Determinants of the Economic Development in Nepal Essay

Topic: Determinants of the economic development in Nepal Economics Definition A social science that studies, how individuals, governments, firms and nations make choices on allocating scarce resources to satisfy their unlimited wants. Economics can generally be broken down into: macroeconomics, which concentrates on the behavior of the aggregate economy; and microeconomics, which focuses on individual consumers. Developing countries / Lower developing countries A developing country, also called a lower-developed country (LDC) is a nation with a low living standard, undeveloped industrial base, and low Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries Countries with more advanced economies than other developing nations, but without the signs of a developed country, are categorized under the term newly industrialized countries Introduction to Nepal COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Nepal is a developing country with extensive tourist facilities, which vary widely in quality and price. The capital is Kathmandu. Nepal ended a ten-year Maoist insurgency in November 2006 and established an interim government in January 2007. Since that time, the major political parties have been unable to come to an agreement on a new constitution. This stalemate has created an environment of political uncertainty, however a caretaker government is in place and the major political parties continue to negotiate to resolve this constitutional crisis. Read the Department of State Fact Sheet on Nepal for additional information. Nepal, home to Mount Everest, is dominated by the world’s most imposing mountains. Although the country is relatively small (147,181 square kilometers), 80 percent of its territory is occupied by the dramatic peaks of the Himalayas. Nepal was closed to foreign visitors until 1951, a situation which contributed greatly to its mystique in the west. This small, hospitable country has since become an exceptionally popular destination for travelers, whether they are in search of climbing challenges or spiritual enlightenment. Geographical regions Nepal can be divided into three geographical regions, each stretching from east to west across the country. The southernmost strip of land, the Terai, is bordered to the north by Himalayan foothills and to the south by the Ganges River. The area was originally covered with tropical vegetation, but has been almost completely converted to agricultural production. The Terai is now the breadbasket of Nepal and is covered with farms. Nepal’s 18 million inhabitants belong to dozens of different ethnic groups. They can be divided roughly into Hindu peoples (who live mainly in the lowlands) and Buddhists, who live in mountain villages close to Tibet. Hindus, who make up 90 percent of the population, dominate political and religious life. But Buddhism has a special connection to Nepal: Siddhartha Gautama, who was later revered as the Buddha, was born in the Terai in 543 BC. Perhaps the most well-known Buddhist ethnic group are the Sherpa, who have long been associated with Himalayan mo untaineering expeditions. The vast majority of Nepal’s population makes a living from subsistence agriculture. Religion in Nepal Hinduism is practiced by about 81% of Nepalis, making it the country with the highest percentage of Hindu followers; Buddhism is linked historically with Nepal and is practiced by 9%, Islam by 4.4%, Kirat 3%, Christianity 1.4%, and animism 0.4% Historical Background The formal announcement of the establishment of the National Archives of Nepal was made in the year 1959, and after construction of the present building it officially opened its doors in 1967 under the then Ministry of Education and Culture. Its predecessor had been set up with the objective of managing and preserving the manuscripts and historical documents of Bir (or Durbar) Library, (a collection dating from 1900 belonging to the royal family) and furthering research and publication endeavors. Thus the former Durbar Library was renamed as the National Archives of Nepal. The National Archives of Nepal is prominently located within the premises of Singh Durbar (the central secretariat of the Government of Nepal) on Ramshah Path in Kathmandu. Functions †¢ To collect and preserve the nation’s wealth of archives for present and  future generations, †¢ To receive documents of record, or official copies of such, from government bodies and government-related agencies, †¢ To provide access facilities to researchers so that they may consult archival documents and to make available, upon request, duplicate copies of such material, †¢ To advise government bodies and government-related agencies on the safe-keeping of their records, †¢ To function as a public records management office for the Government of Nepal. Institutional Framework Since Nepal became a federal democratic republic in 2008, the National Archives has been under the Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Federal Affairs, Constituent Assembly, parliamentary affairs and Culture. Working Day & Hours The National Archives of Nepal is open from 10.00 AM to 4.00 PM from Sunday to Thursday (November to January), 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM from Sunday to Thursday (February to October) and 10.00 AM to 3.00 PM on Friday (all year round). Tourism in Nepal In 2008, 55.9% of the foreign visitors came from Asia (18.2% from India), while Western Europeans accounted for 27.5%, 7.6% were from North America, 3.2% from Australia and the Pacific Region, 2.6% from Eastern Europe, 1.5% from Central and South America, 0.3% from Africa and 1.4% from other countries. Foreign tourists visiting Nepal in 2008 stayed in the country for an average of 11.78 days As of 2010, 602,855 tourists visited Nepal Association with International Organizations Nepal is a member of two international organizations that are active in the fields of archival management and preservation. These include the International Council on Archives (ICA) and the South and West Asian Regional Branch of International Council on Archives (SWARBICA). Determinants of the Lower developing countries (NEPAL) * Capital Formation * Natural Resources * Social factors * Political * Unemployment * Education * Crime * Poverty * Authoritarianism * Violence * GIRL TRAFFICKING * ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Analysis on five major determinants Capital formation (annual % growth) in Nepal The Gross capital formation (annual % growth) in Nepal was last reported at -8.66 in 2011, according to a World Bank report published in 2012. Annual growth rate of gross capital formation is based on constant local currency. Aggregates are based on constant 2000 U.S. dollars. Gross capital formation (formerly gross domestic investment) consists of outlays on additions to the fixed assets of the economy plus net changes in the level of inventories. Fixed assets include land improvements (fences, ditches, drains, and so on); plant, machinery, and equipment purchases; and the construction of roads, railways, and the like, including schools, offices, hospitals, private residential dwellings, and commercial and industrial buildings. Inventories are stocks of goods held by firms to meet temporary or unexpected fluctuations in production or sales, and work in progress. According to the 1993 SNA, net acquisitions of valuables are also considered capital formation. This page includes a historical data chart, news and forecasts for Gross capital formation (annual % growth) in Nepal. Capital formation in Nepal is hugely depending upon the tourism. As Nepal is the house of Mountain Everest. But only from the tourism, Nepal cannot accumulate, the require capital for their country. People do not have the ability for the high volume of saving, due to low level of income/ wages. There are no financial institutes in Nepal to improve the financial position of the family. Due to the low level of saving and less capital formation ways Nepal is unable to be a developed country. Some capital formation ways in Nepal * The Nepal government has allowed Indian infrastructure major GMR to increase the authorized capital in its hydro power projects in Nepal to Rs 190 core while also extending its survey license by six months. * SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP)/EMBASSY LOCATION * Tourism if the one of the biggest way to increase capital in Nepal. * The biggest natural museum in the world in Nepal creates the revenue. Technology Nepal has been a late starter in modem science and technology. In pursuance of self- reliance, it developed technological capabilities in some specific areas such as agriculture, civil engineering, architecture, metallurgy, water management, medicine, textile and paper manufacture, dyeing and food technology. Its segregation for over a century, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution in the West and colonial spread in India, deprived the country from the advances in Technology elsewhere. After the beginning of democracy in 1950, the country embarked on the path of modernization. An initiation in Technology activities took place, along with the inception of a development plan, in 1956. The Technology sector received its due importance in development plan in the Sixth Plan (1980-85). Nepal’s new constitution, primal gated in 1990, has emphasized the importance of Technology clearly by including a Directive Principle to promote its advancement. Major Technology organizations, including a science academy, the Ministry for Science and Technology, and several research centers and institutions for higher education in science have evolved during last five decades. However, with the low ratio of S&T manpower (0.4 per 1, 000 population) and low R&D expenditure (0.35 per cent of GNP), Nepal faces terrifying challenges seeking political commitments with long-term vision and recognition of S&T as the strategic variable for overall national development. Technology backwardness lays a huge space in Nepal. People of Nepal still have the backwardness in their mind. As analyzing the technological progress in Nepal, we have come to know that there is neither invention nor innovation in Nepal, no improvement in the ways of communication levels. Very few people of Nepal know about the internet. Scientific research is almost zero in Nepal. Ass studying the economics, progress of the country depends upon the productivity and efficiency of the people but in Nepal there is a strong backwardness in the mind of the people. NATURAL RESOURCES IN NEPAL: Nepal is a small country but it is rich in Natural Resources. These natural resources are the gifts of the nature. Some of the important natural resources of Nepal are: Forest, Water, Soil or Land. FOREST Forest is one of the important natural resources. Different types of forests are found in different regions of Nepal. It occupies about 37% of the total land of Nepal. Forest is the source of all wood-based industries. Industries like paper, furniture and timber are based on the forest. Forests are rich in herbs. The herbs have medicinal values. Many medicines are made from these herbs. Timber and herbs are valuable natural resources. The value of timber and herbs is very high in the world market. There are many kinds of animals in the forests of Nepal. Forests provide food and shelter for these animals. Animals and birds add to the natural beauty of the country. People from many countries come to Nepal to see these beautiful birds and exotic wildlife. Many types of fruit and grasses grow in forests. People depend on them for their living and also to rear their livestock. WATER Water is the most important natural resource of Nepal. Nepal is rich in water resource. Nature has been very kind to us by providing us with unlimited supply of water. Nepal is the second richest in the water resources in the world after Brazil. Nepal is a landlocked country. So Nepal does not have access to the sea or oceans. But there are lots of rivers that flow from the Himalayas. When snow melts in the Himalayas, the glacier and rivers are formed. The rivers flow through the mountain regions to the Terai. The main rivers of Nepal are Mechi, Koshi, Narayani, Gandaki, Karnali and Mahakali. These rivers have several tributaries. In addition to these Kankai, Bagmati, Trishuli, Marshyangi, Seti, Rapti, Bheri and also important rivers of Nepal. The major hydro-electricity projects are: * Kaligandaki: 144MW * Marsyangdi: 75MW * Kulekhani I: 60MW * Bhote Koshi: 36MW * Khimti: 60MW * Kulekhani: 32MW LAND/SOIL Land is the other natural resource of Nepal. In Nepal most people depend on land. They do farming and earn their living from land. Land includes soil and minerals. The cultivable land in Nepal is about 17%. About 38% of the land is rocky and covered with snow. Soil is an important factor for agriculture. It is not possible for people and animals to live on earth without soil. The land in Terai is very fertile. It is good for agriculture. So, the productivity of Terai is very high. The terai region is the storehouse of food grains. It is called the green belt of Nepal. There are many hills and mountains in Nepal. The surface is rugged and sloppy in the hills. When rainfall is heavy the top soil of the hills is washed away. Then it causes landslides. So, the trees should be planted and conserved to protect soil in the hills. Plants are the only means to hold the soil tightly and to stop erosion. MINERALS Minerals like slate, stone, rock, coal, iron, copper, limestone, magnesite, mica and natural gas are natural resources. The marbles are made of rocks. Limestones are used in cement industries. Hetauda and Udaypur cement factories are the examples of such industries. Nepal is quite rich in mineral resources. Mineral deposits such as gold, mica, limestone, iron ore, copper are found in different parts of Nepal. Because of financial constraint and lack of technical and skilled manpower, progress in the field of mining is negligible. If we utilize the mineral  resources of Nepal properly, we can earn foreign currencies and people will get job opportunities also. The areas where minerals are found are as follows: 1. Copper: Buddha Khola (Bandipur), Gyari (Gorkha), Arghauli (Chisapani), Taplejung, Ilam, Baitadi, etc. 2. Iron: Ramechhap, Labdhi Khola, Pyuthan, Bhainse, Kulekhani, Bhutkhola, Phulchoki, Ghatkhola, etc. 3. Mica: Bhojpur, Chainpur, Lamjung, Dhankuta, Nuwakot, Sindhuligadhi, etc. 4. Limestone: Chovar (Kathmandu), Baise (Makawanpur), Udayapur. The biggest natural museum in the world Nepal covers a span of 147,181 sq. kilometers ranging from altitude of 70 meters to 8,848 meters. Mountains, mid hills, valleys and plains dominate the geography of landlocked Nepal that extends from the Himalayan range in the north to the Indo-Gangetic lowlands in south. Mt. Everest, the highest point of the Himalayas is in Nepal. Poverty Nepal has a high poverty rate. Large numbers of Nepalis lack health and sanitation facilities and are too thin and illiterate. Many people either have jobs that do not pay enough to survive or are unemployed. Death rates are high among children and people often cannot find sufficient housing. The country as a whole is struggling to develop economically. This means that the country needs appropriate and sustainable productive activities or more industry to provide jobs for the people. Unemployment As studying the Nepal we have came to know that the unemployment rate in Nepal is 46%. Cases of suicides and homicides associated with poverty have increased by 31% in Nepal according to a police report linked to the dramatic political and economic crisis experienced by the country last year. With an unemployment rate of 46% and an average income per capita of 1,300 U.S. dollars per year, Nepal is one of the poorest states in the world. According to World Bank data, about 55% of the population lives below the poverty line. Nowadays, this problem is a burning challenge in Nepal. Many people are unemployed in Nepal. The number of them is rapidly increasing. Therefore, it is a serious problem in Nepal. There are many causes of unemployment in Nepal. Nepal is an agro-based country. Firstly many people  are employed in agriculture, but now days it is a trend of leaving agriculture is increasing. People feel that agriculture is not economically beneficial. They go to towns to look for good job but they can’t get any job easily and become unemployed. Secondly, some educated people are extremely traditional. They think that educated people should not start simple job they stay at home being jobless. Thirdly, most of the students in Nepal are getting general education. They do not have apt knowledge and skill of technical and practical education. Fourthly, the job opportunity in Nepal is very limited. So the problems of unemployment produced criminal activities in Nepal. Education Modern education in Nepal began with the establishment of the first school in 1853; this school was only for the members of the ruling families and their courtiers. Schooling for the general people began only after 1951 when a popular movement ended the autocratic Rana family regime and initiated a democratic system. In the past 50 years, there has been a dramatic expansion of education facilities in the country. As a result, adult literacy (age 15+) of the country was reported to be 48.2% (female: 34.6%, male: 62.2%) in the Population Census, 2001, up from about 5% in 1952–54. Beginning from about 300 schools and two colleges with about 10,000 students in 1951, there now are 49,000 schools (including higher secondary), 415 colleges, five universities, and two academies of higher studies. Altogether 7.2 million students are enrolled in those schools and colleges who are served by more than 222,000 teachers. Education management, quality, relevance, and access are some of the critical issues of education in Nepal. Societal disparities based on gender, ethnicity, location, economic class, etc. are yet to be eliminated. Resource crunch has always been a problem in education. These problems have made the goal of education for all a challenge for the country. Education is the way that can change the backwardness in the mind of Nepalis. Education can take them to the glory of success and they will realize the things they have in their country. They are not using the resources they have in their country like natural museum, water resources, mountain resources, etc Conclusion & Suggestions Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and was listed as the eleventh poorest among 121 countries in 1989. Estimates of its per capita income for 1988 ranged from US$158 to US$180. Various factors contributed to the economic underdevelopment–including terrain, lack of resource endowment, landlocked position, lack of institutions for modernization, weak infrastructure, and a lack of policies conducive to development. The Nepalese rupee was linked to the Indian rupee. Since the late 1960s, the universal currency has been Nepalese, although as of 1991 Indian currency still was used as convertible currency. During the trade and transit dispute of 1989, however, Kathmandu made convertibility of the Indian rupee more difficult. Nepal suffered from an underdeveloped infrastructure. This problem was exacerbated by a weak public investment program and ineffective administrative services. Economic development plans sought to improve the infrastructure but were implemented at the expense of investment in direct production and resulted in a slow growth rate. Deforestation caused erosion and complicated cultivation, affecting the future productivity of agricultural lands. Although several laws to counter degradation had been enacted, the results were modest, and government plans for afforestation had not met their targets. The government also established the Timber Corporation of Nepal, the Fuelwood Corporation, and the Forest Products Development Board to harvest the forests in such a way that their degradation would be retarded. In 1988-89 the Fuelwood Corporation merged with the Timber Corporation of Nepal, but forest management through these and other government agencies had made very little progress. In FY 1989, more than 28,000 hectares were targeted for afforestation, but only approximately 23,000 hectares were afforested that year. Industry accounted for less than 20 percent of total GDP in the 1980s. Relatively small by international standards, most of the industries established in the 1950s and 1960s were developed with government protection. Traditional cottage industries, including basket-weaving as well as cotton fabric and edible oil production, comprised approximately 60 percent of industrial output; there also were efforts to develop cottage  industries to produce furniture, soap, and textiles. The remainder of industrial output came from modern industries, such as jute mills, cigarette factories, and cement plants. The most important mineral resources exploited were limestone for cement, clay, garnet, magnetite, and talc. Crude magnetite production declined from a high of approximately 63,200 tons in 1986 to approximately 28,000 tons in 1989; it was projected to decline further to 25,000 tons in 1990. Tourism was a major source of foreign exchange earnings. Especially since Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Sherpa in 1953, the Himalayas have attracted foreigners to Nepal. Mountaineering and hiking were of considerable interest as were rafting, canoeing, and hang gliding. Tourism was facilitated with the opening of airways to Kathmandu and other parts of the country and the easing of travel restrictions. Remittances by the Nepalese workforce employed overseas will remain an important source of income and economic growth. Nepal must strengthen the employability of its workers in better paying jobs outside the country. The World Bank is helping Nepal tackle the main growth constraints through a mix of analytical work, technical assistance, and lending. Nepal has benefited from the special trade and employment agreements with India. To increase productivity and derive the maximum benefit from international trade with both India and other countries, Nepal needs to: * Improve trade logistics, customs and tax procedures * Remove the anti-export favoritism * Undertake measures to increase competitiveness of Nepali products and make the country an attractive investment destination * If Nepal continues being prudent with fiscal management and focuses on investments into infrastructure and creating a political environment that is supportive for businesses, the country can achieve significant growth in the upcoming years.

