Of Our Spiritual Strivings WEB Dubois Analysis Essay

In Of Our Spiritual Strivings, the two main messages that WEB DuBois has to share are of the dangers of double-consciousness and the idea that a Veil exists between White America and African America. He first realized this when he was at school and they were passing around visiting cards and one girl refused to give him a card, simply because of his skin color. He realized at that moment that there was a vast veil between white and black America. However I found it interesting that he had no desire to attempt to remove that veil. Instead his desire was for African Americans to stay close to their roots, but at the same time without assimilating into white culture. He also expresses this when he says â€Å"After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. † The African American is separate from White America, but yet is still American. DuBois desired that African Americans should not try to compromise with white america, but be proud of their heritage and yet still be recognized as Americans and not second-class citizens. This quote also leads into his second idea which is the idea that there should be a self-consciousness from African Americans. â€Å"It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. This continues on his idea that African-Americans should strive to be themselves and not something else, and not measure themselves by those that do not value them. In this next quote DuBois states that manhood is attained threw one state of mind, or self-consciousness, which is the viewing of oneself through their own lens and not thru the lens of others. â€Å"The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows†¦ † Double-consciousness should be discarded in favor of self-consciousness, because self-consciousness in the eyes of DuBois offered African Americans the chance to prove themselves to the world and show the world their abilities. America should not be set in the view as Africans would have it, but rather that America should be a land of incorporation, rather than assimilation. DuBois sought a land comprised of various cultures all equal to each other but no culture striving to be like another, because that would create a culture that would be dominant. He believed that every culture, African culture especially, had something to offer to America.

To what extent did Russia undergo economic

To what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906-14? After the 1905 revolution Russia was in need of reforms both economically and politically, to allow it maintain its role of a great power and to prevent another revolution occurring the answer to this was the October Manifesto. However, due to the stubbornness of the Tsar who was determined not to relinquish his autocratic powers, what may have appeared as reforms were largely superficial making little change in particular to the Russian political system. In early 1906 the OctoberManifesto was published as a result of the 1905 revolution and as a way to appease the peasants and appear as a revolutionary change, when truly very little was changed by this. Political activity was now legal so political parties now no longer needed to remain secrets; freedom of speech was also introduced along with the introduction of a state elected Duma. Most of these changes were made as a bid to make the peasants co ntent and prevent the chances of another revolution; however this also banned trade unions and newspapers. The introduction of the first Duma was short lived due to to the disapproval of the Tsar, who dissolved it under theFundamental Law, after only 73 days. This was due to the number of members that were revolutionaries, who wanted to push through more moral ideas and reforms than the Tsar was willing to do, only 2 out of 391 made it into the law. This then led to the Wborg manifesto, which was a group of frustrated Duma members teaming up to go against the Tsar's action of raising taxes – unfortunately this backfired, leading to all 200 members being banned from standing in the next Duma. The next Duma followed a similar suit, Just with the gaining of the Social Revolutionaries and theSocial Democrats gaining seats, it was the third and fourth Dumas that raised the most change within Russian society, but this may have been due to the Electoral Reform. In order to make sure that the government gained the best support, voting was restrained to the wealthy, meaning that only 30% of Russia could vote. This meant that the majority of the revolutionaries supporters could not vote, leading to to mostly pro-government parties winning the vote. The Duma was never seen as political institution and was never meant to be, it was supposed to be a simple forum o please the masses and make them believe that the autocracy was listening.The Third ; Fourth Dumas managed to make some successful reforms as the government were more inclined to listen to them, they managed to replace the biased Land Captains, introduced universal primary education, create health and accident insurance programmes and made improvements to the army and navy. Despite the fact that the Duma were never supposed to be parliamentary, they still successfully managed to have the Duma debates reported in the press, meaning that the reformers and radicals participating managed to influence public opi nion egitimately – something that had been denied to them previously.This reform had helped helped create political reform, as it had created a space where a forum for political debate could be taken note ot, and could be published without being censored. It meant that political parties had been established legally, and despite the fact that the Third and Fourth Dumas thwarted many reforms, they helped too, as not all of the seats in this institution had been pro-government. Another factor affecting the amount of political change over the years is the use of Peter Stolypin, the Russian Prime Minister from 1906- 1911.It is hard not to see Stolypin as a reformer, as he evidently saw what policies and laws needed to be changed or created in order to vanquish any repeat of the revolution, as he brought great changed to the Russian countryside, giving peasants the freedom to leave their communes, offering them cheap land in Siberia, or helping them to own their pieces of land thro ugh the redistribution of peasant wealth through the Land Bank.This had a big impact, as it lead to 50% of peasants having ownership of land, and agricultural production had risen from 45. 9 million tonnes to 61. 7 million tonnes in 1913. It is said by historians hat had war not broken out, Russia could have developed a more stable, loyal and prosperous peasantry, as Stolypin envisaged. On the other hand, despite the rise on crop yields and production, not much was done about the living and working conditions of Russia's industrial workers.This was definitely shown after his assassination, where a plague of Russian unrest came around again, only leading to the Lena Goldfield massacre of 1912 in Siberia, which led to strikers being killed by the police. This was then a tipping point for more strikes and demonstrations, reminiscent of the 1905 revolution, to take place, showing that despite the fact Stolypin had helped reform a little economically, it was immediately undone by the wra th of popular unrest amongst the lower classes once more.From these two arguments it is very easy to see points helping question the extent of the Russian economic and political changes over the years, but I believe that the true tipping point comes to the Fundamental Law. This Fundamental Law, created in 1906, created the constitution of the Russian Empire, creating a national parliament with the lower house (the Duma), being elected. This all sounds very good, and sounds like political eforms were in their heights in 1906 – but this was completely changed in Article 87.This gave the right for the Tsar to govern by decree, thereby ignoring his faithfully created' parliament. This basically meant that the creation of the Duma was practically pointless, as the Tsar could still change his mind as to what laws he wanted created, and which laws he would go against, putting incredible restrictions on how much could be done within the Russian Empire. Therefore, I find that the exte nt to which the Russian Empire underwent economic and political changes were the smallest possible, as Nicholas was not willing to create any reforms.

Business Strategies And Analysis Of Starbucks Marketing Essay

Business Strategies And Analysis Of Starbucks Marketing Essay In this following report provides analysis of company mission, business strategy with Porter’s Generic Strategies (Michael, 1980), using Michael Porter’s five forces (Michael, 1979) to analyze specialty coffee industry, situation analysis with SWOT, Starbucks core competencies (C.K. customers whom share the same valued, required premium-level coffee, have spending ability; young urban professionals, teenage and trendy (Wikinvest, 2010) but not the pricing competition. Source: Generic Strategies – Michael Porter (1980), http://www.marketingteacher.com Starbucks’ business strategy (differentiation focus) has been used in all processes and all stakeholders; starting from suppliers and farmers that Starbucks made the different in the way of finding the source of materials (e.g. coffee bean) at the origin places not from the secondary sources and the most significant is tried to improve farmers’ quality of life in the same time also got the good qualit y of coffee beans. Secondly, they treat the employees differently from the others whom they called partners that hope to make the different in the way of service-minded and relations. Another most important and differentiate point is the global/environment/community responsibilities as their shared value as mention by Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ CEO, said â€Å"You don’t do these things for recognition, you do these things because they are the right thing to do† (Nancy, Marya, Katherine, 2008). Industry Structure As a different industry has different nature of business, competition or level of profitability (productivity and efficiency). So for better understanding in this coffee specialty industry, it could use a framework of Michael Porter, which influenced by the five forces (Michael, 1979).

Women and Migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Women and Migration - Essay Example Women migrants have less access to legal protection and social services and are victimized by abuses and harsh working conditions. Female migrants usually are forced to work as domestic and sex workers and are succumbed to torture and cruel treatments. Women who migrate from poor Asian countries are also faced with racism and bias from host countries. Women also are exposed to psychological and physical pressure when travelling to camps in different host countries. Sexual exploitation of women and trafficking is a part of the life of female migrants. Many a time female women who migrate to different countries are compelled to work in unhealthy working condition without safety and security. There are no guidelines to safeguard their human rights and security and some are subjected to violence and exploitation. Even in case of remuneration, women are paid very insignificantly when compared to men. Women are at a loss on migration if they are not employed in a reputed job. Women at many times have to stay away from husband and children in order to earn for their family and in long run, their relationship is negatively affected. They cannot care for their children in the right manner which can hamper the physical and mental development of the children. They have to face lack of health care, poor living conditions, low paying jobs in host countries which are a matter of great concern. Many women undergo depression and mental health issue due to the pressure they have from work surroundings. Gender discrimination is one aspect largely encountered by female migrants in host countries and they are mostly forced to do work s which is less skilled and paid for. Women migrants who work under challenging condition should be protected from abuses on the part of human right laws. Human rights standards should be more strong and consistent pertaining to women migrant workers and should protect them from all visible exploitations and abuses.  Ã‚  

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Research paper - Essay Example Content sharing can also involve exchanging opinions and ideas among individuals from a particular community. The first reason the government is against the act of sharing ideas and contents through the internet is because of matters that pertain to national security. The internet can present an avenue in which to extremists can use to spread their extremist propaganda, which can be detrimental to national security. To avoid raising suspicion, extremists may pose as normal bloggers or social networkers, but subtly spread dangerous propaganda (Martin 72). The second reason that makes the government work towards taking control of information sharing in the internet is because of terrorists. Since tracking communication on various blogs and social networks is a hard task, at times, terrorist can use this weakness to coordinate with their counterparts in different regions around the world to commit terrorist attacks in an area. The government has to minimize this act through taking control of information sharing in the internet (Martin 73). The third reason that makes the government control sharing of information is to ensure good moral behaviors are observed. The internet can promote a behavior in which individuals sharing contents can go to the extent of sharing nude photos and videos. This immoral act has been on the increase because of advanced technology that has resulted in an easy way of taking photos and videos, which are later uploaded in the internet (Martin 73). In conclusion, the government aims to control sharing of ideas and contents in the internet in order to protect the public from extremists, terrorist and sharing of explicit contents. Extremist and terrorists pose threat to national security while sharing explicit contents promotes immoral and unethical

Statistical assessment of two research reports Essay

Statistical assessment of two research reports - Essay Example A few studies have compared care recipients’ and relatives’ perceptions of care quality in nursing homes as opposed to home-based care. However, a few studies have systematically compared how different stakeholder groups perceive the quality of care offered in different types of community-based older people care settings. Specifically, little is known as to how care recipients and their relatives perceive the quality of services offered in home care as opposed to nursing homes. Such comparisons could offer concrete information regarding quality aspects in need of improvement in each respective setting. In the paper â€Å"Relationships between coping, coping resources and quality of life in patients with chronic illness: a pilot study†(Study 2)- The original purpose of the study was to determine differences between two groups of patients with chronic illness (ESRD and CHF) regarding the following study variables: coping, sense of coherence (SOC), self-efficacy and quality of life (QOL). ... There have been studies where researchers examined relationships between coping and QoL, SOC and QoL, or self-efficacy, coping and QoL. But In these studies, there was no attempt to investigate the relationships between all four variables in patients with chronic illness.This study will consider all the 4 variables at one time and find the correlation between them. 2. Data Collection Method Study 1- All the older people receiving home help services, home care or living in nursing homes in these two municipalities were considered eligible for the study. However, older people not capable of expressing their perceptions because of severe dementia did not receive the questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed by the nursing staff who were instructed to discuss the capability of each care recipient to reply to the questionnaire with their supervisors. Thus, the only reason for not receiving the questionnaire was severe dementia.All the individuals who were registered as a primary family member to care recipients were included in the study and are referred to as care recipients’ relatives. One relative per care recipient was registered as primary family member and therefore one relative per care recipient was invited to participate in the study. Study 2- A total convenience sample of 201 patients (125 CHF and 76 ESRD) was selected from the medical records in two hospitals in Sweden. The inclusion criteria were: 45–80 years old, main diagnosis of CHF or ESRD, lived in their own homes, read and understood the Swedish language, and that they were not in the terminal stage. Questionnaires were mailed to the recipients with two reminders, which resulted in answers from 64 CHF and 41 ESRD patients within a period of 6 months. Five of the CHF

