Water shortage in place of Abundance Assignment

Water shortage in place of Abundance - Assignment Example Water has been always scarce in the Middle East from the earliest recorded human civilizations in this region. However, over the past few decades, the problem of water shortage has escalated to great levels in the region Despite the fact that the Middle Eastern region represents almost 6 percent of the total world’s population, the region only owns less than 1 percent of the world’s overall water resources. In fact, statistics reveal that the demand for desalinated water is growing at an average annual rate of over 7 percent in the Middle Eastern countries which almost the double of the global average (Earle, Jagerskog & Ojendal, pp. 103-104, 2010). Poverty, mass unemployment, political suppression, injustice, inflation and others were cited as the major reasons behind the recent revolutions and revolts in the Middle East, however, a less cited but extremely important reasons behind the turmoil in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Syria and others countries, is the rising food prices caused by the water shortage. Many studies by other NGOs, political and international organisations have repeatedly identified that the region would be suffering with severe water crisis in the coming decades.Growing population (World Bank predicts that the population would be more than 600 million in the next couple of decades), rising temperatures and political instability is like a dynamite in the region which will burst will only a little spark (Shuval & Dwiek, pp. 147-149, 2007). Many of the autocratic rulers of oil-rich Middle Eastern countries have been able to put a lid on this turmoil by using their wealth from oil to subsidized food prices and import grains and sell them for cheap prices in the country, however, it appears that this pattern will not last for long (Holst-Warhaft & Steenhuis, pp. 238-239, 2010). Quite understandably, one obvious reason for water shortage in the Middle Eastern countries is the recent increase in demand in these countries. Lately, these countries have shown almost impeccable economic growth that has stunned its critics. State of the art buildings, skyscrapers, modern infrastructure, facilities with the latest technologies and abundant job opportunities are attracting many people from different Asian countries to try their luck in these Middle Eastern countries (Shuval & Dwiek, pp. 147-149, 2007). Algeria, Morocco, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen, Jordan, Israel and Libya are all running in water deficits and according to the recent Water Stress Index, all of these countries have been identified with â€Å"extreme risk†. Turkey is the only country that has water surplus in the region but up until this point is not willing to share its resources. Libya is spending 20 billion US dollars every year to use its deep-water reserves. UAE has expressed his tensions as all of his water reserves being derived from ancient fossils fuels will run out in less than four decades (Raouf, pp. 5-10, 2010). Statement of the problem Therefore, the statement of problem or the research question for this particular study would be as follows: - â€Å"To explore short term and long term solutions for the problem of water shortage in various Middle Eastern countries† Research Goals Following are the research goals of this particular research. To shed light on the causes and reasons behind water shortage and scarcity in the Middle Eastern region To explore and evaluate the possible

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Marketing - Essay Example s uses all forms of the media like television, newspapers, magazines and the Internet to create awareness of its products to pull customers towards it. Media promotion activities are aggressive, with its direct sales approach. Any purchaser of a personal computer is a target for Dell Computers, and this includes business enterprises. Its products can be viewed in specially created kiosks or on the Internet. Customers have to call in or use the Internet to place their order. Products are differentiated, depending on the individual need of each customer. Dell computers offer attractive pricing for its products. In addition from time to time sales promotion strategies are introduced to draw customers. The factors that stand out in Dell Computers marketing strategy is the use of information technology its direct sales and logistics. Dell Computers utilizes e-commerce to communicate with its customers, keep costs down, and customize the products to the specifications of the customer, thus creating value for the customer. Creating customer value is what drives Dell Computers. This is reflected in the words of Michael Dell the founder, â€Å"looking for value †¦ is most important†. It is this drive for creating value for the customer that is responsible for the success of Dell Computers (Mentzer & Williams, 2001). Apple Computers riding on its success of the I-Pod has taken a distinctive step 2006 in the orientation of its computer product. Apple all this while concentrated on the hardware of its product drawing customers that were extremely selective in their purchase of computers. By moving its Mac operating system from IBM and Freescale Semiconductor Intel chips Apple has moved away from it’s up market computer image, and is now positioned to attract any computer buyer. In addition to this change in its product Apple Computers is aggressively using the television media to promote its personal computer product. The emphasis is on the sweeping changes to provide

