Archimedes Profile - About the Ancient Mathematician

Archimedes Profile - About the Ancient Mathematician Name: ArchimedesPlace of Birth: Syracuse, SicilyFather: PhidiasDates: c.287-c.212 B.C.Main Occupation: Mathematician/ScientistThe Manner of Death: Probably killed by a Roman soldier in the aftermath of the Roman siege of Syracuse. Famous Quote Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world.- Archimedes Life of Archimedes: Archimedes, a mathematician, and scientist who determined the exact value of pi, is also known for his strategic role in the ancient war and the development of military techniques. First the Carthaginians, then the Romans besieged Syracuse, Sicily, the birthplace of Archimedes. While in the end Rome won and killed him (during the second Punic War, probably in 212 at the end of the Roman Siege of Syracuse), Archimedes put up a good, almost single-handed defense of his homeland. First, he invented an engine that threw stones at the enemy, then he used glass to set the Roman ships on fire well, at least according to legend. After he was killed, the regret-filled Romans had him buried with honor. Education of Archimedes: Archimedes probably traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, home of the famous library, to study mathematics with the successors of Euclid. Some of Archimedes Accomplishments: The name Archimedes is connected to a pumping device now known as a Archimedes Screw, which he may have seen in operation in Egypt.He described the principles behind the pulley,fulcrum andlever. Eureka!: The word eureka comes from the story that when Archimedes figured out a way to determine whether the king (Hiero II of Syracuse), a possible relative, had been duped, by measuring the buoyancy of the kings supposedly solid gold crown in water, he became very excited and exclaimed the Greek (Archimedes native language) for I have found it: Eureka. Here is the relevant passage from a public domain translation of the passage from Vitruvius who wrote two centuries later: ​But a report having been circulated, that some of the gold had been abstracted, and that the deficiency thus caused had been supplied with silver, Hiero was indignant at the fraud, and, unacquainted with the method by which the theft might be detected, requested Archimedes would undertake to give it his attention. Charged with this commission, he by chance went to a bath, and being in the vessel, perceived that, as his body became immersed, the water ran out of the vessel. Whence, catching at the method to be adopted for the solution of the proposition, he immediately followed it up, leapt out of the vessel in joy, and, returning home naked, cried out with a loud voice that he had found that of which he was in search, for he continued exclaiming, in Greek, ÃŽ µÃ¡ ½â€¢Ã ÃŽ ·ÃŽ ºÃŽ ± [heà ºrÄ“ka] (I have found it out). - Vitruvius The Archimedes Palimpsest: A medieval prayerbook contains at least 7 of Archimedes treatises: Equilibrium of Planes,Spiral Lines,The Measurement of the Circle,Sphere and Cylinder,On Floating Bodies,The Method of Mechanical Theorems, andStomachion. The parchment still contains the writing, but a scribe re-used the material as a palimpsest. See William Noel Revealing the Lost Codex of Archimedes video. References: URL www.archimedespalimpsest.org/palimpsest_making1.html The Archimedes Palimpsest and URL www.thewalters.org/archimedes/frame.html Archimedes Palimpsest. Ancient Sources on the Weapons of Archimedes: Polybius Histories 8.2.3.2-8.4Livy AUC 24:34Plutarch Life of Marcellus 14:7 And yet even Archimedes, who was a kinsman and friend of King Hiero, wrote to him that with any given force it was possible to move any given weight; and emboldened, as we are told, by the strength of his demonstration, he declared that, if there were another world, and he could go to it, he could move this. 8 Hiero was astonished, and begged him to put his proposition into execution, and show him some great weight moved by a slight force. Archimedes therefore fixed upon a three-masted merchantman of the royal fleet, which had been dragged ashore by the great labours of many men, and after putting on board many passengers and the customary freight, he seated himself at a distance from her, and without any great effort, but quietly setting in motion with his hand a system of compound pulleys, drew her towards him smoothly and evenly, as though she were gliding through the water. 9 Amazed at this, then, and com prehending the power of his art, the king persuaded Archimedes to prepare for him offensive and defensive engines to be used in every kind of siege warfare. These he had never used himself, because he spent the greater part of his life in freedom from war and amid the festal rites of peace; but at the present time his apparatus stood the Syracusans in good stead, and, with the apparatus, its fabricator. Silius Italicus Punica 14:300-315Lucian Hippias 2 Reference:Archimedes and the Invention of Artillery and Gunpowder, by D. L. Simms; Technology and Culture, (1987), pp. 67-79. Archimedes is on the list of Most Important People to Know in Ancient History. Read more about Archimedes in Discoveries in Science Made by Ancient Greek Scientists.

