisation of the banking sector helped farmers and small industries in India to directly access credit facilities, efficient short and long term loan sanctions and has helped reduce the unemployment rate and further increase the profitability of the money lenders. Interest rates for certain loans are lower than the market rates. For example food and agriculture related business and services. This has led to many nationalised banks giving more importance to social priorities than profit maximisation. Reduction in Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) has helped the banking sector to increase efficiency. Liberalisation has encouraged competition in the interest rate and services provided by many banks and financial regulatory bodies (J. Sengupta; C. Neogi) Social factors In spite of the recent downturn in the global economy India was able to attain a growth rate of 8.8 % in the first quarter 2010 (RBI Bulletin, 2010). That means the industry and the agriculture sectors that form the majority of the working population are supplying huge amount of their disposable incomes to banking and investment corporations to further increase their profits. This change is much obvious in the Cooperative banks and domestic banks regulated by RBI where deposits, repayment of loans, sanction of new loans improved significantly, enhancing industry profitability. Since 1991, due to the outburst of multiple opportunities in national and international industrial and service sectors, the urban and the semi-urban cities have witnessed an increase in educated, high earning individuals who are well associated with their income and investments. Since 2001 the changes in banking norms, stable and long term understanding between the commercial and cooperative banks have helped t he banking sector achieve 51% of compounded annual rate based on growth, asset quality and profitability (McKinsey and Company, 2010). Technological factors Technology is always seen as a building block for any industry or economy. With the arrival of the foreign banks and financial corporations, the public, private and cooperative sectors have witnessed a revolutionary support and competition in its technology. As a result of this many banks such as Housing and Finance Corporation (HDFC), ICICI, State Bank of India, Central bank, Union Bank, JK bank, and all major cooperative banks have revolutionized their various banking products and services. Services like internet and telephone banking, online investment and loan proposals, personalized and premium banking services are available 24 hours a day. Large numbers of ATM outlets have all helped increase the profitability and efficiency of their service providers. As a result the year 2001-02 saw 20.83% private sector banks achieving efficiency of more than 100%, and year 2003-04 saw 26.92% private sector banks having productivity of more than 100% (Bodla and Verma Bajaj, 2010). The growth in industrial and outsourcing sectors have boosted foreign exchanges and remittances. This has produced a fluent and rich source of income for the banking industry. Legal factors Banking Regulations Act in 1949 and the Reserve Bank of India Act in 1934 are the major regulations in Indian banking industry. All Indian banks trade and work in accordance to the guidelines of RBI. Due to liberalisation and influence of World Trade Organisation, Indian banking industry adapted to the global banking standards. Indian banks and finance corporations follow the regulations of the Basel Committee, International Monitory Fund (IMF) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). (2008) 2.7 Environmental factors The finance and banking sector is one of the most advanced and rapidly growing sectors in Indian economy. The concentration in banking industry is due to certain core principles, standardization, regulating and supervising of the sector. This has created a frantic race to stay at the top. To overcome their competitors almost all banks and finance corporations have adopted social responsibility measures or environmental concerns (Zuberbà ¼hler, 2000). Banks like SBI, HDFC, ICICI etc have undertaken various public and corporate issues seriously and have allocated a sizeable amount of their income on public and environment issues. Recently, the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs in India have set out core elements of CSR for companies and corporations to address. The president speaking at India Corporate Week has urged finance and industrial corporations to assist the government in various programmes designed for rural economic development (SRI, 2010). Analysis by Porters Five Forces 2.8 Bargaining power of buyers: Bargaining power of buyers is high in Indian banking system because of many reasons. There are lots of alternatives for each customer. Due to the technological advances, buyers know about the market status and position of each bank. Switching cost to shift the bank is very low, so the customer changes the bank frequently. Almost all banks give the same service and products, so they cannot charge for extra service and differentiation. Banks try to be customer friendly to attract as many clients as possible. 2.9 Bargaining power of suppliers: Bargaining power of suppliers is less in India due to the strict rules and regulation of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Interest rate and degree of differentiation are determined by the RBI, so supplier power is very low. But at the time of tight liquidity the negotiation capacity of suppliers increase. 