South Africa’s Comparative Advantage: EU and SADC

South Africa’s Comparative Advantage: EU and SADC SOUTH AFRICAS POSITION IN WORLD TRADE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOUTH AFRICAS COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE WITHIN THE EU AND SADC INTRODUCTION The South African economy has undergone a gradual process of trade reform in the last three decades, the ultimate aim being to improve resource allocation by shifting policy towards a more competitive, export-oriented focus, and more specifically to diversify exports into non-gold items (PETERSSON, 2005). Over the last two decades the world has seen the creation of many preferential trade areas both within and across continents. Today South Africa has signed trade agreements with many countries including China, India, USA (through AGOA) and notably free trade agreements (FTAs) with the South African Development Community (SADC) and the Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA) with the EU. The main goal of this study is to analyze and draw a comparison between South Africas comparative advantage within the European Union and within the SADC FTAs and investigate the effects of these trade agreements on trade flows among the participating/ economically allied countries. This study will also analyze the credibility and relationship between South Africas policy of free trade and its own economic performance. Background to the Study South Africa signed the Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA) with the European Union (EU) in 1999 and with the SADC in (2000) which were intended to remove most of the trade barriers over the next decade. The European Union has been South Africas biggest trading partner both before and after Apartheid. From 1999, the European Union was a destination of more than 40% of South Africas exports while at the same time accounting for over 70% of South Africas Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The TDCA was mainly intended to create a free-trade area between South Africa and the EU, in order to ensure that South Africa enjoyed free access to the EU market and vice versa. The Agreement provided for liberalization of 95% of the imports by the EU from South Africa within the period of ten years, and 86% of imports by South Africa from the European Union in twelve years. However vulnerable sectors both within the EU and South Africa are allowed to be protected from competition. For example, the EU is allowed to continue protecting its agricultural products against similar imports from South Africa and the agreement permits South Africa to shelter some industrial products. Thus some motor vehicle p roducts, petroleum and petroleum products, beef, sugar, chocolate, Ice cream, dairy, chemical products, certain textile and clothing products etc, are protected against similar imports from the European Union products. In 1994 Economic sanctions against South Africa had rendered the economy inefficient due to years of isolation from the global economy. The post-apartheid democratic government inherited many social and economic problems among which included: high unemployment especially amongst the black population most of whom lacked education, differing levels of poverty and income disparities and lack of competitiveness in the industrial sector. All these issues required urgent attention and an almost complete restructuring of the economy, the way it was run and the adoption of policies that would help the nation emerge from decades of apartheid and international isolation. Being a complex economy that exhibited features of developing and developed nations, South Africa met strong opposition notably from some EU member countries. Later South Africa was denied trade concessions ratified in the Lomà ©Ã‚  [i]  Convention that were intended for under developed countries. , However South Africa itself did not see relying on aid as an important strategy for its long term drive towards development (Perry, 2000). As a result South Africas government embarked on improving its competitiveness in the world economy through promoting trade by negotiating trade treaties with several countries as a tool towards sustainable growth, eradication of poverty and income inequality. South Africa and the European Union finally signed a Free Tra de Area agreement in 1999 after a long period of negotiations that were characterized by all sides trying to negotiate the best deal possible for themselves. In the end, both managed to secure barriers in areas where they feared fiercest competition. For example France and Portugal already had concerns about South Africas wine and agricultural exports that were in direct competition in the EU market even before the TDCA was in effect and were reluctant to open their markets any further. Likewise, South Africa wanted to protect some of its infant industry especially in manufacturing. Perry (2000) notes that south Africa will had to fight for each favorable term of trade in which it has a strong comparative advantage as some countries within the European Union would have preferred to shield their individual sectors from any threatening outside competitive forces. They are only likely to engage in free trade with nations from which they expect more benefits rather than helping developi ng countries integrate into the world economy. Although there is no evidence yet to support Perrys argument, such should not be swept aside without consideration. Some of the main objectives of the TDCA include supporting South Africa in its economic and social transition, as well as promoting the countrys economic integration in the world economy (ROBLES, 2008). This being the case, the EUs decision to impose barriers on South Africas wine and Agricultural exports can be seen as a sign of double standards. The South African government could have expected to receive more concessions in such sectors. . Asante 1997 noted that the European Union is even more likely to benefit than South Africa because of adjustment costs originating from a general reduction of tariffs and from protectionism in Agriculture by the EU. He further stresses that South Africa tariffs are about five to six times higher than those of the EU. By removing tariffs on imports, South Africa looses five to six times worth of revenue than the EU. Losing so much tax revenue and still be able to run the economy and compete effectively, will require South Africa to have a significant comparative advantage over the EU in the production of various commodities so that the losses in revenue are covered by gains from exports. This paper is therefore directed at identifying sectors in which South Africa experiences a higher comparative advantage over any other member of the European Union. We would therefore expect these sectors to have free access to the European markets without import duties being levied on them. Literally, attaining such trade terms would mean that South Africa has strong bargaining power in the EU because it can manipulate policies that favor its competitive exports in the free trade zone. It is argued that when countries form a Free Trade Area by removing protectionist barriers (e.g. tariffs on imports, import quotas, and subsidies on local industries), they strengthen greater trading relations among themselves. This sometimes results in increased production of goods and services as firms no longer target domestic demand but also reach the foreign market. Access to the EU and SADC markets in this case will always be determined by how diversified S. Africas and its trading partners economies are, because it makes no point for countries to engage in trade of products that they can effectively produce for themselves. Diversification ensures that a country is more likely to produce what other countries do not. If member countries trade in similar products, then there should be a higher degree of intra-industry trade for the exchange of goods and services to be successful. This calls for more research and the adoption of efficient technologies that make it possible for cou ntries to successfully differentiate those products that are more or less identical. Product differentiation means that countries can produce an identical product but with noticeable differences in terms of branding, durability and value added. One of the major reasons behind forming Free Trade Area with SADC and the EU is to enable South Africa to successfully integrate into the world economy (ROBLES, 2008). For South Africas major trading partners in the EU for example, forming a free trade area involves removing barriers to trade and making few adjustments in order to allow free movement of goods and services because they already possess the prerequisites for surviving trade competition under an open economy. However, for a developing economy like South Africa, successful integration into the EU and World market involves a very wide range of policies. For example increasing production and diversification, adopting new production technologies in order to increase value added to intermediate inputs, facilitating local agricultural production to successfully compete with subsidized European Agriculture, fighting crime and boosting local demand in order to increase investor confidence, and developing the local transport syst em. Implementation of all these policies is a gradual process that requires not only money and time but also a population that is equally skilled and well off enough to participate in production and again absorb the increased proceeds from higher production and trade. According to Mthembu (2008), countries in Sub-Saharan Africa depend on taxes on trade to generate between a quarter and a third of their national revenue. By Forming Free Trade Areas South Africa hopes to increase its share of world exports by importing low cost technology and transforming it into goods and services that can be exported at a higher value and price and through producing at a higher volume and enjoying higher economies of scale, thereby gaining more foreign exchange and employment that will accelerate the growth of the economy. However this comes at a cost of lost tax revenues. Although it is true that when a country trades more, it can increase its share of world exports and demand and gain more power on the final world prices and supply, this is not always the case. Opening up to trade does not automatically guarantee economic success (Krugman, 1996, Rodrik. 2005, Rodrik, 2008). Thirlwall (2000) points out that trade between developing and developed countries has oft en resulted into trade diversion rather than creation. Rodrik (2005), amongst others, has suggested that countries should only open up to free trade when they have a very strong local industry that can compete on the world market. It is only when nations have a strong economic base that they can start benefiting from international trade. Conversely, many other studies have concluded that international trade has been a vital force behind the economic breakthrough of different countries (Hachicha 2003, Dhawan and Biswal 1999, Ahmed et al. 2007, Tang 2010) by not only increasing local production but also by provoking growth between regions. In South Africas case, we need to examine the relationship between its external trade and growth by analyzing the causal relationship between international trade and economic performance. If it is found that it is growth that causes exports, then the South African policy should be redirected altogether from focusing on international trade to other strategies for increasing domestic economic growth Conclusion At this stage, the most important issue for South Africa is not whether to trade or not but rather it is about how to trade and with which products. The over all gains from trade could be huge if the trade pattern with the EU and SADC provides products in which South Africa has a strong competitive advantage and free access to the respective markets. With a favorable trade environment, South Africa would with no doubt achieve sustainable growth and integration into the world economy. This study therefore will examine whether the two free trade agreements cited have had either positive or negative impact on the trading patterns for South Africa by studying the growth characteristics of trade flows between South Africa and each individual free trade area shortly before and after their inception. If we find that South Africas exports have been decreasing while imports continue to grow, then South Africa should push for more favorable trade conditions. These conditions would be slightly different if the imports are mainly composed of capital goods. Statement of the problem Trade with the European Union provides South Africa with diverse trading opportunities by allowing it free access to a very wide market composed of 25 different economies. On the other hand, given the fact that South Africa is a developing economy, gains from trade are limited by lack of competitive advantage in manufacturing, transport costs and the European Unions protection of Agriculture and intellectual property rights. From another perspective however, South Africa is in a better position to trade with SADC than it is with the European Union. This is because South Africas economy is more advanced than most SADC countries in terms of technology, capital, financial institutions and skilled labor, which ought to give South Africa more competitive advantage. So, following the classical theory of trade, should South Africa work on increasing its trade with SADC rather than with the EU because it is more likely to always import more than it exports to the European Union but export more than it imports from the SADC? 1.4. Objectives of the study To understand and determine South Africas comparative advantage in the European Union and SADC. To determine whether FTAs have indeed created trade for South Africa or led to trade diversion. To analyze the validity of South Africas liberalization of trade as the Major drive towards sustainable economic growth by analyzing the causal relationship between exports and GDP. 1.5. Research hypotheses South Africas comparative advantage in the EU is limited to Mining and Agriculture. South Africa enjoys more comparative advantage in the SADC than in the EU Exports cause economic growth for South Africa. There has been more trade creation between South Africas trade with the EU than with SADC. Research methodology This chapter presents the master plan of the study entailing procedures that will be followed so as to obtain the goals of the research. Study population, Sample size and source of data The study will be conducted on a population of two Free Trade Areas (FTAs) namely Southern Africa Development and Cooperation (SADC) and the European Union. In order to determine the comparative advantage of South Africa in the above mentioned FTAs, we shall consider a sample size of fifteen countries from the EU countries that trade with South Africa more than the others. The data from the other remaining countries will be used in calculations of aggregates where necessary. The EU has 27 member countries and representing and analyzing trade data for each member would be very tiresome and time consuming. All of SADC countries on the other hand will be included in the study. Data collection methods and Analysis The study will involve both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Documents will be reviewed in order to gather views by different researchers on a given topic and then analyze their views from our perspective. We shall also gather trade data specifically from web-based databases (for example United Nations and SADCs international trade databases) of all countries involved in this study. The obtained data will then be arranged in related patterns and logical order that would allow for regression analysis and hypothesis testing. According to Linda (2008) Data processing involves summarizing, aggregation, validation, tabulation and analysis of data in order to extract useful information. The obtained data will be processed and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS 18 data processing software packages. Objectives, Indicators, Data source, Data collection techniques and methods of data analysis (summary) Objective Indicator Data Sources Collection technique Method of analysis To understand and determine South Africas comparative advantage in the European Union and SADC. The share of South Africas exports in the trade area as opposed to the share of exports of other partners within the reference area. W.T.O database and other documents (according to their availability) documentary review of (monthly, quarterly, semi and annual bulletins) Balassa index of comparative advantage To determine whether FTAs have indeed created trade for South Africa or led to trade diversion Changes in Trade flows and trade volumes between South Africa and the reference area since 1994 to 2009 W.T.O database and other documents (according to their availability) documentary review of (monthly, quarterly, semi and annual bulletins) The Gravity model To analyze the validity of South Africas trade policy by analyzing the causal relationship between exports and GDP Relationship between changes in exports and changes in GDP W.T.O database and other documents (according to their availability) documentary review of (monthly, quarterly, semi and annual bulletins) Granger causality test Balassa index of revealed comparative advantage (RCA) In order to determine the comparative advantage of South Africa in the EU and SADC we shall use the comparative export performance index commonly known as balassa index. The Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index is used to determine whether a countrys trade flows have been increasing or decreasing within a specified period of time. The index can also be used to identify products that a country is producing more effectively than the other trading partners. More still, the index identifies industries in which a country is performing poorly. This can be helpful especially when a country wants to make policies that would promote the competitiveness of those industries. Therefore, the RCA index provides very important information about a countrys general trade with the rest of the world. The index of revealed comparative advantage is stated as shown below: xij: exports of product j from country i Xi: total exports from country i xaj total exports of product j from the reference area (e.g. the world) Xa: total exports from reference area The values of the index range zero to Infinity. If the index takes on a value that is less than one implies that the country has a revealed comparative disadvantage in the product. Similarly if the index takes on a value that exceeds one, the country is said to have a revealed comparative advantage in that product. It is possible for more than one country to have comparative in the same product. In this case, a country with a higher value of the index has the strongest advantage because it can produce the product in question more effectively than the other countries. Causality test The variable of investment will be added to the equation of the growth model because of its significance in enhancing economic growth. The function of the model will be expressed as GDP = f(X,Inv) where GDP represents economic growth, X and Inv represent export and investment respectively. GDP=bo + b1X + b2Inv + E According to Studenmunds (1987) the granger causality test should not be applied to non stationary data because sometimes it may produce misleading results. Therefore before testing for causal relationship between exports and Growth, we shall test for stationarity of the underlying data series by testing for the unit root by applying the ADF test. The ADF test determines whether or not the variables follow a stationary trend. If the time series is non stationary, then we shall carry out a cointegration test to determine whether there is a long term relationship between the variables. The gravity model In order to determine whether FTAs have created or diverted trade, two models are usually applied; the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) and the Gravity model of bilateral trade. The CGE is suitable for the analysis of trade among countries before the removal of trade barriers. The Gravity model on the other hand is used to analyze trade after the removal of trade barriers among countries (Cenart 2003) The gravity model originated from Newtons law of Universal Gravitation 1687 which states that the ability of one object to attract other particles is positively related to its mass and the mass of the other objects and negatively related with the distance between them. More than 270 years later, in 1962 Jan Tinbergen suggested the application of the same model to the analysis of trade flows among countries by stating that bilateral trade is positively related to GDP and negatively related to distance. The model takes the form below: Fij = ÃŽÂ ²0 MiMj/Dij Where i,j = trading partners F = Trade flows M = Economic Mass (measured in GDP and population) of a country ÃŽÂ ²0 = Constant Rewriting the above formula in a linear equation we introduce logs and the error term in order to allow for the estimation using OLS. Fij = ÃŽÂ ²0 + ÃŽÂ ²1(Mi + Mj) + ÃŽÂ ²2(Pi + Pj) ÃŽÂ ²3Dij + E LogFij = ÃŽÂ ²0 + ÃŽÂ ²1(LogMiMj) + ÃŽÂ ²2(LogPiPj) ÃŽÂ ²3LogDij + E Where D represents the distance between South African Port to the trading partners port of entry; P represents population of a given country. By introducing dummies for FTAs, the model can capture whether the trade area enhances or restricts bilateral tradeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. We shall analyze the change in the importance of the coefficients after every two years since 1997 up to 2009. The subscript j will be used to represent South Africas data while subscript i will represent data for other trading partners. Trade creation and trade diversion (specification of the gravity model) Different studies have used the gravity model to explain creation and diversion of trade by Free Trade Areas (citation) Scope of the study The study will be focused on South Africas trade with the European Union and SADC countries before and after their formation; that is between the periods 1995 to 2009 Significance of the study The establishment of those sectors in which South Africa has a strong advantage will help stakeholders to motivate further liberalization where they have been denied especially in the European Union and also design policies to improve efficiency in the production of those commodities in which South Africa is currently doing poorly but still has the potential to improve. Further more, the establishment of the relationship between free trade and South Africas economic performance will help to add an insight into South Africas trade policy. The findings of the study can be based upon to design policies that can do better to achieve a good economic performance. The study is also expected to provide useful inputs to researchers and others who have a keen interest in South Africas trade with the rest of the world. Organization of the study The research work will consist of five chapters and they will be arranged as follows: Chapter one will consist of the introduction, background to the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, the research hypotheses, the significance of the study, scope of the study and finally the organization of the study. The second chapter will comprise of literature review of various studies by other researchers on this subject. The third Chapter will explore methodological aspects of how data was obtained and analyzed. The fourth chapter will present research findings, provide data analysis and interpretation. The fifth chapter will give summary of the findings, a conclusion and recommendations as well as suggestions for further research in relation to the topic.