The heights vs the grange essays

The heights vs the grange essays Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange represent, respectively, uncivilized and civilized, or turbulent and serene. Accordingly, so are the residents of these houses and consequently, the attitudes of the places reflect the people. Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights, is a novel of duality, of opposites unable to overcome their differences. Bronte describes Wuthering Heights as a harsh, cold house, with grotesque carvings (10) and she depicts it as having a pervading spirit of neglect (10). Not surprisingly name of the residence is symbolic of its nature, Wuthering being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather (10), which is a foreshadowing of evil to come. Even the vegetation is lifeless and bleak, a few stunted firs at the end of the house (10), and a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun (10), vividly conjuring images of the darkness and wildness of the house. Accordingly, the people who inhabit the house tend to be brutal and turbulent as well. Pointedly, Heathcliff, who spends his entire existence plotting revenge on other people. Heathcliff is described as a dirty, ragged, black haired child (41) when Mr. Earnshaw brings him home for the first time, and even Mr. Lockwood describes him as a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect (11), which fits with the darkness of the house It is fitting to say that Heathcliff influences the negativity of the Heights to a great extent. The early generation Earnshaws are relatively happy before the arrival of Heathcliff whose presence is favoured over that of the true Earnshaw children by old Mr Earnshaw. A jealousy arises in Hindley who inflicts intense abuse on Heathcliff when he inherits the role of head of the Heights. Such treatment leads to conflicts in the home and...

Good Governance in Chile and Argentina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Good Governance in Chile and Argentina - Essay Example Within Latin America, Chile is held up as an example where democratic institutions are making headway. In other countries such as Argentina, the fight against corruption, remnants of populism and a weak judicial system are in evidence almost daily. Is the establishment and maintenance of good governance possible in Latin America? Using Chile and Argentina as examples it becomes clear that in our analysis of good governance we should not be limited by one model but should take into account the diversity of problems and the level of difficulty in resolving these problems when we choose to analyze whether or not a state’s governance is ‘good’. Good governance is a universal term used to describe the level of democracy, human rights and the forms of participatory government present within a country’s political system. At its core is the democratic system which is seen as the optimal system for allowing citizens maximum freedom of expression and participation in political processes. Wijkman (1998) claims that, â€Å"Good governance entails a vast set of democratic processes and institutions at every level of society, from the local council to regional, national and international institutions, that allow the voices of the people to be heard, conflicting interests to be peacefully resolved, and a forging of consensus towards greater social progress (p. 89).† Good governance became an important concept in the late 80s when it became tied to foreign aid programs, in addition to playing a crucial role in analyzing a country’s competitiveness for foreign investment (‘Weapons of Mass Upliftment’). While in the era of the Cold War â€Å"the flow of aid, in particular by major bilateral donors, was strongly influenced by strategic foreign policy interests†.

European Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

European Law Assignment - Essay Example The consignment of jam is clearly â€Å"goods† for the purposes of the Treaty and as the case of SIOT v Ministry of Finance 2asserted; freedom of movement and transit within the Community constitutes a prima facie fundamental of community law. Furthermore, the Article 28 provision is also intended to ensure non-discrimination between domestic and foreign products of Member States3. Furthermore, Article 30 (ex 25) formally abolishes customs duties and any other charges having equivalent effect and provides that: â€Å"Member states shall refrain from introducing between themselves any customs duties on imports and exports or any charges having equivalent effect, and from increasing those which they already apply in their trade with each other4† If France’s restrictions on Jessica’s exports are found to be in breach of Article 30, Jessica will only have recourse under EU law if Article 25 has â€Å"direct effect5†. The case of Francovich v. ... lity of Article 30 and â€Å"measures of equivalent effect† was considered in the leading case of Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen9, where the ECJ asserted that Article 12 (now 30) had direct effect. As such, the Treaty provisions were required to be applied by national courts as domestic law. Accordingly, Article 30 can be invoked before national courts and is applicable as national law in the EU member states. Therefore, in the current scenario, Jessica can invoke the Article 30 rights against France and each of the other territories imposing restrictions as members of the EU. Furthermore, it is also important to mention that EC case law has established that Treaty provisions have direct effect and direct applicability giving nationals rights under the Treaty provisions in national law10. Accordingly, Jessica may under Article 30 claim that France has breached EU law and the next issue is to determine what constitutes a breach for the purpose of A rticle 30. The fee imposed by France is imposed by the customs department for the purpose of testing suitability of the consignment for the French market. Although the fee being charged by France is not expressed in terms of being a customs duty, it could still be illegal under Article 30 for being a â€Å"measure of equivalent effect†. In considering the definition of measures of equivalent effect, the ECJ held in the Re Statistical Levy case, Commission v. Italy 11that the term â€Å"charges of equivalent effect† was: â€Å"any pecuniary charge, however small and whatever its designation and mode of application, which imposed unilaterally on domestic and foreign goods by reason of the fact that they cross a frontier, and which is not a customs duty in the strict sense, constitutes a charge†¦. even if