Skiing Essay

A Day On The Slopes It’s not just for the wealthy anymore! Skiing has been getting more popular recently. People have the free time and money to go skiing more than ever. This is a downfall for somebody who has never skied and wants to be a part of the fun. There is a series of simple steps to complete before one can achieve their best at skiing. From proper attire, to the way you carve down the mountain, it boils down to a few critical steps. If these steps are completed there is nothing holding anybody back from being a successful skier.Lets start off with the basics; I always start by packing pajamas so I have a warm base layer. Then a long T-shirt, followed by a warm pair of socks to keep those toes warm. Socks might be the most crucial part since they will be buckled into ski boots the entire day. Next comes a jacket, ski pants, goggles and a preferably a helmet. If it is windy out, or if you are sensitive to cold air then think about wearing a ski mask to keep the facial area warm. This should cover the basic attire for a day on the slopes. Once you have all your gear set, its time to pick a trail.Now, there are four main types of trails; green circle, blue square, black diamond and then double black diamond. The green circle is the easiest trail and is recommended for beginners, but if a skier is feeling confident they should take their skills onto the blue squares on the mountain. These blue square trails will challenge a first time skier and push them to their full potential. There are a few types of specialty trails that beginners might want to watch out for. Trails called â€Å"glades† are narrow paths in the woods.These trails are made for experienced skiers, and this is where you can find some of the best conditions on a mountain. The next kind of trail to watch for is a terrain park. These trails are made famous for their massive ski jumps and handrails for skiers to â€Å"grind† on. For skiers wanting that extra excitement ou t of their trip might want to consider the terrain park. Now that the trail has been chosen, the subsequent step is to get down the mountain. When descending, keep two things in mind at all times, pizza and French fries.One might find this out of context but it has substantial effect on your speed and safety going down the mountain. Pizza refers to the shape that skis make when in the â€Å"slowing down position. † The tips of the skis will configure to make a triangle, a pizza slice like shape. This position is the safest way for a new skier to slow down. French fry denotes when skis are parallel. This style can be used when on a straightaway or when in full control. Be carful when utilizing the â€Å"French fry,† because speed can get the best of a skier in this position.Skiing is a peaceful activity, and when done correctly can be the best time of somebody’s life. One must consider a basic checklist of supplies to bring on a ski trip so they can make the most out of their experience. Knowing the trails is also crucial; nothing is better than being prepared. It takes some time to get passed the French fry and pizza phase of skiing, but beginners will catch on quickly if practiced with discipline. If all of these steps are correctly completed a new skier will be having a very memorable understanding of the ski slopes.