Computer Rage :: Essays Papers

Computer Rage In today’s world, computers are becoming more relevant than ever before. With this comes hardtack. Anyone who uses computers must experience some sort of frustration at some time. There is really no way around it. This may include all or some of the error messages, unanticipated results because of the software, or having a computer just freeze up for no apparent reason. Since anyone who uses a computer can experience these problems, there comes a price - immense frustration. This frustration can turn into anger, which in turn becomes rage. Whether it is acted rage or built up rage, it must some how be vented. Either way this becomes cumbersome to the user, so much that this becomes computer rage. The reason why people may become upset at their computer is due to lack of patience. This is why reactions to computer problems can be more extreme than with other tools they may use. People today just don't have the patience for anything. Since people are starting to spend more time in front of computers than doing physical research, the blame for frustration must be put on something. This something just happens to be the computer. For this reason, I believe that computer problems make people angrier than with other tools. For instance, there is an art to being a mechanic. A mechanic must posses some level of patience. If the person using the computer does not posses patience, they will flip out in a rage of fury. This kind of action cannot happen in a place of business. It's bad for the other employees, not to mention the customers. You would not let a certain shop work on your vehicle if you seen a mechanic cursing and swearing, Would you? For this reason you must posses some patience. To overcome this, you should just walk away calmly and take a deep breath. Do something else to take you mind of the present problem at hand. When you feel calmed downed and more relaxed, go back to the computer with a different mindset. Usually, this will solve your problem. When you come back to your computer, you may see things in a totally different light and your problem will be cured. You may see something that you didn't see before and it was right in front of you. Computer Rage :: Essays Papers Computer Rage In today’s world, computers are becoming more relevant than ever before. With this comes hardtack. Anyone who uses computers must experience some sort of frustration at some time. There is really no way around it. This may include all or some of the error messages, unanticipated results because of the software, or having a computer just freeze up for no apparent reason. Since anyone who uses a computer can experience these problems, there comes a price - immense frustration. This frustration can turn into anger, which in turn becomes rage. Whether it is acted rage or built up rage, it must some how be vented. Either way this becomes cumbersome to the user, so much that this becomes computer rage. The reason why people may become upset at their computer is due to lack of patience. This is why reactions to computer problems can be more extreme than with other tools they may use. People today just don't have the patience for anything. Since people are starting to spend more time in front of computers than doing physical research, the blame for frustration must be put on something. This something just happens to be the computer. For this reason, I believe that computer problems make people angrier than with other tools. For instance, there is an art to being a mechanic. A mechanic must posses some level of patience. If the person using the computer does not posses patience, they will flip out in a rage of fury. This kind of action cannot happen in a place of business. It's bad for the other employees, not to mention the customers. You would not let a certain shop work on your vehicle if you seen a mechanic cursing and swearing, Would you? For this reason you must posses some patience. To overcome this, you should just walk away calmly and take a deep breath. Do something else to take you mind of the present problem at hand. When you feel calmed downed and more relaxed, go back to the computer with a different mindset. Usually, this will solve your problem. When you come back to your computer, you may see things in a totally different light and your problem will be cured. You may see something that you didn't see before and it was right in front of you.

Human Euthanasia: Yes or No? Essay

Have you ever wanted to end it all? Many people who have chronic illnesses, such as cancer, would rather die than endure one more day of suffering. They want to die by assisted suicide, or euthanasia. Euthanasia should not be legal for many reasons. There have been drastic advances in medicine. Also, the decision making process can easily be compromised. There is major risk of abuse. Furthermore there are many religious issues. Lastly, if done incorrectly, euthanasia can fail, causing the person to suffer more. For example, drastic improvements have been made in the medicinal field. Doctors now have the power to save more lives than ever. â€Å"Using new medications, they can reduce the suffering of, or even cure a chronically ill human being† (Andre, Velasquez). Why should a person end his or her life if they can be cured of their disease? People who can be treated with medication should not be given the means to end their lives early. Hematologists and oncologists are exposed to terminally ill patients daily. A 1994 survey of physicians in Washington showed that these doctors opposed euthanasia most strongly. Psychiatrists were also surveyed. They had much less contact with the terminally ill, yet they strongly supported euthanasia (Boyko). This shows that those who are around these ill patients daily do not think euthanasia is a practical practice. Next, the decision making process can easily be compromised. If a patient is terminally ill, there is no way to know if they are thinking as they would if they were not sick. The patient may not know the exact situation he or she is in. â€Å"The patient needs to be capable of understanding the decision and its implications. The presence of depression is relevant if it is distorting rational decision making (Blank, Bonnickson 192). Also, a doctor could be pushing a patient to a choice, simply because the doctor no longer wants to care for that person. There are many variables for a person to consider, so legalizing euthanasia could cause many issues. Furthermore, there is major risk of abuse. If euthanasia is legalized, people would be able to abuse it easily. â€Å"Vulnerable patients could feel obligation to accept it [euthanasia] in order to reduce the burden on their families and caretakers† (Battin, Lipman 29). The abuse is not necessarily done by the patients. Families could easily pressure a person into choosing to be euthanized. Not wanting to cause more issues, the patient could simply agree to the decision others seem to have made (Andre, Velasquez). People who do not want to be responsible for someone else are likely to try and force that person into ending the responsibility. The decision to be euthanized needs to be 100% the patient’s idea, and there is no way to prove that would be the case. Additionally, there are many religious issues associated with euthanasia. â€Å"Arguments to prohibit assisted suicide on the grounds that only God gives life, so only God can take it away are equally relevant to euthanasia† (Tittle). The Roman Catholic Church believes that any form of suicide implies that the person is in charge of their body, when God is supposed to be (Declaration of Euthanasia). Article Five of the Fifth Commandment states: Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of the neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God. Christianity is just one of the many religions that opposes suicide, assisted or unassisted. Finally, if done incorrectly, euthanasia can be ineffective, causing a patient more suffering. If someone is injected with too little morphine, the most popular form of euthanasia, major brain damage can occur (Battin). If this were to happen, the families of these patients, not to mention the patients themselves, would have to endure more suffering than they had to before the attempted euthanasia. If euthanasia were legalized the failure rate would cause unnecessary pain for all people involved. As for other methods of assisted suicide, such as a doctor prescribing medications with high dosages of depressants, the patient is not monitored throughout the process. This means there is no guarantee the patient will be successful. If a patient decides that after he or she has already started the euthanasia process he no longer wants to die, major side effects would occur, such as brain damage, and even forms of cancer in some situations (Battin, Lipman). There is no way to assure failure will not happen. In conclusion, euthanasia should not be legalized for many reasons. There have been drastic advances in medicine, allowing doctors to cure those with chronic illnesses. Also, the decision making process of a patient facing euthanasia can be easily compromised. Additionally, there is major risk of abuse by families. There are many religious issues, too. Lastly, if done wrong, euthanasia can be ineffective, causing serious harm. Euthanasia in human beings should not be legalized. Works Cited 1.Andre, Clare and Manuel Velasquez, Assisted Suicide: A Right or Wrong? scu.edu. Santa Clara University, 2010. Web. Dec. 7, 2012 2.Battin, Margaret P., Arthur G. Lipman, Drug Use in Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. London, New York, Pharmaceutical Products Press, 1996. Web. 3.Blank, Robert H., Bonnickson, Andrea L., Medicine Unbound: The Human Body and the Limits of Medical Intervention. n.p, n.d. Web. 4.Boyko, Edward J., Attitudes Toward Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Among Physicians in Washing State. nejm.org. New England Journal of Medicine, July 14, 1994. Web. Dec. 6, 2012 5.Declaration on Euthanasia. May 5, 1980. newadvent.org. New Advent Church.