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Case study - Essay Example Additionally, these effects led to the eruption of series efforts channeled towards ensuring that there was no future attacks in both countries (International Cases of Terrorism, pg. 362). On the other hand, the impacts of terrorism on these two regions also exhibited a number of variations. To begin with, Fifty eight tourists (Australians) lost their lives in Egypt in 1997 while in Bali, a total of 200 persons comprising people from different religious backgrounds died after the terror attack. Consequently, the rate of tourism reduced in Egypt rapidly but later rose up to 20% due the measures taken by the government to eliminate the possibility of future attacks (International Cases of Terrorism, pg.362). In Bali, the tourism reduced rapidly and has not risen since these attacks occurred, however, efforts are undertaken to assure tourists and the populace of their safety International (Cases of Terrorism, pg.363). The major strategy is to create awareness among the public and the tourists of terror attacks and encourage the spirit of cautiousness and personal initiative in reduction of terrorism. There should also be improved and strict surveillance measures undertaken at public places through the use of scanners, bomb detectors as well as thorough frisking of visitors and the locals entering public places. It is also pertinent to involve the media and ensure that terror attacks are properly covered and people made aware of their existence in order to ensure that such places are avoided. Leaders can also implement initiatives where the public are assured of their safety and encouraged to co-exist harmoniously through peace campaigns. Implementation of strict terror surveillance measures for instance: Use of proper technologies such as scanners, metal detectors and cameras to control terrorism. There is also the use of

Marketing Communications Plan and Presentation Essay

Marketing Communications Plan and Presentation - Essay Example Samsung are targeting low income category but Ipad still remains the market leader due to its high quality and high speed. Ipad needs to target companies in order for them to remain the market leader. Apple is focusing on increasing its Ipad sales and in the recent past it has opened outlets in other countries like China and Japan (Fill, 2002). Category After a survey, where five people were asked to compare Apple and other tablet manufacturers, apple was rated as the best in tablet manufacturing. The respondents said that apples products including the ipad were the best since they are able to meet almost all of their demands. Ipad has the highest processor speed of all the tablets in the market, the reason why it is the market leader. This is according to the respondents of the interview as seen in the appendix (Halborg, 2001). Benefit Most of the tablet customers are looking for speed, long battery life and an elegant and smart tablet for their day to day activities. Ipad is a uniq ue product in the market it gives its users all these. Ipad accessories are compatible with other hardware from other manufacturers therefore are easy to maintain and use as compared to other tablets in the market like the Samsung galaxy. Ipad take less time to boot compared to other products like windows tablets. Ipads are less prone to computer virus compared to others like the Samsung galaxy (Nash, 2000). IDU analysis Importance Importance refers to the significance of the benefits to the fundamental motivation. It is good to know that a benefit assumes importance if it motivates the consumer to purchase it. It is therefore the role of Apple to aggressively market its ipad product so as to remain a market leader and also help the consumer perceive the ipad as important in their life. The consumer should be convinced that the ipad will solve some if not all of his digital problems. Compared to other brands in the market, ipad is perceived as an important product in the market. Ipa d is seen as the most unique amongst the other tablets due to its unique features. From the survey, respondents said that ipad is important to them as it has a longer battery life compared with the Samsung galaxy (Schultz, 2000). Delivery This is the perception that the product, ipad, has the ability to provide the benefits to the consumer. Apple should convince its customers that ipad has the ability to fulfill the expected benefits. Ipad has successfully earned this perception as most of the respondents used in the survey said they preferred ipad to other brands in the market. Most of the respondents said ipad has a high ability to delivery as compared to Samsung galaxy and android (Shimp, 1993). Uniqueness This is the perception of a brand/product to deliver on the benefit relatively better than its substitutes. Ipad is definitely a unique brand in the market according to the respondents in the survey. Ipad has a longer life battery compared to android and Samsung galaxy. Ipad ta kes less time to boot as compared to the android and Microsoft tablet. Ipad is also less prone to virus compared to others tablets in the market. This uniqueness is a strong selling point for the ipad, and Apple should always endeavor to ensure that the ipad is always unique in the market (Tannenbaum, 1994). Positioning statement Product positioning involves creation and maintenance of a unique perception of a product in the customers mind; this will help in increasing the

Crisis Management and Multimedia Technology in London Underground Line Essay

Crisis Management and Multimedia Technology in London Underground Line Control Rooms - Essay Example The focus is on the coordination between the two to ensure that there is smooth operation of the Underground rail services. Modernization of the Bakerloo Line Control Room is to ensure that all activities related to the rail service can be done from one location for efficiency purpose and to ensure passengers get better services. The paper discusses cooperative work in workplaces in the world of technology. Introduction In modern business World technology has been embraced to bring about a revolution touching on all aspects related to the workplaces. Communication has been enhanced and it’s possible to easily communicate with clients who are miles away in seconds. Technology inventions started in the1850s when telegraphy was invented. There came the invention of telephone, fax machines after that among others which have really made an impact on business today. Technological developments are as a result of integration of inventions in computer designs, computer networks and aud io visual communication systems. The technology revolution in the business world took place slowly but today it’s almost impossible to do business without technology. Modern technology comes in terms of tele conferencing and wireless communication making business flexible and efficient. New technologies come with new opportunities and services with employees telecommunicating easily at workplaces (Heath and Luff 1992b, 327). Today we have complex computer networks, phone systems and fax machines with the aim of surviving in business .Technologies offer investors the chance to stay in business by improving their business activities and performances over time. Computer hardware and software giants are making millions of dollars every day through sales and advancement of technology related hardware and softwares.A good example is CISCO systems that have a big workforce which cost the company more than $270 million annually. This is a sign of growth in sales of electronics which are crucial in running a business today. 2. Literature review Technology offers the chance and opportunities to transact business globally without having to be physical in doing it.This can be done through the internet, calls and meetings are being conducted via video conferencing technique. Its however unrealistic to think that these scientific inventions are always without failures. According to Galegher and Kraut ignoring the usual things about social interactions in groups and organizations is the main cause of systems failures. They believe that social scientists are key to making essential contribution in designing of complex systems to enhance cooperative work (Betta 2012, n.p). 3. Methodological considerations There has to be considerations on technological systems being used in respective workplaces all over the world. The success or failure of these systems depends entirely on the social organizations ability to coordinate as they go about their daily tasks and utilization of tools available. This coordination’s are derived as a result of understanding each other’s strengths and abilities with a sole goal of producing desirable conduct at work. Social organizations refer to the integration of the workforce with an aim of achieving positive results in regard to collection of activities and tasks in an organization. It cannot be assumed that both the tasks and activities take place within a defined cultural framework and social

Country analysis of The Democratic Republic of Congo Essay Example for Free

Country analysis of The Democratic Republic of Congo Essay This location allows grief from neighboring countries on the other hand it is in an ideal location by way of trade routes to other countries and access to the Atlantic Ocean and the Congo River. The Democratic Republic of Congo is also dense with valuable minerals making it regarded as one of the richest countries as ar as natural recourses go. However, it is one of the poorest countries in the world In 1998, the second Congo war began, this war was also known as The African world war. It directly involved nine other African nations: Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and a few others. The war started because neighboring countries as well as citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo wanted to gain some of the minerals and natural resources from the nation originally creating a civil war which spread to other nations, sucking them in and starting a full out war between the countries. The war officially ended in 2003 however; battles and bitterness still resound and cause mass conflict between the African nations today. This war is said to be the worst conflict since World War II. Around five and a half million people have been killed so far due to this conflict. About 90% of the victims were not killed in battle. They passed on due to ravaging diseases such as malaria. They also died from pneumonia and malnutrition. These reasons for death were brought up by displaced populations living in unsanitary, heavily over populated conditions and were denied access to food, water, medicine, and shelter. This ongoing war has devastated a nation that in theory could be a rich, well off nation. The Democratic Republic of Congo has mass amounts of untapped raw mineral deposits. These deposits are worth 24 trillion dollars. This nation contains 30% of the worlds diamond reserves and 70% of the worlds coltan. There are also enormous reserves of gold, copper, and cobalt. The mineral extraction is done in a process known as artisanal and small scale mining. Mining has created severe problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There were many illegal organizations profiting off the mines. Because of this, the government shut down the eastern part of the country to mining. During the war, many of the commanders were making illegal trades with foreign countries with their minerals and natural resources. This trading was labeled as mass scale looting. When the mass scale looting died down soldiers were then encouraged to take part in small scale looting. This brought forth the active and extraction phase. Because of all this looting, there were large amounts of inflation. The Congolese government lost much of their profits from Uganda and Rwanda to transport their resources. They often exported diamonds and coltan out of the country. They would then repackage the diamonds and legally sell them as it they were from their own country. Rwandan soldiers made around 20 million dollars a month from smuggling resources out of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These large mining operations attract migrant workers. Many people migrate to The Democratic Republic of Congo as well to escape the violence in the Great Lakes region. The number of immigrants has been rapidly decreasing over the years. The mass amounts of immigrants have taken over the work force there. In recent years immigrants are starting to migrate to the European nations rather than other nations in Africa. Due to the dense population and poor living conditions, poverty runs rampant through this nation. This also means there are large amounts of crime even though there is a police force, the Congolese national police force. One of the most prevalent crimes in this area is of rape and sexual slavery. The Democratic Republic of Congo is known as the rape capital of the world. With the recent war, the numbers of rape victims have drastically increased. Although the Congolese law rohibits rape these laws are almost never enforced. Rape was a main weapon used in the Second Congo war, which started this ongoing epidemic of sexual violence. Prostitution and human trafficking are prohibited and have a penalty of twenty years in Jail according to the law. However, there will be years where there is not a single investigation of either of these. Proving that the laws are not as heavily enforced in these areas, as they should be. There are also no laws against spousal abuse. This lack of law enforcement is brought up by the lack of a stable and secure government rom the ongoing war. Left with an insecure government the nation is slowly starting to repair itself. The Lusaka Peace Accords set up a government system in 1999. A president was finally elected in 2006. The economy is starting to take a turn for the bright side but it is still wrought with poverty and a failing economy due to the war and mining conflicts. Due to the violence and unstable government, there are few markets and public services. This does not allow farmers to be able to sell their own goods. It forces civilians to fend for themselves. Due to the lack of public services, here are very few hospitals and medicals centers. Disease runs rampant through this nation. Since this nation is so heavily populates diseases spread easily through the communities. There are vast amounts of major health problems in this region including; HIV, aids, malaria, polio outbreaks, cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, the Ebola virus, hemorrhagic fever, and tuberculosis. Many of the illnesses are from poor living conditions, living in filth and with bugs. Diseases are spread through bug bites. Diseases like HIV and Aids are easily spread through a multitude of ways. Diseases re spread through the movement of soldiers and refugees, few HIV testing sites, mass amounts of untreated sexual diseases, human trafficking, sexual abuse, prostitution, and diseased blood transfusions. Due to the ongoing wars and conflicts, it has made it difficult to set up an organization for stopping the spread of these diseases. Because of how poor the civilians are, they have no money for medical help, which is expensive and required to be paid in advance in full cash. The Democratic Republic of Congo is not only rich with minerals but is also a great agricultural location. The general temperature ranges between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. It is a region covered with rainforest and savanna areas. The farming is done mainly in the open savanna areas. Some of the major cash crops include peanuts, beans, bananas, plantains, rice, yams, and sugarcane. Cottee is also a major crop grown here. It is one of the most exported natural resource. Most of the farming is done through the Feronia Arable Farming division. Smaller farmers often use the slash and burn method of farming nearer the rainforest. This method however, is destroying the environment and the rainforest. Using the slash and burn method it takes around fifteen years before the burned field can recover and be used again making the farmers cut down more and more of the rainforest to sustain products and and income. The Democratic Republic of Congo is an up and coming nation it requires vast amounts of revision with the nations government system, the conflicts with other countries need to be amended, and laws should be more strictly enforced to create a working nation. The DRC has the potential to be one of the richest nations in Africa by way of its large mineral reserves and demand on the natural resources cultivated here. Major reforms need to be made before this country thrives.

