International Business in Emerging Markets Essay

The global exchange of capital, goods and services also referred to as national trade is the pre-dominant part of all economies. Advancement in time of transportation, transnational corporations, globalization and outsourcing practices have led to the growth and importance of international trade (Anderson et al, 1993). This importance accrues from the amount of revenue this trade generates. The importance of this trade is apparent in the amount of money, time, human and other resources that go into the planning of global trade affairs (Bhagwati, 1992). Entire ministries and budgets are dedicated to prepare transnational trade efforts. Memberships to regional trade bodies such as the European Union receive higher priority than political alliances while negotiation of trade treaties takes more of the leadership’s time (Dixit et al, 1980). In addition to political envoys, governments have trade consuls in other nations (Mattli, 1999). It is thus alarming for a country to realize that her international trade position is not attaining the targets that would indicate prosperity. The UK is one of such whereby her deficit in goods and services has risen from 2. 2 to 3. 5 billion pounds between august and September 2009. The deficit with European Union countries widened in the same period. while that with non European countries replicated the downward trend. It is also reported that except for Oil and erratic commodities, the volume of exports in September was 0. 2 percent lower than the previous months with imports being higher by 4. 1 percent (ONS, 2009). This indicates an alarming trend which the concerned departments need to look into. Perhaps the downturn is due to external factors that might be within reach or not. However trade policy needs to be reviewed to check this spiral. This is especially to deal with identification of new global markets that can be used to add to the export tally thereby reducing the deficit. A look at theories of trade can assist in identifying new markets and potential angles that can be exploited to correct the adverse situation. International Trade Theories There are two broad themes in theories of international trade. The qualitative theories explain a country’s trade patterns, that is which products are traded and why. Instances are absolute advantage and comparative advantage. There are also quantitative theories that explain the terms of trade for instance relative prices of exports and imports in the trading activities. Changes in data such as factor supplies, technology, trade policy and global trends also come in as quantitative themes. More importantly in these quantitative analyses, there is consistent use of the general equilibrium (Dixit et al, 1980). The Mercantilist Theory. This is a qualitative theme in international trade. It postulates that while exporting is good for a country, importing is to be avoided. This rationale is based on the assumption of fact that revenue from exports is in gold standard currency. Thus accumulation of sufficient gold reserves can only be achieved through high rates of export. Mercantilism argued for close government regulation for two reasons: to maintain a favourable balance of trade thereby advancing aggressive export with restrictive import policies; and to promote the processing of raw materials at home instead of importing manufactured goods, which would distort production and employment at home. This is a classical theory that ignores not only the benefits of importing but also the reality that no country is self sufficient thus a need to import is inherent. An example of application is the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs where Canadian traders have been informed that the Embassy’s mandate is to help exporters and non-disclosure of import relevant information. Absolute Advantage. Smith’s Theory of Absolute Advantage stated that countries should concentrate on producing what they are best at; that is products that they have absolute advantage in, Incentive to trade among countries is therefore created since each specializes in one product. Also as a classical theory, it is applicability is scant. In summary Smith’s theory stated that unilateral trade liberalisation would be an advantageous policy for a country to follow, irrespective of the trade policies pursued by other countries. A drawback in Smith’s postulation is if a nation has no absolute advantage over any of her potential trading partners with respect to any goods or services, then it means international trade is of no relevance to her (Dixit et al, 1980). Comparative Advantage Comparative advantage as developed by David Ricardo in his book, ‘The Principles of Political Economy’, is an improvement of the Absolute advantage theory. It declares that countries can trade without absolute advantage. They need comparative advantage where the relative cost of producing and exporting a product varies between trade partners. There are still benefits even if one trading partner is absolutely better in production. Comparative advantage has been the prevailing applied concept. It indicates that if two countries engage in trade, each will have the incentive to increase production, and decrease consumption, of goods in which it has the lower relative marginal cost prior to trade than the others. For instance if Britain has competitive equilibrium prices of 300 pounds per TV set and 4 pounds per bottle of whisky, while Japan has corresponding prices of 100000 and 2000 yen respectively, then ceteris peribus, if Britain produces one TV less then she would be able to utilise the freed resources to produce another 75 bottles of whisky. Japan on the other hand is able to produce one more TV set by freeing redeploying resources used to produce 50 bottles of whisky. It is to their mutual interest to do so since the pre-trade, relative price of a TV set is 50 bottles of whisky in Japan and 75 similar bottles in Britain. This is an inducement to Japan to expand TV production for export to Britain and import whisky from her. Presumably the relative price after commencement of trade will settle at between 50 and 75. The Ricardian Model assumes technology variations between nations. The assumptions in summary are: labor is the sole primary factor of production; Labor has constant returns; there is limited labor in respective economies; Mobility of labor across industries rather than countries; perfect competition situation. This theory has in modern times been reviewed to include intermediate goods, that is, capital goods for instance machinery thereby adjusting the labor only notion. These intermediate goods are tradable across countries in the current global situation (Dixit et al, 1980). Factors Endowment. Ricardo’s Comparative advantage theory was modified by Heckscher-Ohlin Theorem, also the Factor Proportions Hypothesis. Here a country should export products that are produced using factors that it is relatively well bestowed with. This is a separate theory but it also gives an explanation on the underlying factors as to comparative advantage. In each country, the factor that is relatively abundant is relatively cheaper. Also the good that is relatively intensive in using this factor this is relatively cheaper. Thus a country is expected to have comparative advantage in products that are intensive in the use of factors that are relatively abundant in supply. The H-O model assumed: inter sector factor mobility; distinction between labour and capital intensive; Factor variation between countries; free trade; and trans-country technology homogeneity. It however does not incorporate trade in intermediate goods. It was later challenged by the work of Wasilly Leontief who discovered that The US exported less capital intensive than it imported labour intensive products, also the Leontief’s paradox (Trebilcock et al, 2005). Contemporary Theories These include: the specific factors theory where in the short run mobility between industries in labor is possible and not possible in capital. It resembles a short run H-O model. If there is an increase in the price of a product then the owners of the factor specific to that product will profit in real terms; the new trade theory seeks to cater for the fact deficiencies of the two main approaches. That a lot of trade occurs between countries with identical factor of production endowment and the high level of multinational production, or foreign investment; the Gravity model that proffers an empirical analysis of international trade trends rather than the theoretical approaches detailed. It projects trade patterns on the basis of the distance between the nations and their economic size interaction. It imitates the law of gravity that factors distance and size. It considers factors such as levels of income, diplomatic ties and respective trade policy (Trebilcock et al, 2005). Emerging markets are nations described to be undergoing rapid growth and industrialisation in social and business activity. The concerned nations are usually said to be in a transition to fully developed status. Data on these countries has been compiled and a list of the top economics proffered. Examples of the dominant emerging economies are Brazil, Russia, India and China. They have been given the acronym, BRIC. Included are: Latin American countries such as Argentina; Asian countries such as South Korea; Russia in Eastern Europe; some in the Middle East; and parts of Africa for Instance South Africa. Lately though there have been shifts for instance Mexico has edged into the top four in terms of investment and development pushing ahead of Brazil. However China and India still dominate the list as the emerging markets with the best opportunities. As a factor of their GDP, population size, growth potential and level of imports (World Bank, 2000). These markets are characterised by robust economic growth, resulting in a rise in GDP and disposable income. Political and social stability is also an important indicator and condition for this categorisation. This implies that the population is able to purchase previously un-affordable goods and services . However quite a part of these countries’ population remain poor. International companies are presented with a large untapped market, providing them with an opportunity for market and financial growth. Luxury products such as high-end automobiles, designer clothing, and other Veblen goods benefit from such; but it is every day luxuries such as cell phones and brand name food products that reap the most from these markets.

Forrest Gump Review Essay

The third movie we watched was, â€Å"Forrest Gump†. Tom Hanks plays the main character, a simple man called Forrest Gump. The story is told through his innocent eyes, and we see just how crazy the world really is. His best friend, Jenny, is played by Robin Wright and Forrest’s mother is played by Sally Field. There are a few themes to be found in this movie, the main ones being, love, death and war. You can find love in the movie between Forrest and Jenny being best friends, and how Forrest took care and looked after Jenny in her time of need. Also there is a strong love between Forrest and his mother, and how she took care of him when he was younger and how later he took care of her when she was sick. Finally you can find love between Forrest and his new friend, Bubba that he meets along his journey, and how close they are and the plans they make. Death can be found in a few places in the movie, being it his mother, his wife, or his best friend; we see how Forrest overcomes these deaths and how innocent he is when it comes to death itself. The third theme, war, is found when Forrest finds himself working for the army in Vietnam. We see here that he sees the world as a crazy place and even though he is seen as simple, he sees that fighting isn’t the only way to solve things. This movie shows that no matter how simple people see you to be, you still know the difference between right and wrong. Forrest sees the world in a more innocent and sweet way, and as the movie goes on people start to see the world the way he does and start to understand him a little bit more.