An Exegetical Essay On John Chapter 1 Religion Essay

An Exegetical Essay On John Chapter 1 Religion Essay INTRODUCTION Unlike the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John does not begin with the historical Jesus, instead, the author exalts his eternal existences over his earthly entrance into the world. The eternal existence of Jesus is perceived by the use of ‘Word’ (logos) in the prologue. Thus, the author begins his gospel with the words, ‘In the beginning was the Wordà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ John’s Gospel stresses on the deity of Jesus, he strikes the reader straight with the Greek ‘Word’ (Logos) as a replacement of Jesus until the end of the prologue. One could say that the understanding of this Gospel is centred on the ‘Word’ (logos) as a key affirmation of the entire Gospel. The prologue affirms that Jesus used the eternal ‘Word’ which has been translated from the Greek word (logos). In chapter (1:1-5) the author talked about the pre- existence, in (1:6-8) he elaborated on the witness of John the Baptist, in (1:9-13) he highlighted on the light coming to the worlds, in (1:14-18) he accounted on the incarnation of the Word. This prologue is specially or specifically designed to prepare the way for the evidence of the doings of no ordinary person but Jesus Christ. This paper is an attempt to exegete the passage of (John 1:1-18). The Pre-existence Word (1:1-5) The commencement of this Gospel as stated, ‘in the beginning was the word’ has something to do with (Genesis 1:1). John was trying to say that Jesus Christ was in the beginning and He was the ‘Word’ which existed in the beginning before creation or before the world began and ‘was fully God’ (John 1:1-3). Jesus is indeed the creator, sustainer of all belongings, our source of living and the establishment of eternal life. To understand this concept one must commence with the Father-Son relationship which is the central revelation of John’s Gospel and also the key to understand the sayings and deeds of Christ Jesus (17:5, 24). Extensively, this term (logos) which has a meaning in English as â€Å"the Word† was used in Greek literature or theologians and philosophers; among them were the ‘Stoics who used the term to describe the principle of divine reason which caused the natural creature to grow.’   [ 1 ]   Philo of Alexander was the mastermind of this idea in his writings and maintained it as an instrument of the world creation. There are dissimilarities between the usage of the ‘Word’ by John and Philo. In the mind of Philo, he by no means consider the ‘Word’ as a person and he did not maintain its pre-existence, he denied the incarnation of the ‘Word’ which is known as Jesus. But in Johns mind the ‘Word’ was maintained and became ‘flesh.’ This points to Jesus Christ who came to save humanity and dwell among them. One could say the fifth verse of this chapter shows the compassion of the auth or as a beloved disciple and an eyewitness of Jesus who is trying to communicate the good news to the Jews, Greek philosophers and all kinds of people from generation to generation in his writings. Here John declares that Jesus Christ is the true light, who shines in the darkness, but the darkness which can be translated as sinful man ‘has not understood it.’ The better understandings of this verse rely on (verse10-11).   [ 2 ]

The Murder of President John F. Kennedy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Murder of President John F. Kennedy - Essay Example Although, many of them surfaced with slanted hypotheses and responses, there has been no exact ending of the assassination of JFK. In the course of their studies however, they have significantly subjected the way the Americans think what had occurred during the JFK murder through their prejudiced interpretation similarly. Past sequence of events whether published or in cinema cover same the features - as they all are prone to the analyses of the history writers; the explanations of the whole story and incidents; naming of the hero and villain; and they all are predisposed to the common reception of the public. That's why, any sequential part of storyline is helpless without a hodgepodge of representation (or the communication) and the reception (of the communication) by the public. In its place there are some logicians who are vigilantly prejudiced in the curiosity of the psyche of the publics. Therefore these theorists are more worried about the past exactness and portrayals of the historical incidents - they are the same who consider themselves that are in charge of bearing a "great civilization" to the next generations. The countless films and published stuff created by them not only have created the resources of knowledge of the past but also a support to accept the incidents they present as our right inheritance. They maybe named themselves as the "makers" of narrative accounts but how do we evaluate their alleged "genuineness" One of the leading ways to evaluate is to study expert views regarding a specific event and then ponder on the end results of it. For instance, in Mark C. Carnes (1995) "Past Imperfect", the author summarized this very reality by spelling out a variety of past episodes evaluated by professional views. He interviewed sixty two renow ned historians, press, and other establishment to remark on past movies that pat upon their field of skills. Convinced that past movies have become "a great storage area of past awareness in this U.S. of Amnesia," these professionals evaluate the movies' past exactness and scrutinize how their portrayals of past incidents and figures compare with modern historiography. However, through the professional views one can not only evaluate of the accuracy of the specifics represented in "selective past papers" but also whether the exact representation had strayed the interviewer's insight too. As said by Carla Rahn (Mark 1995, p. 60), though many academics have pursued the past stature of Christopher Columbus yet only the 1949 movie version by Frederic March looks like to fit the whole story relating to his personal life. In history movies therefore, past exactness is evaluated by the change in literary incident, transcendence of the legend into myth, analysis of the history as well as the strength of the history that may make the reality. Even though it's an observable fact that people who are not au fait with the history are liable to trust history writers to wean past information so as to re-enact the specifics and incidents (p. 64). Take the incident of JFK's murder for instance; several would believe that, Lee Harvey Oswald, is a psychopath and a nuts held guilty for JFK's shooting while there are others who are significant of the whole story and experiences adjoining the shooting. As David Lubin

Instruments and Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Week 5 dq Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 5 dq - Assignment Example   policy  management  direct  system  and the significant roles of  rational  capital  or knowledge of  administration  in organizational  commerce  process  are some of the measures used in strategic control  process.  Balanced scorecard  is used  to align company behaviors to the vision and  policy  of the company, improve internal and  peripheral  communications, and  examine  organization  activities against planned targets (Nooreklit, 2000). The change of  policy  into its  application  is beginning by comprehending the obstacles or difficulties in the process of policy execution. This  context  illustrates how  strategy  formulation is  vital  in every company. Strategic management deals with the  essential  planned  direction  of the  business  in terms of its  association  with its environment. It  is centered  on the company as a whole and could  stress  the  lasting  procedures like the return on savings and alterations in shareholder significance. Policy  control  metrics may be classified as regarding either  peripheral  value or  internal  competence. Flexibility overlies these classifications. It links to  effectiveness  and  competence  (Nooreklit, 2000). Hence, a company must be peripherally flexible in reacting to altering  consumer  needs and internally supple in reordering its organizational arrangements and retraining workers. Internal  competence  measures include cycle time, production and waste. Policy controls may be used as a method of explaining what excellent performance is, making  clear  the trade-offs connecting profit and savings and introducing  persona l  stretch goals. The reason why measures used in planned controlled control  procedure  is  necessary  is because it gives the company a sense of direction. Although objectives, functional tactics, and action  item  are included  in  several  implementation plans, a number of organizations have a  difficult  time reflecting the plans they  create. This is because some organizations

The changing scenarios of the oil market in the Azerbaijan Republic Essay

The changing scenarios of the oil market in the Azerbaijan Republic - Essay Example I also give thanks to Mr. Aydin M. Gashimov, Stakeholder Investment and Reporting Manager in BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited, who answered all my questions without hesitation. Mr. Iohan Heiberg, Vice-president of Statoil Azerbaijan, and Mr. Redjeb Akhsulu, General Manager of Shell Azerbaijan Exploration and Production B.V. who also contributed with his very useful comments. The recent growing demand for oil around the globe has seen oil prices remain quite unpredictable. Most of the world economies are dependent on oil; hence, any fluctuations in its price have a direct impact on the cost of essential goods and services. Nevertheless, energy prices have been skyrocketing, presenting fresh day-to-day challenges to organizations and compelling them to adjust their strategies accordingly in order to minimize the adverse consequences. The following chapter reviews past works of research conducted by other researchers in order to support the secondary research methodology used in this dissertation. The literature review is divided into four areas of research. The PESTEL [Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental and Legal (factors)] model of analysis will be employed in order improve the structure of investigation and highlight pertinent issues. PESTEL is a strategic planning tool that helps a company to view the scope of the market beyond its limits. The analysis is an important reminder to an organization in situations where the organization is focused only on internal matters at the expense of external forces that directly and indirectly affect it and may have profound consequences on it. Managers of organizations have to visualize the factors that have the highest probability of changing and those that affect them most. These factors vary in different environments. In doing the PESTEL analysis, managers have to decide on the various aspects of the model by considering their relative importance. One

Case Study Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study Report - Essay Example alue of the Napster brand, and our revenues could suffer if we are not able to maintain its high level of recognition in the digital music sector and c) We may not successfully develop new products and services† (Napster, 2010). These have been chosen from the list as provided in the case. A set of recommendations have been set out for the company based on the above mentioned risks. Firstly, to improve the customer retention and to use churn models along with customer relationship marketing to reduce the customer attrition to a great extent. Secondly, it is advisable that the company considers a brand extension to be able to keep up their market position and brand image. Napster has brought about a new brand and a very useful programme for friends and family to share music online in a simpler and effective manner. The company was started in 1998 and 1999 by a young Shawn Fanning and the system was then known as Peer to Peer. Although the company only operates within United States, the company was a big hit among the customers and there was a clear interest in people across the world as this was a very effective way of sharing music online. However, the success of the company was short lived and the company was faced with a number of lawsuits by the recording companies and others. The main aim of this paper however is to focus on the marketing techniques and marketing mix of the company and to assess the company’s marketing mix. The paper will deal with each of the 7 P’s of marketing and will evaluate the company’s performance based on the same. Also the paper will develop strategies for the company to be able to deal with the perceived risks and will help provide recommendations to the company. The next section will deal with the evaluation of the marketing mix used by the company. The aim of this section is to discuss the 7 P’s of marketing and the position of Napster in the markets based on the 7 Ps. The section provides a clear analysis of the