Company Represantative Resume Example Essay

This letter is to express my interest in bringing my expertise as an Educator and Counselor to your institution.   I possess strong communication skills and have a passion promoting a positive school environment. As you can gather from my attached resume, I have contributed to the personal and academic growth of Elementary students while working for the New York Department of Education.   I earned my Masters Degree in English as a Second Language and am currently pursuing my Masters Degree in School Counseling.   I believe in maintaining a professional demeanor and resolving conflicts in a diplomatic and courteous manner.   I am committed to helping students with disciplinary problems through utilizing effective classroom management techniques in cooperation with parents and school administrators. In addition to the skills noted on my attached resume, I can also offer your organization: An ability to analyze a complex problem and implement a practical solution. Superior presentation and interpersonal communication skills with effective writing skills. Self-motivated professional with experience in helping students attain their academic goals. Excellent analytical skills with an ability to develop comprehensive reports. It is my hope that my education and professional experience will convey to you that I have the qualifications to make a valuable contribution as a School Counselor at any institution.   Should you have any questions, I can be reached at the number listed above.

Most people need to find food at a reasonably affo Essays

Most people need to find food at a reasonably affo Essays Most people need to find food at a reasonably affordable price and Kroger offers it. HEB store falls behind in this arena because even though HEB offers food items, they aren't as cheap as Kroger. Walmart sells what the people need at an affordable price which brings in more customers. Walmart sells various name brand items in toys, hygiene, food, electronics and clothing. HEB focuses more on quality of food products even though the products are better quality they do slightly cost more. As far as arrangement both stores have like junk food down each aisle or canned goods and all the organic/healthy things on the outskirts. While Randall's is more expensive than both because most of the food there isn't processed. Also, compared to all three stores the customers in Randall's and the environment is more peaceful. Approximately around 50% of the products were produced in the US the rest is imported from other countries. Imports comprise an increasing share of food consumed by Americans, much of which cannot be produced domestically due to climate conditions and crop seasonality. Further, some imported foods cost less to produce abroad than their domestically grown counterparts. In conclusion consumers prefer an increasingly wider selection of food products, such as tropical fruits and vegetables, premium coffee, and a greater variety of cheese, grain products, and preserved meats so that why most of our products are from foreign places because the US cant' produce it all. Agriculture and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate. Increases in temperature and carbon dioxide can increase some crop yields in some places. Changes in the frequency and severity of droughts and floods could pose challenges for farmers and ranchers and threaten food safety. For example, while I was shopping at Walmart in the produce aisle I noticed the tomato had spots around it so maybe the climate change may have affected the growing season of it. Significant improvements in transport technology took place since Von Thunen designed his agricultural land use model. For instance, with rail systems, it became much more cost effective to transport agricultural commodities over longer distances. Further, refrigeration enabled to move perishable products cost-effectively over long distances. Since most of the American agricultural landscape was established in the late 19th and early 20th century, agricultural land use was much less constrained by transport costs. Large scale agricultural regions thus emerged where agricultural land use was influence by distance from major markets and by local geographical conditions. When comparing the prices between the stores I noticed the only difference between prices ranges from 30 cents to $2.00. Yes, the price difference is significant to those that have a very limited income and don't really care about quality of a product. But for those who care about the quality and where they buy their food products from than the price difference isn't as significant to them. My advice to those that have a limited income is get what you can afford and that you're not limited to only discount stores so get what you prefer but also afford at the same time.

Coursework on Psychology

Coursework on Psychology Coursework on Psychology: The problem with facilitated communication is the inability for an observer to know conclusively that the words and sentences of a non-verbal autistic individual are from the individual or the person assisting the autistic individual. Most videos of facilitated communication show the facilitator taking a very active role in spelling and forming the sentences without any cooperation from the autistic individual. The operational definition of this study is the manipulation free facilitated communication with self supported arm rests and verbal acknowledgement of letters pressed. To eliminate this potential influence required two components add to the facilitated communication devices. First was to develop an arm rest that the autistic individual would place either arm on that will stop the flowing movement of the hand. The autistic individual had more control of their hand and arm. The individual moved their hand over the entire arm rest to hit any key that they desire to press while still supporting their arm. The facilitator was not able to touch the autistic individual’s hands or arms. In addition, the facilitator was only able to say the letter or sound of the letter when pressed by the autistic individual. If the individual was trying to say ‘good morning’ each letter of the word would be spoken individually. The autistic individual was found to be unable to answer the questions on his own or to communicate his needs without the facilitator choosing his letters and words for him. He was not able to answer questions, nor initiate any legitimate communication via the device. When asked simple questions regarding favorite foods or items, the autistic individual was unable to answer or hit the letters suggested. The only manner in which he could answer the questions was when the facilitator manipulated his arm and hand.

Characteristic Of A Moral Person Philosophy Essay

Characteristic Of A Moral Person Philosophy Essay Moral are defines in many ways by the understanding of an individual. Generally, moral is defined as the principles of right and wrong in behavior. That is, the capability of an individual to differentiate the right and wrong action. Morality is taken to be significant, moral actions are frequently taken to merit praise and rewards, and immoral actions are often taken to merit blame and punishment. Moral principles are an important part of what makes a good person. Therefore, what are the characteristic of a moral person? It’s the action you take to carry out the values, ethics and morals that you believe in. Our character is not mirrored by what we say, or even by what we aim, it is a reflection of what we do. Being of good moral personality is to have a collection of attributes which make up your behavior and define the way in which you act which are considered respectable. How do we judge an individual as a moral person? However, do we judge by society’s principles for moral standards or by religious moral standards? Yes and No. For example, killing someone is immoral but moral sometimes. In an unlikely scenario, the act of self-defense by killing someone to protect oneself from danger is immoral or moral? In most cases self-defense is a justifiable cause for killing. In another scenario, a poor man steals from a rich man to support and pays for his daughter medical fees. This man is performing in a way that makes us respect him as he cares for his daughter. Is it a moral act? It could be as the poor man is desperate for money and he is trying to save his daughter’s life. He is after all steals from a rich man who has extra money and it wouldn’t hurt to lose some money. Nevertheless, it is always a wrong action to steal in the society’s view. But we are to be careful when judging them based on moral standards. Contents :The Characteristic of A Moral Person Responsible There are many important characteristic of a moral pers on. One of them is having responsibilities. Responsibility, a noun is derived from responsible is a person worthy of trust, having an obligation or a duty towards something. To be morally responsible for an action, is to be worthy of a certain kind of reaction such as compliment and blame for having performed it. Moral responsibility is when there are right things that one should do. Though an individual do have a choice to do what is right. Caring for family, making a living and paying taxes are some moral responsibilities that are right. A moral person has responsibilities towards people, animals and the environments. For example in a situation of car accident, a moral person would call an ambulance or helps the injured out of the car. It depends on how morally they are and their courage to help. Conversely, an immoral person would just look and walks away. Besides that, a moral business owner has several responsibilities to their employees. They would be responsible to ensure its employees are paid on time and also to have a moral and legal responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace. A moral person would be responsible to care and protect the animals and the environments. They would not throw rubbish anywhere to keep the environment clean nor would they participate to animal abusive.