Weaknesses Of The Ecological Footprint Environmental Sciences Essay

Weaknesses Of The Ecological Footprint Environmental Sciences Essay flourishing at a yearly rate of 4. Contribution of the industry in the economy has become a global trend. However, as the tourist industry flourishes, those activities have also resulted into environmental impact issues, such as traffic congestion, over- exploitation of natural resources, and issues created by inappropriate tourist behaviors. Apart from the effects on human, natural, and culture heritages, these create a lot of pollution (Wu, 2003). With the constant rise of environmental protection philosophies, green consumption is slowly from being a mere concept into real action. The hotel and restaurant industries, above all, are closely related to environmental protection (Kuo, 2000). It is truly said that the continued growth of development is having an extensive and different ecological impacts. The urban that are being expanded are including the agricultural land and established the ecosystems, reducing the local bio-productivity and biodiversity while there has been an incr ease in the level of demand for resources and other ecological services by the rising populations. Ecological Footprint has been co-originated by Professor William Rees and Dr. Mathis Waskernagel. The Ecological Footprint is embedded in the reality that all renewable resources arrive from the earth. It accounts for the flows of energy and converts these into the matching land/water area necessary for nature to support these flows. The Ecological Footprint is defined as the area of productive land and water ecosystems required to produce the resources that the population consumes and assimilate the wastes that the population produces, wherever on Earth the land and water is located. It compares actual throughput of renewable resources in relation to what is yearly renewed. Ecological Footprint looks at the total quantity of global hectares that are necessary to hold a particular population. The Footprints of individual nations vary considerably.The Ecological Footprint is a resource accounting tool that measures the human demand on the Earth. By calculating a persons Ecological Footprint, it shows whether he is living within the ecological budget or whether he is overwhelming n atures resources faster than the planet can renew them. We can choose to live on a depleted planet or we can choose to live on a rich, biologically diverse, more stable planet proposes Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint. Strengths of the Ecological Footprint: It has an immediate intuitive appeal It is being used worldwide in a variety of settings. It addresses national, municipal, regional and individual footprint. It is used as a policy tool It is used as an indicator Weaknesses of the Ecological Footprint: It is not a precise measure of ecological sustainability It underestimates the impact of individual actions on the biosphere It provides limited information about most of the non-renewable resources. It allows only universal types of bioproductive areas to be recognized (forests, cropland) It does not account for all human impacts on the environment. Opportunities of the Ecological Footprint: Efforts are being done so as to standardize the Footprint. It will increase the usefulness of this sustainability indicator. It will be used for different projects. Critically assess Ecological Footprint with other existing environmental tools: The Ecological Footprint is based on the concepts of capacity and the precautionary principle which though out without their critics (Kooten and Bulte, 2000), are commonly accepted in the field of ecological impact assessment (Rees, 1996). Its methodology is grounded in the physical measures of the ecological limits and the environmental impacts of the human activity and it provides a theoretical foundation for the evaluation and comparison. Essential in the metric is an interpretation of the goal of the ecological sustainability that is to live within the bio-productive capacity of the earth. The tool that is being used is clearly focused on the ecological sustainability and with its creator acknowledging there is an additional need for the social assessment frameworks (Wackernagel and Yount, 2000). Thus, the Ecological Footprint is not proposed as a complete measure of sustainability. Rather, it is presented as a tool captures the main global ecological concerns within its metric w hich reflect a crucial precondition for the sustainability- living within the ecological limits of the earth (Wackernagel and Rees, 1996). The inventors of the Ecological Footprint have put more emphasis on various potential uses for the tool. Since this tool has been developed, the use of the tool has spread quickly into a different range of applications. Its use now has been expanded from global and national accounts, such as the WWFs Living Planet Reports (WWF, 2006) to the regional, city and local area scales. With respect to urban planning and development, Wackernagel and Yount (2000, p. 34) define the Ecological Footprint as a powerful tool for comparing the ecological demand of design options such as housing densities, transportation systems or infrastructure development. They say that: urban design has a significant impact on peoples consuming behavior. It influences not only how they shop, but also how they move around, what kind of houses they live in and what kind of urban infrastructure services they acquire. In another study, according to Muniz and Galindo (2005), they use the footprint analysis of travel-to-work behavior in Barcelona so as to conclude that urban form has a clear effect on the travel behavior which is greater that the socio-economic factors for example the average family income, and however that compact city policies that include the public transport and a mix of populations and activities resulting in a lower transport Ecological Footprints. With growing concerns on the environment, there are several international agencies which are using environmental data/information and indicators to evaluate current conditions and trends to provide information on the state of the environment. There are other environmental tools that exist. EIA- Environmental Impact Assessment: It is a process with a set of procedures. It is an assessment which helps decision-makers. It is a project that causes minimal degradation of environmental resources. It is a planning tool that is viewed as an integral component of sound decision-making. It also helps to identify, evaluate and mitigate the impacts caused by developments. Sustainability Assessment Tools for Residential Estates In order to decrease the ecological impact of urban development, it is important to make changes to the urban form and to the urban development practices. This process of change needs tools that can understand the ecological sustainability in the context of urban development that is it must be able to achieve the aims and targets, facilitate change in the practice and measure the progress that is being done gradually. EF- Ecological Footprint: It accounts for the use of the planets renewable resources. Its application includes analysis of policy, benchmarking performance, education and awareness raising and scenario development. As a policy tool, the ecological footprint is still in its infancy. Businesses are vital associates in delivering both the social and environmental scope of sustainable development. As organizations, they both meet the demand for goods and services essential to improve quality of life and, in the process, impact on the environment either directly or indirectly through their use of natural resources and their creation of wastes. One issue for businesses wishing to benefit from better environmental and social performance is the lack of consistent and credible methodologies to compute monitor and communicate evolution. latest years have seen a rise in companies using environmental management systems but few of these take life cycle approach and report for flow of material and energy. An amount of approaches are obtainable to businesses wishing to evaluate the environmental impact of their products or services. The matter of how much utilization is sustainable is also one that require to be addresses. Ecological footprint Analysis exclusively approaches the problem of sustainability by reference to the overall carrying capacity of the world at the same time , it also link to the individual behavior to organizational, regional and global. There are many tools which measure environmental progress and consumption of resources, such as the ISO 14000, the Environmental policies and measures (EPM), the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), I-O, SPI, the LCIA, and the Environmental Management System (EMS). Critically assess EF with other existing environmental tools Ecological footprint is an approximate of the amount of space on the earth that a person uses in order to survive using obtainable technology. This space includes biologically productive land and water area that produces the resources devoted by that person such as food, water, energy, clothing, and building materials. It also comprises the quantity of land and water necessary to incorporate the waste generated by that person. In line with the management consultancy mantra that to manage something effectively you need to be able to measure it, the metrics of sustainability have become progressively important in the policy world, as governments, NGOs and others attempt to identify whether their strategies and policies are indeed beginning to have an impact. This metric turn has encouraged support for existing measurement techniques such as environmental audits, environmental impact assessments, strategic environmental assessments and state of the environment reporting, while unchecking a range of new techniques for measuring environmental impacts. These approaches range from sustainability evaluation to more fundamental ideas such as Ecological Footprints. Both new and older techniques for measuring sustainability push for policy saliency, each with its own intellectual justifications, supporters and critics, and in most cases, people whose income or professional standing in some part derive from their adoption and, equally important, local adaptation. The key players in the new metrics industry include those in consultancies of various kinds, universities, NGOs and government departments. We do not mean to assign base motives to any of those involved, since most are strongly committed to developing approaches that help shift behavior patterns in ways intended to bring about environmental improvements. We do, however, want to argue that there is more at stake here than who measures sustainability best; underlying the competition for how to measure sustainability is an ethical debate about what it is that needs to be measured, why and how. In terms of environmental problems, for instance, there is always basic political and scienti ¬Ã‚ c biases in choosing which problem merits most research money attention in different contexts. For instance there are other measuring tools which are used like: Environmental Policies and Management (EPM) This is used by government or other authorities to implement their environmental policies. That is, it focuses on problems arising from human impact on the environment which retroacts onto human society by having a negative impact on human values such as good health or the clean and green environment. Environmental Impacts Assessment (EIA) An  environmental impact assessment  (EIA) is an assessment of the probable positive or negative impact that a planned project may have on the environment, jointly consisting of the  environmental, social and economic aspects. The reason of the evaluation is to make sure that decision makers consider the resulting environmental impacts when deciding whether to proceed with a project.   EIA is one type of tools, which may assist the sustainable development of a country. According to (Fitzpatrick,2003 and Sinchair,2009), they said that the EIA is focused on the implementation of preventive means and due to the fact that the aim of the EIA is the identification of possible risks and effects as early as possible. The EIA gives an opportunity to take into consideration the potential effects of the designed activity and thus it consider the other alternatives in the project implementation form various perspectives. Hence, this is done by identifying the potential environmental, social and health aspects of the planned activity (Glasson et al., 2005). Advantages of EIA Disadvantages of EIA Simple to use It is difficult to change and it is open to poor judgment by decision-makers It is flexible It is complex and ambiguous Allows for good judgment It is slow and costly It can improve It can lose flexibility Environmental assessment is a systematic procedure that is designed to identify, examine and assess the environmental effects of a particular product or an activity. The aim of this procedure is to spot any foreseeable unpleasant impacts throughout the life cycle of a product. Environmental Assessment allows an effective combination of environmental considerations and public concerns into the decision making. The environmental assessment tools are divided into four sections namely: Life Cycle Assessment Environmental Risk Assessment Life Cycle Cost Eco-efficiency Environmental Protection Act (EPA) This act is to provide for the safety and supervision of the environmental assets of Mauritius so that their ability to sustain the society and its development remains unchanged and to raise agreement between quality of life, environmental defense and sustainable development for the present and future generations; more exclusively to offer for the legal framework and the tool to defend the natural environment, to plan for environmental management and to direct the inter-relations of environmental issues, and to guarantee the proper implementation of governmental policies and application provisions necessary for the security of human health and the environment of Mauritius. The model consist of six parts: Food, energy, textile, paper, waste, and construction land. Various resource or energy consumption items are converted into biologically productive land areas. There are six basic types of biologically productive land: Cropland, grazing land, forestland, construction land, fossil energy resource land, and water (marine) area. The ratio between the consumption of a certain type of goods and the yield per unit of such goods on a certain type of land is the biologically productive land area required for that type of land. Multiply the figure by the corresponding equivalent factor, and we have the required area for this type of land under local or international standards. Wherein: EFi: represents the ecological footprint of a certain category, normally expressed in units of global hectares (ghm2). Qi: represents the total consumption of a certain type of goods, normally expressed in units of kilograms (kg) or tons (t). Pi: represents the world average yield of this type of goods, normally expressed in units of kilograms/hectare (kg/hm2). Ei: is the equivalent factor for the type of the land which produces this type of goods. And, the value of the coefficient varies with land type.