Maternal bonding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Maternal bonding - Essay Example According to Sosa (1980, pg. 1), â€Å"The human maternal infant bond starts early in pregnancy, has a tendency to strengthen as the child grows older and is affected by numerous factors (see Figure 6). At the present time, data to support the existence of a sensitive period in the human species are inconclusive. Although a majority of mothers feel a sense of belonging to their infants immediately after birth, in some mothers this sense of intimacy commences at a later time. McFarland has pointed out that normal women become attached to their infants at different intervals of time: 41% during pregnancy, 24% at birth, 27% during the first week of life, and the remaining 8% after the first week of life.† The behavior of mothers is influenced by a number of factors. These can include, but are not limited to, the way in which the mother was raised, social and economic conditions, cultural beliefs, parental relationships with the mother’s own parents, and pregnancy experiences to date. The human baby is unable to care for himself, unlike many other animal species. This means that it is up to the mother to extensively care for her infant in order for it to survive. Thankfully, both the mother and the baby have been shown in studies to be ready to interact shortly after birth. Furthermore, the human infant has been shown to be able to interact socially and have far more other abilities than what was previously thought. For instance, the human infant has been shown to interact with his mother via visual and audio stimuli, such as eye contact and turning the head towards the breast (Sosa, 1980). The cultural and traditional beliefs in the area in which a mother resides can influence the behavior between her and her infant. Most cultures consider the birth of an infant a happy event and accept it as a regular part of life. Furthermore, studies show that mothers and babies remain close throughout both infancy and early childhood. Even throughout

Internet Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internet Marketing Report - Essay Example They only achieved to reach 100.000 paying customers which represented revenue of $15 million in 2002. It is nothing compared to the millions of users who roam the web daily in search of new music content. Nevertheless, rapidly the music industry understood that the Internet is not actually the enemy, but a new, alternative, means of music distribution and that this new vehicle will grow over time. Thus the need for each member of the industry to implement on the Internet and to make its artists available as the forecasts predict that the Internet will represent 20 percent of the music business by 2007. One of the major competitive advantages of the internet over the traditional music CD sales is the number of titles available. For example in a Virgin Megastore you can find around 100.000 titles. On the internet, even a small provider such as CDnow offers over 200.000 CDs. In consequence, several record labels have decided to offer their entire song catalog online. Finally, the music industry also understood that the price would be an issue especially because you can get all the songs for free. This is the main reason why Sony and Universal Music for example, decided to lower their prices to 99 cents the single download. Even though, the market analysts remain skeptical regarding the users' shift from free to single fee music. However, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) claims that with more awareness of the legal threats of downloading music without paying any right to either the artists or the labels and to the poor quality of pirated music files, the customers will ultimately chose the single fee option, especially since portable devices such as the Ipod are designed to be fully compatible to the online distribution and guarantee a high sound quality. An evaluation of different positioning of existing players (competitors) within the marketplace Today there are 4 major websites - each one of them connected to one or several of the "Big Five" of the music industry (five record labels which are the global giants in the music industry: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Group, Warner Brothers Music, BMG Entertainment) - which are leading the market of downloadable music on the Internet: iTunes Music Store, MusicMatch, Napster and Rhapsoy. Each one of these websites is associated to a larger company: iTunes with Apple, MusicMatch with Yahoo, Rhapsody with Real and Napster with the RIAA and offers to the customer an application that can be used on the pc to download and read the music files and this application can also be adapted to the portable device in order to directly download the music file "to go". This meaning that the competitive forces - Bargaining power of suppliers, Bargaining power of buyers, Barriers to entry, Threat of substitute, Rivalry among existing competitors - that were driving the traditional music industry have changed: bargaining power of suppliers decreased as it is now possible for the artists to go online with their own music without having to pass through the old channels of distributions, bargaining power of buyers has largely increased as it is possible for them to get music for free and thus the record companies have to align in order to offer good

Importance of Early Childhood Education Essay Example for Free

Importance of Early Childhood Education Essay With the economy currently in such a terrible position now it is’s no wonder why that people everywhere are being laid off, and companies around both the country and the world are jobs are laying off and choosing to keep staff to a minimum. Unfortunately, the positions that are kept are held by those who have the educational background that has essentially securedd their position from the beginning. There once was a time where an individual could apply for a job and their lack of educational experience was not held against them, but. N now, it seems as if there are extremely few reputable jobs are ooffered where only a high school diploma and some college is sufficient. But However, the economy is not who shouldto be blamed. The question instead that we should be asking that should be asked is, â€Å"where does it start? † Although it is understood that education is needed to surpass stay ahead throughout our lifeves, the importance of early education is frequently overlooked. Childhood education, as in Pre-Kindergarten thru fifth grade, is not about learning the simple or basic parts of education, but instead rather itsis about introducing young children’s minds to new and more complex things that will prepare them for a successful future. Some may choose to believe that pushing a child to learn a multitude of things at a young age would be considered cruel. Some may also believe that spending too much time learning would take away a child’s â€Å"childhood,† and that children should be allowed to stay children for as long as possible. , and should be allowed to play as much as possible. On theWhile the importance of imaginative play is alsovery important,contrary, if you were to analyzeing the circumstances it makes it would be clear as to why so many children have chosen a path of uncertainty in education. For example, take a five year old child who is being introduced to school for the first time. He or she would learn the basics; counting, coloring, reciting the ABC’s. Now take a child who has been introduced to a pre school program (normally around the age of four) as similar to that ofin First Step or Head Start. By the time that child will have entered into Kindergarten he/ or she will have already been introduced to a level of learning that is above any child that has not take advantage advantage of early learning programs. Thise will enable them to excel above their classmates. Children’s minds are truly like sponges; when a child is still young their mind’s this should be the time when their minds sshould be â€Å"crammed† with an abundance of knowledge. Sean Brotherson, a family science specialist, gives the example of a child’s brain being like a house that has just been built. He says, the walls are up and the doors are hung. You bring supplies to the new house and set them on the floor, but they will not work until everything is wired and hooked up. He goes on to explains, â€Å"wWhileexplain, â€Å"while learning later is possible, it usually is slower and more difficult. Some improvement in most skills is possible throughout life. However, providing children with the best opportunity for learning and growth during the periods when their minds are most ready to absorb new information is important†. From the time a child is born he/she is learning. A disinterest in learning at an early age is something that may follow him or her throughoutu their school age life, and is something that can haunt them for their entire lives and may hinder their ability to succeed in the real world. If a child shows no interest in adding and subtracting from the very beginning, it’s is often likely that child will continue thru school disliking Mmath throughout school. . and that This is something that can hold a child back from their potential. It also started at a young age. Children need to believe that learning is fun and, at the right age, is something that can help them progress farther. in life. In most Pre-Kindergarten classes in the United States, children are being taught to button their clothes, tie their shoes, or count to ten, and introduced to letters and shapes for the first time. These are all good tools to learn, just not in school. If you were to look at schools in other countries, they are far beyond what the U. S. is teaching our Preschoolers. Elaine Wu, with The Kapi’o Newspress, did an article on the failing education in the U. S. She found that according to a study done by UNICEF, the U. S. was failing when it came to international education rankings. Studies showed that other nations in the â€Å"developed† world had a more effective education systemsmore effective education systems. How wrong could it be to give our children a little more to think about, or giving them a problem that may take a little longer to solve?. Being that the children that attended my hHigh sSchool were approximately 75% mMilitary â€Å"brats,† it wasn’t not rare to have a new kid transfer in. There were kids from all places over the world but the ones that stood out were the ones from different countries. I took special interest in where they came from, but what interested me more was the fact that they were being placed into mostly advanceds classes. So with that curiosity I would start a conversation, usually beginning with â€Å"where are you from†? aAnd usually often times they were from another country or from somewhere where education was an important factor in their community. I am now 26 years old and am finally deciding to finish school. Things like what I just described makes me wonder about the course my life has taken. ifIf I had beenwere pushed into the books and encouraged to learn when I was younger would my outcome in school be different?. Here is another example. I look at my I have a fourteen year old nephew who is now in 9th grade. He is a straight A student and plays basketball (coincidently at my same high school). His grades are monitored by his parents but the transition wasn’t was not always easy. He came from New Orleans, Louisiana, where he lived with his mother. New , whichOrleans has one of the worst school systems in America so his early education was a struggle. When he moved to Hampton, trying to get him to open a book and study was next to impossible but. Wwith a lot of perseverance he now knows how important school is and where it can take you. But imagine if he had beenwas excited to learn from the beginning. If he had been given the opportunity, the transition may have been easier. I am now 26 years old and am finally deciding to finish school. Things like what I just described makes me wonder about the course my life has taken. If I had been pushed into the books and encouraged to learn when I was younger, would my outcome in school be different? I don’t expect society’s children to be building rocket ships at the age of eight. But putting more thought in to teaching children things that broaden their minds wouldn’t be such a bad thing. WWork Cited Brotherson, Sean. â€Å"Growth of the Mind†. Online posting. August 2001. www. nbsu. com Wu, Elaine. â€Å"Failing America†. Kapi’o Newspress. 25 April 2001 .