What is Entreprenurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is Entreprenurship - Essay Example Therefore, by exploring the behaviours of Branson, there are substantial skills that can be identified in order to determine the definition of entrepreneurship. Branson managed to establish the Virgin Group through targeting the business verticals, which are not run appropriately by other people, and he is motivated by the compulsive desire to do things in a way that he believed they should be done. In this case, there are two traits that have been identified, which are the ability to identify an opportunity, confidence and self-determination. He is also adventurous given that Virgin Company is an adventurous venture, and this has contributed to the spirit of building the brand and the company. The other characteristic of an entrepreneur is breaking rules, which is an attribute, which describes the difference between Branson’s entrepreneurial philosophies. In this case, breaking the rules refers to the willingness to experiment in numerous instances in order to learn a something for the experience. In conclusion, the paper has described entrepreneurship using the Branson’s personal traits as a successful

Article # 8 (due 11-16) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article # 8 (due 11-16) - Essay Example The total cost of NovaHealth per member had reduced by 16.5 percent to 33 percent as compared to non-Aetna members. The program major achievement is cost savings resulting from decreased readmissions and emergency department usage. According to the article, such partnership will lead to savings. The money saved can be used in the improving reimbursement to primary care physicians. The article stipulates that such results can only be achieved when there is implementation of several essentials. The two organizations had to adopt electronic health record in order to facilitate data sharing and analysis. The communication and trust between the organizations is also vital for the success of the program. The health plan requires the assurance that healthcare providers are delivering the highest quality services at the lowest possible cost. On the other hand, healthcare providers require health plan willingness to share with them accurate data. According to the articles, the success of the program has motivated NovaHealth and Aetna to plan on extending the program to all NovaHealth patients and Aetna’s non-Medicare members. I feel that such partnership should be encouraged so as to improve healthcare delivery and save

The creation and growth of, The National Association for the Essay

The creation and growth of, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, after the Springfield Race Riot of 1 - Essay Example The Association is capable of bringing a shared national weight and personal local forces upon each aspect of the Negro's struggle for fairness of nationality. It encompasses the total collection of civil rights action and its constant programs of public awareness as well as its legal triumphs have made key contributions to the insurrection in race that is now witnessed. In one way or another, it has moved by far the irresistible mass of present leaders of the Negro society through its ranks. This includes several of those currently heading other civil rights groups. Moreover, it functions as a source of information and direction and as a clearing-house for private associations and government and for the majority of the broad public who refer to it for support every year. The association anticipates expanding its agenda to contain active concern with problems of community orientation, scarcity and retraining. This paper seeks to discuss the roots and foundation of the association and its development. It will also seek to explain its organization, its mandates and achievements throughout its growth. Introduction National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the biggest, oldest and most powerful civil rights organization in the United States. ... According to the fourteenth revision, blacks were full citizens of the United States, and were given the right to equal protection of the law as any other citizen1. The Association acts as a legal support society at the local level, but in fighting for the rights of black Americans at the national level, it chooses cases for their strategic significance, and in so far as possible goes in the courts only where there is good possibility of victory. The organization is an interracial society, but its membership is preponderantly black. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People legal defense and education fund established in 1939 is a related but officially separate organization with a staff of lawyers2. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is one of the most important societies in the United States promoting and attending courts for Africans Americans and other minority groups. The duty of the Association is dual: to wipe out racial prejudi ce, and to accomplish the legal, cultural, social and economic fairness of minority groups. Started in 1905 by a set of social activists, the organization primarily demanded the eradication of all differences in law and policy based on race or color. The primary official meeting of the Association was held in 1909. By 1945, the Association could boast of more than 1,600 branches and 300,000 members. More significantly, the organization had embarked on achieving reliability among lawmakers and using its power in the courts3. Lack of competition is one feature that is most outstanding about the debates among civil rights activists. There was no significance competition between the private civil rights bar and the Department

Fiction ( Creaton from your imagination) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fiction ( Creaton from your imagination) - Essay Example His life is all the more inspirational for me as his favorite sport is the same that is mine – cricket. In fact we do play together every now and then whenever we get time or it should be, whenever he gets time from his busy routine and hectic life. My uncle has had his due share of problems and struggles during his life. He has seen the highs and lows of life and I can safely conclude that he is all rounder by all measures of imagination. He has witnessed success when he was down in the dumps and face humiliation in the form of losses, both in terms of financial value as well as psychological pressures, but it is his genius that he never turned back on his principles and strong ideological limits and thus defeated whatever came in his way. His developmental process is such that he has only looked at the brighter side of things and never touched the negative as according to him, doing the latter can reap nothing but misery for both the individual as well as the people related with him or her. Thus he molded his life in such a manner which would only provide him solace and peace of mind whenever he was in hot waters and nothing right came across him. He has seen financial losses that took away quite a huge sum of his bank balanc e in late 1980s when he was doing a roaring business of textile designing yet he did not succumb under pressure from people related to him and the near and dear ones advised him to divest whatever was left in the business. He continued and marched along at the same speed, so much so that now he has his own textile factory located in the outskirts of the city. He has been a model of inspiration for one and all and I can safely call him my mentor whenever I run into any problem in my day to day life. His advice is always that has brought a new lease of life in me and helped me see things in a more positive fashion rather than just sitting and sulking over the

Stem Cell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stem Cell - Research Paper Example The paper tells that cells with the ability to divide constantly as well as distinguish and extend into numerous cells and tissues of various kinds are known as stem cells. They are ‘blank’ cells as they do not display any precise physiological predisposition. With the onset of appropriate conditions, in vitro or in vivo, stem cells develop into focused tissues and organs as they are self-sufficient and replicate by the process of cell division, indicating that stem cells are biological entities prevalent in multicellular organisms. As stem cells possess distinctive eminence and research embraces an immense assurance for the management and cure of critical and unbearable ailments like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes and neurological as well as metabolic disorders, diseases related to hear, stroke, bone condition, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, as well as conditions like multiple sclerosis. Stem cells could also be grown to become new tis sue for use in transplant medicine. Research is being carried out across the world to decipher the underlying genetic and biochemical facts triggering stem cell delineation to new cells capable of repairing distorted tissues and organs. Stem cells pave the way towards understanding of various diseases and syndromes. Stem cells are promising resources to test the drugs and agents. Stem cells are pluripotent, i.e. capable of replicating into similar kind of cells or they are capable of specializing into any other specific tissue. There are various categories of stem cells: Embryonic stem cells- They are procured from the interior cells of the blastocyst. Fetal stem cells- They are procured from the germ line tissues of aborted fetus. Umbilical cord stem cells- Blood of the umbilical cord encompasses stem cells similar to the cells present in the bone marrow. Placenta derivative stem cells- Source of enormous stem cells. Adult stem cells- Numerous adult tissues also possess stem cells. These stem cells are harvested to rectify ailments or cloning tissues, organs, animals or humans or they may be harvested for gene-line engineering. The gene-line engineering aims to function towards disease resistance and functional improvement. Induced pluripotent cells- Through nuclear programming scientists have transformed adult cells into stem cells. Nuclear programming alters the genes to behave like embryonic stem cells and thereby avert immune rejection, although adverse effects could not be documented so far. Amniotic fluid stem cells- Researchers have documented the presence of stem cells in amniotic fluid (Where do stem cells come from?; Stem cells: What they are and what they do?). Scientists are using stem cell lines derived from the single stem cell. They are devoid of genetic defects and could be stored as well as used for various research purposes to get regenerative medicines for damaged or degenerated tissues through gene manipulation technique which aids in gene rating

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Strategic management - Essay Example In general, a case study on a particular business organization provides an in-depth analysis on its operation, structure, and situation. However, a study accomplishes more than just that by giving us a view of a company copes with the internal pressures and the external trends, challenges, and opportunity. This paper will focus on the case study entitled South African Beverages (SAB): Achieving Growth in the Global market. The main focus is to expose the central issues on the business organization’s alternative strategic directions. The case lays out the significant information that SAB needs to consider before it can make any strategically efficient choice. Looking closely, this wealth of information can either be classified as products of internal or environmental scanning. Internal scanning essentially looks at the vision, mission, objectives, structure, strategy, core competence, strengths and weaknesses of a company while environmental scanning refers to the analysis of t he external factors which affects the business organization such as opportunities, threats, trends, changes, and developments. Any strategic direction taken by SAB should always be in line with how it wants to see itself in the future and its strategic goals. The company’s vision is to be one of the top five brewers in the world. In terms of organizational structure, it is apparent that SAB is employing a decentralized strategy in managing its human resource.