2.10 New entrants: New entrants with added services and benefits always pose a threat to the well established older and somewhat government owned banks. In India since majority of the banks are nationalized or state owned as seen above, a new foreign bank, always has to come up with some better ideas to attract a specific group of population which is ready to deviate or change its banking environment. In addition, few of them have tried to blend with the Indian market either by partnering or merging with some Indian nationalized banks, or by exchanging services like use of ATM networks. As a result, foreign and new private banks have realised growth rates of up to 50% while the public sector banks have grown at steady 15% (India Banking, 2010). After the post liberalisation period the banking sector has increased average deposit efficiency especially for State Bank of India and Associates. As for nationalised banks its almost stable and for foreign banks it has declined sharply. The reason for the fall in the foreign banks is due to their attention to cater to only some of the multinational corporations which lured them for starting their services in India (Services Research, 2009). 2.11 Threat of substitutes: Substitutes do not pose a greater threat to the banks. However the fact that they still have influence in some of the major rural areas in the form of non-governmental and unregulated co-operative societies always leaves banks watching their backs. (Das and Ghosh, 2006). 2.12 Competitive rivalry: The concentration of nationalised banks and their efforts to be the policy maker have given rise to three major concerns: Competition, Systemic Stability and difficulty in regulating them (Zuberbà ¼hler, 2000). It is believed that competition always fuels growth. The commitment shown by banks in terms of employee training programs and technological upgrades have resulted in improved skills and services (Arora and Khanna, 2009). For effective regulation many banks have applied customer centric approach rather than profit oriented approach. This has significantly improved the internal service quality of the banking sector. 3.0 Comparison and conclusion: Banking industry in India is more diverse as it includes many nationalised public sector banks, foreign banks, private sector banks, co-operative banks and many approved small and medium money lending institutions well serving a population of 1.1 billion. In Zimbabwe the banking industry comprises of government banks, private banks and a few foreign banks serving a comparatively small population of 13 million. The banking industry market is therefore huge in India when considering the population and all related demographics. Considering the fact that agriculture is the backbone in both countries, most of the government policies and initiatives are in favour of agriculture and its related sectors. A best example is Indian governments approval of $12.5 billion Farmers debt relief fund in 2008, which allows banks and other approved money lending institutions to waive a farmers loan after signing an agreement of debt relief. (banknetindia. nd). Indian government is politically more stable than the Zimbabwean government. This has created certainty in the Indian industry compared to its Zimbabwean counterpart. In India all the financial regulatory bodies have formed a supportive environment for the banking and economic industry, and have setup stringent rules and regulations in accordance with the international banking guidelines. Foreign exchange and remittance is an important factor which acts as a bridge between a countrys banking sector and its ability to attract investments from other countries, which provides rich nourishment for the banks. Foreign remittances from industrial activities are practically not present in Zimbabwe whereas in India outsourcing and flourishing economy is maintaining a steady supply of foreign exchange. Though banks in Zimbabwe are earning huge individual foreign remittances from the migrant population, the entire banking sector cannot completely sustain itself on that. Global economic instability and recent financial downturns were more felt in Zimbabwe, as compared to India which is relatively more insulated to the effects. Since 2007 Zimbabwe was facing huge hyper-inflationary problems until recently when the country achieved some measure of stability through dollarization of its economy. The inflation at some point reached monstrous levels affecting the Zimbabwean dollar exchange rate and banks found it extremely difficult to maintain a supply of the dollar. That led to government introducing foreign multi-currency since 2009, especially the US dollar, (Hanke, 2010). Inflation in India has been steady compared to its growth rate and is handled carefully by the Reserve Bank and the finance ministry. This has helped maintain currency supply and is conducive for the banking environment. Technology is one of the major drivers for banking industry not just in India and Zimbabwe but across globe. Technology has helped many foreign banks gain an advantage over government banks in India and also in Zimbabwe. Some of the banking areas revolutionised by technology are ATMs, online banking, phone banking, customer service, foreign exchange etc. Indian banks are highly competitive and have strengthened themselves due to information and technology. They are providing many services and provide value addition which has enabled them to successfully compete with many global, well established and technically sound banking corporations. Zimbabwean banks are comparatively at a preliminary stage and are incorporating value addition and services at a slower rate. Unemployment is a negative driver for banking environment in Zimbabwe. Population migration and AIDS are further deal breakers. Corruption in the government and finance sector is further affecting the banking industry in both countries. Social responsibility is not well adopted in Zimbabwean, whereas almost all major nationalised, private and foreign banks are making huge efforts to be socially responsible in India.