The Evolutional View of the Types of Identity Thefts Research Paper

The Evolutional View of the Types of Identity Thefts - Research Paper Example The study concluded with brief statements on the implications of the correlations between identity theft and the fast-growing Internet. Suggestions were given to improve the means of protection from online fraud and identity theft. Operational Definitions In general, Wang and Huang (2011) stated that fraud refers to the act of taking advantage of others, largely motivated by economic reasons, via varied deceptive means. Intuitively, online fraud is said to refer to those conducted and/or facilitated using the Internet. Although identity theft is the inception of many fraudulent and criminal activities, it does not necessarily mean that it is the start of all online frauds. Online fraudulent acts committed by methods of stolen identification, phishing, advanced-fee schemes, or other electronic transactions fall largely within the arena of computer-assisted crimes (McQuade (2006) and Wall (2007), as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). Wang and Huang (2011) wrote that the term identity refe rs to the unique and stable characteristics associated with an individual, and the aspect of self is based upon the interior state of awareness. However, it is argued that the culture shaped by the modern information media alleviates the term from consciousness and associates with the body (Poster (2006) as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). furthermore, it has been assumed that a shift in the perspective of identifying individuals may discard the psychological portion of identity, thereby reflecting an emerging culture in the digital era. There are three general principles of identity verification to protect users‘ access to their personal belongings in the virtual space (Crume (2000) and Foster (2005), as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). The first principle requires that a specific user knows some information to access the system. A pair of username and password is the most visible example of such information. The second principle of identity verification is to have something in physical form. These objects may include such material things as a key, a document, or a smart card. The third principle depends on what users must be biologically. Biological characteristics, such as the individual's fingerprints, voiceprint, iris, odor, and hand geometry may be used to verify one's identity. Identity theft is said to occur when an individual obtains a piece of personal identifying information which belongs to another individual, and uses that information without the owner‘s knowledge or approval; "Identity fraud" occurs when that stolen information is used to benefit the thief in some way (Wang and Huang, 2011; Identity Hawk, 2012). The legal definitions of identity theft are usually more precise, but this varies from state to state. A well-recognized legal definition is the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (TADA) of October 30, 1998, making identity theft a federal crime. Under TADA, anyone who knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful author ity, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law commits a federal offense.  

Advantages and disadvantages of increasing interdependence and interconnectedness