The Aventure of the Red Tape Gang

Adventures of the Red Tape Gang are a mystery book. It was write in the United States of America in 1974 by Joan Lowery Nixon, she was born in February 3 of 1927 in Los Angeles, California, United States she was an American journalist and author, specializing in historical fiction and mysteries for children and young adults. Then Joan Lowery Nixon is the only four-time winner of the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award and a two-time winner of the California Young Reader Medal. She died in June 23, 2003. The story start in a place in Los Angeles in the middle of 1974, all the history will be narrated for Michael that is the main character in that book. One day Michael was talking with his family when he said them one morning the crime rate in Los Angeles because in those moments the city was suffering many problems with the delinquency. Michael desired to build one clubhouse with Tommy and Jimmy, Leroy, Dorothy and Linda Jean that was a person that always liked to take the big risks in adventures of gang. Michael's fathers everyday liked to read the newspapers; he was very informed about the acts that were passing in the city. Especially in those day arisen some problems near from the Michael's house and his red gang like they called their group decided to investigate the origin of problems, they were very informed with the news of newspaper that Michael's father had. Problems had been in a house that was near from the clubhouse and they wanted to solve problems. They one night went to check what was happening over there because in the newspaper was announcement many bad acts. They arrived to the house that was alone, nobody lived in that house, they saw by the window what had inside, but they just saw that inside just had one little light, they decided to return to their clubhouse and to make a schedule to be checking in different days what was happening there. Days later they saw a person outside the house but he looked strange person, then one black truck arrived there and they were talking and then they leaved from there, but it was not normal. The group wanted that anything else was their identification in the name of the gang and they decided to choose the name or Red Tape Gang because many groups have a specific name. They one day went to the house again and in that time they had many problems, in this time the turn was to Linda Jean, because she went in to the house but never saw that bad people was inside the house and she could not to come back with their friend because she stayed there and people when they leaved to there close the door, but they never saw that she was there. In his moment Michaels and his friends went to their houses to find tools and keys to open the door but everything was useless. Then bad people came back to the house, but Linda Jean was still inside the house and they saw her. In this moment start the climax because she took a gum that strange people had inside of house, so in this moment her friends got to open the door and they saw the problems that Linda Jean was living. In this moment they run away . to a police that was in the corner of a street and he arrived to the house to see what was going on. There the police took care of that problem and solve the mysterious. Story end in the moment that the policeman solved difficulties. End. The book is especially for young man because the idea and setting is very interesting. It is easy to catch what the author wants to transmit to people that reads that book. The main point that the author wants is that when the people is reading this book the readers can imagine the situation and they can live the emotion of the characters are living in each situation that they have. Is very important to know the kind of literature we are reading in that book, in this case we are reading fiction, and the book is designate for everybody like mysterious stories. I recommend that book because in the moment that you are reading you feel that you are one more character in the story, because is not easy that many book to get involve the reader in the story. For example in the fiction the author just write the things trying to give it’s a logic, but the main purpose that author wants is that the reader can image the lecture and then the reader try to be involve in that to forget the difficulties or problems that you are living. The most important thing is to think like a child and to have much imagination. Other thing is that book has an easy vocabulary, because it permits that almost everybody that knows or can understand English can read. Reading book permit us to put in practice our skills in foreign language. In that book is very important the use of some techniques that helps the understanding of the lecture for example to compare two or three ideas in the paragraph tat we can denominate Analogy. In that’s kind books is very common to live an emotional sense when the author just with words is involving you in the story (Connotation). Lectures permit to do personifications in the moment that you are reading the text, because you are going to imagining the things that are missing. The most important key in one book is to catch all the interest of the audience and it is the job to the author to get all the interest of people. The Mood in this book is very important in that book because the atmosphere is very interesting and you don’t want to stop to read the book, because you are implicit in that. The key in any book is the Plot, to know the progress of story and in that book is very used for the author to give the suspense necessary to develop the story.

Power and Privilege Society and the Poor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Power and Privilege Society and the Poor - Essay Example Personal Experience. Like any person in modern society, I have witnessed poverty. While I have not slept on the streets of a major urban area or worked in a soup kitchen, I have seen people on the streets that were obviously poor and of course, the pictures in the media of homeless and desperate people. In reflecting over my own actions, I don't recall ever having thought or spoken out that they could only blame themselves for the condition they were in. My response has usually been one of sympathy, though I have to admit that I have been apprehensive when approached by someone who was begging or when a homeless person came up to clean the windshield while we were in traffic. I am not sure exactly how my experience relates to the broader issues, because I while I am certainly not a "victim-blamer" who thinks that people can boot-strap themselves out of the culture of poverty, neither am I convinced that the answer is one of "re-education and more tolerance of deviant behavior" (Klass 1). I don't blame the victims for their condition, but I am not sure tolerance of deviant behavior is the answer either. Legal Contribution. ... In fact, the not-so-subtle suggestion is that the poor are responsible for their own condition and as such contributors, have no remedy at law. I find this to be extraordinarily ironic since most justices, judges, and lawyers are tremendously affluent by comparison and have no concept of the culture of poverty on the level that most homeless people experience every day. For the law to focus on attempting to change the individuals without addressing the circumstances that contribute to their condition is to give the culture of poverty a significant boost in the wrong direction. It is a symptomatic treatment instead of a curative one. Sadly, the social dynamic of poverty does not provide a much brighter prognosis from the perspective of the disadvantaged. Social Will. Society has played a role in the culture of poverty, and should not be let off the hook so easily as to blame the victims or the legal system. As Bagdikian points out, "poverty may have been inexorable in biblical times, when there really was inadequate food...[but] affluent countries like the United States have enough rich resources" to ensure that such levels of poverty are not present (Bagdikian 1). I see this as a social will. Americans don't want to do what is necessary to obviate the conditions that contribute to the culture of poverty. Sure, we will participate in a canned food drive or give our old clothes to Goodwill, but when it comes down to supporting any idea of allocating significant resources to curing poverty there seems to be no public interest at all. From my own personal experiences, I have seen a small picture of the plight of the poor and somewhat understand the culture that keeps them out of

Security Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security Technology - Essay Example Security cameras are one aspect of business security that is commonly used across many different business types. Often a number of video cameras transmit their signals to a specific point, frequently a set of monitors. This system is known as closed-circuit television (CCTV) the name derives from the fact that although a television signal is produced it is not transmitted openly, and as a consequence cannot be picked up by exterior parties (Levine, 2000). The term CCTV can be technically used to refer to most types of video cameras; however, it is generally used to apply to those that are involved in security applications (Introna, 2000). In retail stores, CCTV systems are often used for security, monitoring both consumers and employees with the aim of preventing crime from occurring and for catching and prosecuting those that are involved in criminal acts within the store. I have worked at Best Buy since I was 17 years of age beginning in the sales department, and currently am the Security/Loss Prevention Manager for my store. This role comes with a high amount of responsibility and I take pride in doing my job well and ensuring that my staff do also. Throughout my career at Best Buy one aspect of technology which I have used extensively and consider crucial to my work is the CCTV network of security cameras which is present as part of our store security system. CCTV plays a significant role in maintaining the security of our store, and is helpful in a number of other aspects. Most importantly the CCTV system allows the monitoring of both consumers and employees behavior from a distance. Even though the presence of security cameras throughout the store is a well known fact, many people forget that the cameras are operating or hope that they are in a blind spot and act in a manner which they would not wish to be observed in. The most common example of t his is theft. The CCTV network is very useful for determining when and where shoplifting or acts of fraud occur, and as the system records the footage, it can then play a role in identifying thieves, in proving that an individual stole from the store, as well as providing a key role in internal investigations into employee theft and dishonesty. However, the monitoring of theft and dishonest practice are not the only uses of this powerful technology, it is also used other purposes such as finding lost children, determine the locations of staff members during emergency drills as well as acting as a deterrent to theft. This essay will consider the technology involved in CCTV, its history and how it is used as well as the legal ramifications occur as a consequence, with particular emphasis on the role of CCTV in retail security. Finally I will discuss my own personal experience with CCTV and how it affects my role at Best Buy. History One of the early uses of CCTV occurred in London in 1961 at an underground railway station. The purpose of the system wasn’t security, but was to allow drivers to ensure that the doors of the railway car were clear before they departed the station (Keval & Sasse, 2006). However, CCTV cameras were in use as early as 1940 and the industry has been growing ever since (Mohammed, 2010). The use of CCTV as a means of surveillance for public areas as well as business has become commonplace, and there are many different purposes for CCTV systems. One common example is the use of CCTV as street surveillance, looking for drug related activity, for the identification of missing persons, as well as for identifying any criminal activity (Keval & Sasse, 2006). Within retail stores consumers are observed through CCTV in the in order to look for illegitimate activity or evidence of theft. Monitoring is not limited to

Conflict & Intra-professional Relationships at the Workplace Research Paper

Conflict & Intra-professional Relationships at the Workplace - Research Paper Example Workplace conflict has long been viewed as an all negative thing, but the truth is that it is neither all positive nor all negative; it has both positive and negative implications (Masters & Albright, 2002; Duddle & Boughton, 2007). Conflicting intra-professional relations, however, increase the level of job stress among workers. Many studies have verified this (Healy & McKay, 2008 & McVicar, 2003). Different people use different coping strategies to manage workplace conflicts (masters & Albright, 2002). The way a workplace conflict is handled is the actual determinant of whether the effects of the conflict will be positive or negative. Perception of conflict is a subjective behavior and varies from person to person, but this perception is a factor that affects the coping strategy to be used greatly (McVicar, 2003). Like all fields of work, workplace conflict and conflicting intra-professional relations are also present in the field of nursing. In fact, one study by Hutchinson and co lleagues (2006) also confirms the presence of Bullying in a sensitive profession like nursing. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of conflict and intra-professional relationships in the field of nursing by presenting a critique of two prescribed journal articles in the same field. Almost, J. (2006). ‘Conflict within nursing work environments: concept analysis’. Journal of  Advanced Nursing, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 444-453.   This article is by Joan Almost, who is a faculty member of nursing at the University ty of Toronto, Canada. Titled ‘Conflict within nursing work environments: concept analysis’, this article was accepted for publication on the 27th of July, 2005; and was published in the Journal of Athe advanced Nursing in 2006, volume 53, issue 4. The article is based on a theoretical literature review of available academic material on workplace conflict within nursing, aimed at explaining and exploring the process of workplace conflic t. The data was collected by searching for some popular online academic databases for relevant articles submitted in the last 25 years.