We Are What We Know :: Culture Death Cultural Essays

We Are What We Know " I screamed incoherently from fear and frustration regarding my predicament," (Arthur 5), when suddenly the word death became morbid reality. Death is a disgusting, sad word that strikes people when least expected. When my grandmother passed on to eternity a few days ago, I realized that one of the four links I had to my cultural background was gone. Despite one of the links being severed, my cultural beliefs, knowledge and lineage is clear and important to me. Although she is gone now, she has taught me, and left me with the knowledge of who I am. Through the constant celebration of cultural customs, I am well acquainted with my heritage and identity. One could only imagine a more beautiful place than the one my family and I come from. With continual blue skies and golden grain growing further than a human eye can see, Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe. It stretches from the Carpathian Mountains on the west to the Caucasus Mountains on the east, just north of the Black Sea. Through out history many Europeans and Asians have invaded Ukraine. They wanted to control its rich farmland and mineral resources. Ukraine has withstood border disputes with other surrounding Slavic countries. Since 1700, the Ukrainians belonged to czarist Russia, and western Ukraine lay in the Austrian Empire. In 1917, czarist Russia fell and Ukrainian tried to set up their own nation. During World War I, Ukraine became the battleground for the Poles who together fought the Bolsheviks. Ukraine also was the battleground for World War II, with Ukraine falling into the hands of Soviet control. It was during that time that my grandparents and great gr andparents were forced to leave everything behind and flee their burning homes and villages with only their clothes on their backs. Landing up in a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany in 1949, they settled there with others Ukrainian families awaiting host families to sponsor their journey to America, the home of the free. They may have had only few possessions with them, but when our family landed at a Mennonite farm in Ohio, they brought with them their ethnic heritage, culture, identity. America was a land that accepted all ethnic people, giving the immigrants the opportunity to make a better life. My grandfather, who was the studious one, was not much help on the farm.

Women, Sport, and Film :: Sociology Norms Society Essays

Women, Sport, and Film There are two sides to every coin. This is something to keep in mind when examining the topic of gender in sport. Specifically, I am speaking of the costs and benefits of a male or female entering a sport in which he or she is not traditionally accepted for their gender. The two sides to this concept lay not only the individual's sacrifices as the underdog, but also in the benefits the individual encounters on his or her adventure into uncharted territory. Of course, it is a struggle for the individual to become accepted by the sport world, and also the general public. It can be an uphill battle in order for him or her to even be able to participate initially. On the other hand, upon crossing the gender boundary, the individual can earn great recognition. This brings the concept to another level; there are cultural benefits that arise from an individual entering a non-traditional sport for their sex. Three movies that we viewed in the first half of this course have served to demonstr ate the individual costs and benefits involved when women become involved in sports that are not traditionally accepting of the female sex. After close analysis of "Girl Fight", "Pumping Iron II", and "Personal Best", effects that these women have on the female culture as a whole, to this day, become clear. In the movie "Girl Fight", Diana struggles as a female boxer living in the inner city. Because of the abnormality of her involvement in this typically male dominant sport, Diana has a hard time adjusting to the scrutiny she gets from her surrounding culture. This brings up the first social cost she stumbles upon due to her choice. She must remain secretive about her new found love for the sport of boxing. She is excited to have found a coach, a gym, and an outlet for her energy, however she is silenced by the fear of being shunned by her friends and peers, and worse, her dad and brother. As she (inevitably) progressively gains skill in the sport, it becomes harder for her to hide her excitement, and so she invites her best friend and other peers to one of her boxing matches. Another individual benefit for Diana is a social one. By being the only girl involved in boxing, she has potential boyfriends and opportunity for friendships and loves surrounding her.

Transmission of Livestock Diseases to Humans Essay -- Health Science P

Transmission of Livestock Diseases to Humans For decades now, death and disease have driven the progress of technology. Through the advancements of science, many diseases have been made obsolete and many more are drawing closer and closer to being conquered. However, with all the diseases that we have defeated, more and more keep appearing. And old diseases that we thought we were protected against have made comebacks. An example of this is Foot and Mouth Disease. "Since 1930 the United States of America has prohibited the importation of livestock and fresh, chilled, or frozen meat from countries in which rinderpest or foot-and-mouth disease exist," (Publication 1343, 49). The United States is considered a Foot and Mouth Disease Free country. However, that does not mean that we have not been active in trying to get rid of FMD in other countries. There was an Argentine-United States Joint commission on FMD held in 1966. In a report on this meeting it was stated that, "The conditions under which the virus of foot-and-mou th disease (FMD) survives in animal tissues have long been matters of fundamental interest to all officials concerned with the prevention and control of the disease," (Publication 1343, 3). There was a CENTO Seminar on Viral Diseases held in Istanbul, Turkey on June 12-17, 1972. This seminar had a special emphasis on FMD and rinderpest-like diseases. A discussion of disease-free zones and the regulations for these zones was brought up (Girard 93). Some of the stated regulations included complete control of domestic livestock movement, traffic of persons to and from an area that has been quarantined should be restricted and if an outbreak would occur, no animals can be exported, all the animals in... ...ases. Vol. 7, Issue 4. Jul/Aug 2001. Petersen, Lyle R. & John T. Roehrig, Guest Editors. â€Å"West Nile Virus: A Reemerging Global Pathogen.† Emerging Infectious Diseases. Vol. 7, Issue 4. Jul/Aug 2001. Sibbald, Barbara. "Quebec Clear Way for Use of Aerial Pesticides to Combat West Nile Virus." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol. 165, Issue 4. 8/21/2001, p. 463. Tyler, Kenneth L., M.D. â€Å"West Nile Virus Encephalitis in America.† The New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 344, No. 24. June 14, 2001. Weir, Erica. â€Å"Foot and Mouth Disease in Animals and Humans.† Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol. 164, Issue 9. 5/1/01 Yang, Joo-Sung, et al. â€Å"Induction of Potent Th1-Type Immune Responses from a Novel DNA Vaccine for West Nile Virus New York Isolate (WNV-NY1999).† The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Vol. 184, 2001.

Federal Government of the United States and Real Estate Essay

She is the editor and publisher of the widely respected computer newsletter Release 1. 0. She served as a reporter for Forbes Magazine for four years and is a chairperson for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She is on the board of the Sante Fe Institute and the Global Business network and the Institute for East/West Studies. Dyson’s view on cyberspace regulations is that government regulations are counter productive and virtually impossible. I agree with her in that cyberspace is a new frontier of learning that cannot single handedly be controlled by the U. S. government. Our society needs to implement our own powers of individual responsibility in this wonderful, enlightening, yet sometimes detrimental intellectual frontier. Dyson compares how cyberspace is virtually the same as real estate. She states that â€Å" you could think of cyberspace as a giant and unbounded world of virtual real estate†(420). The key words in her observation are the words that Americans have a deep love for in their genes and psyche: an unbounded world. That’s what cyberspace is. It is even bigger than that; it is an unbounded new frontier! And we can explore this unbounded new frontier from any comfort that suits us. Cyberspace is like any really great book one can go any where he or she wants to go, be whomever he or she wants to be, learn whatever he or she cares to learn about, and be fascinated beyond one’s limits of imagination, all from the comfort of an old, beloved, beat-up, Lazy Boy recliner! One can explore every interest, curiosity, desire to learn about unknown people, places, things, with the touch of his or her fingers. However, with all new frontiers there are dangers and drawbacks. Referencing Dyson’s analogy to cyberspace and real estate, some places, such as parks, are made for everyone’s enjoyment. Some real estate areas are made for home residences. Some for business enterprises that everyone can enjoy. And then there are some real estate areas that are not appropriate for children. Cyberspace is no different in this way than real estate , books, pictures, magazines, or people and the things they say and do. Some web-sites are set up for children and are wonderful educational tools to help them expand their minds, imaginations, hearts and souls. Some web-sites help educate people and improve their lives in ways that they could never afford the money or the travel time otherwise. Some web-sites allow us to learn ways that we can help others through donated dollars, kind words, material possessions, etc. Then there are places in cyberspace that represent the darker side of humanity just as in the places, books, people, deeds, in the terrestrial world. This dark side of humanity is what we all want to protect our children from. But how? The use of censorship in the United States of America is unconstitutional and the government censoring of cyberspace should never happen. Cyberspace is a place where a person has the freedom to choose where they want to go and what information they want to access. In America, it is unconstitutional to ban books because of offensive content. Our citizens will just choose not to read the book. However there are those who want to censor cyberspace because of some of the offensive sites. There have been many reform bills proposed by lawmakers in the U. S. Senate and House that have tried to protect children from cyberspace. Cyberspace is a new frontier for every being on our earth. Some countries will censor the cyber world just as they censor their own citizens and their choices. However, people in America do not tolerate censorship. They understand the concept of personal responsibility. Where a person chooses to go in cyberspace is his/her own destination. Ultimately in all aspects of life, we are free to choose our destinations; with the books we choose to read, the lessons we choose to grasp, and the cyber sites we choose to visit. Dyson states that â€Å"Cyberspace isn’t a frontier where wicked people can grab unsuspecting children, nor is it a giant television system that can beam offensive messages at unwilling viewers†(420). We must protect cyberspace from censorship just as fervently as we protect free speech. Cyberspace will ultimately rule itself just as any free enterprise system must do in order to be successful. Some sites offer free information that is available to anyone. If the information is interesting to an individual and is valid, then the site will probably be successful and attract many viewers. However, if a site is full of offensive material that is inappropriate to children, it is up to the server to restrict the viewers. There are moderators in the cyberspace world who monitor web-sites, as well as the information presented. Cyber communities exist just as actual communities do. There are communities of family and children oriented web-sites, of young singles oriented web-sites, and there are communities of porn oriented web-sites. The success of each site depends on how it conducts itself: self-rule. â€Å"In the near future, explorers in cyberspace will need to get better at defining and identifying their communities. They will need to put in place-and accept-their own local government, just as the owners of expensive real estate often prefer to have their own security guards rather than call in the police†(422). In conclusion, I agree with Dyson that cyberspace must be controlled, but not by government. Ultimately parents, cyberspace servers, sites, communities, and individuals must regulate this new universe of information. Just as with any successful business in our free enterprise system, supply and demand will dictate whether a cyber site will be a success. Individuals must have total freedom in cyberspace to choose where they want to go and with that freedom comes personal responsibility. Americans value freedom; it is the value that built our great country.