Advantages and disadvantages of increasing interdependence and interconnectedness Since the 1970s the globalisation of finance has made the economic fortunes of states increasingly interdependent. Until relatively recently international finance was still considered principally to be an adjunct to trade (McGrew, 2007), a necessary mechanism that enabled the exchange of goods and services at the international level. Its phenomenal growth over the past few decades has shattered this perception. Today the global economy is characterised by the sheer volume and velocity of international financial transactions. Average daily turnover on traditional foreign exchange markets increased from $15bn in 1973 (Gilpin, 2001) to $3.2tr in April 2007 (BIS, Sep 2007). While the successes of financial liberalisation include lifting millions out of poverty in China, East Asia, and elsewhere, and improving the developing worlds access to markets, its failures have also been stark. Various crises of the 1990s showed that problems in one country or even a particular industry can fast become global. The recent financial crisis of 2007 has again generated discussion at the normative and theoretical level about the contemporary global financial architecture, its widely perceived benefits, and its increasingly evident costs. The increasing significance of the global financial system over the past two decades has been mirrored by a surge of interest from the academic field of international political economy. Its effects are now so far-reaching that commentators have drawn connections between international financial integration and such diverse developments as social turbulence in East Asia, monetary union in Europe, and failed development strategies in Latin America (Pauly, 2005). Most of this literature, however, tends to focus on specific aspects of financial globalisation, such as its implications for national economic policy or the power of transnational corporations (TNCs). This essay intends to broaden the debate, to demonstrate the apparent paradox of international financial integration while it has made states, economies, firms and individuals more intimately interconnected than ever before, it is an inherently divergent process. It will argue that the international financial system is increasingly producing a global dichotomy. The benefits of financial integration, in the main, accrue to capital-rich states and the owners of capital, those free to move their resources around the world to seek the highest returns. Developing states, and those without control of capital resources, while receiving less of the advantages of integration, are more adversely affected by its disadvantages, such as contagion and capital flight. The first section will discuss the evolution of the contemporary global financial system, and how it came to be in its current form. I will argue that advanced industrial states, following a neo-liberal paradigm of liberalisation, facilitated the deregulation and increased interdependence of the financial system through political actions. However, it has been technological and market innovation that has accelerated and expanded this interconnectedness to an unprecedented level. These origins are key to understanding why capital-rich entities are better equipped to reap the benefits of financial integration. The next two sections will put forward the principle advantages and disadvantages of this integration. The following section will provide an analysis of these, contending that the capital-poor gain less of the former, and are more exposed to the latter. The concluding section will summarise this argument and touch on its implications for the future of the global economy while glo balisation promises universal benefits, these cannot be realised under the current system, which precipitates a global dichotomy between the capital-rich and the capital-poor. Origins of the contemporary global financial system As Benjamin Cohen (1996) suggests, little consensus exists concerning the causes of financial globalisation, and many scholars have attempted to apply their own structure to the study. The critical contribution to the debate comes from Eric Helleiner (1994), who persuasively argues that the globalisation of finance was advanced by the political decisions of major states. Helleiner also, however, neglects the exponential effect that technological and market innovations have had on the financial system, a factor considered key by others such as Cerny (1993) and Strange (1998). Political actions by leading states have enabled the globalisation of finance since the 1970s. By far the most significant was the abolition of capital controls, firstly by the USA and the UK, and then other major economies. As Goodman and Pauly (2000) suggest, liberalisation became and continues to be a competitive practice, and other countries had to react to prevent mobile domestic capital and financial business from migrating abroad. By the 1990s an almost fully liberal pattern of financial relations had emerged and today market actors experience freedom in cross-border activity unparalleled since the 1920s (Helleiner, 2007). International capital mobility is the most significant, and defining, characteristic of the global financial system. It has created many of the advantages and disadvantages associated with integration, and has also been instrumental in creating and sustaining the global dichotomy. The embracing of a new neo-liberal economic ideology among the major economic powers in the 1980s was key for the international financial system, which was given a large boost by plans to remove the state from the economy and allow the market mechanism to work (Soros, 1998). This theory was less sympathetic to the Bretton Woods ideal that national policy autonomy had to be protected, and was content to let the markets impose an external discipline on governments pursuing not sound policies (Helleiner, 2007). Financial liberalisation has been successfully institutionalised as a component of several multilateral agreements (Eichengreen, 2003). As early as 1976 the USA successfully lobbied for a change to the International Monetary Funds Articles of Agreement so that the new official goal of the Fund was to preside over a regime that facilitated the free exchange of capital between countries (Watson, 2007). This regime, however, has been deepened and broadened to an unprecedented extent by technological and market innovations. The volatility of prices and exchange rates in the 1970s led to phenomenal growth in the derivatives market, particularly after the emergence of an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market in the 1990s. In 1990 OTC contracts totalled $3.45bn, which had risen to $18tr in 1995 and $24tr by 1996 (Strange, 1998). These new financial instruments involved an initial outlay only a fraction of the notional value of the contract, giving banks and other TNCs the means at relatively low cost to hedge themselves against losses from unpredicted changes in exchange rates, interest rates, and commodities. Huge advances in computing and telecommunications over the last thirty years have been central to the huge volume and velocity of international financial flows (Held et al., 1999). Before the 1990s only data could be exchanged instantly between corporate offices and banks. The rise of the Internet meant opinions and rumours could also be traded, contributing to dangerous fluctuations but increasing interdependency. International banks and firms transfer huge amounts of money quickly and safely due to automatic clearing systems. In 1995 the USAs Clearing House Interbank Payment System (CHIPS) became the largest international clearing system processing some 200,000 transactions a day (Strange, 1998). Today CHIPS, and its state-run competitor Fedwire, clear an average daily value of $1.5tr (CHIPS, 2010) and $2.5tr (Fedwire, 2009) respectively. The root causes of the globalisation of finance are crucial to the understanding of its advantages and disadvantages, as it is evident that major states initiated the process because of the benefits it promised to them and to the rest of the world. It is also clear that innovation in both technology and markets has accelerated the process, making the benefits more pronounced for those involved, while also increasing the potential costs. The advantages of integration The advantages of increased interdependence and the expansion of the global financial system are often championed by international institutions, politicians and international business leaders. At a fundamental level, the benefits cited are backed up by economic theory, that which is at the heart of the neo-liberal paradigm of international finance advocated by many of the worlds economies. It holds that markets allocate resources in socially desirable ways. Flows from capital-abundant to capital-scarce countries, on the assumption that the marginal product of capital is higher in the latter than the former, increase welfare on both sides (Eichengreen Mussa, 1998). International financial transactions allow economies experiencing business-cycle disturbances to smooth the time profile of consumption and investment. Free capital movements thus facilitate a more efficient global allocation of savings and resources to their most productive uses. An advantage of the expansion of the financial system advocated by the global financial institutions is the convergence of national policies. The neo-liberal programme holds as desirable the homogenisation of national policy across state boundaries. The freedom of capital is said to have enabled the European Unions single currency, tax harmonisation across national borders and the international convergence of macroeconomic policy (Frieden, 1991). This, the argument goes, is good for eradicating instability in the global financial system. The incentive for resources to evade controls and regulations is lessened if national regulations are homogenised. The problem with this argument, however, is that capital mobility breeds a competitive environment between emerging economies for investment, which will be discussed below. Some international firms now command more resources than many states (OBrien, 2005). For these firms, the development of the contemporary global financial system has brought two huge distinct advantages: higher returns on their investments, and the ability to diversify risk internationally. Higher returns have been produced by two factors the inherent volatility of the system, and the greater opportunity to exploit it. Firstly, the inherent volatility and uncertainty of the financial system leads to higher returns for investors. Firms are able to trade on the volatile prices of currencies and commodities. With vast capital resources huge sums can be made very quickly with even small fluctuations on international capital markets. The best example of how capitalists gain from this volatility is the benefit that many manage to take from the systems crises. Currency trader George Soros is alleged to have made  £1bn from the devaluation of the British Sterling in 1992. Private companies are also said to have benefitted from the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Stiglitz (2002) argues that the intervention of the IMF, a Western-backed institution, ensured that Western firms were paid back their loans, while numerous national firms in Asia were left to collapse. Most of the $ 55bn the Mexican government owed following its 1994 crisis was to private creditors (OBrien Williams, 2007). The nature of the financial system means that investors can pull money out of a currency virtually instantaneously, and move back in after a collapse making a handsome profit. This leads to self-fulfilling prophecies of currency speculation, discussed below, but the investors are protected from most of the risk involved, whereas the economies concerned can suffer decline for years. Secondly, with the opening of countries capital markets, the opportunity for investment has increased substantially. Banks, hedge funds, and international manufacturing firms have all benefitted from having a much larger global market to do business in. With the ease of transferring financial resources to emerging markets and new host states, TNCs have access to a mass global pool of cheap labour. This capital mobility means governments all over the world have to provide more attractive conditions for companies, from low capital gains tax to relaxed financial and labour regulation (Frieden, 1991). Emerging economies, deemed to be high risk, must offer attractive interest rates to attract investment. There is constant competition between economies for foreign direct investment with which to finance development, meaning better and better business environments for investors. The key advantage for the capital-rich entities is that while gaining from the volatility and uncertainty of the system, they can also protect themselves against it. Modern financial markets operate