Delaware Water Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Delaware Water Gap - Essay Example The deepest point of the river is about 55 feet (Hickman, 2004). The river is about a mile wide separating New Jersey from Pennsylvania. There are various theories that explain the development of the Delaware Water Gap.   Currently, it is said to have developed through a series of processes which included the continental shift, mountain building, erosion and capturing of streams and rivers. It is believed that over 450 million years ago, there was a continental shift that led to the collision of Africa and North America (Hickman, 2004). The impact caused by this collision caused the earth crust to rise leading to the formation of mountains along the collision lines. The Appalachian ranges, as well as the Kittantinny Mountains, were formed during this collision. The rivers and streams that flowed along these mountains carried pebbles and sand to the West. The sand and pebbles were deposited in layers. These layers became compacted and erosion resistant forming a conglomerate rock kn own as the Shawangunk Formation. The Shawanguk Formation is a gray quartzite that is highly resistant to water erosion. Over millions of years, different types of rocks were laid on top of the Shawanguk formation. About 300 million years ago, during the mountain building era, pressure built that forced the compacted layers of rock to fold and crumple (Hickman, 2004). The geological pressures during the mountain building era shattered the layers of rock. The shattered layers were eroded with time at different rates.

Korean American-Q2A Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Korean American-Q2A - Article Example Social capital just as the name suggests refers to the value of the social network in a society. Such features local churches, entrepreneurship and ethnic networks played an integral role in facilitating the settlement of Korean immigrants in the United States. Such forms of social capital cushioned the first-generation immigrants with vital resources thereby enabling them to take their children to school. Most of such families are in the middle class. However, the systematic weakening of the social capital is a vital feature responsible for the disparity in the Korean youth education. Such social networks weakened thereby leaving the modern day Korean American youths vulnerable to such social vices as racism that continue to hamper their attempt to seek education. Schools in America strive to provide a number of the basic resources. However, the number of Korean American students that drop out of high school continues to rise. Korean American children who live in poor and isolated neighborhoods continue to drop out of schools owing to the vulnerability they feel while in the schools. The schools do not provide the students with adequate support services that make settling in such schools difficult for them. Socio-economic background is yet another equally important factor that influences the receipt of education services in the country. Most of the post-1965, Korean immigrants lacked effective social capital. This exposed them to the economic forces of the country. Most of such families live in poverty and in isolated neighborhoods where they cannot access any formidable social network. Their socio-economic state makes it difficult for the youth to pursue education as most of them drop school due to the harsh social environment and the eviden t lack of resources. Such youths resort to drug abuse as most of them join the illegal trade of drugs. In retrospect,

Performer Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Performer Assessment - Essay Example Interviewing is a day to day interaction, which is a skill that needs to be, developed (Keats, 2000) it is one of the most popular forms of communication and research in the psychological area, It’s main aim is to find out more about the client than what would usually be possibly as you are in direct charge of what questions are asked but at the same time it is down to the performer in this case how much they say. A weakness of interviews is the matter of time constraint on the performer because the performer who I’m interviewing might not have the time to go through certain areas as you never know how long an interview will go on for it all depends on how much information the performer is willing to give. Observations in a psychological way are of experimenting and trying to find a phenomenon (Sharma, 2006) through watching a performer or performers in this case and assessing them that way, an advantage of this method is you get a firsthand experience of what is wrong in that performance and what there psychological weaknesses are. The disadvantage of doing observations maybe that it is a one off and a performer’s performance will vary when in a different situation. Questionnaires and asking questions is one of the most natural way of gathering information and are certainly the most often employed data collection method (DÃ ¶rnyei,2009 (P.g 1). An advantage of doing questionnaires is the ease of the construction,it can take up to a few hours to draw up in some circumstances (Taguchi, 2009) and you can give out lots of them to different people. The main disadvantage of questionnaires is you can’t control how much information they decide to give and the answers they give might not be too detailed. Practical techniques for example performance profiling have become more popular recently when talking about sport psychology, performance profiling is a tool

Why do governments in less developed countries have difficulty in Essay

Why do governments in less developed countries have difficulty in restraining money supply growth in order to control inflation - Essay Example As explained, if in this particular situation, a country’s central bank opts for reduction in money supply in order to get rid of the inflation present in the economy, it will lower the gross domestic product even more and only strengthen the stagnation present in the economy even more. This situation, if continued as a long term policy, will lead to demand pull inflation in the long run. This is because on one hand the national output will be at a low level and on the other, due to a high population growth ate in these less developed economies, soon the aggregate demand will rise to a staggering level which, if tamed through a further reduction of money supply, will lead to a stagnation inflation spiral. (Chandavarkar, 1996, 9) Another problem courting these less developed economies is high rate of unemployment. Now a reduction in money supply, as explained above will discourage investment and thereby lower the level of output. As usual a lower level of output is also associated with a low level of employment. So this policy in course of time will make substantial addition to the pull of unemployed laborers of the less developed economy. The less developed economies have to bear with a certain level of inflation in order to experience growth and thereby ensure employment. Therefore, if a reduction in money supply is taken by the central bank as a policy to tame inflation in such economies it will only lead to long run aggravation of other economic maladies. (Lipsey and Harbury, 1992, 252) Furthermore, the less developed economies are typically characterized with black marketers who manage to bluff the government and thereby run a parallel economy. In such an economy, often inflation is caused by unethical storage of goods with a view to inflate the price artificially and hence reap the profit. In such cases