The idea of carrying capacity

‘By the end of the 21st century, human population growth may exceed Earth's carrying capacity'. Discuss. The thought of transporting capacity is non a new one. Transporting capacity is the maximal population size that the environment can back up without impairment ( McGraw-Hill, 2002 ) . The first thought of transporting capacity applied to natural beings was introduced in the 1980 ‘s so the construct that the Earth is a ship with merely adequate nutrient and resources to be able to prolong a finite population is non new ( Sayre 2007 ) . The population of Earth presently stands at around 6.8 billion and is expected to make 7 billion by the twelvemonth 2011. In merely 12 old ages, the population of Earth has risen by about 1 billion after a population of 6 billion was reached in 1999 ( Unknown 2009 ) . Population has been projected ; and estimated to make 9.4 billion by 2050. ( Ehrlich.P, A 2009 ) . The rate at which population is increasing causes a turning concern with the transporting capacity of the planet and whether or non the planet will be able to prolong the population. Worlds have already put strain on the environment and an increasing population puts an ever-growing strain on the environment. Human and environmental alterations that need to be considered such as clime alteration and over-consumption, new industrializing states such as India and China. Countries with rapid population growing are already happening it difficult to better, or even maintain the wellness of their people and their economic systems. ( MacKenzie 1994 ) . There are many people who believe in Ester Boserup ‘s position that human invention and inventiveness will predominate and get the better of any jobs that pose a menace to mankind. There have been many technological progresss, which has allowed for increased output of harvests, one such progress is the innovation by Fritz Haber in 1909, the N repairing procedure known as the Haber-Bosch procedure ( Matthews 2005 ) . This procedure has helped feed many 1000000s and saved them from decease and famishment ( Bhagwati 1996 ) . Many other technological progresss such as one from Norm Borlaug where he devised a system to speed up the genteelness of disease-resistant wheat and crush the root rust fungus in Mexico ( MacKenzie 2009 ) . The additions have non been without cost: dirt quality has been damaged, harvests like bananas have become less genetically diverse, rare strains of animate being have been pushed near to extinction, and home grounds have been destroyed. Increasing demand for meat besides puts force per unit area on agribusiness ( Marshall 2009 ) . However factors such as clime alteration that may take to lifting temperatures, which is accelerated by our over ingestion doing monolithic sums of pollution and usage of valuable resources is of great concern to the universes transporting capacity and even with the progresss in engineering that worlds succeeded in the hereafter still looks inexorable. The six most widely adult harvests in the universe are wheat, rice, maize, soya beans, barley and sorghum. Result suggest that outputs of corn, cotton and soya bean bead by approximately 0.6 per cent for each â€Å" degree-day † spent above 29 & A ; deg ; C. At present, agricultural parts across the US spend an norm of 57 degree-days above 29 & A ; deg ; C during the turning season. A turning season could lift to 413 degree-days by the terminal of the century ( Barley 2009 ) . Equally early as 2020 several states in Africa are likely to see a decrease in harvest outputs by up to 50 % . Droughts in Kenya have become 4 times more common in the last 25 old ages. In 2009, Kenya has had its 3rd failed crop in a row. ( Alagiah 2009 ) Overfishing of the universe ‘s oceans has besides led to great harm, doing population clangs in many species although in recent old ages, fish farms have become more widespread and they cut down the load on wild fish but have jobs of their ain with get awaying fish, inordinate nutrient ingestion, infective viruses and louse infestations ( Barley 2009 ) The job of increasing population makes the state of affairs much more hard to pull off. It may be possible that human invention and inventiveness will get the better of any troubles that mankind faces, although it does look that the bound of the planets transporting capacity is near to making it ‘s peak ; with consuming militias of minerals, oil, agricultural outputs and loss of biodiversity and that along with environmental alterations in the universe it will be hard for the full planet and that transporting capacity is a topic that needs careful consideration today.Alagiah. G ( 2009 ) . BBC Future of Food [ Television ]Barley.S ( 2009 ) . Climate tipping point defined for US harvest outputs [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/dn17680-climate-tipping-point-defined-for-us-crop-yields.html [ Accessed ]Bhagwati.K ( 1994 ) . No Clean Hands [ Online ] Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/mg14920116.10 0-no-clean-hands.html [ Accessed: 24/01/2010 ]Ehrlich.P, Ehrlich.A ( 2009 ) . Population: Enough of us now [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327271.500-population-enough-of-us-now.html [ Accessed:23/01/2009 ]MacKenzie.D ( 1994 ) . Will tomorrow ‘s kids hunger? The People job [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/mg14319413.600-will-tomorrows-children-starve-the-people-problem.html [ Accessed:24/01/2010 ]Mackenzie.D ( 2009 ) . Norm Borlaug: the adult male who fed the universe [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/dn17778-norm-borlaug-the-man-who-fed-the-world.html [ Accessed: 25/01/2010 ]Marshall. M ( 2009 ) . Instantaneous Expert: Food and Drink [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/dn17140-instant-expert-food-and-drink.html [ Accessed: 25/01/2010 ]Matthews.R ( 2005 ) . The existent Dr Fa ustus? [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newscientist.com/article/mg18725172.600-the-real-dr-faustus.html [ Accessed 23/01/2010 ]McGraw-Hill ( 2002 ) . Dictionary of Environmental Science. McGraw-Hill. United States.Sayre.N ( 2007 ) . Transporting Capacity: Genesis, History and Conceptual Flaws [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //globetrotter.berkeley.edu/GreenGovernance/ColloqPapers/Sayre2007.pdf [ Accessed 23/01/2010 ]Unknown ( 2009 ) . 2009 World Population Data Sheet [ Online ] . Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2009/2009wpds.aspx [ Accessed: 23/01/2010 ]