to allow risks to be packaged and redistributed so that actors can hedge against specific risks like exchange rate fluctuations (Held et al., 1999). High-risk investments yield high returns, but if these investments do not yield, investors are protected by the profits from investments elsewhere. Market innovations such as options, futures and swaps even help protect investors from future fluctuations. There are also huge advantages associated with the development of the global financial system for less-developed countries (LDCs). The economies of East Asia, China, India and others have shown what can be achieved utilising international investment. Millions have been lifted out of poverty, economies transformed to industrial powers, and their national firms compete at the global level. These developments have been enabled by the crucial advantage of interdependence to smaller economies, access to financial markets. The opening of financial markets, as Jeffrey Frieden (1991) suggests, has strengthened labour-intensive industries, in which developing economies have a distinct advantage, through increased investment. The ease of transferring capital across national borders has increased the use of outsourcing and facilitated an explosion of FDI in the 1990s to areas like East Asia and Latin America, providing a huge boost to industries in the recipient countries. Access to financial markets also means that the governments of smaller economies can borrow to fund their development. Borrowing allows such economies to hold their currencies at preferred rates to suppress inflation and keep up debt repayments without inflicting a huge recession at home (Green, 2003). The remarkable development of the East Asian economies would not have been possible without huge inflows of capital, both in FDI and government borrowing to fund economic development strategies. The disadvantages of integration While the advantages of greater financial integration mentioned above have helped many less-developed countries expand their industries and grow their economies, their progress has been beset by financial crises, most notably in the 1990s. These crises were notable because they happened in very similar circumstances in completely different parts of the world, and spread across national boundaries and even to different regions. Contagion of financial crises is the most serious disadvantage of increased interdependence. This effect was most obviously witnessed in the late 1990s, where integration turned a currency crisis in Thailand into the Asian crisis, and turned the Asian crisis into a global recession. Thailands devaluation made Thai exports very cheap, meaning other economies selling very similar exports to the same markets were forced to devalue in order to protect demand. The crash in Asia precipitated crashes in Russia, Brazil and Argentina. As Jones (2000) explains, the contagious effects of Asia were threefold: psychological upon investors, the collapse of regional markets for Southeast Asian exports, and upon other world markets as demand collapsed. This demonstrates a key point, that due to the nature of their economies, developing countries bear much more of the cost of crises because of capital flight. As crisis spreads, investors begin to question the wisdom of their investments in, and the reliability of, other emerging market economies. Due to the Asian crisis capital was withdrawn en masse as traders sold the currencies of Russia, Brazil and Argentina for safer currencies in Western Europe, and the dollar. Capital flight also devastated the Mexican economy in 1994-5. From 1990 to 1993 $91bn flowed into Mexico, a fifth of all capital going to developing states (OBrien Williams, 2007). Higher interest rates in the USA, combined with a rebellion in Chiapas and the assassination of a presidential candidate, caused investors to doubt that Mexico could keep its peso fixed to the dollar. In December 1994 investors sold the peso in such large quantities that the dollar link was abandoned. Living standards were cut in half (OBrie n Williams, 2007), the poor suffered, and the middle class faced skyrocketing interest rates and diminished savings due to the devaluation. Some claim that these disadvantages, and their specific effect on LDCs, are not given proper consideration by advanced states and their neo-liberal programme of reform. As Barry Eichengreen (2003) attests, LDCs have specific financial problems. Their monetary and fiscal institutions lack credibility. Their regulators lack administrative capacity. Their financial markets are shallow, and they cannot borrow abroad in the domestic currency. Stiglitz (2002) protested against the liberalisation agenda being pushed too quickly on smaller states lacking proper financial institutions and banking systems, countries like Mexico and Argentina, which saw precipitous and blanket financial liberalisation (Phillips, 2005). It is now widely accepted that reform was too rapid, and the result of neo-liberal reform in Latin America has been a pattern of poor economic performance and increasing political tension. This lends weight to the argument that capital-rich states have much more to gain from the growth of the global financial system. What is important for the conclusions of this essay, however, is that it cannot simply be said that the advantages accrue to rich states and the disadvantages to the poor, as rich states, and their firms and individuals, suffer disadvantages from integration also. Advanced states, of course, also suffer from the effects of crisis and contagion. This has been evident from the fallout of the 2007 global crisis, but due to integration it is now increasingly difficult for all economies to insulate themselves against the effects of recession. Crisis in one area of the global economy means falling demand for goods and services in others, and with the scope of international firms, and the vast number of countries in which single firms do business means that collapses have far-reaching consequences. However, the biggest disadvantage in terms of advanced states is felt by their national industries and firms, those unable to shift production to areas of cheaper labour and production costs. National firms are becoming increasingly unable to compete with firms either in countries with such conditions, or international firms able to conduct business there. This is bad news for the industrial workers of advanced economies, who today can be easily replaced by cheaper counterparts around the globe. Implications the emerging global dichotomy These advantages and disadvantages show that there is a global dichotomy emerging. The principle beneficiaries of the integration brought about by the globalisation of finance are the controllers of capital, those able to move their resources freely around the global economy for the highest return and security. The principle losers are the capital-poor, whether labour or those with assets tied within national boundaries. While China has been one of the biggest beneficiaries economically from financial globalisation, its rising inequality shows that its poorest people, like many others around the world, remain subject to, rather than participants in, the global economy. The advantages and disadvantages discussed above demonstrate two critical characteristics of the global financial system. First, as internationally mobile capital has become more powerful, so have the holders of it in relation to other groups. The argument that capital now holds a structural power within the system has been advanced by scholars such as Gill and Law (1989), and Thomas and Sinclair (2002). The latter study argues that today the expectations of the resource-rich are anticipated by the resource-poor. In the modern system knowledge workers are fortunate, as they can move to wherever they command the highest salary. Others are manufacturing workers facing fierce competition from counterparts in numerous countries, and still others are subsistence workers trying to survive in a system moving towards broader commercialisation in areas like agriculture. This effect has been compounded by the tertiarisation of global economic activity (Phillips, 2005) brought about by financia l globalisation. There is a growing movement towards production and trade of services rather than goods, which produces a divergence between entities that can compete in the service sector and those that cannot. Second, the leadership role of the most economically powerful states, and the nature of the financial system they have created, has rendered alternative policies imprudent. Susan Stranges (1986) casino has many reluctant players. Capital mobility means sustainable macroeconomic policy options available to states are systematically circumscribed (Andrews, 1994); integration has raised the costs of pursuing policies that diverge from regional or international trends. The fact, as discussed, that there is so much to gain for investors means there is the same amount to lose for countries following policies detrimental to their profits, such as running budget deficits to fund welfare policies. The global financial system has been directed by an ideology of liberalisation since the 1970s, and the benefits for the capital-rich, the majority of those that lead the modern system, are too great for the direction to change. This could be the reason for the difference between the development of global trade and finance. Financial liberalisation has incredible advantages for capital-rich states, while with open trade LDCs have the advantages of cheap labour and export-led strategies. Advanced states have continued to protect their national industries with degrees of protectionism. While it is an extreme claim that rich states preserve the system because of the dichotomy this essay presents, the evidence is certainly that the major economies still believe whole-heartedly in the theory of globalisation, that its benefits justify this cost. The recent financial crisis has demonstrated that major states, particularly the USA and the UK, are willing to prop up a system that has shown significant disadvantages in contagion and volatility. This has been a stark example of the asymmetry between the capital-rich and the capital-poor in the event of crisis traders and investors regroup and take their capital to the safest location in order to resume the pursuit of high returns, while taxpayers and workers face austerity measures and unemployment as investment decreases. While the benefits for the developing world have been massive, these benefits are only received by integrating into a system whose disadvantages effect it in a disproportionate way, and which produces a dichotomy, the wrong side of which many of its people will remain. The economic theory behind globalisation still favours trickle-down development rather than bottom-up. The benefits cited by its chief proponents, such as the growth of LDC economies and global economic stability, are no doubt desirable, but they will require a truly global system with truly global markets, neither of which has yet been achieved. In the decades it will take for the global economy to become truly global and precipitate universal benefits, the gap between the capital-rich and capital-poor will continue to grow. Conclusions The global financial system has been heading in a single direction since the 1970s, towards liberalisation and the greater interdependence and interconnectedness of economies, firms and individuals around the globe. This direction was facilitated by the advanced industrial nations through political actions to free international capital, and expand and open global financial markets. Innovations in computing and telecommunications, as well as market innovations, have contributed heavily to the volume and velocity of international capital flows exploiting the volatility and uncertainty of the system. The emerging strategic interests of the USA, the UK, and later Japan, led them to promote a more open international financial order (Helleiner, 1994). The major economies interests still lie in this order, and thus they promote its advantages and push its neo-liberal agenda through international financial institutions and multilateral agreements. This enthusiasm is an indication that the advanced states, and the capital-rich firms and individuals that call them home, have much to gain from financial globalisation, but they also believe in the benefits the neo-liberal programme promises to all. The problem is that the universal benefits of financial globalisation will only fully materialise under the conditions of a truly global economy, with many more participants than there are currently. It is possible that as markets continue to expand to become truly global, more universal benefits will be seen, but the global dichotomy is likely to grow faster than financial markets and access to them. The challenge for the world economy as it moves forward is how to deal with the social aspect of this expansion.