The Face of American Poverty Essay Example for Free

The Face of American Poverty Essay Poverty is a social ill that is affecting most developing countries in the world, if not all. This is evidenced by the peoples lack of access to basic commodities such as food, clothing and shelter due to insufficiency of foods to purchase these needs. More often than not, this kind of situation is associated to third world countries like the Philippines and Vietnam and less identified with industrialized countries because people in the latter have more access to a better life and an abundance of job opportunities. United States is a country that could be least likely identified with poverty, however, statistics revealed there are millions of people in America who are living a poor life. This hidden problem of America was magnified to the whole world when hurricane Katrina destroyed properties in southern United States, specially New Orleans. A BusinessWeek article (Farell 2005) reported that the disaster reminded every American of the big class divide in the country. The whites who had more means were able to find a safer place to stay as the disaster hit their homes while the blakcs who have just enough or not even, were left on their rooftops crying for help. They barely had enough to save themselves from the brutal effects of the hurricane. Based on the latest statistics that the bureau released (Current Population Report 20), America, an industrialized country and one of the most powerful countries in the world houses 36. 5 million people, 24. 3 percent of which are Blacks, 10. 3 percent are Asians and 8. percent are non-Hispanic whites. Poverty in the United States is measured by the Bureau of Census using the money income earned by the family members. If the total income of the family is below the familys threshold, every individual in the family is considered as among those people suffering in poverty. There are 48 possible poverty thresholds that may be assigned to each family. These thresholds vary according to family size and ages of th e members of the family. The thresholds are annually updated in consideration of the inflation and other factors. These thresholds in a way reflect the family needs and serve as statistical yardsticks; however, these statistics alone do not provide a comprehensive description of what a family needs to live decently. The measurement, which the bureau uses, was derived from the Office of Management and Budgets Statistical Policy Directive 14. The thresholds that are being utilized to measure poverty were formulated in 1963 by the U. S. Department of Agriculture food budgets initially for families who are under economic stress (U. S. Bureau of Census 20) According to the Current Population Report of the U. S.  Bureau of Census (20), Table 3, People and Families in Poverty by Selected Characteristics: 2005 and 2006, South America has the highest number of people who are living in poverty, it reaches about 14 million and constitutes almost 14 percent of poor Americans. The other regions only registered an average of 11 percent each of the table listing the American people who are living in poverty. Aside from this, the statistics also show that majority of the Americans who are poor are native born. Those who are foreign born and naturalized citizens only comprised a small percentage of Americans living poverty. The bulk of these poor people range from the age bracket of 18 to 64 years oldthe working age. However, the poverty that America defines is a lot different from the definition of poverty in developing countries. As indicated in the research, Understanding Poverty in America, by Robert Rector and Johnson Johnson (n. pag. ), the poor in America are better off compared to those who are considered poor in developing countries. The research revealed that a poor American has a car, a house in good repair and has air-conditioning, clothes washer and cable television among others. According to Results. org (n. pag. ), the face of a poor person in America is a single parent working full time but still has no sufficient funds to pay for their food needs, rent, medical bills and car costs for travel. Results. org (n. pag. ) also revealed that an American who experiences hunger is in a better state than those who are in really poor countries because unlike the latter who really have nothing, Americans still have food to eat the only problem is that the food that they eat is not sufficient to meet a nutritious diet. According to the organization report (n. pag. ), the face of hunger in America is a malnourished child whose parents are not earning enough to purchase healthy and nutritious food and sometimes has to skip meals. The research conducted by Rector and Johnson (n. pag. ) showed that one of the problems of poor Americans is malnutrition, however, this malnourishment that poor Americans face is not under nutrition but obesity. Their findings show that most of the adult Americans are obese because their diets compose mostly of foods that are high in fat. They consume this kind of food more often due to lack of money to purchase food that could provide a better diet. Based on the findings of Rector and Johnson (n. pag. ), poverty is caused by two main factors: the absence of the father in the house and the fact that parents only spend less time at work. The research show that poor families are only supported by 800 work hours per year or 16 hours per week on the average. If the parents spend longer hours at work, then they could earn more and there is a greater possibility that the family would not fall among the list of poor families. In addition to this, the researchers also found out that the absence of a father in the house is also a great factor in the rise of poverty in the United States. Out-of-wedlock pregnancies are becoming more prevalent in the American society and this causes a surge in the number of single parents that are supporting their children. More often than not, the income that these single parents are generating is not enough to sustain their family’s needs thus; they fall within the poverty line. If there were two parents that are earning for the family then there would be more funds to buy the family the needs. Aside from these factors, Isabel Sawhill (n. pag. ) also cited other reasons for the emergence of poverty in the United States. One the reasons that she gave is the lack of employment opportunities among the poor people. This unemployment is actually caused by several reasons such as the mismatch between the required skills of employers and those that are offered by employees. Another reason is the fact that American workers need to compete with cheaper foreign labor. Their competition forces the need for Americans to accept lower wages in order to earn a living and supply the needs of their family. If they do not lower their salary expectations then it is more likely that foreign labor will prevail and complete the job. Another factor that affects unemployment in the United States is racial discrimination. There are employers who prefer to accept white Americans for better paying jobs as compared to the Blacks, Hispanics or Asians. Some American corporations continue to underestimate the capabilities of colored Americans and perceive that the whites are still superior and perform better than any other race. This type of discrimination is one of the reasons why America remains to be a divided nation. Moreover, the geographical location also plays as a factor because there are states that offer more job opportunities compared to other states which only offer a few. More often than not, those states which have more resources geographically and industrially offer more job opportunities as compared to those states which only have a few resources to develop and few corporations to run. Based on the data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (n. pag. ), the region which has the highest unemployment rate are Midwest and West regions registering 5. percent each while the region which has the lowest unemployment rate is Southern United States at 4. 7 percent. Among the states, Texas has the highest employment rate followed by Nevada and Minnesota. In addition to the causes of poverty, researchers (Sawhill n. pag. ) are also blaming the income policy transfers of the government such as the food stamps, Medicaid, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for the prevalence of poverty in the United States. The food stamp program aims to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in the country by providing qualified low-income families with food stamps that can be utilized to purchase food items to complete a nutritious diet. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the average benefit that can be derived from the program per individual is $1 per meal. In order to qualify, a household should have a gross income that falls below 130 percent of the poverty line and do not own assets that are more than $2,000 in value (results. org n. pag. ). The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children aims to provide pregnant women who have low incomes, new mothers, infants and children that are facing nutritional risks with healthy food, education on nutrition and health care access. Unlike the food stamp program, which provides monetary assistance to families, this government program gives food packages to the concerned individuals to meet their dietary needs (results. org n. pag. ). The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families is the welfare program replacement of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This program was created to fight the dependency of the recipient families to the welfare programs of the government. Unlike the other welfare programs which only require that the family’s income fall within the poverty line, this type of government program requires the recipients to work before receiving any assistance and limits the period wherein they can receive assistance from the welfare program. This policy of the government somehow lessens the sense of dependency to welfare programs by the recipients and gives them motivation to work and lift their families out of the poverty line. It has been observed by researchers (Sawhill n. pag. ) that recipients of welfare assistance from the government become so dependent that they no longer have the drive to work harder or worse, no dot exert any effort to support their needs. This kind of dependency was staged in the movie, Million Dollar Baby. In this movie, the mother of Maggie Fitzgerald, the female boxer played by Hillary Swank, got mad when Maggie bought her a house because this would drive them out of the welfare system. Owning the property will force them to find a job that will support their daily needs and take them out of their comfort zone. The family does not want this to happen because they have become so dependent with the welfare system that they cannot seem to live without it anymore. This is the kind of dependency that the government is trying to avoid because not only does this foster indolence it also takes away from the government funds that could be used for other projects that would better benefit the community. It would be better to teach a person how to fish and find provision for his personal needs rather than simply providing the fish to a person who never dare to exert an effort. Having too many children is also a factor in the surge of poverty in the United States because the more children there are, the more dependents the parents have and the more mouths to feed. If a family has fewer children then it would be easier for the family to get by because there are only a few needs to provide for and compete over the family income. There are various ways wherein sociologists try to explain poverty and one of them is using the structural approach which is influenced by Marxists and Functionalists perspectives (School-Portal n. pag. ). In the Marxist perspective, it can be gleaned that poverty is the direct result of the capitalist system. Through capitalism, people are forced to enter into a competition to survive and this competition is affected primarily by education and skills that an individual possesses. People try to attain higher education and learn new skills to have a better standing in a capitalistic world and a better fare at the competition. Employers prefer to hire an applicant who attained a higher level of learning and who has better skills compared to ordinary individuals, as this will foster better company performance and more earnings. Employees work hard to receive higher and more promising salaries. The discrepancy in earnings, ownership of properties and the creation of the social strata causes poverty exist. If people are not driven by competition and the dire to strive for more as compared to the others, there would be no discrepancy and all will just be equal—no rich and no poor. However, this will also advocate laziness among the people and lack of improvement in ones way of living. With regard to the functionalist perspective, everything is seen to be working for the whole and everything has a purpose. In consideration of this ideology, poverty is seen both in the positive and negative light. In its negative aspect, poverty is seen as a warning, something that people should avoid due to its adverse effects such as lack of sufficient food to eat, absence of enough funds to purchase basic needs and wants. On the contrary, poverty is also seen in the positive side, a feel good factor. When one sees he is faring better than the others, it creates a sense of thinking that all the efforts that he has exerted are all worth it. It somehow creates an appreciation of the hardships that he had to go through to achieve the position he is occupying. Another approach that sociologists utilize to explain poverty is the cultural approach. This type of explanation was elaborated by sociologist, Oscar Lewis. According to Lewis, poverty is transferred from generation to generation because the values of the parents toward poverty are passed on to their children. Lewis explained that people experience poverty because of the different cultural values that they have developed through time. These values include resignation and fatalism. People who are resigned feel that there is nothing much that they can do about their situation so they no longer bother to change it or even exert the slightest effort to lift their families out of the impoverished state their they are in. People, who adhere to fatalism, perceive that they are meant to be poor so there is no reason of fighting it. They believe that suffering an impecunious life is their purpose in this world and no matter what they do they will not be able to escape it. Trying to pull ones self out of the hole of poverty will only be a futile undertaking. These kinds of ideologies of the parents foster somehow affects how their children see poverty. Without even realizing it, these principles that they adhere to, is already burying their children to the pit of poverty even at a tender age. Once the minds of their children are shaped with these principles, they will carry this one as they age and like their parents, will be left suffering an impoverished life. The cultural explanation of poverty explains why there are many who continue to depend on the welfare system even if they have the capacity to get out of it. They have been so used to thinking that they are poor and cannot do anything about it that is why they no longer strive to make their lives more bearable. What these people fail to realize are the benefits that can be gained from getting out of the cage of the government welfare system. They has lost their sense of achievement and being able to contribute something fruitful to the country rather than just waiting for the assistance that the government will provide.

Topics In Global Economy Essay Example for Free

Topics In Global Economy Essay With such drastic globalization of worldwide economics, it is now an issue of vast importance to us all.   The impact of current trends in global economics affects each nation and the corporations within it, as well as every citizen, working or unemployed, within its population.   Global economics was inevitable, given the statistics reflecting the increasing popularity of the world wide web as well as the unlimited communications capabilities allowing us to conduct business or easily buy products either from a local business or from a market on the other side of the world.    However, the global market is chiefly responsible for stabilizing inflation rates in the European and U.S. arenas.   One byproduct of global economics is the development and implementation of the Euro dollar. Although it is result of globalization, it has effectively addressed the long standing issues of confusion and instability in the international trade market due to the continuous fluctuations of the scores of currencies existing in the world marketplace. A significant slowing in inflationary trends has been noted during the last few years but many believe that the future will bring a series of setbacks as well.   In The Grandfather Economic Report, Michael Hodges wrote that â€Å"in the 1990’s the (U.S.) federal government created $2.8 trillion of new debt†¦ more than created in the nation’s entire history prior to 1990 †¦.and another $2.7 trillion since 9/11/01.† Yet federal deposit income in China increases by roughly 15% each year.   This rate of growth will have a serious impact on the U.S. national debt.   With an increasingly disproportional balance of import and export trade between the U.S. and Asia, an alarming loss of revenue will certainly plague America and Europe.   This trend will be hard to reverse if changes in the trade balance can not be initiated.   Most of these conditions resulting from the Asian policy that devalues their currencies compared to that of the dollar. The impact of this policy on the US trade balance is negative.   With more dollars being sent to Asia due to devalued exchange rates, statistics begin to reflect a deficit of funds as well as trade block tactics such as high import tariffs discourage these sales in the Asian market. The impact of this policy on the trade balance on Asian economies is that a continue trend of economic prosperity can be anticipated for these Asian nations.   This trend, if allowed to continue, will also bring growth at successively higher percentage rates with each passing year. The effect this policy has and will have on the interest rate on Asian and US treasury securities is that these rates will continue to fall in the U.S. due in the this policy.   Japan’s Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa states that â€Å"We acknowledge the importance of the internationalisation of the yen in light of global economic and financial developments such as the Asian financial crisis: the birth of the euro also attests its importance. In this context, we have recently announced measures to promote the yen’s internationalisation, which include measures to increase liquidity in Japan’s short-term financial markets as well as those to facilitate investment by foreign investors in Japanese government bonds.†Ã‚   This policy will surely bring about a successful reversal of downward spiraling of Asian interest rates. As for how this policy will level of indebtedness of US households, businesses and Government, a continuation of this policy regime will undoubtedly result in a rise in debt levels for all, as set the stage for possible economic depression not only for the U.S. Government and global scale due to enormity of the global economics venue. Immediate and viable initiatives must be utilized in order to prevent this threat.