Economic Crisis and a Shift to the Right Essay

In 1867, after battling invaders for nearly a millennium, Hungary became an autonomous state within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This expansive empire had its northern border in present day Poland, its southern border in present day Serbia, and was bordered on the east and west by the Black and Mediterranean Seas, respectively. The empire was eventually defeated in World War I and through the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 the monarchy was disbanded, and after a period of turmoil, an independent kingdom was established under the authoritarian rule of Admiral Miklos Horthy. Due to the terms of the treaty and the redrawing of many European borders, Hungary’s size was reduced by two-thirds, leaving more than 5 million native Hungarians outside of the country’s borders. These effects remain a sensitive issue for many today and still complicate relations between Hungary and its neighbors. In the events that led to World War II, Hungary joined forces with Nazi Germany by joining the Anti-Comintern Pact and withdrawing from the League of Nations. These measures were taken in an effort to regain its lost territory from the World War I aftermath. At the start of World War II, Hungary remained neutral, however with pressure from Germany, Hungary entered the war in 1941 by invading both Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. After several early battle losses, Hungary began secretly negotiating with the Allies. Hearing of these negotiations, Germany invaded Hungary and installed a puppet government. This new government began eliminating the Hungarian Jewish and Roma populations until Soviet forces in Budapest drove it out in 1945. In the wake of these events, the capital and much of the country was left in ruins. The Soviet Era (1945-1989) After World War II, Communists held power in Hungary with the support of the Soviet Union. A new land reform bill was passed that redistributed land from large estate owners to peasants. Additionally, during this time, industries became nationalized and collective agriculture was instituted. Hungary joined the Warsaw Pact aligning itself with the Soviet Union. The Hungarian population, however, was dissatisfied with this government, and in an effort to appease the people, the government instituted reforms such as withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact and becoming a neutral power. These concessions on the part of the government allowed the Hungarians to realize their power and they demanded further reform and removal of Soviet domination. As a result, Hungarians revolted against the Soviet domination of Hungary. Although the Soviet Army defeated the Hungarians, killing more than 2,500 citizens and forcing more than 200,000 to flee, a new government was instituted. This government, led by Janos Kadar, was still Soviet-friendly, but recognized the need for reform and began to become gradually more liberalized through the 1960’s. The Path to the European Union (1989-2006) In 1989, Hungary was the first country to breach the â€Å"Iron Curtain†. Soon thereafter, Hungary transitioned from Communism to a multiparty parliamentary democracy that welcomed foreign investment. Initially, the result was a dramatic decline in economic activity and living standards. However, within four years of the collapse of communism, nearly half of the country’s economic enterprises had been transferred to the private sector, and by 1998 Hungary was attracting nearly half of all foreign direct investment in Central Europe. In 1994, as a backlash to its rapid liberalization, Hungarians voted the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) into power. The MSZP was a center-left party and the unofficial successor of the Communists. This government supported and funded social programs while also continuing with economic reform by selling off government owned enterprises and implementing targeted austerity measures. Soon, the country’s newfound growth and stability allowed it to receive an invitation to join NATO. Despite its solid economic performance, the MSZP was affected by allegations of corruption, which led to its defeat in 1998 by a Fidesz led coalition who selected Viktor Orban as prime minister. Orban’s government created centralized control and refused to meet with opposite party leaders for months. They then adopted the â€Å"Status Law†, an effort to reach out to the displaced Hungarian natives. The â€Å"Status Law† offered native Hungarians living in neighboring countries benefits such as health, education, and employment rights in Hungary. Despite Western criticism of his policies, Fidesz did choose to continue the MSZP’s policy of satisfying the Copenhagen criteria to enter the European Union. In 2002, an MSZP coalition regained government control after Fidesz’s administration became the subject of scandals. The new Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurscany, was able to complete the process and formally join the EU along with nine other states in 2004. After joining, Hungary began to pursue the more difficult challenge of joining the Eurozone by completing the Maastricht criteria. The Hungarian government predicted that this task could be completed by the end of the decade. Hungary’s Entrance to the Eurozone ; Failed Attempts to Join Eurozone In the late eighties, Hungary made progressive steps to position themselves for entry into the European Union. Hungary was the first country to breach the forty-year â€Å"Iron Curtain† surrounding the Eastern European countries. The â€Å"Iron Curtain† was the political, military, ideological barrier created by the Soviet Union after World War II to separate eastern and central Communist European allies from the Western noncommunist countries. In 1989, Hungary peacefully replaced their communist political party with a multi-party parliamentary democracy. As reported by the New York Times, a sweeping majority of Hungarian Communist Party voted for the radical transformation of legislation. The main motivation for the shift was due to a stagnant economy and oppressed religion under communist rule. A need for reform and free open trade with Western countries aided the Hungarian Communist Party in their decision. Before making the final vote, Hungary already began permitting the assembly and association of the non-communist parties. In 1991 Hungary completely withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, appointing the country’s first Parliament President elect. The political restructuring was aided by a shift to a free market-based economy. Liberal economic policies and ideals such as foreign investment, asset management, entrepreneurship and integrating Hungary into the world economy were adopted by the new rule. A shift from an authoritarian economic science to a democratic capitalist system was projected to be a fairly smooth process. However, despite high hopes of a prosperous economy there was a dramatic decline of economic activity and living standards. High interest and inflation rates, unemployment amounting to 12%, and the conspicuous consumption of the new elite of entrepreneurs elicited widespread dissatisfaction among Hungarians. Some economists argue that the idea of capitalism in combination with the new practice of democracy will fail if introduced simultaneously. This is what occurred in 1991 as the ambitious measures of the new parliamentary party began to fail. Life became very difficult for many Hungarians as they struggled during the severe recession exacerbated by the fiscal austerity necessary to reduce inflation and stimulate investment. After rising backlash caused by the poor state of the economy, Hungarians voted into power the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) overthrowing the conservative Hungarian Democratic Forum. The MSZP was the center-left unofficial successor of the communist party. Since the MSZP was founded on traditional communist ideals, the MSZP gained majority support based on the belief that â€Å"things were better in the old days† when there were more jobs and economic security. The MSZP supported popular social programs while still progressively pursuing reform, selling state owned enterprises and implementing targeted austerity measures. For about 4 years, the reign of the MSZP was successful as there was a surge of stability and growth. Hungary also received an invitation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization during this time. Despite the success of the MSZP’s role in Hungary’s four-year economic stimulation, corruption plagued the party. In 1998, the MSZP lost control as the Fidesz-led coalition gained majority vote. In 1998 negotiations for Hungary’s entrance into the EU also began. Viktor Orban, the prime minister, was criticized after the implementation of controversial laws such as the â€Å"Status Law†. This law granted health, education and employment rights to native Hungarians residing in other countries. This law violated principles of the European Union. This was a horrible direction to take if Hungary had motives of joining the EU. Corruption scandals and bribery surrounding Orban’s government proved to be detrimental just as they had been for the MSZP in 1998. There was a flip flop in parties as the MSZP regained control in 2002. Picking up where Fidesz and the party left off in 1998, Prime Minister Gyurcsany implemented the final required reforms and joined the 15 country EU in 2004 along with Cyrus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. After this success, Hungary began pursuing the strict requirements for membership into the euro zone, also known as the Maastricht criteria. The criteria outlined the terms regarding inflation, public debt and the public deficit, exchange rate stability and the convergence of interest rates. The MSZP had high hopes that the terms of these criteria would be reached by the end of the decade. As exhibited by similar events in Hungary’s past, the ambitious attempts didn’t quite live up to expectations. The MSZP maintained control in the election of 2006. Before this election there was a ballooning budget deficit of over 9% of GDP. This issue was overlooked, while the party promised more spending and lower taxes. In 2006, as more controversy unraveled, Prime Minister Gyurcsany admitted that his party had lied about the economic condition of the country for two years. While protests plagued the country, Gyurcsany introduced austerity measures, which included tax increases and spending cuts to trim the budget deficit to 3. 2% of GDP. According to the Maastricht Treaty, the government deficit could not exceed 3% of annual GDP. Citizens revolted and the electorate denounced the new fees, causing a major defeat for Gyurcsany’s austerity measures. A global credit crisis overshadowed Hungary’s economy in 2008 and 2009 and the efforts to meet the Maastricht criteria for the Eurozone failed. Fixed vs. Floating: What Should Hungary Have Done with the Forint Hungary lost all hopes of reaching the Eurozone as the 2008-2009 financial crisis descended upon economies. Due to falling consumer spending, Hungary suffered a trade collapse and there was a loss of confidence in forint-denominated assets among investors. In February 2008, Hungary chose to float the forint after facing substantial pressure for devaluation. By midyear, the forint began a steep depreciation, which had the effect of making Hungarian exports more attractive. This had the potential to raise Hungary’s GDP, as an increase in net exports, all other things remaining equal, will raise GDP according to the equation in Chapter 5 of the textbook Y=C+I+G+NX, where NX=NX (? ). This was not the case, however, as from 2008 to 2009, Hungary saw a 6. 7% decrease in GDP. Other aspects of the economy were at work simultaneously which led to the decrease in GDP. The depreciation of the forint also meant that Hungarian households with foreign denominated currencies saw their payments increase dramatically in terms of the domestic currency. As many Hungarians had taken on loans in foreign currencies, specifically the Swiss franc, due to low interest rates, this proved a problem for several households. These loans were of little risk when the forint was pegged to the euro, however with the currency’s recent decline, many of these loans faced default. In October 2008, Hungary’s central bank raised interest rates to 11. 5%, a 3% increase. This was an effort to equilibrate saving and investment. According to the text, increases in the interest rate serve to increase the supply of loanable funds and decrease their demand. Because Chapter 5 states that an increase in investment demand leads to a trade deficit, we can see that the Hungarian government is trying to increase its net exports to combat the financial crisis. The switch to floating the forint was intended to free Hungary to pursue economic policy independent of the Eurozone, however fears of a Hungarian default on sovereign debt forced their government to request international financial assistance. Hungary received $25. 1 billion from the IMF, World Bank, and EU, making it the first nation to receive a bailout led by the IMF. This bailout came with promises to implement austerity measures to reduce public sector pay, increase some taxes, and decrease spending on social programs. By the first quarter of 2009, Hungary saw a decrease in GDP, an increase in unemployment, and the forint became Europe’s worst performing currency. During the financial crisis, four of the eight EU countries located in Central and Eastern Europe chose to float their currencies, and only Hungary was seeing such financial and political complications. The other countries that did not float their currencies took a different strategy and defended their pre-crisis exchange rates with the Euro during the global recession. In order to remain competitive, they slashed their deficits and curbed inflation. These countries, however, were some of the worst performing in 2009. In the decision as to whether or not Hungary should have chosen to float their currency or remain pegged to the euro, it is important to compare the features of each option. A country may choose to follow hard exchange rate pegs, soft exchange rate pegs, or floating currency. Hard exchange rate pegs usually lead to sound fiscal and structural policies and low inflation. They tend to be longstanding, allowing for certainty when pricing transactions. Downsides include that the central bank has no independent monetary policy because it cannot adjust exchange rates and interest rates are tied to those of the anchor country. Another option is soft exchange rate pegs. With soft pegs, countries maintain a stable value against an anchor currency/currencies, which can be pegged within a narrow ( ±1%) or wide ( ± 30%) range. Soft pegs remain a nominal anchor to settle inflation expectations and they allow for limited monetary policy to deal with shocks. Soft pegs are vulnerable, however, to financial crises, which can lead to large devaluations and even abandonment of the peg. The third option is floating exchange rate. This rate is mainly determined by the market and central banks intervene mostly through purchases or sales of foreign currencies in exchange for local currency in order to limit short-term rate fluctuations. Depending upon the country, the central bank may be particularly involved, or not involved at all. An advantage of floating regimes is that countries have the advantage of maintaining an independent monetary policy. Measures however must be taken to ensure success. First, the foreign exchange and financial markets must be able to absorb shocks without large exchange rate changes. Also, instruments must be available to hedge risks posed by the floating exchange rate. Hungary should not have remained pegged to the Euro during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Had Hungary remained pegged, it would have likely faced worse fates than it saw during this time period. Since the other countries who remained pegged found themselves among the worst performing nations in the region, Hungary would have likely found itself in a similar situation to Latvia who even found their IMF bailout insufficient. Since none of these nations fared well, it would have been an unwise decision for the forint to remain pegged to the Euro. In contrast, the others that decided to float their currencies during this time had mixed effects. Poland actually saw a 1. 7% increase in GDP from 2008-2009, while Romania’s GDP dropped 7.1% during the same time period. Since there was some success achieved by floating currencies during this crisis, it could be concluded that there was a difference in monetary policy that could account for the success or failure of these economies. Hungary’s decision to float the forint was a wise one, however the execution of the policies surrounding this decision should have been modified. The advantage of full control of monetary poli cy was an advantage to floating currency, although it could also be a disadvantage if the policies do not promote thecurrency’s success. Hungary should have implemented some austerity measures and set up policies to try to cushion some of the inevitable blow that would be brought on by the financial crisis and the new currency in the market. If those things had been done, Hungary may have seen less of a decline during this period and may have even prospered as Poland did. Exchange Rate of Hungarian Forint vs. USD, Euro and Swiss Franc Based off of the graphs you will be able to see what the forint was worth compared to the dollar, euro and Swiss franc. Looking at the first graph, forint and dollar comparison, the forint currency was worth around 200 to 240 dollars. The biggest difference in the currency was between 2008 and 2009, which is when they decided to float the forint. Looking at the second graph, forint and euro comparison, the forint currency was worth around 260 euros until they floated. After 2009 the value of the forint decreased making their value around 300 euros. Looking at third graph, forint and Swiss francs comparison, the forint currency was worth around 180 Swiss francs until they floated. Then in 2009 the forint value decreased making their value compared to Swiss francs around 200 to 240. Hungary decided to peg the euro and Swiss francs for different reasons. They decided to peg the euro because they ultimately wanted to adopt the euro and show some relative stability in their currency. They had a target date but it was abandoned due to their debt, high budget deficit and inflation. Hungary pegged the Swiss francs because nearly 80 percent Hungarians had foreign currency loans and 55 percent of mortgages in Swiss francs. These loans had low interest and presented little risk to borrowers. The unopposed legislation of Fidesz and Orban and its economic impact The Fidesz and Orban parliamentary election in 2010 caused some controversy with other countries but continued to unite the Hungarian nation. One of the first actions that occurred was passing a bill for dual citizenship for Hungarians living abroad to offset the negative effects of Trianon Treaty. Neighboring countries, such as Slovakia, Romania and Slovenia were frustrated with this bill, but Hungarians were very supportive because many thought the treaty was unfair. Another feud was with the IMF. Orban promised to fulfill their campaign promise and stand his ground on the loan repayment. He felt that Hungary didn’t need to repay these loans because these decisions were due to the previous MSZP-led government. International investors reacted negatively to his actions, but domestic reactions were more positive. Fidesz sought out meeting EU deficit goals through raising new taxes on the banking, telecom, energy, retains, and pharmaceutical sectors. Hungarian populations supported Fidesz while multinationals continued to lose profit. In late 2010, the government made another change to support its fiscal situation by bringing private pension assets under state control. This upset private pension fund industries and The National Confederation of Hungarian Trade Unions but increased the trust in the government from Hungarian population. They believed that the assets from pensions would help balance the budget. Lastly, the Hungarian government decided to take over the country’s rate setting Monetary Policy Council by amending a law that gave parliament the right to nominate all four external members. Despite the changes that Fidesz and Orban made, Hungary was still strong in investments. Some advantages were in fact foreign direct investments, which totaled more than $2. 5 billion. They also have been able to the meet the demands of EU since becoming a member in 2004, showing their political stability. The location of Hungary has attracted many firms by being able to connect Western Europe to other Eastern European countries. Hungary also continued to interest major multinational companies by having strong human capital. Outsiders, other foreign countries, and credit rating agencies may not have agreed with the decisions of the parliament, but it had no effect on their growth as a nation. Hungary continued their reform and growth. Is it wise to invest in Hungary? There are factors that the case touches on which suggest that Hungary is not the safest investment; however, from looking at Hungary in its totality it is undeniable that Hungary should be a European market to invest in. Location Examining Hungary’s location and its relative proximity to its neighboring European countries, helps justify why investors would want to consider investing in the country. Hungary is situated in the heart of Europe bordering seven countries with one of Europe’s largest waterways, the Danube, running through Budapest. This favorable location coupled with the major land routes and waterways that span across Hungary make the country an optimal place for manufacturing, trade, services, and logistics. This prime location, accessible within a few hours of all European countries, makes Hungary an ideal launch point for investors who plan to develop their growing businesses while capitalizing on key European markets. The central European country is known for their excellent infrastructure, their prime business parks and industrial sites. Considered a landlocked port city, Hungary is key in connecting Western and Eastern Europe. Stability and the EU As a long-standing member of the European Union, one of the major factors that also lends to the possibility of Hungary being a safe investment, is Hungary’s relative political stability. It is considered the most developed of the Eastern European countries and its highly developed infrastructure along with its stable government makes Hungary even more appealing. Hungary offers access to a market of over 250 million people within its borders as well as a European Union common market exceeding a half of a billion people. Di Tella, Weinzierl and Kuipers aptly highlight Hungary’s stability, by pointing out that since emerging from communism in 1989, Hungary had held no interim elections and the federal government was never forced to dissolve – two things most other countries in Central and Eastern Europe could not claim. The authors then continue in saying that, in addition, regardless of the political party in power, Hungary had honored the demands of the EU since becoming a member, including regulations on transparency , auditing, and budgets. Human Capital, Labor Costs and Economic Policy Other factors that help make Hungary an attractive investment are its labor costs, an investment friendly economic policy and its strong human capital. Hungary has a highly educated workforce where more than 85% of persons between the ages of 25-34 have completed secondary school; with 70% of those individuals are enrolled in some form of higher education. More impressive still are the wages that these highly educated individuals work for. The authors make mention of these low labor costs by saying: moreover, Hungary’s labor force worked for a fraction of their counterparts in the EU – in 2007, real wages in Hungary were 40 percent of the EU average. Essentially those companies willing to invest in Hungary’s human capital would be receiving a talented workforce, capable of achieving first-rate outcomes, at a discount rate. Frido Diepeveen, an operation manager at Randstad was quoted saying, â€Å"While the characteristics of a Hungarian workforce make Budapest an ideal choice of location for multinational companies, Hungarians also find the dynamic and multicultural atmosphere of corporate giants appealing, creating the right recipe for a mutually satisfying and long-lasting match between employer and employee. Young Hungarians are educated at a high level, satisfying your need for well qualified fresh graduates. † In addition to the affordable labor costs, Hungary’s economic policy welcomes foreign investment; and prior to its full absorption into the EU Hungary experienced some of the most aggressive foreign investment of any Eastern European country. Contrarily, it is true that there are some drawbacks to investing in Hungary, and one should be mindful of them before investing. The most obvious of these risks or drawbacks is the increasing rate of inflation. Hungary’s high inflation rate (of almost 8%) was the chief reason behind the country not being allowed in the Euro currency group – which had standards in place ensuring that inflation must be lower than 3% for a country to join. Hungary’s high rate of inflation coupled with their lingering government debt has prevented them from adopting the Euro as their chief currency and has left them with the much weaker forint. This has in turn led to higher taxes on businesses in an effort to counterbalance the large deficits and high rate of inflation. With companies being taxed at a much higher rate, companies are subsequently forced to either accept a lower profit margin or cut costs. Even after considering this major drawback to investing in Hungary, it is hard to overlook those key factors, which make Hungary a very appealing country to invest in. Bibliography