Lack of Flexibility with Employees Essay Example for Free

Lack of Flexibility with Employees Essay One of the main reasons that the company William Beckett Co needs to have a flexible work force is a factor that we have already spoken about which is the increase of work for the company that has happened in the last few years, which has created a few problems for them in most parts of the business. The other major factor that requires the company to have a flexible works force is the job rotation strategy that I have also mentioned earlier. This can only work if the employees themselves have the skills and abilities to actually perform this different jobs otherwise the whole thing will break down. If the employees dont have the right skills and abilities then the process is pointless and costly to the company as the workers would be very ineffective to produce the same standard of work that the other employees produce as they have been trained to do this. Although many view employee training as a necessary evil and expense that must be tolerated, a well designed training program pays for itself and increases the bottom line. Such a program teaches new employees to do it right the first time, thus minimizing down time, equipment damage, and personal injury while maximizing productivity and profits http://pages.prodigy. net/pblair/ttthome. htm (technical training tips) To help control the increasing level of work that the company has, they would need a flexible workforce who could move around to different areas in the company to help out with the work in order to create some stability of the work that is coming in and the work that is being completed. This would allow the company to deal with the influx of work, help the productivity of the company and even help with the motivation of the employees, whilst maintaining the impressive level of sales. As the company is over run with business, they are in need of more staff to handle the amount of work which they are generating. So the director employees a new sales administrator to help with the situation. The problem is that the person he has employed is a friend of his so he has had no formal interview or application. After a while the man redefines his own job to sales representative as he is more experienced at doing this job as he knows more about this side of the company than the administration side. The director had employed his friend to do a job he is not really qualified or able to do. I believe that the company needs to set up a human resource department which would be able to deal with the recruitment of new employees for the company. The problems with recruiting employees who are not able to do the job are that the will not be able to complete jobs on time or to a high standard of quality, which also means that productivity will be affect and the employee himself will be unhappy as he isnt able to perform the duties in his job specification. Once the HR department is setup the managers will be able to move some of their tasks over to them like recruitment, appraisals, motivational and training. As the directors are struggling to do this now the only solution would be to set up the Hr department as soon as possible. The training needs are needed throughout the company, this is due to the fact that the company has grown rapidly and the fact that the company has invested in a new range of technologies to keep them up to date with their competitors and the changes in the market. I have identified certain areas that need improving with the management which are leadership training, interpersonal relationships need to be worked on and they also need to be able to delegate tasks and responsibility. The interpersonal skills when the one to one trainer has to exercise are described by Megginson and Boydell (1979) as being similar to those required by the skilful counsellor page 229 of the theory and practice of training, 4th edition by Roger Buckley and Jim Caple. The results of this should be an increase in productivity and an improvement in sales. They could also develop their own internal learning programme as they dont have a lot of time to send them away from the company for a long time as they are so busy. The lower level staff need new training as they will not be able to work effectively enough with the new technologies as they will not be familiar with it compared to the old equipment they were familiar with. The areas that they will need to be trained on are their team working abilities, stress and pressure courses, good communication and motivation skills and theories. This should help the employees to work together as a team which will help morale and productivity as a team that are working together and are happy will be a great asset to the company.