Literature On The Impacts Of Landslides Environmental Sciences Essay

Literature On The Impacts Of Landslides Environmental Sciences Essay Objective of this chapter is to present all the literature available related to landslides and its impact to socio environment. It would include what are natural disasters, priority of occurrence of natural disasters, some thing about Sri Lanka and natural disasters in Sri Lanka; something about landslides, landslides is the one of main natural disasters for Hill country, reasons for landslides in Sri Lanka specially in Ratnapura district, socio impact of natural landslides in Sri Lanka, mitigation of landslides in Sri Lanka. A natural hazard is a threat of an event that will have a negative effect on people or the environment. In recent years, growing population and expansion of settlements and life-lines over hazardous areas have largely increased the impact of natural disasters both in industrialized and developing countries. (Guzzetti.F, et al, Landslide hazard evaluation: a review of current techniques and their application in a multi-scale study, Central Italy). Specially Asia and the Pacific is the worlds most disaster-prone region, accounting for 91 per cent of deaths from natural disasters in the past century and 49 per cent of the resulting economic damage (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK). It can be illustrated as follow. (Figure 2.2.1) Figure 2.2.1: Impacts of natural disasters in the period 1900-2005 Source: EM DAT, the OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, Univercity Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. Each year for the past 15 years, an average of 41,000 people have died in the region from natural disasters, which annually inflicted $29 billion worth of damage. Of the worlds 10 most severe natural disasters in 2004, five occurred in the Asian and Pacific region, causing damage amounting to $55 billion, about 70 per cent of the total damage, estimated at $80 billion. Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific in 2007 presented major natural disaster events in the Asia and Pacific region from1988 to 2007. (Figure 2.2.2) Figure 2.2.2 Major natural disaster events in the Asian and Pacific region, 1988- 2007 Source: ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK At the meeting of Management of Landslide hazard, Japan Landslide Society (JLS) presented two reasons for that situation occurred in the Asia-Pacific Region. This include countries difficulty to face the high costs of controlling natural hazards through major engineering works, rational land-use planning and different part of landscape had been subjected to wide range of disaster from time to time through out the history. The droughts, landslides, cyclone, wind, storms, soil erosion, Tsunami and coastal erosion are the common natural disasters while terrorism, violence, civil conflicts, explosions, industrial accidents, epidemics, gem mining, sand mining, fires deforestation are the man made disaster that affect the community of the Asia-Pacific. Since 1990 the region has suffered 50 per cent of the worlds major natural disasters when International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction began. The total number of deaths due to natural disasters in the region has exceeded 200,000 and the estimated damage to property over this period has been estimated at US$ 100 billion (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK). 2.2.1 Flood A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. Floods are the most common climate-related disaster in the region and include seasonal floods, flash floods, urban floods due to inadequate drainage facilities and floods associated with tidal events induced by typhoons in coastal areas. In Bangladesh, one of the most flood-prone countries in the region, as many as 80 million people are vulnerable to flooding each year (ESCAP, 1995a). In India, where a total of 40 million hectares is at risk from flooding each year, the average annual direct damage has been estimated at US$ 240 million, although this figure can increase to over US$ 1.5 billion with severe flood events.   (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK). Flooding is the most common natural hazard in Sri Lanka also. Heavy monsoon rain has affected the South and South West of Sri Lanka, leading to the most serious flooding and landslides in over 50 years. Six districts are affected by the floods. This includes Ratnapura, Galle, Kalutara, Matara, Nuwara Eliya, and Hambantota disricts. Recent records indicate that Sri Lanka experiences large scale flooding every 2 to 3 years on average about 200,000 people are affected every year. The Government of Sri Lanka Disaster Operations Center has provided the following data on the affected areas: (Table 2.2.1.1) Table 01: flooding areas District Affected Families Deaths Houses destroyed Houses partially damaged Hambantota 1,812 22 429 932 Kulatara 21,550 8 7,658 35 Galle 36,703 17 1,273 560 Matara 68,075 80 8,850 17,822 Ratnapura 47,756 137 5,726 6,902 Nuwara Eliya 132 1 286 0 Source: The Government of Sri Lanka Disaster Operations Center There are 103 river basins in the island of which about 20 can be considered major basins of the five main rivers, the Kelani, Kalu, Gin, Nilwala and Mahaweli, which experience annual floods. Floods in Sri Lanka occur mainly due to excessive rainfall during the monsoons, and they normally occur during the Southwest monsoon and during the inter-monsoonal rains, just before and after the Northeast monsoon. Therefore, rivers located on the Western slope of the country become prone to flooding. . (Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) 2.2.2 Earthquake An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes catastrophic movement of a part of the earths surface. Earthquakes result from the dynamic release of elastic strain energy that radiates seismic waves. Earthquakes typically result from the movement of faults, planar zones of deformation within the earths upper crust. (Cecil H, et al, Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography). Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. At the Earths surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.(Spence, William; S. A. Sipkin, G. L. Choy (1989). Measuring the Size of an Earthquake, United States Geological Survey, 2006). Earthquakes are short-lived, menacing and the most feared natural hazards because of their sudden impact and devastation in a matter of few seconds inflicting immense losses of life and property. Therefore since we are not in a position to predict an earthquake, we must at least try to find out the scientific causes that can lead to such catastrophic earthquakes. If not disaster due to earthquakes affects all segments of the community including individuals causing significant economic social impacts, severe damage to life human suffering, loss of property material wealth, environmental devastations, devastation of physical facilities (Banerjee R, et al Geomatics in Earthquake Mitigation, ESHD/MWRG-RESA, Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad). 2.2.3 Cyclones Cyclones are huge revolving storms caused by winds blowing around a central area of low atmospheric pressure. In the northern hemisphere, cyclones are called hurricanes or typhoons and their winds blow in an anti-clockwise circle. In the southern hemisphere, these tropical storms are known as cyclones, whose winds blow in a clockwise circle. Cyclones develop over warm seas near the Equator. Air heated by the sun rises very swiftly, which creates areas of very low pressure. As the warm air rises, it becomes loaded with moisture which condenses into massive thunderclouds. Cool air rushes in to fill the void that is left, but because of the constant turning of the Earth on its axis, the air is bent inwards and then spirals upwards with great force. The swirling winds rotate faster and faster, forming a huge circle which can be up to 2,000 km across. (Natural Disasters by Cindy, Lisa and Stacey). The Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka is prone to disastrous cyclones. The cyclone season is from November to December. About 83% of occurrences in the past have been during this period. In the instances where cyclones have hit Sri Lanka the effects have been devastating. The cyclone of 1964 hit the districts of Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Mannar, Batticaloa and Amparai. This cyclone resulted in 75,000 people being affected and 280 deaths. The cyclone of 1978 affected nearly 1 million people and an estimated 100,000 people were made homeless. . (Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) 2.2.4 Droughts Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long period of time. Most droughts tend to occur during summer, as the weather is hot and water is quickly evaporated. It has been observed that the impact of droughts differs widely between developed and developing countries because of the influence of such factors as water supply and water-use efficiency. The majority of the estimated 500 million rural poor in the Asia-Pacific region are subsistence farmers occupying mainly rain-fed land (ESCAP, 1995a). The drought-prone countries in this region are Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and parts of Bangladesh. The Philippines, Thailand, Australia and the Pacific islands of Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa also contain drought-prone areas. (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK) Dry spells and droughts are a recurrent feature of the natural climate of Sri Lanka. In the extreme northwest Mannar and Kalpitiya areas and in the extreme southwest Yala area the mean annual rainfall drops below 1000mm. Hambantota, Moneragala and Puttlam are the administrative districts where drought is a regular phenomenon. 2.3 Natural disasters in Sri Lanka 2.3.1 About Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean, located in Southern Asia, southeast of India, in a strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes. It has a total area of 65,610 km ², with 64,740 km ² of land and 870 km ² of water. Its coastline is 1,340 km long. Sri Lankas climate includes tropical monsoons: the northeast monsoon (December to March), and the southwest monsoon (June to October). Its terrain is mostly low, flat to rolling plain, with mountains in the south-central interior. The highest point is Pidurutalagala at 2,524.13 m. Natural resources include limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower. Extensive faulting and erosion over time have produced a wide range of topographic features, making Sri Lanka one of the most scenic places in the world. Three zones are distinguishable by elevation: the Central Highlands, the plains, and the coastal belt. Sri Lankas climate can be described as tropical, and quite warm. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with a warm climate, moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The mean temperature ranges from a low of 16 °C in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands (where frost may occur for several days in the winter) to a high of 32 °C in Trincomalee on the northeast coast (where temperatures may reach 38  °C). As a whole the average yearly temperature for the country ranges from 28 to 30  °C. Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 to 7. January is the coolest month, causing people, especially those in the highlands, to wear coats and sweaters. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains. The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and is marked by four seasons. The first is from mid-May to October, when winds originate in the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2500 mm of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. The second season occurs in October and November, inter monsoonal months. During this season, periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. During the third season, December to March, monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The northeastern slopes of the mountains may be inundated with up to 1250 mm of rain during the se months. Another inter monsoonal period occurs from March until mid-May, with light, variable winds and evening thundershowers.(Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain, Geography of Sri Lanka). 2.3.2 Natural disasters in Sri Lanka As a results of geological factors, weather condition, human activities recent records indicate that Sri Lanka is a disaster prone country since historical time. Different part of landscape had been subjected to wide range of disaster from time to time through out the history. But not only natural disasters had been caused to introduce Sri Lanka as a disaster prone country, mane made disasters also subject to this situation. While the droughts, Landslides, Cyclone, Wind, Storms, Soil erosion, Tsunami and costal erosion are the common natural disasters; terrorism, violence, civil conflicts, explosions, industrial accidents, epidemics, gem mining, sand mining, fires deforestation are the man made disasters that affect the community of the country.(Jayaweera S, National Building Research Organization). Those natural disasters had been affected all segments of Sri Lankan community including individuals causing significant economic and social impacts, sever damage to life and human suffering, loss of property and material wealth, environmental devastation of physical facilities such as water supply, power generation and distribution, telecommunication, arterial roads linking the affected areas to other part of the country, township, health and education facilities. (Natural Disaster Risk Management Programme. Community Based Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Through Participation of Communities and Local Self Governments). According to the relief distribution to the victims during past two decades, the most devastating natural hazard has been landslides and floods in terms of deaths and cost. Disaster due to landslides affects all segments of the community including individuals causing significant economic social impacts. During the past few years landslide incidents seem to be increasing in number and severity casing vulnerability of communities. ( Jayaweera S, National Building Research Organizatio) 2.4 Landslides 2.4.1 Something about Landslide A landslide is the down slope movement of sediment and rock. The word landslide also refers to the landforms that result from this action. Landslides are reflecting the many diverse landscapes (Evans, S.G, Landslides; in A Synthesis of Geological Hazards in Canada, G.R. Brooks; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin, 2001) Landslides and mass movements are common phenomena in the world, from the recent past. Especially landslides spread from the Central hills to neighboring districts predominantly. This can be occurred in different sizes and it can be range form a single boulder that fell off a cliff to a large area encompassing tens of square kilometers and millions of cubic meters of debris. And the speed of movement can range from extremely slow to extremely rapid. The slowest movement, creep, is on the order of a few centimeters to a few tens of centimeters per year. The fastest type of landslide, the rock avalanche, may reach velocities of up to 100 meters per second (360 kilometers per hour), which exceeds the speed of a race car. (Herath H.M.D.R, Department of Sociology  University of Peradeniya)   Landslides move down slope under the influence of gravity; although, if the geological material is particularly weak or sensitive or is saturated with water, gravity is less important. How the slope will fail and how the material will move is dependent on the specific geology and topography of the region. Some landslides move only a short distance, coming to a stop near the base of the slope; others can travel several kilometers from the source. Some landslides will trigger sequential failures retrogress the head scarp back into the slope. (Evans, S.G. (2001),G.R. Brooks; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta, presented a specific areas which are more likely to experienced landslides. They are: Areas where wildfires or human modification of the land have destroyed vegetation; Areas where landslides have occurred before; Steep slopes and areas at the bottom of slopes or canyons; Slopes that have been altered for construction of buildings and roads; Channels along a stream or river; Areas where surface runoff is directed. 