Community Supported Agriculture Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Pape

Community Supported Agriculture In the past few decades, Christians have gradually and increasingly acknowledged that human relationship to the natural world should be included in theology. However, this theology has still enjoyed only limited development and acceptance (Cobb 82). Humanity needs to further its understanding of itself as an integral constituent of creation, rather than seeing itself as above, below or outside creation. According to the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Bible, humanity is an inextricable part of nature. In the Genesis creation story, God forms humans (adam) from humus (adamah), making them true earth-creatures (Guengerich 15). Because God created all things, all things in the world are in relationship, both human and non-human. When Christians realize their oneness with creation, they need to develop and practice an ethical response to ecology as well as a theological one. Such an ethic of ecojustice grows directly out of a theology that takes the natural world into full consideratio n. James Martin-Schramm's 1996 essay "Toward an Ethic of EcoJustice" provides a helpful framework for understanding a Christian ethical response to creation. Martin-Schramm says ecojustice is closely tied to the concepts of equity and distributive justice (209). He identifies four moral norms of ecojustice that have been discussed by the World Council of Churches in its assemblies since 1975: sustainability, sufficiency, participation and solidarity (Martin-Schramm 209). All four principles have roots in Christian theology. Sustainability is concerned with the long-term and holistic survival of the planet and its populations, including humans. It means that immediate economic growth is less important than deve... ...e Press, 1987. Logsdon, Gene. At Nature's Pace: Farming and the American Dream. New York: Pantheon Books, 1994. Martin-Schramm, James. "Toward an Ethic of EcoJustice." Paul T. Jersild, et al ed. Moral Issues and Christian Response. 6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. Eugene, Ore. Online. Internet. http://www.efn.org/~ncap. Platt, LaVonne Godwin. "Responding to our Rural Crisis." LaVonne Godwin Platt, ed. Hope for the Family Farm: trust God and care for the land. Newton, Kansas: Faith and Life Press, 1987. Van En, Robyn, Liz Manes and Cathy Roth. Community Supported Agriculture of North America at the University of Massachusetts Extension. "What is Community Supported Agriculture and How Does It Work?" 29 July, 1997. Online. Internet. http://www.umass.edu/umext/csa/about.html.