The Washington And Post Washington Consensus

The Washington And Post Washington Consensus Abstract The present term paper is an attempt to explore and put forth the theoretical exposition of the two major development paradigms the market-oriented and the state-cum-market centric development models, plausibly portrayed in terms of what is often phrased as the Washington Consensus and the Post-Washington Consensus. These discourses must not be only analysed keeping in mind the benefits and costs of the implementing the policy prescriptions advocated by these two sets of development paradigms in different economies over the years, but at the same time its long-term effects on the individual economies, be at the centre or periphery, and the repercussion effects of any alteration in economic variables in one country on the other as a consequence of openness of economies, while pursuing the universal policies, granted for the fact that today we believe the world no less than a global village where the governance concept has modified radically over the last a few decades at the behest o f the key Bretton Woods institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The development discourse must also account for the individual capability and capacity of countries to absorb the economic policies in the development agenda of individual countries in question, as put forth by these institutions. Naturally enough, the failure of the sound theoretical programs would invite criticisms, at least because it has worked unevenly in almost every country trying to employ these policies and unfortunately there are no dearth of evidences from all corners of the globe to prove that the universal policy design uniformly for all countries, in order to bring about meaningful economic development globally has actually failed or at least been partly successful. The overall idea is to make an insight into the Washington Consensus and the Post-Washington Consensus and evaluating to what extent any scrutiny for these policies could be hence put forward. Introduction The economic development discourse of nations had been under constant influence of the economic ideology prevailing in particular nations at any point in time. The economic history of nations itself suggests that how we have witnessed the changing development paradigms have evolved after the Second World War in 1944-45, primarily seen as the deliberate developmental assistance to the war-affected nations. The focus used to be mainly the need to correct market failure through command and control mechanism through various state-oriented developmental strategies and economic programmes like the import substitution industrialisation policy for the promotion of indigenous industries for better comparative advantage in production and exchange, financial repression etc. But the decade of 70s precisely late 70s, apparently proved the defects and malfunctioning of the centrally planned economies. The two major oil shocks, first in 1973 and the next in 1979 put the greatest challenge before th e policy makers and development economists, which completely destabilised the global economy along with many other politico-economic developments around the world. This would be clear in the following excerpts. The 1980s were a hell of a decade. They began with the reverberations of the second OPEC oil shock. They ended with the fall of the Berlin wall. In between, we had the Reagan-Thatcher-Kohl economic policy era in North America and Europe, the Volcker interest rate shock, the Latin American debt crisis, collapse in Africa, the start of rapid growth in China and in India, and on and on. Oh, and by the way, in 1989 John Williamson coined the term Washington Consensus (Williamson, 1990:3) It became a questionable affair to challenge the efficacy of how far government policies can actually benefit or harm the economic environment. This tendency of statist model inevitably led to emergence of an alternative theory of development fundamentally rests on the assumptions of the neo-classical model of a free-market enterprise economy. The Washington Consensus per se is primarily affiliated to this school of economic thought, which states for the minimal role of the state in carrying out economic activity. That is governments should limit their interferences in the economy, only to maintain macroeconomic stability and to secure law and order and provision of public goods. In other words, the Washington Consensus is the market-centered strategy designed to counter the ill-effects of excessive state intervention in the economy, under the aegis of World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which claimed to provide a universal mechanism for the efficient allocation of economic resources and promoter of economic growth world wide. However, the validity of Washington Consensus was under strict scrutiny for not fulfilling its much hyped economic policies and soon criticised for its failure. At this preliminary level, it is important to introduce the other parallel but pole opposite of Washington Consensus, that is, the emergence of the Post-Washington Consensus in mid-1990s, which advocates for a mixed-blend of interventionist and market strategy for better economic development of nations, granted a few conditions of the Washington Consensus like the trade liberalization to be continued along with deliberate state intervention in the economic affairs. The Pros and Cons of the Washington Consensus The Washington Consensus, sometimes synonymously used as the set of neo-liberal economic policies or a universal policy package was originally designed by the key Bretton Woods institutions like World Bank and IMF, to restore economic growth and to correct the balance of payments crises or the debt crises and hyper-inflation kind of situation facing the Latin American countries, such as Argentina and Mexico. The term Washington Consensus was coined and formulated by John Williamson in 1989 at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in the US. According to Nobel Laureate in Economics in the year 2001, Joseph E. Stiglitz, The Washington Consensus policies, however, were based on a simple model of market economy, the competitive equilibrium model, in which Adam Smiths invisible hand works, and works perfectly. Because in this model, there is no need for the government that is, free, unfettered, liberal markets work perfectly the Washington Consensus policies are sometimes referred to as neo-liberal based on market fundamentalism, a resuscitation of the laissez-faire policies that were popular in some circles in the nineteenth century (Stiglitz, 2002: 74). This neo-liberal orthodoxy prevailed over the entire global economy from the beginning of the late 1970s to the mid of 1990s irrespective of the nature and extent of economic growth parameters in different countries. The set of policy prescription was purely of market-oriented model of economic growth. This policy package eventually effectuated in what is better known as the Structural Adjustment Policy (SAP) of the World Bank and the IMF to help countries get rid of debt-crises aftermath of the oil shock of 1979 from the sharp decrease in the primary commodities prices and increasing interest rates, the World Bank and the IMF put forward conditionalities in order to receive credits or financial assistance from these institutions basically to the governments of the developing countries. Therefore, stable macroeconomic policies, outward orientation, and free-market capitalism became the central instruments of the Washington Consensus. In other words, the three big ideas underlying these reforms as Williamson asserts are: The macroeconomic discipline, a market economy, and openness to the world. The first three reforms are, so far as I am aware, widely accepted among economists (Williamson, 2000: 251). Williamson also provided a more specific list of ten policy areas or tenets of that could be used to characterize the consensus as listed below: (1) fiscal discipline, (2) redirection of public expenditure toward the areas of education, health, and infrastructure, (3) tax reform, (4) interest-rate liberalization, (5) competitive exchange rates, (6) trade liberalization, (7) liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment, (8) privatization, (9) deregulation, and (10) secure property rights (Williamson 1990). We can say that all these reforms fundamentally rest on the premises of the neo-classical paradigm that supports the laizzez-faire doctrine as panacea for all economic problems in a capitalist economy. Therefore, the whole concern was through following these policy package, the markets could be freely allowed to take its own course in order to set the prices right, which comes from the essence of free trade as a major component of the Washington Consensus. The widespread and often excessive state intervention was being seen as the making the economy weak and therefore it was contended that imperfect markets are better than imperfect states. Giving the logical corollary to prove this point, Lal (1983: 63-64) at different occasions asserted that The cost of government failures arising from the rent-seeking and price distortions associated with excessive protectionism would always outweigh market failures associated mostly with imperfect competition an under-provision of public goods. The Washington Consensus was thus increasingly based on the understanding that imperfect markets are always superior to imperfect states. Some scholars like Colclough and Manor (2000: 263) summarised the resurgence of the neo-liberal thinking in development discourse in following words. The emerging neoliberal orthodoxy advocated a new development model based on the primacy of individualism, market liberalism, outward-orientation, and state contraction. The organising principle of neo-liberal political economy was the notion of a minimal state, whose primary functions were to secure law and order, ensure macroeconomic stability and provide the necessary physical infrastructure. Further, according to Colclough and Manor (2000: 263) Trade liberalisation and state contraction were necessary tools to curb the excessive powers enjoyed by politicians and bureaucrats, a process which was regarded as crucial for rapid and equitable economic growth. Originally the policy reforms as envisaged in the Washington Consensus was designed and intended to cover all the Latin American countries, later it was applied to almost all countries and was intentionally penetrated into the economic policy agenda of Third World Countries. Regarding the supremacy of the Washington Consensus on all the earlier prevalent economic thoughts, different opinions came into the picture. Say for instance, much before the arrival of such an economic ideological discourse, economists like J. M. Keynes (1936), who is considered to be a pioneer of the welfare state, believed that a policy of fiscal discipline would neither avoid the current account crisis, nor it can lead to a fully employed economy where all the factors of production and economic resources are optimally employed. So J. M. Keynes basically challenged the classical axioms for the smooth functioning of the economy. Since the classical axioms are not very close to the real world phenomena of perfe ctly competitive markets, the essence of the Washington Consensus way of looking at the economy could be better described in the words of Keynes in the following lines: It happens not to be those of the economic society in which we actually live; with the result that its teaching is misleading and disastrous if we attempt to apply it to the facts of experience (Keynes, 1936:30). Infact, it is felt that the last of the ten policy reforms, that is, securing property rights for efficient production in the economy however, cannot be refuted easily. If the state is capable to ensure that the production ownership should go in the hands of those who value it more, who has also the capability to augment resources, further there is no harm in transferring property rights to develop right entrepreneurship in the economy. What is important here is to note that the Washington Consensus was treated like a shock therapy for the countries suffering from debt-crises of any sporadic shock like the one oil shock of 1979, because it was assumed that trade liberalisation and privatisation will take care of the economic disturbances affecting the normal working of the economic system. However, the experiences of the last 20 years or so have shown that the reforms envisioned through the Washington Consensus have actually led to disaster in many countries. This understanding of the neo-liberal orthodoxy could be better explained in the following lines of John Williamson. I wrote a background paper in which I listed 10 policy reforms that I argued almost everyone in Washington thought were needed in Latin America as of that date. I labeled this reform agenda the Washington Consensus, never dreaming that I was coining a term that would become a war cry in ideological debates for more than a decade. Indeed, I thought the ideas I was laying out were consensual, which is why I gave them the label I did (Williamson, 1990). The evidences we have clearly indicate that Washington Consensus as a universal policy package became a soft target of severe criticisms in recent years primarily from the countries at the periphery. The consistent episodes of criticisms labeled against the Washington Consensus pave the way for the future insights in the economic development discourse. Whats wrong with the Washington Consensus A wide range of criticisms had been put forward as a result of the practical problems faced by the countries pursuing the reforms as recommended by the Washington Consensus since the year of its introduction. One of the criticisms which is generally labelled against the Washington Consensus is regarding the fundamental assumptions of the neo-classical model of free market ideology. In this connection, Stiglitz (2002:73-74) maintains that: Behind the free market ideology there is a model, often attributed to Adam Smith, which argues that market forces the profit motive drives the economy to efficient outcomes as if by an invisible hand. It turns out that these conditions are highly restrictive. Ironically occurring precisely during the period of relentless pursuit of the Washington Consensus have shown that whenever information is imperfect and markets incomplete, which is to say always, and especially in developing countries, then the invisible hand works most imperfectly. Significantly, there are desirable government interventions which, in principle, can improve upon the efficiency of the market. So in this way the basic premises on which the Washington Consensus rests itself became questionable in the academia. Furthermore, Stiglitz (2002: 74) went on to criticise the theoretical validity of the neo-classical model in his following words: Even if Adam Smiths invisible hand theory were relevant for advanced industrialised countries, the required conditions are not satisfied in developing countries. The market system requires clearly established property rights and the courts to enforce them; but these often these are absent in developing countries. The market system requires competition and perfect information. But competition is limited and information is far from perfect and well-functioning competitive markets cannot be established overnight. The theory says that an efficient market economy requires that all of the assumption be satisfied. In some cases, reforms in one area, without accompanying reforms in others may actually make matters worse. This is issue of sequencing. Ideology ignores this matters; it says simply move as quickly to a market economy as you can. But economic theory and history show how disastrous it can be to ignore sequencing. Apart from the theoretical loopholes in overall framework of the Washington Consensus, many other empirical evidences can be put forth for its failures. These are listed below: The fundamental claim of the Washington Consensus that full-scale liberalisation, at all costs, is associated with superior economic performance was doubtful. For instance, it has been maintained that the highly successful story of the Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs) in East Asia such as Japan and Taiwan better known as the East Asian miracle, gave a reason for the resurgence of the neo-liberal policies. These NICs, no doubt, performed appreciably not only in making rapid and high economic growth but also progressed in terms of key social indicators paved a strong supporting pillar for the neo-liberal paradigm constituting the Washington Consensus. Many believed that these NICs are very close to the norms of the free-market economy. However, this story is partly true. What is significant at this point is to know that the institutions pertaining to industrialization and export growth were performing robustly well and these were the factors which were at the heart of success of t hese countries. Onis (1998: 197-216) has tried to give the valid argument in following words: Strong growth and diversification of industrial output and exports could not be accounted for simply for the logic of the free market: interventionist strategies and an active industrial policy, dictated by considerations relating to longer-term competitiveness and dynamic comparative advantage, constituted the central elements contributing their success. If we see the world economic growth rate, it had infact strikingly lowered, and become more unstable during the neo-liberal era. Not only this, the degree of inequality in the global economy appeared to have increased during this period of neo-liberal economic restricting (UNCTAD 1997). Even the gap between the developed and the developing countries had widened and there had been increased divergence within the Third World. For example, as compare to the hyper-growth in Asian NICs, the Latin American countries in 1980s and sub-Saharan Africa lagged far behind over the same period of time (Rock, 1993: 1787-1801). Moreover, excluding China, there is an increase of poor people and the poverty rate had declined from 28.5 percent to 25 percent (Fischer, 2003:8). According to Stiglitz (2002:76), There is a more fundamental criticism of the IMF/Washington Consensus approach: It does not take acknowledge that development requires a transformation of society. Even it completely ignored the fairness concept. A few more instances could be put forward to support the argument that the collapse of Washington Consensus was inevitable such as the success of Argentina in the first few years of accepting the policies and later how its economy collapsed. The case of Turkey is another example where the Washington Consensus policies totally failed. Exposure of many middle income countries to the vagaries of financial globalization actually proved costly for them because opening of their capital accounts before taking into account the macroeconomic stability fell in the trap of the World Bank and the IMF. These high volatile capital flows and frequent financial crises, because of unregulated financial markets led to repercussion effect of one country could be easily felt in another, which we have thoroughly witnessed in the Asian Crisis of 1997 and the Russian Crisis of 1998, which had myriad socio-economic-politico impacts on different economies. Last but not the least in the series of criticisms that had been labelled against the popular programmes of the Washington Consensus is of course a paradoxical situation when the Washington Consensus talks about minimising the bureaucratic inefficiency, rent-seeking, and other forms corruption and pervasive state failure, it had come to our observation that it had actually happened the other way round these all social and economic evils had actually aggravated during the neo-liberal regime. Keeping these issues in mind, during the mid-1990s there emerged a new and thought provoking policy focus of the key Bretton Woods institutions away from the hard-core neo-liberalism to a new synthesis of states and markets as emerging Post- Washington Consensus. The Post-Washington Consensus: Is it inevitable? The Post-Washington Consensus goes further in detailing the nature of the failures of the Washington consensus (Stiglitz, 1998:17). Joseph E. Stiglitz who is supposed to provide the intellectual backbone to the emerging Post-Washington Consensus maintains that there was lack of understanding between the policies put forth by Washington Consensus and the contextual framework of developing countries. In the following words, Stiglitz tries to state his position: There was a failure in understanding economic structures within developing countries, in focusing on too narrow a set of objectives, and on too limited a set of instruments. For instance, markets by themselves do not produce efficient outcomes when technology is changing or when there is learning about markets; such dynamic processes are at the heart of development; and there are important externalities in such dynamic processes, giving rise to an important role for government. The successful East Asian countries recognized this role; the Washington consensus policies did not (Stiglitz, 1998:17-18). Stiglitz and Greenwald (2003) further believe that the Post-Washington Consensus recognizes that There is a role for a market; the question is to what extent the neoliberals recognize that there is a role for the state, beyond the minimal role of enforcing contracts and property rights. There is no theoretical underpinning to believe that in early stages of development, markets by themselves will lead to efficient outcomes. Moreover, the Asian crisis of 1997 proved to be an important turning point for the rethinking about the Washington Consensus for the reason that for the first time in its history, the IMF was confronted with serious criticisms from all over. It was criticised not only for failing to predict the crisis but also to make the situation worse aftermath the crisis. To describe it more clearly in words of Stanley Fischer, The Asian Crisis was also important in terms in producing a serious rift between the two Bretton Woods institutions again for the first time for many decades. Following the rethinking process that has occurred, the IMF now tends to pay far more attention to regulatory reforms, notably in the context of the banking and financial system, and recognises far more than on the past the importance of strong institutions and good governance (Fischer, 2002:385). Stiglitz (2002:155) further added that the IMF until the Asian Crisis used to be crititicised by the countries at the periphery or the Third World countries, but now the criticisms were also put forward by the countries at the centre or the developed countries. He maintains that: With the onset of the Asian Crisis, the IMF especially became the object of serious criticism from the centre within the key Bretton Woods institutions themselves (Stiglitz, 2002:155-156). One of the key ingredients of the Post-Washington Consensus is the recognition that states have a great role to play in the economic development process. However, the Post-Washington Consensus favours the market liberalisation, the twin concepts of states and markets are considered as of complementing rather than substituting in nature. Greater role for the state institutions has been prescribed for better and efficient working of the economy. There is a clear indication about the regulation of financial markets in order to avoid any uncertainty arising out global flows of capital between countries. And the most important, it is thought that certain areas like human development, equality and to alleviate poverty, states can replace the market failures in accomplishing these issues. The question remains how to improve the state efficiency or to avoid state failure. In this regard, Stiglitz (2001:17) highlights that: The effectiveness of states can be improved by using market-like mechanisms. An interesting symmetry is established by noting that states are important for the effective functioning of markets but also that markets or market-like mechanisms are important for the effective functioning of states. Conclusion While analyzing the whole set of ideas and instruments put forward by each of these different line of thinking about the development discourse it is certain that the policies advocated by them may work in some countries and may not in others. What is important is the debate over the sufficiency conditions put forth for the pervasive development of countries primarily the Third World countries. So far nothing appreciable has been achieved since the introduction of either Washington or the Post-Washington Consensus in developing countries. What is apparent here is the fact that all policies whether its neo-liberal or structuralist in from and nature has not benefitted much from the development assistance programmes initiated by the World Bank and the IMF Post-Second World War period. While the role of the state cannot be undermined in economic progress of any country, it is also important to scrutinise its position and capability in the global scenario marked by excessive dominance of the global governance agenda before it. The irresistible wave of globalisation to a large extent undermines the possible intervention in formulating policies at least at the domestic levels for the countries. The concern in the developing countries is how to bring growth with equity. The balanced approach of the Post-Washington Consensus between states and markets along with reforming the governing institutions is far more impressible strategy than that of believing the automatic working of the economy exposed to liberalisation of markets and openness of economy. At least the gains and losses can be mutually appropriated between these two institutions of markets and states. Relying heavily on the free trade and the consequent trickle-down effect to happen automatically has become a far fetched dream for majority of the countries in the larger paradigm of global governance with varied socio, economic and political implications. What is sure is the trade-off between states and markets would to a large extent provide a new outlook for the development discourse for individual countries presuming institutions of governance are at their best of their capacity, capability and efficiency fronts.