2.4.2 Types of landslides Figure 2.4.2.1: Rock Slide Diagram by J. Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T. Spittler after Varnes, 1978 A landslide involving bedrock in which the rock that moves remains largely intact for at least a portion of the movement. Rock slides can range in size from small and thin to very large and thick, and are subject to a wide range of triggering mechanisms. Rock slides commonly occur on relatively steep slopes in competent rocks. Slope gradients are commonly from 35% to as steep as 70%. Figure 2.4.2.2: EARTH FLOW Diagram by J. Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T. Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Earth flows commonly occur on moderately steep slopes. Slope gradients are commonly from 10% to as steep as 30%, although steeper slopes may be found in head scarp and toe areas. Earth flows typically are initiated by periods of prolonged rainfall and sometimes dont initiate until well after a storm or the rainy season has passed. They are characteristically slow moving, in the millimeters or centimeters per day range, and may continue to move for a period of days to weeks after initiating. Figure 2.4.2.3: DEBRIS SLIDE Source:Diagram by J.Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T.Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Debris slides typically move initially as shallow intact slabs of soil and vegetation, but break up after a short distance into falls and flows. Movement of the slide mass as a shallow slab leads to a smooth, steep, commonly curved scar. The debris is deposited at the base as a loose hummocky mass, although the deposit may be rapidly removed by erosion. Debris slides commonly occur on very steep slopes, as steep as 60% to 70%, usually in an area where the base of a slope is undercut by erosion. Figure 2.4.2.4: DEBRIS FLOW Diagram by J.Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T.Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Debris flows are most often triggered by intense rainfall following a period of less intense precipitation, or by rapid snow melt. High pore water pressures cause the soil and weathered rock to rapidly lose strength and flow down slope. Debris flows can move very rapidly, at rates ranging from meters per hour to meters per second and travel relatively long distances, making them a significant threat to life and property. Debris flows commonly begin as a slide of a shallow mass of soil and weathered rock. Their most distinctive landform is the scar left by the original shallow slide. The path of the debris flow may be marked by a small drainage that has been stripped of vegetation. The debris flow may not leave any deposit if it flows directly into a larger creek and is immediately eroded away. Many debris flow deposits are ephemeral, but in some cases successive debris flows may deposit material in the same area thereby forming a debris fan, which resembles a small, steep alluvial fa n. Figure 2.4.2.5: ROCK FALL Diagram by J.Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T.Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Rock falls occur on steep slopes of hard, fractured rock. The scar left by a rock fall on the slope may be no more apparent than an area of rock that is less weathered than the surrounding rocks. Rock fall deposits are loose piles of rubble that may be easily removed by erosion. Because neither the scar nor the deposit are distinctive, and because the most frequently occurring rock falls are typically small, individual rock falls are usually not shown on regional-scale (1:24,000 and smaller) landslide maps. Though infrequent, moderate- to large-volume rock falls can be extremely dangerous and sometimes fatal. Large slabs of rock impacting a hard ledge after a long drop can rapidly break apart, leading to air entrainment and long run outs, induced air blasts, airborne projectiles (fly rock) and severe dust clouds. (Varnes, D.J., 1978, Slope movement types and processes. In, Special Report, R.L. Schuster and R.J. Krizek, National Research Council, Washington) 2.5 Landslides is one of the main natural disasters in hill country While flooding is most significant for lowland, Landslides are the serious geologic hazard common to hill country. Recent rainfall in several parts of the country caused havoc by way of landslides in the hill country and floods in low lands including Colombo City. Present landslide density in the central highlands and the wet zone of Sri Lanka is estimated to be in the order of 1-2 landslides per sq. km and approximately 20% of the total land area of the country, which supports nearly 30% of the total population, is subject to landslides. Landslide prone areas are located in 7 districts in and adjacent to the central highlands, and 7-9 districts located in the wet zone are prone to landslides. Namely Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kegalle, Kalutara, Kandy, Matale and recently Matara, Galle and Hambantota are prone to landslides while Ratnapura district is taking important place.(Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) Poorna S. Yahampath, technical officer of disaster preparedness illustrated that Most of areas in Ratnapura district are affected by landslide (Figure 08) Map 2.5.1: Disaster prone district Source:compiled by the author Source: Poorna S. Yahampath; Technical Advisor Disaster Preparedness (2008) Because of above situation in Ratnapura district National Building Research Organization (NBRO) have choose Ratnapura for launch demonstration project (landslides, frequent flooding, erosion, pollution and contamination of water resources, ground subsidence etc. 2.6 Landslides in Ratnapura district Landslides occurred in many areas such as Ratnapura, Pelmadulla, Kalawana, Nivithigala and Kahawatta in Ratnapura district. Twenty Grama Sewa Niladhari (GSN) Divisions were affected due to landslides. According to investigations carried out by NBRO there are 135 high-risk areas, 69 medium risk areas and 67 low risk areas in the whole of Ratnapura District. The hazard analysis carried out by the Ratnapura Disaster Management Steering Committee (RDMSC) in 1999 under the SLUMDMP identified the following hazards in the order of frequency of occurrence shown as percentage on the graph below. This data reveals that Ratnapura is vulnerable to multiple hazards. According to that investigation disasters due to landslide took a 2nd place. Figure 2.6.1: multiple hazards in Ratnapura District Source: Asian Disaster preparedness center Table: 2.6.1 Landslides in Ratnapura district Date DS Division Village Deaths 1979 Kuruwita Akurana 5 2/6/1981 Pelmadulla Handurukanda 8/6/1981 Pelmadulla Pathalpana kanda 9 2/11/1983 Ratnapura Mihitiya 1985 Elapatha Kohomba kanda 2/6/1985 Kuruwita Wetumala 30/5/1989 NI Hettikanda 1 8/10/1993 Ratnapura Helauda kanda 31 28/5/1994 Ehaliyagoda Asgangula 7 21/6/1995 Balangoda Kumaragama 13/10/1999 Kalawana Ayagama 2 5/10/2002 Balangoda Puwakgahawela 6 17/5/2003 Elapatha Palawela 56 18/5/2003 Kalawana Panapola 26 18/5/2003 Ratnapura Muwagama 7 Source: Poorna S Yahampath, UK South Asia scientist and Practitioners (2008) The landslides in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka in May 2003 again showed the high vulnerability of the community living in the area. On 17th May 2003, Ratnapura had extremely heavy and unusual rainfall of 347.2 mm within 24 hours. Many landslide occurrences have been observed within the Ratnapura district surrounding the municipality area. Sliding of Lawulu Kella, Panapola Kanda, Muwagama Kanda were take priority. This was recorded as the most severe event. These three landslides were the most vulnerable that have ever recorded since historically. (Asian disaster preparedness center: case study on mitigating disasters in Asia and the Pacific) 2.7 Reasons for landslides in Sri Lanka specially in Ratnapura district Landslides commonly occur in connection with other major natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, and floods. Landslides occur due to natural phenomena and man made activities also contributes to reactivate old landslide. Hilly area of Sri Lanka are affected or threatened by landslides when rains persist with increased intensity. Observations on rainfall data of land slide affected regions suggest that in the earlier times intensive precipitation of (200m 300m) in 24 hours triggered landslide. However, with increased human intervention the tendency for the occurrence of a landslide was high with a precipitation of 100 mm/ hrs. (Jayaweera S, National Building Research Organizatio) Natural phenomena can be divided in to three categories. They are geological factors, morphological factors and physical factors. Weak materials, sensitive materials, weathered materials, sheared materials, jointed or fissured materials, adversely orientated discontinuities, permeability contrasts, material contrasts are can be identified as a geological factor. slope angle, uplift, rebound, fluvial erosion, wave erosion, glacial erosion, erosion of lateral margins, subterranean erosion, slope loading, vegetation change are categorized as a Morphological causes. Physical factors are the factors that intense rainfall , rapid snow melt, prolonged precipitation, rapid drawdown, earthquake, volcanic eruption, thawing, freeze-thaw, shrink-swell, ground water changes.(Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) Man made factors also directly subject to landslides. The reason for increasing man made factors is population growth in Sri Lanka. According to Annual Report of Central Bank resent years population and density rate in Sri Lanka is higher than 2001. So this is a clear indication of the heavy pressure, particularly on agricultural lands. Environment problems will be created with population growth distribution and density. The human population destroys wildlife habitats in many ways such as due to housing, built roads clearing forests or any kind of development tracts on land. There is a close relation between demographic pressure in hilly areas growing environmental degradation and landslides. The haphazard development and inappropriate resources and land utilization, Civil constructions on hilly terrain without proper geotechnical investigation non-provision of suitable drainage systems or blockage of drainage systems and /or natural watercourses, earthwork which alters the shape of a slope are contributory factors to landslide. 2.8 Socio impact of natural landslides in Sri Lanka Natural disasters have a profound impact on the quality of life through their destruction of food crops and livestock, and forced dislocation of households and communities. Their toll on lives and the instant poverty they cause are among their most devastating impacts. The region accounts for a majority of the total number of deaths caused by natural disasters globally. The number of natural disasters has been increasing around the world, but the trends in lives lost and damage caused have changed in recent years due to effective use of technology, communication and transportation systems. Over the past five decades, the average number of deaths caused annually by natural disasters was (Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2007) about 100,000; in contrast, the average over the last 15 years has been about 41,000. As low-income countries of South Asian countries consider as a more threaten counties by Natural Disasters. The sustained efforts for economic growth of those countries are often interrupted by recurrent natural disasters with considerable impact exacerbating poverty conditions in different parts of the region. Since times of unrecorded history South Asian countries have been facing the onslaught of natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, etc. The low-income countries of South Asia i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka accommodate a large population of over a billion. The sustained efforts for economic growth of these countries are often interrupted by recurrent natural disasters with considerable impact exacerbating poverty conditions in different parts of the region. Among above that Asian Countries Sri Lanka consider as a one of main affected country by Natural disasters. Flood and landslides are most common natural disaster which has occurred in each and every year since 1981 to 2007 along with other natural disasters in Sri Lanka. Brammer, Bangladesh Country Study, 1991). Landslides and mass movements are common phenomena in Sri Lanka, from the recent past. The consequences of landslides cause in terms of casualties and extensive damage to the roads, bridges, dams, buildings, forests, paddy fields farm plots and animals. Once these events occurred in uninhabited area is only of scientific interest and not considered as a disaster. When the such events kill and injure people, hurt communities, destroy homes, make stress, cause economic hardships, make vulnerability of people such events cause disaster.  Landslides hazardous operate on varying scales. In order to decreasing severity, the following threats can be recognized.   Hazard to people      2. Hazards to goods 3. Hazards to environment 4. Hazard to development    Common impact associated with landslides is danger to life, property and infrastructure. Refugee loses their relatives and neighbors, property, houses and lands, employment opportunities, income, education and so on. The temporary accommodation areas have to share common resources a