Great Political Leaders of the Twentieth Century :: World History

Great Political Leaders of the Twentieth Century The history of the 20th century can be defined by the biographies of six men: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and Josef Stalin. Each of these men had a lasting significant involvement in world affairs. This essay will focus on the significance each individual had on the ideologies of Democracy and Totalitarianism. Four of the six individuals were leaders of a totalitarianistic state, and three of these led a communist country. Also four of the six leaders were in power during the Second World War. The profiles of these six men formed the world that we live in today. Vladimir Illich Lenin was the first individual to put Marxist ideologies to work. In April 1917 Lenin returned to Russia from his exile in Switzerland to give his 'April Theses.' It was here that Lenin outlined how his revolution was to take place, the Bolshevik Revolution began on November 6 1917. Within a week the Bolsheviks were in control of most of European Russia, and immediately Lenin ordered that the Russians abandon the war against Germany. After abandoning her allies in World War One the Russians were hurled into a civil war. It is here that we first see the ideologies of Totalitarianism and Democracy clash. The democracies of Britain, France, and the United States all sent troops to Russia in the support of the 'Whites,' or enemies of the Bolsheviks. Lenin took the poor country of Russia and turned it into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or U.S.S.R. Through his policies of War Communism and its replacement the NEP Lenin was able to stand the newly formed U.S.S.R. o n its own two feet. One of Lenin's ideas was 'International Socialism,' it was under this idea that he set up the Comintern with the purpose of spreading communism throughout the world. His successor, Josef Stalin took a different approach in his ideas of 'Socialism in one country." Josef Stalin led the U.S.S.R. from the death of Lenin to his own in 1953. Stalin led the Soviets through the betrayal of the Germans in the Nazi-Soviet Pact, he turned back the Nazis on the Eastern front, and brought the U.S.S.R. out of the Second World War as one of the only two superpowers in the world. After the end of the World War Two Stalin spread the Soviet sphere of influence to include East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Alabania, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.

Exploring Rest Cure Therapy in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Yellow Wallpape

Exploring Rest Cure Therapy in The Yellow Wallpaper Rest was used as a cure for neurasthenia, but did it really work? "The Yellow Wallpaper" explores the concept of rest cure therapy and its effectiveness on a woman patient. The best-known doctor for treating neurasthenia was a highly regarded neurologist named Silas Weir Mitchell (Kivo 8). Women from all over the world traveled to the United States to be treated by Silas Weir Mitchell (5). Rest cure therapy included secluding the patient from family and friends and complete physical and intellectual rest (5). Many women who followed Mitchell's treatment plan returned to their families cured, but there were some women whose symptoms became worse after being treated by Mitchell or after being restricted to bed rest. Many women did not benefit from rest. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Jane, the protagonist, is put on bed rest after giving birth to her baby. She is prescribed bed rest from her doctor and husband, John (6). John secludes her from family and friends by renting a rundown country home for the summer (6). She is to have total bed rest while at the country home. John said that Jane "was to have perfect rest" (Gilman, 14). As the summer progresses, Jane's condition becomes increasingly worse, and she begins to hallucinate. She thinks that she sees things moving on the yellow wallpaper in the room that she is staying in. Jane says, "The pattern does move-and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!" (23). The therapy causes Jane to retreat into madness (Kivo 6). Jane's madness becomes apparent when the woman behind the wall and Jane start to tear all the yellow wallpaper from the walls of the room (25). Jane's condition deteriorate... ...herapy. Rest cures did not always work on all women. There were some patients like Jane who became worse while others like Addams and Gilman had to find their own ways of suppressing or curing their depression. Depression, or neurasthenia, was not always curable and has affected many people all over the world. While rest cures were the most common cure for depression, sometimes this procedure was not effective. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." The Harcourt Brace Casebook Series in Literature. Ed. Carol Kivo.Forth Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1998. 13-27. Kivo, Carol, ed. "The Yellow Wallpaper:" The Harcourt Brace Casebook Series in Literature. Forth Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1998. 2-12. Poirier, Suzanne. "The Weir Mitchell rest cure: doctor and patients." Women's Studies. 1983 10(1): 15-40. <Galileo online>

The Patriarchal Roots of Evil: Mass Rape and its Implications :: Free Essays Online