Timeline of American Literature and Events Essay -- english colonies,

King James I granted the Virginia Company of London a charter to create an English settlement in North America in June 1606. Their goals were to find gold and determine a waterway which would take them to the Orient. The Virginia Company set foot on Jamestown on May 14, 1607 to form the Virginia English Colony. Approximately one third of the colonists survived the winter of the â€Å"Starving Time† in 1609, and fifteen years later in 1624, Virginia became a crown colony when the king dismissed the Virginia Company Charter due to the Algonquians attack which killed over 300 settlers. Jamestown only survived because of a last minute warning but burned down in 1698. Many colonists that survived celebrated May Day on May 1, 1628 with Thomas Morton dancing around a maypole, but the Plymouth Pilgrims were against this display of celebration, and Captain Miles Standish sent Thomas Morton back to England. Intolerance continued when Anne Hutchinson was forced to leave Boston beca use of her religious beliefs and influence to help establish Rhode Island in 1638. Five years later, Native Americans murdered Anne and her family. Quakers were the next to be forced to leave during the time between 1655 and 1656. Those that refused to leave suffered by being whipped or imprisoned, and the legislature ruled against Quaker services two years later. Parliament ordered the suspension of Quaker corporal punishment in 1661 after three years of Quakers being hanged for refusing to leave Massachusetts. English law in the colonies also severely affected slaves. Those who converted to Christianity and became legal residents of Maryland were granted freedom—until 1664. It was then that Maryland passed a law dictating servitude of life for black slave... ...rr/social%20studies/05/0101firstwi.html Quidor, J. (2011). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/487273/John-Quidor Starwinar. (2010. Herman or Henry. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. http://starwinar.wordpress.com/daily-short-story/herman-or-henry/ The Virtual Union. (2011). Scrape T.V. the world on your side. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Health/Pages/Doctor-pioneering-use-of-Comas-on- demand-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side.html Wikipedia. (2011). Mayflower compact. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact Wikispaces. (2011). The scarlet letter. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. http://amsu-english11-8.wikispaces.com/The+Scarlet+Letter WordPress. (2007). Young Goodman Brown. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. http://garble.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/young-goodman-brown/

Comparing Gender-Crossing in Girlfight and Billy Elliot :: Compare Contrast Comparison Essays

Comparing Gender-Crossing in Girlfight and Billy Elliot It seems that the year 2000 was one full of gender-bending films, including Girlfight, starring Michelle Rodriguez. This movie was about Diana, a troubled teenage girl from the projects of New York City. Sent on an errand for her father one day, Diana discovers the secret world of boxing at a gym in Brooklyn. She watches her brother unenthusiastically box in the ring, and then tries to convince the coach to work with her. With time, she starts competing with other lightweights - both male and female. With this newfound confidence, she pulls herself together at school and is able to stay out of trouble. Also made in 2000 was Billy Eliot, starring Jamie Bell, about a boy in Northern England who schleps to weekly boxing classes only to encounter reoccurring defeat in the ring, similar to Diana's brother Tiny in Girlfight. One day, a bunch of tutu-ed girls and their sour instructor begin sharing the space at the gym. All of sudden, Billy becomes hopelessly passionate about dance. Like Diana, Billy rejects conventional gender roles but must hide his new love from his chauvinistic father. The parallels between Girlfight and Billy Elliot are uncanny. Both Diana and Billy enter sports that are not typical for their genders but somehow draw inspiration from the love of their deceased mothers and withstand the rejection from the rest of society. Furthermore, each film ends with triumph - Diana wins the match against her boyfriend, and Billy becomes a ballet star and flies across the stage as the male lead in Swan Lake. Both individuals have tread against the conventions of society. And ironically, in both films, boxing is seen as the epitome of male sport. What happens in the "real world," when individuals enter sports not traditional for their genders? Certainly, it seems that both films revealed realistic outcomes for gender crossing in sports, although Girlfight and Billy Elliot seemed to focus only on the negative social and cultural implications of gender crossing in sports. First of all, gender roles are a very important issue. According to Diana's father and most of the coaches working at the gym, boxing was "a man's sport." In the film Girlfight, Diana was only seen fighting one other girl, while all of her other competitors were male. Furthermore, Diana was the only female practicing at the Brooklyn boxing gym. For anyone walking into the gym, the idea that boxing is in the male realm become perpetuated.

The current problems with the accounting methods of Rodney Street Essay

The current problems with the accounting methods of Rodney Street Private Clinic Analysis- Scenarios Private Clinic ‘Rodney Street Clinic’ is a private clinic in which doctor’s see patients privately and for medical reports following injuries. Currently all fee notes for patients and solicitors are sent manually and are not registered on a computer system. Problems with the accounting methods are that the accounts are hand-written, so not everybody may be able to read and understand writing, particularly during holidays and periods of sickness of the usual staff as the hand writing is not their own. Another problem is that all fee notes are stored in a filing cabinet. Due to this, fee notes are occasionally misfiled so it is time consuming for the staff to find them, and if a further copy is required, it has to be written out by hand again, rather than simply being photocopied. The final problem is that the system is not efficient, as documents have to be continually written up which is time consuming. What is required is a computerised database, which is simple and efficient to use in order to control the accounts of the practice. Ideally it should also be able to flag up accounts, which are overdue, instead of the current system of having to do it â€Å"by hand†, which is time consuming and can be inefficient. The system should also be able to keep the details of fee notes sent on the database, so that if a repeat bill needs to be sent, it does not have to be typed out once more. Video Tapes ‘Mega Movie Video Store’ is a video store, which both rents out videos and also now sells them too. Presently workers at the video store have found it difficult to remember which videos are in stock and where about they are located in the shop. Problems with their organization is that they forget which videos are in stock and also they have no data to refer to in order to tell them this. A further problem is that they also forget where videos are located in the shop and they again have no data to refer to in order to tell them this and they rely purely on memory. What they would like is a computerized database, which gives printouts that help them. This database would sort the files into alphabetic order and would give them the total number of videos in stock. This database would also tell them what format the item... ...notes sent on the database, so that if a repeat bill needs to be sent, it does not have to be typed out once more. System requirements for chosen scenario In order to overcome the problems I am going to design a computerized system using such software programmes as Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. This is rather than using a manual system which uses filing cabinets. I will insert all data off written documents into computer database and then store them so that they are available to view at any time and as many copies as necessary may be printed. I will use a font in my computerized database that is sufficiently big enough and clear enough for the user to read. This is better than having a manual system where handwriting is involved because there is then little to no chance that somebody may not be able to read the text properly. This system should be both efficient and simple to use and it should be able to note on the database and let the user know if accounts are overdue and if fee notes need to be sent. Finally I will create a mail merge so that letters do not have to be continuously written or typed out time and time again.