Lincoln - Greatest Man Of The 19th Century :: essays research papers

The man of the nineteenth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many historians argue that American culture is based on Civil War and its outcome. It is easy to agree with that statement, because one cannot even imagine living in a slave-owning society that would most definitely develop if the South had won. Abraham Lincoln, America’s sixteenth President was the most influential man of the war. He was responsible for mobilizing the North’s power, getting people, both Republicans and Democrats, to sympathize with the Union cause and consequently, winning the war. This is what makes Lincoln the most influential man of the nineteenth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lincoln was born into an â€Å"undistinguished family†. His parents died, when Lincoln was just a child, and he had to struggle greatly in order to get some education. Lincoln served as a captain in the Black Hawk War after which he continued with a law career. Lincoln spent eight years in the Illinois legislature. In 1858 Lincoln ran against Douglas in series of debates for Senator’s position. Although Lincoln lost, these debates won him the nomination of 1860. His greatest accomplishments were to come much later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861, he made it perfectly clear that the secession of the South was unconstitutional. He was willing to compromise with the South on the issue of slavery, the driving force behind South’s secession. Unfortunately, South was not interested in compromising. After the Fort Sumter was forced to surrender by the Confederate troops, Lincoln declared war. Since he was running a centralized government rather than the South that believed in states’ rights over central government, Lincoln was able to efficiently mobilize Union’s people and resources. That, of course, played an essential role in the final victory, and is one of Lincoln’s greatest accomplishments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The victory of the Union affects today’s society just as much, or maybe even more that the War for Independence. As mentioned, Civil War is the underlying event of American history and further formation of its culture. It is impossible to even conceive a society that would develop as a result of Confederate victory. Asides from being a slave owning and perhaps, a slave trading nation for many years, America would also lack a centralized government and much of its international power. No one knows how many years it would take for the Confederacy to abolish slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lincoln, on the other hand, abolished slavery in 1863 , two years after the beginning of the war.

Deviation from Genre in Hitchcock’s Movie, Vertigo :: Movie Film Essays

Deviation from Genre in Hitchcock’s Movie, Vertigo When a director achieves great success, as Hitchcock did, he is able to follow a formula, much like a genre does, for future success. Further, a successful director is able to do a genre movie but place his own personal touch on it; in doing so, he ignores the formula that has thus far brought the genre so much success. Knighted as the â€Å"Master of Suspense,† Hitchcock was well known for his witty dialogue and genius plot twists. But Hitchcock’s true mastery came through in his ability to enshroud one story within another. In Vertigo, Hitchcock reveals the twist, that an imposter was hired so that the real Madeleine could be murdered, halfway through the film. The bold tactic breaks the formulaic structure we expect from a murder mystery, in which solutions always come at the end. It risks unsettling the viewer, particularly on an initial viewing of the film. However, by dispensing with formula, Hitchcock shifts the emphasis of the story from murder to character, a potentially deeper subject than the typical whodunit conundrum. It is after this revelation that Hitchcock’s true movie shines through. The mystery is solved for the audience, but James Stewart’s character â€Å"Scotty† is still haunted by the memory of his possessed love. His possession takes him so far that he attempts to remake a woman (Judy) that reminds him of his beloved Madeleine into the actual woman. With the movie now a â€Å"love† story, Hitchcock was able to elude yet another genre. His twisted approach on a relationship based on obsession with a dead woman garners pity for both Judy, who is something of an accomplice to the murder of the real Madeleine, and for Scotty, who actually fell in love with the woman he is trying to make into a woman he never met. And so Hitchcock is able to pose a stunning question: Did Scotty fall in love with Judy or her impression of Madeleine? This answer is impossible to know, with Scotty never having met the real Madeleine or getting the chance to know Judy for who she is b ecause she ironically falls to her death just as Madeleine did. It is the very departure from genre that may warrant the success of a film. Perhaps the formula has been done too many times, leaving the audience unfulfilled, or the very topic no longer holds any interest.

Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael - Paradigms of Yesterday Essay -- Quinn Ishmae

Ishmael:  Ã‚   Paradigms of Yesterday  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Come with me if you want to live," was all that Arnold Schwarzenegger said in his movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and after reading Daniel Quinn's masterpiece Ishmael, one might well receive the impression Quinn echoes such sentiments. Few books have as much relevancy in this technological, ever-changing world as Ishmael. In the beginning, according to Ishmael, God created Man to live peacefully on Earth, sustained by the fruitful bounties of Earth and subject to God's control. That is, until Man ate of the Tree of Good and Evil in the Garden Of Eden, and conveniently forgot all the rules God had so graciously placed in front of him. From that point on, the Caucasian race, full of vanity and pride for having seen so clearly what was good on the Earth and what was not, decided to subjugate the Earth to its will. During this turn of events, totalitarian agriculture was born. And God just shook his head. Fortunately, there are creatures on the Earth still willing to teach Man about his roots, and at the same time save Man from his selfdestructive impulses. Enter Ishmael, a gorilla with a conscience. Yes, a gorilla. Caged and controlled by man, Ishmael developed a self-awareness of his situation and of man's. Realizing that his destiny is intertwined with man's, he decides to save man from himself. Placing an ad in the papers, Ishmael finds a willing if disillusioned student, and presents a course of education guaranteed to save the world. Makes one wonder if the sign in Ishmael's office reads true, "With gorilla gone, will man survive?" The pupil finds that all he has learned about history is a lie, created by power hungry men two thousand years ago intent on ruling the w... ...If one does, one ends up fragmenting the entire food chain. Ecologically speaking, the Taker way of life was doomed from the beginning. However, the reader experiences a sense of pleasure as Quinn points out that many of the primitive societies have a great deal of wisdom they can teach the world on how to live in a self-sustaining society. Of course, new ideas will mean that the paradigms of yesterday will have to be discarded. However, if innovative solutions to today's ecological problems can be found, and the wisdom of ages is preserved, man has a shot at not committing cultural suicide. In trying to control all other life on the planet man has overstepped his bounds. In the end, man must realize that he is interconnected to all other life on Earth. Just consider, for a moment, the reverse side of Ishmael's office sign. "With man gone, will gorilla survive?"

Our Country’s Good, Acting Advice For Act Essay

The scene starts off with just Ralph. I think I would tell the actor to look studious and intellectual, as Ralph would be making every effort to make the play to a very high standard so he can impress Captain Phillip in the hope of getting the promotion he has desired for some time. The mood should then change as soon as â€Å"Shitty† Meg enters on stage. She should walk on with a â€Å"tarty’ stride. She is old and thoroughly unattractive but she makes an over enthused effort to look glamorous and highly sexual. She should move toward Ralph in a very intimidating manor. Her sexual innuendoes should be delivered with a knowledgably bawdy tone and charisma, â€Å"I can play Lieutenant, I can play with any part you like†. When trying to convince Ralph into giving her a part in his play, â€Å"You don’t want a young woman peculiar, Lieutenant, they don’t know nothing†, I think she should grab Ralph’s leg as soon as she says the line; â€Å"Shut your eyes and I’ll play you as tight as a virgin†. Ralph should seem very intimidated and should jump up and back away from her in disgust. Meg should continue like this until Ralph has enough and shouts â€Å"Long! â€Å". At this point Meg should be slightly scared of Ralph’s anger but she keeps face by accusing Ralph of being a homosexual, â€Å"We thought you was a madge cull†, she should say her lines in a patronising matter-of-fact way to try and lower Ralph’s high persona of himself. The comic mood should continue when Sideway comes on the stage. He should be lively and full of character as he is your typical London â€Å"geezer†. He delivers his first few lines with an almost fake admiration for Ralph; â€Å"I am calling you Mr Clarke as one calls Mr Garick Mr Garick†. Sideway should have a very â€Å"in-your-face’ attitude to Ralph. Ralph should be very intimidated and suspicious but remain on the spot in a very militaristic manner to give the impress that he is not phased by Sideway’s very forward and friendly approach. Sideway should be walking around Ralph the whole time to try and show that he is nimble and enthusiastic; â€Å"top of my profession, Mr Clarke†. As Sideway delivers his lines, in a very reflective thoughtful manner, Ralph should gradually ease out of his rigid posture and himself seem to be thinking of the wonderful London which Sideway speaks of; â€Å"London bridge at dawn†. Then when delivering the line â€Å"plucking up courage, I pluck her†, he should remove a handkerchief out from Ralph’s back pocket, unknown to the audience or Ralph himself. Then when saying â€Å"the handkerchiefs† he should reveal the handkerchief in a very theatrical way so it is made clear to both the audience and Ralph that Sideway had stolen his handkerchief. Ralph should seem surprised but should then give the impression that he is still very important and pretending almost that nothing had happened. As soon as Dabby and Mary enter, we should realise how different the two characters are. Dabby should be confident and pushy whereas Mary should be quiet and highly reserved. Ralph should be infatuated with Mary as soon as he lays eyes on her. Although he can’t take his eyes off her I don’t think that Mary is either confident or keen enough yet to achieve eye contact with him. Dabby should push Mary forward quite forcefully after saying her line; â€Å"You asked to see Mary Brenham, Lieutenant. Here she is. â€Å"Mary is still very nervous and still doesn’t show any sort of interest in Ralph whatsoever. He intimidates her because he is one of the officers and she is also scared because she is about to audition for a play. Ralph should seem keen to want to talk to Mary rather than Dabby, purely because he is smitten with her â€Å"Do you know what a play is? â€Å". Dabby to him is just an annoyance â€Å"I’ve seen lots of plays, Lieutenant, so has Mary†. Mary must still remain quiet and nervous (this shown in the stage directions when it says that should say some of her lines â€Å"inaudibly’. Although Dabby is very keen to get Mary her part in the play because she feels that Ralph would be a good person for Mary to be with and sleep with on the ship â€Å"Mary wants to be in your play, Lieutenant† but should be very obvious about the fact that she wants in the play as well â€Å"and so do I†. Ralph wants to make sure he gives Mary the impression that he wants her to be in the play by telling her all of the good things that other people have said about her; â€Å"The Reverend Johnson told me you could read and write, Brenham†. The first time that Ralph’s and Mary’s meet should be when they both start reading the play to each other, â€Å"whilst there is life there is hope†. Every time the two look each other in the eyes when they are reading the play the looks should be held and prolonged to show an obvious attraction from both of them. Ralph for the first time in this scene is above the convicts and seems to have intellectual superiority over the two of them. The actor should say this lines in quite a patronising way not because he wants the convicts to know their place but because that is how he treats everyone â€Å"This is a comedy, they don’t really mean it†. Mary should seem very innocent and like a little girl. Especially when Ralph tries to explain the plot of the story which is rather bizarre â€Å"she falls in love with Silvia†. In the stage directions it actually says â€Å"Mary begins to giggle but tries to hold it back’. The mood then changes drastically as soon as Liz enters. Her stride should show that she is aggressive and very confident. Mary should very subtly sneak away and not say anything. Dabby and Liz should give each other evil glares. It says in the stage directions about the characters; â€Å"each holding her ground, each ready to pounce’. Ralph should seem unphased purely because he knows nothing of the hostility between the two characters; â€Å"Dabby: You can’t have her in the play, Lieutenant. Ralph: Why not? † Liz’s anger just mounts until the point at which she nearly cracks, the stage directions say that she â€Å"looks briefly at Dabby, as if to strike, then changes her mind’. The actress playing Liz should be forward and confident and intimidated by nothing â€Å"she snatches the book from Ralph and strides off’.

Reaction Paper to Chapter 6: Sedative-Hypnotics: the Other Depressants

Rachel Johnson Chemical Dependence: chapter reaction paper 10/24/12 (due 10/23) Chapter 6: Sedative-Hypnotics: The Other Depressants Brief Summary This chapter described sedative-hypnotics. They were said to be depressants to the central nervous system that produce a calming effect and cause sleep. This category of drug is abused because it produces pleasurable responses and because it gives a feeling of relief from stress and worry. The chapter goes into detail explaining barbiturates and how they work, and specific barbiturates that have been popularly abused in the past.This chapter also explains how some sedative-hypnotics have been found to be physically addictive while others have not. Different types of tranquilizers are described, along with others antianxiety medications and these are both explained as being drugs that people abuse and become dependent upon. Categories of inhalants including aerosols are also discussed and described as not being physically addictive, but cre ating of a drunken-like state such as is obtained from alcohol use when they are abused.What was learned In reading this chapter I learned which drugs are included in the category of those that produce sedative-hypnotic effects. I also learned about many products that are not intended for ingestion that are used as drugs such as aerosols and commercials solvents, which produce sedative-hypnotic effects. Because many sedative-hypnotic drugs are used and abused by people to produce sleep, this chapter taught me alternatives that are healthier for getting to sleep that do not involve any drug intake.Overall I also learned how these types of drugs are different from other types and what separates sedative-hypnotics into their own category. Personal insights This was another overwhelming chapter for me because I did not even really have a grasp that this was a category of drugs before reading the chapter. Now I have a better-rounded grasp of what substances are included in the world of a bused drugs.I feel frustration after reading this chapter because it added so many more types of drugs and substances that are abused to how many I have already found out about so far, and I don’t feel like I will ever be able to keep all the differences between categories and individual drugs straight. How this chapter helped me in learning to understand the disease of addiction The biggest thing I took away from this chapter that helps me to understand the disease of addiction is that not all abused substances are addictive in every way.Some drugs/substances are not physically addictive, but they can still be abused because of the good feelings obtained through their use. This is true for aerosols and commercial solvents; no physical dependence has been found to these substances when abused, but they are continuously abused by people because of the feelings of euphoria they can produce. So I understand better that some abused substances do not produce physical addiction, bu t are still abused and still have very dangerous effects.