Domination, Church and Naacp Paper

To sustain the many privileges of the white society, the tripartite system of racial segregation was formed. In order to function properly, the â€Å"tripartite system of domination† aimed to control the blacks in three distinct ways: economically, politically and personally. In the economical standpoint, work place inequality was heavily apparent. Blacks were placed at the bottom of the work hierarchy. Even in the comfort of their common unskilled occupations, they were still controlled by the whites. It was very rare to have a black in a position that held some sort of authority. Most of the supervisor jobs were handed to the whites, which gave them the decision of who was hired, fired and who would take on the toughest work load. Politically, blacks were just excluded from any political processes, simple as that. New laws were constantly being passed to eliminate the Black voices. Such tactics include the poll tax, the grandfather clause, all white primaries, and most commonly, through fear and intimidation. The due process of law was indisputably controlled by whites and always worked in the favor of whites as well. And lastly just to hit home with blacks, whites made sure that blacks were not only constantly reminded that they were the inferior race but that they also felt inferior. Separate schools, bathrooms, water fountains, and entrances were just a few of the ways their plan was carried out. The NAACP and the church worked together to battle racism. NAACP meeting would be held in the churches and there leaders would plan out the major battles of the modem civil rights movement. The NAACP provided these leaders with resources and organizing skills. The church and the NAACP set the stage for the future of modern civil rights movements.

How Mise-En-Scene Is Used In A 7 min Sequence in Seven essays

How Mise-En-Scene Is Used In A 7 min Sequence in Seven essays In this essay I will analyse how David Fincher uses mise-en-scene to create meaning and generate response in a seven-minute sequence of the film seven. The sequence in which I have chosen to analyse are the opening seven minutes including the credits. Seven has a dark tone and this is reflected by all the elements of the film used by Fincher. Working with the odd sounds, dark visuals, hand-held camera work in certain areas and abnormal camera angles with many other filming techniques, Fincher allows the audience to know that the film is dark in nature. This is mostly important to portray in the opening of the film due to the audience understanding that the rest of the film will be as dark as this. With all these techniques portraying the dark visuals and aural sounds heard, the spectator is shown that they are not watching a cheerful film. A big factor of portraying this message is the mise-en-scene. The mise-en-scene in the first scene with detective Summerset preparing for work allows the spectator to understand Summerset as Fincher would like. This is shown through Summersets well-groomed clothes already laid out on his bed neatly similar to his pen, his badge and his penknife, which is portrayed as a visual motif throughout the film with Summerset eventually opening the package in the concluding desert scene with it. This shows how Summerset is experienced and organised unlike Detective Mills. As does his wondering look as if he has seen it all, until this case. The meaning of the mise-en-scene in this scene is to create binary oppositions showing how Summerset is organised and tidy which works in conjunction with him seeming to be up early to prevent an unorganised rush. The response to this from the audience is that Somerset is professional and well prepared for his job. Summerset is also presented as the traditional detective with his trench coat and his trilby hat. Fincher has done this to allow the spectator to unders...