Economics Of Mexico Essay

A federal constitutional republic located in North America, Mexico is surrounded by Belize, Guatemala and the United States. This Latin nation has about 11 million people in population. In nominal terms, Mexico’s economy stands as the 13th largest in the whole word according to the World Bank. It stands as the 11th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Mexico is considered to be an upper middle income economy based from its region and income as classified by the World Bank. Mexico practices a free market economy system and they rely mostly on their export sector as it has provided the country great economic success over the years. Mexico is extremely dependent on the exports to the U. S. hence its economy is strongly connected to the business cycle of the United States. As the economy of the U. S suffers, Mexico also endures the economic crisis that the U. S economy bears. Mexico’s services also contribute a bigger share in the country’s total gross domestic product. In 2006, the country’s real gross domestic product grew by 5. 1%. In 2007 and 2008, it raised to about 3. 3% and 1. 3% respectively (Diaz 245). Mexican government officials are expecting a 4%-5% growth in the economy for this year (2010). The trade regime of Mexico is among the most open internationally. They have free trade agreements with about 44 countries including Canada, the European Union, and the United States. The Mexican administrations following the 1994 crisis have provided improvements for the nation’s macroeconomic essentials. The economy of Mexico comprises fast developing modern service as well as industrial sectors, with rising private ownerships. The current administration of Mexico has extended and expanded competition in telecommunications, ports, electricity generation, railroads, airports, and natural gas distribution, as it aims to upgrade the infrastructure of the country. Macroeconomic, financial and welfare indicators Mexico suffered the gravest economic crisis in the years 1994-1995. 50% of the country’s total population fell into poverty during those times. Poverty was alleviated during Zedillo’s and Fox’s administration because of NAFTA and other trade agreements that were initiated during those terms. The macroeconomic finances of Mexico were also restructured resulting to decline of the poverty rate of the country. According to the World Bank, the poverty rate of Mexico was reduced from about 24. 2% in the year 2000 to only 17. 6% four years after (2004). Most of this decline came from the rural districts of Mexico whose poverty rate was reduced from 42% down to 27. 9% in a span of four years (Lustig 175). Urban poverty on the other hand was idled at 12% from the years 2000-2004. The World Bank also declared that 17. 6% of Mexico’s total population in 2004 lived in severe poverty, while 21% lived in average poverty. The CIA Factbook also had their own figures, as it reported that 13. 8% of Mexico’s population during that year was living under the poverty line, making this judgment based from the food-based poverty. In 2006, the Gross Domestic Product of Mexico in purchasing power parity was approximately at US $1. 353 trillion (Lustig 212). The World Bank declared that in 2007, the country had the second highest Gross National Income in terms of market exchange rates in Latin America next to Brazil. Mexico is considered to be an upper middle-income nation because of its GDP. According to World Bank, Mexico’s population (2008) is at 106,350,434. Their GDP (PPP) in 2009 was at an estimate of $1. 459 trillion. Remittances are huge contributors to the growing Mexican economy. These are the contributions sent by Mexicans who live in other countries, generally in the United States, to their relatives and families back in Mexico. These contributions are substantial and in 2005, these remittances reached about $18 million. In the year 2004, Mexico was the tenth biggest source of remittances after their other sources of income such as manufactured goods, oil, electronics, industrial exports, automobiles, food, construction, heavy industry, financial services and banking. Remittances were even bigger than tourism expenditures and it stood for 2. 1% of Mexico’s GDP. The increase in foreign income has been outstanding. Income inequality as well as regional differences has been a constant dilemma in Mexico. Quintana Roo is one of the states with the highest GDP growth rates at 9. 04% followed by Baja California with 8. 89%, and San Luis Potosi with 8. 18% (Moreno-Brid & Ros 194). Mexico’s economy has been less centralized ever since the 1980s era. Amongst the federal units in Mexico, the Federal District had the highest GDP per capita in 2000, with US $17,696. However, the annual rate of Gross Domestic Product in the Federal District has been the smallest amongst all federal entities during 2003-2004 at only 0. 23%. Radical decrease has been observed in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Nonetheless, the Federal District of the nation still contributes for the 21. 8% total GDP of the country (Walton 166). Industry One major breakthrough in the industry sector of Mexico came from the trade liberalization that the country has undertaken. Almost 90% of all export earnings in 2000 came from this undertaking. The current major industries include automobile and aircraft industry, cement & construction industry, food and beverages, petrochemicals mining, tourism and consumer durables. The automobile industry is by far the most successful and most important industry in Mexico. Since the 1930’s, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler (The Big Three), have started creating plants in Mexico. The 1960’s and 1970’s came and other internationally renowned automobile manufacturers like Volkswagen, Nissan, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Honda, operated inside Mexico. The success of the Mexican automobile industry can be attributed to its difference with other Latin American countries. Mexico is not a mere assembly manufacturer; in fact, the industry produces advance and complex technological components for automobiles and engages in some research and development pursuits. Besides, because of the high requirements of North American components in the industry, even European and Asian parts suppliers have extended into Mexico. However, the local manufacturers are actually relatively small in size compared to the international brands. The local manufacturers only account for a fraction of the massive industry that is the automobile industry. Some of the mainstays of local automobile manufacturers include DINA Camiones S. A. de C. V. , a truck and busses company operating for almost 50 years now; Vehizero and Mastretta, which builds hybrid trucks and evolving sports cars respectively. Furthermore, new car manufacturers keep on joining the tight competition in the Mexican automobile industry (Lustig 246). Mexico has other large industries that includes Cemex, which is the third largest cement corporation in the world; companies like FEMSA which other than owning breweries and OXXO convenience store chains, is also the second-largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world; alcohol beverage companies that include world-renowned companies like GrupoModelo; Gruma which accounts for the biggest supplier of corn flour and tortillas in the world; and other high-tech industrial producers which according to the World Bank account for almost 1/5 of the country’s total exports (Moreno-Brid & Ros 278). Mexico is also focusing in the development of an aerospace industry and a jet aircraft and helicopter jet fuselage assembly. With the arrival of foreign companies like Bell, Bombardier, Cessna and MD Helicopters, the aircraft and regional jet fuselages industry in Mexico has been in high hopes. Likewise, local companies emerged such as Aeromarmi and Hydra Technologies which builds light propeller airplanes and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) respectively. Furthermore, companies like KuoAerospace that builds parts for aircraft landing gears and Frisa Aerospace that builds jet engine parts for the new Mitsubishi Regional jet are also emerging players in the growing industry of aerospace. Another thriving industry in Mexico is the Maquiladoras. Maquiladoras are Mexican factories that import raw materials and produce goods for export. They have been a Mexican landmark trade. Free trade also boosted this industry that since NAFTA, real income from the maquiladora sectors has increased by 15. 5% since 1994. The non-maquiladora industries in Mexico were actually left by the maquiladora sector for it has been since the 1960’s that their products can enter the U. S. duty free as part of the 1960s industry agreement (Lustig 289). Finally, other industries in Mexico includes the food manufacturing industry, that by international companies have strived while local companies have failed to develop; a developing computer industry led by LANIX that now has two manufacturing plants in Mexico and Chile; a new industry that is Robotics, where Mexico’s robots are being developed for future years for advanced commercial applications. Illegal immigrants immigrating to the USA For so many years now, Mexicans have illegally immigrated into the United States. One notable reason is the close proximity between the two nations and the apparent difference in the quality of living between the two countries (Borjas 64). Many Mexicans come from the destitute towns of Mexico are dreaming the â€Å"American dream† hence the strong desire to cross borders. For most people, having a low-paying job in the United States is still much better than a stable job in their home land. In the 1980s period, the United States witness a considerable rise in the number of illegal immigrants coming from Mexico (Hellman 89). This immigration influx did not come from just a specific region from Mexico but from all the communities all over the nation. Mexicans have an average wag of about $4. 15 per hour and those individuals working in the agricultural sector receive even less (Borjas 101). People in Mexico who are working may survive with such pay alone, however those with families especially those with more kids find it difficult to survive with the average pay that the Mexican government provides. The unemployment rate of Mexico is about 5. 6% (2009) but about 25% of the working Mexicans are considered underemployed (Diaz 145). As the government continuously provide and create jobs, these are still not enough to meet the rising demand of the Mexicans. The low pay that the Mexicans get, stop them from having even the most essential and basic necessities. Hence, a lot of Mexicans regardless whether they’re from the small or big cities, see the United States to be extremely desirable. Even though there have been treaties like the NAFTA or North American Free Trade Agreement that allowed American companies in the country, jobs are still not enough and several wages are still comparatively low. Illegal immigrants are most likely individuals with lower skill levels meaning that they end up having jobs in construction, landscaping, agriculture, household services, restaurants, and low-end manufacturing in the United States. The United States Department of Homeland Security together with certain advocacy groups have been condemning a program of Yucatan, a state in Mexico, and a federal Mexican agency which allows Mexicans to directly migrate and reside in the U. S. According to the Homeland Security and advocates, the assistance that the Mexican program provide includes recommendations and suggestions on how to get across the United States border unlawfully, where to enroll their children, and find proper healthcare (Borjas 188). Accordingly, identity cards are also given out by the Mexican federal government to the Mexicans who live abroad. The giving out of Matricula Consular or Consular Registration are strictly opposed by advocate groups. These identifications card given by the Mexican government via its consulate offices reveal that the holder is of Mexican nationality but is living outside the country. Through this identification card, illegal immigrants can open bank accounts in the United States as it is accepted in many financial establishments. Most Mexican immigrants still choose to work in the United States and other countries in order to improve their way of life. Illegal immigration in the United States has becoming to be more and more difficult due to advanced infrastructure, technology, and enforcement. In the past year (2009), the number of immigrants has declined due to the economic slowdown of the United States. Nevertheless, thousands of immigrants are still yearning to cross borders and get a job. Immigrants sometimes pay smugglers or â€Å"coyotes† in order to help the cross borders. When a Mexican has successfully immigrated to the United States, he aims to work hard in order to send money back home in Mexico. A part of an immigrant’s desire is to bring more of his family members to the U. S. This is why remittances in Mexico stands at a great value since immigrants are increasing in number. Most of these illegal immigrants live a better life away from their home country. Mexican immigrants benefit from the high value of living in the United States, and in a way the United States economy also benefit from these illegal aliens. These immigrants are willing to take any job in the United States even the more dangerous ones. Aside from the, American employers are also able to get workers at lower costs since Mexican immigrants are also open to low-paying jobs since what’s important to them is to be on the U. S. territory. The United States economy also benefits as these immigrants pay for Social Security. No matter what jobs or little benefits these immigrants may get, they are still grateful for the opportunities that await them in the United States. Little by little, and over time, these Mexican immigrants are able to save more than enough in order to alleviate their living conditions. Some immigrants eventually gain permanent residency (through green card) and possible citizenship status. Mexican immigrants have a particular belief that coming to the United States can be the solution to their search for a much better life. Comparing the Gini Coefficient and Lorenz Curve with USA and other Latin American countries (2) As the way of living between Mexico and the United States can be observed, statistical data establish these observations. The Gini coefficient measures the inequality of a distribution in different disciplines such as health science, chemistry, ecology, and economics. It is usually used in measuring inequality of wealth or income. Canada and European countries have Gini indices of around 24 and 36 between them. Mexico and United States on the other hand have Gini indices that are both over 40, signifying that the inequality between Mexico and United States is very great. In 2002, Mexico ranked as the 15th country with the greatest inequality with a Gini index of 53. 