Stem Cell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stem Cell - Research Paper Example The paper tells that cells with the ability to divide constantly as well as distinguish and extend into numerous cells and tissues of various kinds are known as stem cells. They are ‘blank’ cells as they do not display any precise physiological predisposition. With the onset of appropriate conditions, in vitro or in vivo, stem cells develop into focused tissues and organs as they are self-sufficient and replicate by the process of cell division, indicating that stem cells are biological entities prevalent in multicellular organisms. As stem cells possess distinctive eminence and research embraces an immense assurance for the management and cure of critical and unbearable ailments like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes and neurological as well as metabolic disorders, diseases related to hear, stroke, bone condition, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, as well as conditions like multiple sclerosis. Stem cells could also be grown to become new tis sue for use in transplant medicine. Research is being carried out across the world to decipher the underlying genetic and biochemical facts triggering stem cell delineation to new cells capable of repairing distorted tissues and organs. Stem cells pave the way towards understanding of various diseases and syndromes. Stem cells are promising resources to test the drugs and agents. Stem cells are pluripotent, i.e. capable of replicating into similar kind of cells or they are capable of specializing into any other specific tissue. There are various categories of stem cells: Embryonic stem cells- They are procured from the interior cells of the blastocyst. Fetal stem cells- They are procured from the germ line tissues of aborted fetus. Umbilical cord stem cells- Blood of the umbilical cord encompasses stem cells similar to the cells present in the bone marrow. Placenta derivative stem cells- Source of enormous stem cells. Adult stem cells- Numerous adult tissues also possess stem cells. These stem cells are harvested to rectify ailments or cloning tissues, organs, animals or humans or they may be harvested for gene-line engineering. The gene-line engineering aims to function towards disease resistance and functional improvement. Induced pluripotent cells- Through nuclear programming scientists have transformed adult cells into stem cells. Nuclear programming alters the genes to behave like embryonic stem cells and thereby avert immune rejection, although adverse effects could not be documented so far. Amniotic fluid stem cells- Researchers have documented the presence of stem cells in amniotic fluid (Where do stem cells come from?; Stem cells: What they are and what they do?). Scientists are using stem cell lines derived from the single stem cell. They are devoid of genetic defects and could be stored as well as used for various research purposes to get regenerative medicines for damaged or degenerated tissues through gene manipulation technique which aids in gene rating

Economic conditions Essay Example for Free

Economic conditions Essay In this essay I’m going to argue that social, political, or economic conditions cannot alter the nature and meaning of art, with specific reference to works of art from Baroque and Rococo epochs. Evaluating a work of art is always a complicated task. Since the perception of art and beauty is highly subjective, it’s hard to think of universal criteria to measure artistic qualities of a certain piece. However, there is a broad consensus among the critics that there are certain criteria they apply when judging an art work. It’s possible to focus on four main criteria to judge an art work. First and foremost, the piece should be aesthetically pleasing, i. e. correspond to the all-common notion of beauty. It should be harmonious and evoking positive, elevated feelings. While there is a trend among some contemporary artists to make their pieces arouse indignation and disgust with a view to delivering a certain message or merely astonishing the public, I strongly deem that art and aesthetics are inherently linked. For instance, a typical example of baroque sculpture St. Theresa in Ecstasy of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome created by Bernini is perfect in its form, since it captures the beauty and harmony together with motion and energy. Same is true about Rococo sculpture: looking at ‘Amour menacant’ created by Etienne Maurice Falconet, it’s impossible not to admire the high degree of sophistication and perfection the statue of the little angel embodies. The second criterion I’m going to use is quality of workmanship, i. e. the mastery of artists’ skills. Another criterion which is very important is the uniqueness of artists’ manner. Great artists stand out for the peculiarity of their individual style. Some of them prefer to pioneer new forms and techniques, yet this is not a prerequisite for creating a style of your own. Many talented artists don’t break away from the tradition but simply find their own niche within the existing patterns of expression. While some artists of the Baroque and Rococo epoch were considered rebellious, e. g. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, they didn’t violate basic rules of harmonious and aesthetically pleasing artistic expression. Jean-Honore Fragonard’s manner was also innovative in many instances, sine he introduced a delicate interplay of light and shadow as well as implicit eroticism into mainstream French painting, however he adhered to the generally accepted notion of what beauty and art are. Finally, the forth criterion is the message the piece is trying to send. Here it’s necessary to take into account the importance and relevance of the message as well as how successful the piece is in delivering it. Baroque and Rococo painters mainly focused on the depiction of mythological and religious scenes as well as the scenes from the daily life of the upper circles of society. While both themes that dominated the artistic discourse might seem to be detached from the real life, they served an important goal of educating the public about mythological and religious narratives or captured the spirit of their times through the portrayal of the privileged members of society The most persuasive proof of the thesis that social, political, or economic conditions cannot alter the nature and meaning of art is the fact that nowadays we still admire great works of art irrespective of the epoch they belong to.