The Patriarchal Roots of Evil: Mass Rape and its Implications Imagine this scene. A woman is being brought through the forest. Someone had, very tactically, tied her to a cross in a vertical manner, and by the painful look on her face, the worst is yet to come. The woman is being carried by what is soon to become her audience. It consists mostly of other women by looks very similar to their friend on the cross: malnourished, zombie-like, bodies painted with blood of the bruises that never were given a chance to heal. Most of their clothes are ripped, and this is but one indication of the things that happen in a repeated motion night, after night, after night. When they arrive at the clearing area, the audience is ordered to sit down and watch, by very well armed, male guards who were following them the entire way. Only now do we see that the woman on the cross is pregnant. In any other case it would possibly be less noticeable, but that woman, at that exact moment, was cut open with a knife. In her belly, a baby could be seen moving. The audien ce does not move, nor protest. They know better. The only difference between them, and the woman on the cross, is that they, if stayed quiet, still have a chance of survival. The guards react differently. In trance-like excitement they clap, screaming, "Die, Muslim Whore! Die before you pollute the world with your bastard! If you gave birth to a Chetnik you?d be let go." Fifteen minutes later, both, the baby and its mother were dead. The above example is an interpretation of a roughly similar scene told to Catherine MacKinnon by one of the survivors in the audience. This event specifically occurred in the aggression over Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the 1992 to 1995 war, but it is not very different from the crimes inflicted onto women during other political conflicts, out of which mass rape used as a weapon of war is the most often occurring scenario. Since the beginning of recorded history, when the conflict arises women are raped, and some are then killed, regardless if conflict be on a local, national or an international level. (In this essay, war will be the example of conflict.) While Bosnia offers an example most known to today's generations this type of violence is not a new phenomena: a slight change of a year and tragedies of women of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Germany, India, Kenya, Peru, Rwanda, Somalia (and many, many more) do not seem as foreign.

Hypocritical America Essay

Hypocrisy is an act of condemning another person’s act without realizing one’s own characteristic towards being guilty of the same aspect of correspondence. (Wikipedia, 2007). Most of the time, this form of behavior to whom it is associated to is subject to be attributed to the environmental factor while the acts of an observed individual is interpreted to be an innate characteristic of doing wrongful acts. In modern times, hypocrisy is also well identified. Apparently, the world also finds America to be guilty of such hypocritical acts. Why does the world seem to single out America on hypocrisy? Basically, it seems that the international community is very aware how the country responds to the different elemental factors happening in the world. Let us see some good examples. We can begin in the aspect of building arms and military might. It is very obvious that each country should at least have a form of security measures in order to protect it from external intrusions. Thus, weapons should be fabricated and acquired by any nation who wishes to protect them. However, America apparently keeps on monitoring the entire world’s activities and sometimes even interferes to initiate a common consensus among its allies to prevent one country from producing these armaments. In extreme cases, it (America) is very sensitive when it comes to other states producing their own nuclear facilities and always justifies that it may be used to destabilize the peace and order in the world. America just ignores the fact that it is actually one of the biggest keepers of nuclear arsenal in the entire international community (Gibson, 1996). In terms of capitalistic approach, the US is also perceived to be very deceitful. When an American investor unit wishes to enter a certain market, especially those of the third-world group, it imposes a certain range of requirements instead of following the legal process in the country. Many of the local businessmen in these poor nations are not really optimistic that they will get a fair share in the market with the presence of a US brand competitor. It is very obvious for this factor to be realized because of quite numerous protests in each country which the US investors try to settle in (People’s Daily, 2000). One more aspect of hypocrisy of the US, according to how the world takes it, is its complete intention to manipulate and interfere in the government processes of other states. For example, if a certain nation is going to apply for a loan with the IMF or World Bank (which both have very high influence states from the US), there will always be a type of bargaining agreement aside from the actual supposedly credit money factors. There is always a requirement to let the United States to impose whatever it sees fitting to a domestic problem of a particular country. Some people say that the act of hypocrisy can sometimes be very beneficial to a society since it actually exposes the harsh truth that concerns and problems abound in this world and that resolutions are not always sufficient to solve them. However, in the case of the United States, there is a growing perception that the country is no longer capable of sustaining the supposedly â€Å"good† effects of hypocrisy since it only considers its total welfare over its relations to other nations. In any case, if there are too many individuals who are no longer satisfied with how the world works, it is very possible for them to initiate an act which will result to undesirable consequences not only for America but also for the whole international community. It would be very ideal for the US to reconsider its policies to maintain a sound relationship with other nations in the world. References Gibson, J. 1996. Complete List of All U. S. Nuclear Weapons. Nuclear Weapons Archive. Retrieved November 20, 2007 from http://nuclearweaponarchive. org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs. html. People’s Daily. 2000. China Protest Against US Arms Sales to Taiwan. People’s Daily. Retrieved November 20, 2007 from http://english. peopledaily. com. cn/english/200004/09/eng20000409_38583. html. Wikipedia. 2007. Hypocrisy. Wikipedia-The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 20, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hypocrisy.