Poem Indirect Conflict Between Scarecrow and Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz Essays

Poem Indirect Conflict Between Scarecrow and Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz Essays Poem Indirect Conflict Between Scarecrow and Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz Paper Poem Indirect Conflict Between Scarecrow and Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz Paper Essay Topic: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz â€Å"‘All the same’ said the Scarecrow, ‘I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one. ’ ‘I shall take the heart’ returned the Tin Woodman; ‘for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world. ’† – Excerpt from â€Å"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz† by L. Frank Baum A Woodman of tin, a man stuffed with straw Each with a human-like question and flaw Where’s the importance, in the head or the heart? Subtle opinions, but the question still sparks Small one caught in the middle of things But she has both, so the questions don’t ring Thoughts or feelings†¦ Does one overcome? Is one ever, and always over the other one With one is there balance, and strengths? Yes and no But with only one, those weaknesses show. Though the man of straw he thinks without Walking, and talking; solving problems all about The woodman of tin, subtly feels, doesn’t realize Sorrow regret from the tears which he cries As for Dorothy, Seemingly glad that she has both, But feels stuck between her friends’ opinions the most I don’t think that either is right, Heart or a brain I say we need to both, to be balanced and sane Without emotions to balance out or actions, and vice versa too I don’t know where we’d go, or what all we’d do Insanity, and lifeless nice, like living dead men All doing whatever, ‘cause there’s nothing to win Though the story is fiction, the questions are real And only with both does life seem surreal It seems like a dream, Like going to Oz With both of them inside of you, All mind and heart

Zero 2016 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Zero 2016 - Assignment Example Real home gives person confidence in own power to have a better life (ProvidenceJournal). Also, this program helps people to understand that they are not left behind. 3. The campaign targets chronic and veteran homeless people who are promised to be given an affordable housing during next two years ( «Zero: 2016 »). Basically, the campaign helps senior people who need someones help to have a better life. The campaign is powered by public and private sponsors who invest in affordable housing, training and rehabilitation for the homeless. It creates an environment where people can learn how to live in a different way. 4. The theme of the campaign is the permanent struggle with homelessness in the USA. Initiators of the campaign believe that shared learning environment and active community involvement can end homelessness faster than other conventional methods used to take homeless people away from streets. This campaign follows another successful campaign against homelessness called 100,000 Homes.  «Community Solutions Announces Selection of 71 Communities to Participate in Zero: 2016 ». Community Solutions. November 4, 2014. Web. December 15, 2014. ProvidenceJournal.  «More than a place to sleep: In R.I., a housing first solution for chronic homelessness ». Youtube. June 25, 2014. Web. December 15, 2014. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bi5rzDs1zE&feature=youtu.be

Compare and contrast Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Compare and contrast - Research Paper Example â€Å"A Hungry Artist† is another globally acclaimed short story written by Franz Kafka about two decades after Chekhov’s The Lady with the Dog and describes what the nature of an individual’s life is in very troublesome circumstances. The artist in the story is victimized by the society in which he lives and Kafka through creating this unique character adeptly explores the themes of isolation and deteriorated human relationships and how they influence a person’s actions. In this essay, I plan to compare and contrast â€Å"The Lady with the Dog† and â€Å"A Hungry Artist† on the basis of the themes of social isolation, victimization, and corrupted human relationships. Gurov, a Russian banker, is introduced by Chekhov as a very unhappy and unfaithful husband who is deeply dissatisfied by his marital life and frequently cheats on his wife. By having affairs with other women, he corrupts the relationship he has with his wife. Though despising al l women in general, Gurov has a strange yet very refreshing encounter with an unfamiliar lady named Anna while vacationing in Yalta. Like every time before, Gurov intends to only have a short lasting affair with the woman and then simply part ways in order to save his reputation and protect himself from social condemnation. However, this time things take a different turn and Anna develops emotional feelings for Gurov. They start an affair spending most of their time in Yalta together and taking long drives. All of this continues while Anna’s husband is also expected to arrive in Yalta which stresses on the inevitable human need to connect with someone under whatever circumstances and how a person could sometimes be left so isolated and starving in a relationship that he/she would seek whatever means to fulfill that hunger. The threat of community rejection and social condemnation is always there for both Gurov and Anna but dissatisfaction in their respective marriages is a hu ge motivating factor for continuing the affair. Both characters’ reputations and marriages are at risk and social rejection is in itself a huge devastating consequence. Still, they cross all social barriers to indulge in a sense of closeness. Unlike other women in Gurov’s past with whom he has had affairs, Anna excites him with sadness and innocence in her character which he finds very difference and intoxicating even. Chekhov emphasizes Gurov's yearning with acute intelligence by expressing that â€Å"she, this little woman, in no way remarkable, lost in a provincial crowd, with a vulgar lornette in her hand, filled his whole life now, was his sorrow and his joy. He thought and dreamed† (Research Matic). Other women that Gurov has ever known have no trace of innocence in them but Anna is the only woman in his life who manages to really excite his desires and attract him towards herself. After arriving back in Moscow, Gurov’s idea that his memories of Ann a will soon fade out by immersing himself in daily work routine does not remain successful. This is because his marriage brings him no happiness and only serves to foster the sense of loneliness which secretly gnaws at his heart every moment of his life. Anna’s company in contrast seems to be the perfect antidote for all the emptiness inside him yet it is fraught with the threat of social victimization and