Investigating Islamophobia in the Daily Mail

Investigating Islamophobia in the Daily Mail Islamophobia is defined in the dictionary as being: hatred or fear of Muslims or of their politics or culture. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th and the London 7/7 bombings amongst others, some say islamophobia within the media has increased significantly. This work intends to discuss the coverage of Muslims and the religion of Islam as a whole within the middle market newspaper The Daily Mail and explore whether publications such as the Mail are representing the Muslim race in a negative light. Ones interest in the subject matter involved is one that has derived from what is seen, amongst others, as bad journalism; middle market and tabloid newspapers inaccurately reporting issues concerning races such as Muslims. On a daily basis one can pick up a newspaper these days and spot numerous flaws, incorrect language or overall representation of a religion such as Islam. Also, a personal affliction or view in the area is the way in which Muslim communities within the UK are slowly being isolated and are being criticised collectively for the actions of a small population of the religion. When exploring the relationship between the modern West and the East, one should look upon the concept of Orientalism. Saids (1978) work draws on the concept of us and them: Orientalism is never far from what Denys Hay has called the idea of Europe, a collective notion identifying us Europeans as against all those non-Europeans (Said, 1978: 7). This notion refers to the historical manufacturing of Eastern beings as alien, the Other, by the West. It is the negative portrayal of extremist Islamic images within frameworks such as the Mail that progresses, as Halliday (1996)(remember reference for this!, see notebook [2]) suggests, this myth of confrontation that pardons the West of any need to excuse its enmity towards the East and religions such as Islam. Before this paper looks at effects of the theory of islamophobia, it is worth evaluating the polarity of the term itself. Whilst some could say the branding of the term can draw attention to the issue for positive means, further comprehensive literature on the subject and enquiries commissioned (e.g. 1997 Runnymede Trust, Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All), there is a flipside. Academics have inferred that this is just another, more refined form of new racism according to many sociologists. Sociologist Professor Gerard Delanty describes the use of the term islamophobia: It is rooted in mainstream hostility to migrant workers and asylum-seekers, and is based to a considerable degree on ethnocentrism and xenophobia à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ on ignorance and fear of the other' (Delanty: Conference, see notebook for full reference[1]). Delanty is saying here that the categorisation of the idiom of islamophobia could be creating a new form of acceptable racism. The UK media industry is said by some to be institutionally racist: This racism is rooted in the countrys imperial past, with feelings of racial superiority and crude nationalism now deeply embedded in the dominant culture. (Keeble, 2009: 175) 2 per cent of the NUJ membership was black, Asian and Arab in the first media-industry wide survey in 1995 by Anthony Delano and John Henningham. Comparing this alongside the national ethnic minority population percentage of 5.26 percent at the time, and it does speak volumes. My research will include a plan to address this view and explore how far or to what extent this reflects an islamophobic nature within newspapers such as The Daily Mail. However, to discuss how deep rooted this patriotism, or national feeling of superiority over other races goes would be discursive from the intended discussion of the titles topic. The role of a national newspaper such as the Mail needs to be highlighted to display the contextualising link between islamophobia and the public. The fact that a familiar newspaper offers a sense of identity and possible security to its regular readers is an important contextualising factor when considering questions of race and ideology. (Ferguson, 1998:175) Considering middle market newspapers such as The Daily Mail and Express along with the tabloids represent more than two thirds of the national daily readership figures (1997 survey: do footnote for this), this is a first base argument for explaining the negative (potential) effect of the press on the masses. A matter to take in to consideration is the recent resignation of Daily Star journalist Richard Peppiatt, on the grounds of the papers islamophobic content. Albeit a personal letter to the Daily Stars proprietor Richard Desmond, the letter highlights a wide range of anti-Islamic features in the everyday characteristics of national newspapers such as the Star and Mail and labels the former as anti-Muslim propaganda. The letter does refer to how closely the content of the Star is to the Mails through criticism of how the newspapers editors build a newspaper from cut-and-paste-jobs off the Daily Mail website. Where he admits to stirring up a bit of light-hearted Islamophobia himself on the basis that this was in his professional duties at the Star, his disapproval of this demonization is prevalent throughout. He refers to a story the paper published concerning the condemnation of taxpayer-funded Muslim-only public toilets: I was personally tasked with writing a gloating follow-up declaring our postmodern victory in blocking the non-existent Islamic cisterns of evil (Peppiatt, 2011). This could just be seen as one individuals personal attack on a proprietor and therefore not have much worth but it does relate to, and support the theory of institutional racism within the British media. For the proposed intentions of this paper, it is worth noting the presence of Muslims within Britain. In the 2001 UK Census the population of Muslims from all ethnic groups within Britain was just short of 1.6 million (insert reference to table of figures in appendices here). The age old argument from many anti-immigration supporters is that the Muslims within Britain do not attempt to immerse themselves within British culture or our way of life, owing to increased tensions between the two cultures. Figures show that nearly half (46.4%) of all British Muslims now living in England were born in the country. It could be said that those Muslims who came to the country as adults (first generation) are grateful for the chance to live in a more open society and therefore more willing to integrate themselves within our culture. The sooner Western societies such as Britain aid this process of integration with the likes of first generation Muslims, the better. As the younger (3rd and 4th) gen eration of Muslims born in England grows, we could see Muslim communities become increasingly ostracised due to young Muslims anger towards the role of the West in Muslim lands and issues such as islamophobia within the media becoming more customary. It is also worth presenting the PCC editorial guidelines with regards to discrimination: The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individuals race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability. The second part of the guideline refers to the details of those minority groups and how one should avoid inclusion (of those details) unless necessary to the story. The way in which newspapers such as the Daily Mail steer their content around these guidelines, in order to include xenophobic views will be explored later in the literature review. As this paper explores the surrounding themes of discrimination and false representation within the media and directs them towards the influence of a certain publication, it is important to draw from relevant history of the Daily Mail. Some would say the newspapers prejudice against religions such as Islam is a product of its deep-set DNA shown via the papers sympathetic views of Nazi Germany during the war period. The first joint proprietor and owner Lord Rothermere was known to be a friend and supporter of both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and praised the Nazi regimes accomplishments, which directed the Mails political stance and was consequently used as propaganda by them. Lord Rothermere published quotes such as: the minor misdeeds of individual Nazis would be submerged by the immense benefits the new regimes already bestowing on Germany (Rothermere, 1933), as well as printing headlines such as Hurrah for the Blackshirts (Mail, Jan 1934). The Mail was also sympathetic to Osw ald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. The support for this group was withdrawn after violence at a BUF rally in Kensington Olympia in 1934, which displays the potential harmful influence of newspapers on the masses. Muslims within Britain have struggled with issues of integration and racism ever since there was an increased focus of attention from the media on the Iranian Revolution of 1979 (Asad 1990, see references in muslim britain book). Television screens across the world showed three million people celebrating on the streets of Tehran when Ayatollah Khomeini, known for his support of hostage takers and his calling for the death of British citizen Salman Rushdie, came out of exile; a disconcerting image for most Westerners. The Salman Rushdie affair in 1989 demonstrated the degree to which the media and British Muslims who protested against the books (The Satanic Verses) publication became emotionally unhinged (Parekh 1992, see same book + ref) over the issue. The book deeply offended Muslims and ignited debate on blasphemy laws and freedom of speech. Other historical events have all played a part in what Huntingtons (1996) thesis describes as a clash of civilisations, these being: The Gulf War (1990-1), the genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1993-6), the Oklahoma bombing (1995), the Taliban in Afghanistan (1997-2002), Grozny and Kosovo (1999), the recent Palestinian Intifada (since September 2000) and the War on Iraq (2003) (Abbas 2005: 14). These events have and the media , some say (Huntington 1996) widened the gulf between East and West, Islam and Christianity and amplified the theory of Orientalism. (maybe do a little on September 11 attacks here) This paper intends to explore and discuss the different factors owing to the islamophobic content displayed in the Mail and how far it is damaging the representation of Muslim communities within Britain. It would be pointless to explain how islamophobic reporting increased or decreased over the past decade or so as it would be plain to see the increases in islamophobic content around the times of terrorist activities. One will analyse contributing factors such as the origins of islamophobia, the identification of islamophobic content, how closely does that content abide by editorial guidelines and the effect on Muslim communities through critical discussion of the topic and data analysis. The reason as to why one thinks this subject is important and would be of interest to others is the increasing multi-cultured population of Britain. As more ethnic minorities such as Muslims continue to live in Britain, increasing tensions towards people of a particular race can only put more strain on an already weak relationship with Muslim communities. The purpose of the paper is to critically evaluate and characterize publications, specifically The Daily Mail and its role in reinforcing or articulating racism, and in damaging ethnic cultural identities. The ways in which these issues are to be addressed and analysed will be explained through my research and its content analysis. Literature review The aim of this chapter is to identify themes relating to the title topic from previous published literature and critically analyse those premises. The intention here is not just to identify those relating themes, but to analyse, criticise, interpret and evaluate those themes in connection with supporting or opposing the underpinning arguments of this paper. Over the past decade or so there is has been an increase in the amount of writing, due to rising concerns from Muslims worldwide, explaining how discourses such as newspapers in Western media are misrepresenting ethnic minorities such as Muslims through presenting a negative image of Islam. My research will however focus on the Daily Mail in particular, portraying negative stereotypes, and the effects those portrayals have, on Muslim communities within Britain. In summary, this chapter will draw from prior literature and examine the complex structures and strategies of news reports and how they affect the interpretations of reade rs. How much does the role of publications such as the Mail play in the reproduction of racial and ethnic inequality in British society. Some of the earliest writing relating to British newspapers such as the Mail portraying Islam as a threat to Western interests comes from Teun van Dijks: Racism and the Press. The issue of immigration within British newspapers is one that allows anti-Muslim voices to be heard, subjectively criticising the rise in the multiculturalism of Britain: The Mail specifically focuses on alleged abuses of British hospitality, and calls for stricter immigration rules. It does not hesitate to publish, with apparent approval, overtly racist statements by right-wing politicians who claim that without further curbs on immigration Britain may become the worlds dustbin. (Van Dijk, 1991: 96) What Van Dijk is inferring is that through government policies concerning issues such as immigration, any right-wing anti-immigration views from politicians or people within the public eye will be published by the Mail with the noticeable support of the paper. Whilst highlighting the political stance and nationalistic nature of the publication, a defence for the paper would revert to free press every time. The earliest and most relevant research in this topic area has also been carried out by Teun Van Dijk. His work in the collection of empirical data surrounding the press and issues of race is a starting point for anybody analysing institutional islamophobic contents effect on British Muslims. Van Dijk started this foundational research in plain content analysis of British newspapers, analysing content such as the repetition of certain words used in headlines in attempt to rouse certain meanings from them. He describes the repetitive use of certain topics of discourse such as black and race and how they are dealt with by the press as semantic macro structures. These global, overall meaning structures of a text consist of a hierarchically arranged set of macro-propositions, which are derived from the meanings (propositions) of the sentences by way of macro-rules. These rules reduce the complex information of the text to its essential gist. (Van Dijk, 1991: 72) Van Dijk is correct in some ways in saying that the prevalence of such vocabulary would suggest that the discursive agenda of newspapers is entrenched in concerns with race. In his book Representing Race, Robert Ferguson agrees there are some uses of Van Dijks research: It would seem from this as though the media are enganged in an endless process of reproducing already existing prejudices and stereotypes. The extensive content analysis which was undertaken by Van Dijk also demonstrated that ethnic minorities and anti-racists are systematically associated with conflict, crime, intolerance and