1 (Walton 122). The Lorenz Curve is also used in establishing the proportionality of a distribution. It is usually associated with income distribution computations and often used in analyzing inequality. Using the Lorenz Curve, Mexico’s average income in their rural area was at 1,221. 9 pesos in 2005 while the urban side was at 3,002. 7 pesos (Diaz 191). The inequality of income distribution in Mexico is so great that finding establish that even if Mexico is a relatively rich nation compared to the other developing countries, severe poverty is felt in the rural area. The social stratification dilemma of Mexico still haunts the nation to the present day. Over the years, the lower class has always been the ones who cultivate the lands that are owned by those belonging in the upper class. At present, land ownership is still the grounds for wealth amongst the Mexicans. Though, the industrial transformation in Mexico’s economy has also brought in wealth amongst the citizens. Sadly, only 10% of Mexico’s population is wealthy. The 30% belongs to the middle class while the whole 60% of Mexico’s population are poor. These Mexicans are usually those industrial workers or peasant sector (Moreno-Brid & Ros 214). The income distribution of Mexico is very unevenly distributed with the wealthy 10% owning 38% of the nation’s income (2000). The middle 30% owns the 36% of income while the poorest 60% shares 26% of the country’s total income. The distribution of consumption or income by percentage (survey year 1995) is as follows: Lowest 10% – 1. 4 Lowest 20% – 3. 6 Second 20% – 7. 2 Third 20% – 11. 8 Fourth 20% – 19. 2 Highest 20% – 58. 2 Highest 10% – 42. 8 This data was from the 2000 World Development Indicators [CD-ROM] and it refers to income shares by percentiles of the Mexican population and is ranked according to per capita income. It doesn’t take an expert to figure out the huge disparities between the poor and wealthy in Mexico. No need to check the indexes of housing, education, and health, to understand the uneven distribution of income. In recent years, relentless poverty remains to be one of the enduring problems of Mexico’s economy. Unemployment rate increases and the poor do not get any kind of welfare compensation. The economic policies of Mexico have worsened the situation like inflation has battered the real wages of those poor people. Every time a new administration begins in Mexico, different programs have been proposed to address the basic needs of the poor. Oftentimes these programs have worked for the time being and at times, they failed. With the inequality of income distribution and other social issues haunting the Mexican economy, it seems that the situation of the country is worsening. Agriculture The Mexican agricultural sector is one of the biggest in the world and it has become a very significant factor in the whole economy of the country. In the beginning the agriculture of Mexico was not very flourishing but as soon as the Mexico Revolution was over a restructuring and improvement in the agricultural sector was made. This reformation took place after the 27th edition of the Mexican Constitution was released. Before the 1990s, the Mexican government focused and encouraged their agricultural sector into planting crops such as beans and corn only. After 1990, they have restricted the import of such crops from other countries through the implementation of particular acts and policies. Following that change in the agricultural sector, Mexico’s agriculture has increased but their percentage of Gross Domestic Product had declined (Lustig 123-124). Mexico is the number one country in producing avocados, lemons, chayote, limes, onions, as well as the seed of Safflower. The country is ranked second for their production of dry fruits, peppers and chilies, and Papaya. Their production of chicken meat, whole beans, asparagus, mangoes, and oranges, ranked them at third worldwide. Mexico is known for the variety of fruits that they are capable of producing. The country experiences one of the best weathers of all time hence they are able to produce such various types of fruits. Their fruit production has given a huge impact on their economy for years. Various organizations are also present in Mexico in order to help the farmers in whatever they may need during their agricultural productions. NAFTA is a type of organization that has help Mexican farmers and the Mexican agriculture prosper. Trade and trade agreements Mexico in general is an export oriented nation. Its economy heavily relies on trade. Mexico was the 15th largest merchandise exporter in the world in 2005, and 12th biggest merchandise importer. The trade activities of Mexico increased five times from 1991 to 2005. Mexico is the biggest importer as well as exporter in the whole Latin America. Mexico exported about US $213. 7 billion in 2005 alone; approximately just equal to the sum of all Argentina’s, Brazil’s, Uruguay, Venezuela’s, and Paraguay’s total exports for that year. The trades of Mexico however are closely tied to its North American neighbors (Lustig 184). About 50% of their imports and 90% of their exports are traded with Canada and the United States. NAFTA or the North American Free Trade Agreement has not produced a change in the trading of Mexico. The trade between Mexico and the United States from 1993-2002 increased for about 183% and in Canada with 165%. However, the other trade agreements that Mexico has shown even more remarkable outcomes. Their trade with Chile increased at about 285%, with Honduras at 420% and in Costa Rica at 528%. With the same time phase of 1993-2002, Mexico’s trade with European Union rose 105% (Walton 210). In 1986, Mexico became part of GATT or the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. At present the country is an active and productive member of the World Trade Organization. Mexico has about 12 free trade agreements with 44 nations. Some of their most notable trade agreements are as follows: Nicaragua in 1998, Chile in 1999, Israel and the European Union in 2000, Uruguay in 2004, and in 2005 with Japan. One of their most known trade agreement is the NAFTA with Canada and the United States in 1994 and the Group of the three or Grupo de los tres with Venezuela and Colombia in 1995. Venezuela however terminated their agreement by the year 2006. Mexico has publicized their desire of being an associate constituent of Mercosur. Mexico has also begun to form deals and negotiations with Peru, Singapore, South Korea, and Australia. NAFTA The NAFTA or North American Free Trade Agreement is an arrangement signed by the administrations/governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The agreement was launched on January 1, 1994 and it outdated the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement that Canada and the U. S had. The trade block between these 3 countries had the largest combined PPP (purchasing power parity) GDP in the entire world, and ranked 2nd largest in terms of nominal GDP (Cameron 86). The aim of this agreement was to get rid of the barriers of investment and trade between Canada, USA, and Mexico. The implementation of the agreement on the 1st of January in 1994 immediately had its effect as tariffs were eliminated on more than one half of the imports coming from Mexico and over one third of the US exports that were going to Mexico. This agreement also aims to abolish non-tariff trade barriers. By far, the NAFTA is the most significant trade agreement that the Mexican government has signed. NAFTA is more inclusive than the other trade agreements that Mexico is involved with. NAFTA has two supplements which are the NAALC or North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation and NAAEC or North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. The NAAEC supplement of the agreement was an answer to the environmentalists’ interests and worries that companies would move and transfer to Mexico or that the United States would drop its standards if the three nations did not attain an agreed and undisputed guideline or parameter on the environment. Its goal is to be more than just a series of environmental rules, but also address environmental and trade concerns through the establishment of NACEC or North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The NADBank or North American Development Bank was also formed to assist and finance ventures that concern the reduction of pollution. All these have provided great economic advantages and benefits to Mexico. The NAALC supplement’s goal was to form a foundation for mutual aid between the three countries in resolving labor problems and promoting greater support among social groups and trade organizations. The huge amount of trades between the United States and Mexico had led to a few trade disputes concerning comparatively small amounts. These disagreements were in general settled by NAFTA panels or WTO or by way of negotiations among the two nations. The total benefits of NAFTA have been measured and reported by numerous publications. They have evaluated the positive effects that NAFTA has provided Mexico. Poverty rates in Mexico have declined and the real income wages have increased even after the economic crisis in 1994-1995 (Cameron 134). However, NAFTA has not been enough to create an economic union nor to lessen the poverty rates significantly or to further increased rates of growth. The fall in real wages and absence of secured, well-paid jobs are serious difficulties that the Mexico’s workforce has been facing. While NAFTA has been beneficial to some sectors of Mexico’s economy particularly the maquiladora industries, NAFTA has also in a way increased inequality and decreased the job quality and incomes for the great majority of Mexican workers (Cameron 197). In more ways than one, NAFTA has stopped the progress of development. An example would be the stagnation of the industrialized share of employment that led to the regression of some sectors. NAFTA has provided several of the most vital challenges for the development of Mexico for the 21st century. The question is whether or not Mexico, under this agreement, can revive the slowed down development of its economy and find a means to restructure and redistribute the benefits of the consequential growth. Future of Mexico’s Economy The Real GDP of Mexico has fallen last year (2009) to 6. 6% because of the collective effects of the global financial crisis that have severely affected the US imports and manufacturing. Nonetheless, significant growth in non-oil exports and manufacturing is expected in 2010, as prompted by the rising US manufacturing and trade. The GDP of the country is expected to demonstrate a solid growth in the near future, suggesting in part how essential activity dropped in 2009. Continuous strong links with the economy of the United States will drive Mexico’s economic stance for the near future. US manufacturing and imports are expected to bounce back from the horrible fall down as witnessed in 2009. Mexico must be more competitive in order to increase and improve the market share of their exports to the United States and to better influence and control its liberal net of free trade agreements. Works Cited Borjas, George. Mexican Immigration to the United States (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report). Illinois: University Of Chicago Press, 2007. Print. Cameron, Maxwell. The Making of NAFTA: How the deal was done. New York: Cornell University Press, 2002. Print. Diaz, Araceli. Economic Growth and Income Inequality in Mexico: A Panel Data Approach. Germany: VDM Publishing, 2010. Print. Hellman, Judith. The World of Mexican Migrants: The Rock and the Hard Place. A New Press, 2009. Print. Lustig, Nora. Mexico: The Remaking of an Economy. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 1998. Print. Moreno-Brid, Juan Carlos, & Ros, Jaime. Development and Growth in the Mexican Economy: A Historical Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Walton, Michael. No Growth without Equity: Inequality, Interests, and Competition in Mexico. World Bank Publications, 2009. Print.