unreliability.' (Ferguson, 1998: 130) The flaws in Van Dijks research are that using empirical data, or strictly content analysis, to develop an understanding of representation can somewhat distort the power of ideology in newspapers text or framing. However, without being blatantly racist, newspapers such as the Mail through concepts of normality can still give strength to negative representations. (Maybe use this paragraph in methods) The detrimental representations of Muslim asylum seekers to Britain, in publications such as the Mail, are highlighted in Arun Kundnanis The End of Tolerance. Phrases such as we have to look after our own people first, a regular idiom in the Mail, gives strength to the inherent belief within Britain that we cannot satisfactorily provide for ourselves, never mind foreigners or them as well. Thanks to the opportunism of media and politicians, asylum seekers and migrants had been made in to potent symbols for the loss of a nation-state that once belonged to its people and afforded them certain privileges as citizens. (Kundnani, 2007: 65) This argument is stating that through newspapers persistence in covering issues of economy and well being, the Mail amongst others, tend to shift the blame of these national problems on to asylum seekers, from communities such as Muslims, for increasing the population and adding to pre-existing problems such as rises in unemployment. The only critique of this concept adding to the misrepresentation and islamophobic nature of the Mail, is that this problem spans over a huge area and is historically embedded within a nations way of thinking. My research aims to uncover the day to day anti-Islamic features of the Mail and expose the problems of intentional or institutional racism that could potentially be fixed. In some ways, previous literature has explained that events such as 9/11 and other Islam related terrorist activities give acceptance to emerging islamophobic voices or views within the media. Chris Allens chapter in Muslim Britain: Communities under pressure, highlights the enabling of publishing extreme right views on terrorists religions without backlash. In the wake of Baroness Thatchers condemnation of Muslim leaders in the Times, insisting that all Muslims as a homogeneous group should share responsibility for the attacks (4 October 2001). The Telegraph days later published an article entitled This War Is not about Terror, Its about Islam (7 October 2001). This article sought not only to praise Baroness Thatchers stance, but also confirm that Western fears were justified because some three-quarters of the worlds migrants in the last decade are said to have been Muslims (these) escapees, victims, scapegoats, malefactors and sleepers are awaiting their moment. (Allen, 2005: 61) Jonathan Birts chapter in Muslims in Britain also agrees with this post 9/11 islamophobic reaction from the press without simply analysing the textual content of a newspaper: After 9/11, the more prejudicial media comment portrayed British Muslim communities, and especially their young men, as a dangerous and unpatriotic fifth column, which were sympathetic to anti-West resistance and, indeed, the use of violent terror. Mass communications today shape and order these Islamophobic moral panics and the reactive defence to them. (Birt, 2009: 217) Here, we can see Birt is agreeing that post terrorist activities, the media is allowed to give a free press voice to racist views and opinions without fear of backlash from media regulators. The defect in analysing the islamophobic nature of publications such as the Mail surrounding terrorist actions is that it is to be expected. There is bound to be a bad press reaction to national identities and religious viewpoints, how far the negative portrayal of those identities goes without trepidation of media regulators punishment, is an issue that needs to be addressed. The British Journalism Review (March 2006) argues that the same harmful representation of Muslims within the media is the same for other terrorist groups such as the IRA. One can see similarities between views of Catholics from Ulster in the 1980s and Muslims today, that religious affiliations trumped all other affiliations: In Britain and the United States the popular line was that if you were a Catholic, you probably supported the IRA. Today, if you are a Muslim, the popular line is that you are probably anti-western or fundamentalist. This is not to say that journalism was and is responsible for these views, but rather that de-contextualised coverage did and does little to throw cold water on old stereotypes. The closest literature relating to the topic title comes from Elizabeth Pooles Reporting Islam: Media Representations of British Muslims. The book analyses the current situation regarding the image of Muslims by tracking the development of this form of new racism from earlier works. Poole says that the theme of immigration as a problem has now transferred to Muslims (van Dijk 1991), due to, as Lueg (1995) says a population explosion in the Middle East. British Muslims and their homogeny to other Muslims become the feared fifth column within (Runnymede Trust 1997). This combined with the discussion of numbers of people invading the country depicts aspirations of taking over the world, not seeking asylum. The combination of the hostile threat and movement of Islam promotes the idea that it needs to be managed in a way that allows varied prejudicial practices to continue (Poole, 2002: 47). What Poole is saying is that a plain dislike of the notion of Islam cannot be seen as the central feature of hostility towards Muslims. Attitudes to Muslims derive from a mixture of xenophobia and racism whereby newspapers such as the Mail can discuss or mainly criticise some of the practices of Islam without being seen to be unashamedly prejudice towards Muslims. Another adjoining piece of literature that many academics have drawn from when discussing this topic, is Edward Saids Covering Islam: How the media and the experts determine how we see the rest of the world (1981). Said argues that the siege of the American embassy in Iran in 1981 and its media coverage initiated an increased attention and portrayal of Islam with danger, militancy and anti-Western sentiment. The text examines the genesis and ramifications of the medias monolithic images of Islam and reveals the twisting of fact that underlies objective coverage of the Islamic world. Said says the application of a Western ideological framework or an ethnocentric way of seeing (Dahlgren and Chakrapani 1982: 45) has meant we see a domesticated Islamic world or those aspects considered to be newsworthy (Said 1981: 27). This has created a dichotomy between the West and Islam whereby the West is seen as judicious, civilized, developed and superior, and Islam as abnormal, undeveloped and in ferior. There are a small number of published journals that closely share the intentions of this paper. Diane Frosts Islamophobia: examining casual links between the media and race hate from below (2007) analyses the media reporting on recent and ongoing terrorist attacks in Britain and the effect on Muslim communities. The paper discusses islamophobic tendencies within British tabloids and their connections with government policies and violence that concerns religion. Whilst it highlights the medias promotion of moral panics such as problems of asylum and race, it is saying British tabloids breed on these moral panics, going further than the threat that is actually presented. Thus, the media have represented Muslims as a collective problem who threaten the very fabric of British society as supporters of al-Qaida and potential suicide bombers. They are the folk devils of the twenty first century (Diane Frost 2008 find out how to reference journal). It is worth noting that there are strong links between increased anti-terror legislation and other government measures and the way in which publications such as the Mail criminalise Muslim communities when reporting on such measures and legislation. This type of research will be considered in the methods section of the paper. Ian Hargreaves writes a piece in the New Statesman that demonstrates the negative coverage of immigration from the Mail in relation to fuelling racist attitudes. He says: It is not that I view with cynicism the Daily Mails efforts to achieve balance in its reporting of racial issues. Rather, I think the paper is misguided in discounting the encouragement its asylum coverage gives to racist sentiments (Hargreaves 2000). Reverting back to the theory that newspapers such as the Daily Mail have colonial instincts and an anti-foreigner viewpoint established within its DNA, Hargreaves is trying to say that these publications are not intending to be racist; they simply believe the types of stories concerning Islam being published are due to the public-interest factor. Christopher Allens journal discusses the dangerousness of the concept of Islamophobia in analytical relation with the findings of the Runnymede Trust Report (1997). The reports findings concluded that Islam is inherently seen as other to the West, reinforcing the them and us dualism. Taking this in to consideration, Allen says we should not be surprised to see such headlines as The Daily Mails offering, Fanatics with a death wish: I was born in Britain but I am a Muslim first. Here the Mail is merely reiterating those beliefs that are lodged at the heart of Islamophobia (Allen 2008: 4). The intention of this chapter was to identify underpinning theories, themes and issues published in previous literature in order for readers to understand the intentions of the research and findings that will be developed in the methods and data analysis. Methods and methodology This chapter will discuss the research that this paper will be carrying out, the reasons for using those methods and what results are to be expected. The most appropriate methods will be discussed along with their advantages and limitations, with ethical considerations ensured so that the data is collected in an ethical way. Previous research philosophy approaches to the medias role in the reproduction of racism are mainly content analytical; quantitative studies picking out the use of stereotypical words, phrases or images used when representing ethnic minorities (see, for example, Van Dijk 1991, 1997). This discourse analytical method systematically describes different structures and tactics of text in relation to a social or political framework. The method enables for the identification of focus on certain topics in a semantic analysis form as well as allowing examination of the overall organisation of news reports. Essentially this means discourse may thus be studied as the crucial interface between the social and cognitive dimensions of racism (Cottle 2000). So, publications such as the Mail as a discourse in the social practice of racism can be seen as a main source for peoples racist views/beliefs. According to Berger (1998: 23) content analysts assume that behavioural patterns, values and attitud es found in this material reflect and affect the behaviour, attitudes and values of the people who create the material. The advantages and reason as to why this paper will be adopting a similar style of research is there is no technology or major funds necessary and it has been known to lead to fundamental changes in the practices of an institution, profession and society as a whole. Another method of research that will be employed is that of conducting surveys to gauge the attitudes and opinions of Daily Mail readers on the subject of Islamic and Muslim issues. This will be cross referenced with readers of other newspapers to see if there is differing attitudes toward issues concerning Muslims, and of the role of The Daily Mail in these perceptions from people who read different newspapers. This intends to highlight the negative effect a newspaper has on readers views of a religion such as Islam and the race of Muslim. One could condemn this research method data saying the views of readers are only the views of the reader and not the publication, how far those views are affected by the discourse would be research that is virtually impossible, or not possible within the means of this author. (Explain the inductive approach to research with reference here) For the content analysis of the Daily Mails inciting of racial hatred, the content that will be analysed will be the amount of articles within a time period of 6 months the issue of Islam and Muslims is reported on in a negative manner. Albeit a personal opinion, a list of examples of this negative portrayal type of article is provided in the appendices. These are articles presenting Muslims and the religion of Islam as a problem and their difficulties with conflicting issues within British society. The research will compare the amount of times within a 6 month period these types of articles concerning Islam are presented in the Mail against how many times an article concerning the neo-Nazi anti-Muslim group The English Defence League (EDL) is shown. This will hope to demonstrate a correlation between increased amounts of Islamic coverage at a certain time with articles on/activities of the EDL. With regards to the questionnaires that will be collected, the scope and design need to be established. The scope or amount of participants that the research intends to gather are as follows; 150 readers of The Daily Mail and double that amount, 300 of readers of all other newspapers. As the research method employed to gather this amount of data means standing outside a busy newsagents (W H Smiths in Lime Street Station, Liverpool) and asking people who have bought newspapers to answer a short survey, to attempt to gather any more than that provided would be take a considerable amount of time and effort. As people are normally quite reluctant to take part in surveys due to time constraints the survey will not ask for some of the standard demographic information such as age; gender; nationality; ethnicity; religion etc. The questionnaire will ask what newspaper the participant reads, usually a quick and easy question to answer when the people who I will be asking have just recently bo ught a newspaper from the newsagents and will realise this is what my questionnaire is concerning. The questions will then be presented by me reading the statement and asking their opinion on that statement from a spectrum of answers, these being: strongly agree; agree; neutral; disagree and strongly disagree. This method does not force a yes or no answer that some participants may be reluctant to give considering the invasive nature of the questions. At the same time it could be considered to be avoiding leading questions. Where the participant may realise the questions are intended to produce certain types of generalisations so they would answer accordingly for the purposes of the research, they have some form of choice in which to express their opinions. These two forms of quantitative and qualitative research are used in order to arrive at a degree of triangulation when forming the findings and conclusions of the data collected. The two types of research methods that this paper will be employing will be that of content analysis within a theoretical framework and surveys conducted. The aim is to achieve a form of triangulation in which to infer meanings from when analysing and evaluating the collected data. Data, analysis and discussion Conclusion