The Diary of Consuelo Ortiga Y Perez

The Diary of Consuelo Ortiga y Perez * 16 September 1882 We have met two more Filipinos; one is called Rizal and the other, Perio. 30 September 1882 Rizal brought me a cane this morning which is full of sugar and one cannot tell how it was put inside. [01] 9 October 1882 Rizal says that he goes out only to go to the medical school and to come here at night. 18 January 1883 Rizal talked with me for a long time, almost the whole night. He told me that I was very talented, that I was very diplomatic, and that he was going to see if he could extract some truth from me within two weeks; that I was mysterious and that I had a veil over my ideas.He asked me who my favorite author was; I don’t know what I answered him because I was no longer feeling well. Lete told him that neither had he understood me and I said that it was easy and I was sure that Rizal would understand me forthwith. Now I’m sorry for having said this. Have I not given him hope with it? Rizal told me that he detested amiable women because when they smiled, men imagined that they did so for something else. As he had told me the night before that I was very amiable, I understood that he meant it and I left him so that he would not make a mistake.A man should first study the ground and if he sees that the smile is fore everybody he ought not to pay attention to her smiles because in distributing them so freely they lose all their meaning. 26 February 1883 . . . Rizal is also in love; he has not declared this but almost, almost. He told me last night that he had a sickness that would not leave him except when traveling and that was only perchanc4. He also told me and I understood why, that two brothers had killed each other because both played the same card, that is, because both loved the same woman.He said that he had taken notice of one who was very tall for him but in spite of the fact that he had done it to amuse himself, it was useless. I listened to him with pleasure because he talks well and I fear that because of that he may think that I’m giving him hope, as it is in reality, but as it happens that I like his conversation, I abandon myself to it and then when he goes away, I’m sorry; he comes and again I do the same thing. Lola [02] was telling me that we ought to go away this summer and I would be glad to see if by not seeing Filipinos; I would avert a tempest that I see is near.I find myself in a position of not knowing which side to take: Lete on one side, Rizal on the other, on another the two brothers; [03] all attack and I have nothing with which to defend myself except my head, for I don’t see, as I go nowhere, my former admirers, though it would be the same should I see them. Those who do not suit me for some reasons, and these neither for others; in short, sometimes I fear I may lose my mind. 2 March 1883 Rizal asked me if I didn’t miss another love. I said to him â€Å"no,† but that is false. For sometime now Iâ⠂¬â„¢m different.Before I didn’t think of things I’m thinking of now. Then I had more suitors than now and I don’t know if for that very reason I didn’t give them altogether even ten minutes. Now, on the other hand, I think of them and my opinion is divided between Rizal and Lete. The first one tempts me by his manner of speaking and because he seems to me a serious lad, though formal ones frighten me. 20 March 1883 Rizal was much preoccupied and I asked him what the trouble was. He said that he was thinking of certain changes. â€Å"You’re sad and here sadness is forbidden to enter. â€Å"It’s true; I’ve been importunate. † â€Å"No; I’ve been the importunate one in saying that to you. † â€Å"I know,† he said to me in reply, â€Å"that some are winning. † At that moment another spoke to me preventing me fortunately from answering. Later he told me that I was giving it for his saint’s day. à ¢â‚¬Å"How? What do you mean? † â€Å"Nothing, nothing; I’ll explain it to you another day. † I didn’t wish to insist. In the afternoon he said to father that he might trouble him to see if he could finish his course this year.It seems that he wants to go away. It is thus like a wound. Poor Rizal! And poor me who inspires love in those whom I can’t love! 2 April 1883 Rizal began to tell me: â€Å"I congratulate you,† but I got only ambiguous phrases from him. At this point Lete was able to sit beside me and said to me: â€Å"Now we are going to adjust our accounts. I’m very much irritated by the philosopher. † (That is what he calls Rizal. ) â€Å"Why? † â€Å"Because he is very attentive to you tonight. Haven’t you noticed a certain change in him? † â€Å"I? No. † Well, he has suffered it greatly; the other day he told me, ‘Don’t you know that I’m getting to like Consuelo? ’ † â€Å"‘Yes? Then I’m glad,’ I replied, and yesterday I went to his house and he was writing some verses. † â€Å"For whom are those verses? † I asked him. â€Å"For a newspaper in the Philippines. † â€Å"Are they, perchance, inspired by the ardent rays of Consuelo’s eyes? † â€Å"Chap,† he replied, â€Å"I don’t need to be inspired. † â€Å"What do you think? † â€Å"That you exaggerate; I don’t believe I’ve such intentions. † â€Å"He’s very clever; you don’t know him. †I laughed to myself, because I know all that by heart. (Here follows a long dialogue with Lete. ) At this point Esteban Villanueva [04] comes and says to Lete: â€Å"Come and close the door for I’m leaving. † He went but on leaving he took the chair with him. Rizal came full of jest and said to me: â€Å"Tell me, Consuelo, why does Lete take away the chair? † â₠¬Å"Ask him. † â€Å"Later,† Lete said to him. â€Å"I'll explain. † Afterwards, Rizal said to me: â€Å"Tonight many will suffer from the lung and the heart. † Then Lete said to me: â€Å"Understand ‘from the lung’ for gambling; from the heart, for you. â€Å"And why give it that interpretation? † â€Å"Because it is his. †I went later to get some copper coins that Antonio (Paterno) had in his vest pocket and when he surprised me, I said: â€Å"What a poor thief I am! † â€Å"You can be sure of that,† said Rizal to me, â€Å"but of another thing no. † This vexed Lete and he and Rizal were peeved all night long. We – Antonio, Rizal, and I – arranged ourselves to play tute [05] and Rizal began to tell me things always circuitously until I told him that he had something that I didn’t like and that is he was not frank enough. You speak in such a way that it’s necessary to think a grea t deal to be able to understand you and I hope that in time I’ll understand you. † He became serious; he put his hand to his forehead and said to me: â€Å"You know very well what I want to tell you, but there’s no better system of avoiding answering then to ask questions; but since you want me to tell you plainly, tell me if it’s true that one who comes afterwards arrives late. † â€Å"What! Have they said that I said it? † â€Å"No; nobody would say it. † â€Å"Then, you ask me if he who comes behind arrives late. †Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yes, that’s it. † If I were to tell you that, I would have to relate to you many things in my intimate life that I’ve told nobody. † â€Å"You’re right, I ask you to excuse me, but as you’re so amiable, I’ve dared† 3 April 1883 My account having been interrupted yesterday, I continue it today. After awhile, Rizal said to me: â€Å"I’m going to tell you a story. † â€Å"Let’s see. † â€Å"She was a girl courted by two men. She was engaged to one and the other would tell her: â€Å"So and So wants to court you† and when he would go away, she would laugh with the other at him. † â€Å"If I could get mad, I would. † â€Å"Why? † Because you’ve called me a coquette. † â€Å"No; because she wasn’t to blame. † â€Å"It was to find out if she listened to both. † â€Å"I didn’t want to say that, nor did the other tell her that he loved her; but at any rate I ask you a thousand pardons and I withdraw whatever was offensive. † I stood up for a moment and when I came back, Rizal, truly pressed, said to me: â€Å"Do you forgive me? † â€Å"I’ve nothing to forgive because it was due to my excessive susceptibility. † â€Å"Why? Do you forgive me? † â€Å"I forgive and see how good I am for I impose no penance. † â€Å"Impose a penance on me,† he said. April 1883 Last night some were absent, among them Rizal, a thing that surprised me. Lete said to me: â€Å"I’ve come more than anything else to ask you a question. † â€Å"What? † â€Å"Rizal told me the other day that last Sunday, speaking with you, you told him that this summer many will be disappointed, and I want to know if I’ll be one of them. † â€Å"Why do you want me to tell you a thing that I don’t know? I spoke without knowing what I was saying. That indeed slipped from my tongue, as I was following my own thought more than the conversation in which I was engaged. â€Å"I don’t understand what you want to say. † â€Å"Well nothing; I said that just to say something and now I’m sorry for I see that my phrases are commented on. † â€Å"When Lete told me this I was displeased that Rizal had told him, but Lete told me later that Rizal told him in order that h e would be warned. I’ve already thought that since Rizal is so astute, he’ll make Lete averse to me to have one rival less. 16 April 1883 Rizal told me he has some plants that he has bought today and that the first flower will be for me.He told Lete and me a story that he said belonged to my mythological times. He calls Papa â€Å"Periandro† and Lete â€Å"Letidolis† and himself â€Å"Planchivis†. He said that Periandro had a daughter to whom Diana had granted the gift of loving all men and afterwards he added women. In short, the story was long and I don’t remember all of it, but in it he spoke of everything and explained our respective situations. 7 May 1883 Last night I was in the corridor when Rizal passed on his way out, but instead of leaving, we talked for more than an hour.He again repeated that he couldn’t understand me, that I had a very black veil that hid my ideas from him, that many times he believed that a thing was done that in reality was not done, and it happened to him when studying that instead of letters he always saw a figure. . . . He brought me a flower, the first that his plant bore. 14 may 1883 (Dialogue between Consuelo and Lete about their engagement) At this point I opened my handbag and I saw the flower Rizal had given me last Sunday and without caring a whit, showed it to him.Everybody knew it and Rizal, however much he tried to dissimulate, was very happy. Afterwards I was sorry but there was no remedy. Lete then said to me: â€Å"You’ve kept the flower. † â€Å"Yes; I was removing things; my handbag was open and I dropped the flower into it just as I would have done with any other thing. † â€Å"You’re a terrible woman,† Rizal said. â€Å"It seems unbelievable! It’s atrocious, with that sweet face you take delight in mortifying; since this night you have made me suffer so much and you do nothing but laugh. † â€Å"I want to laugh n ow if by chance I may have to cry later. â€Å"I would be glad. † â€Å"Thanks,† I said to Rizal. He didn’t know that I was at the point of crying. I don’t remember what Rizal said that Lete said to me: ‘You’ll not make me quarrel with my friend. ’† â€Å"I? Why? † â€Å"Because it’s so. † â€Å"It will not be serious. † â€Å"Who knows, perhaps you will be the first cause. † â€Å"For God’s sake, don’t frighten me for I’m afraid! † â€Å"Lete is so good,† added Rizal, interrupting the conversation. â€Å"One night I gave him such great fright when he was alone at one house that he left so angry that I saw him cry.Nevertheless, the other day, we made up. † â€Å"You have seen me cry? Where? Here in the house? † Lete objected, grateful for that affectionate praise. The other didn’t reply and I became very curious. Have they had some displeas ure between them? 9 June 1883 For two Sundays all the Filipinos haven’t come. Rizal was here the other afternoon and he said he had not come on account of the examinations and that he came out well in every one of them. The poor one is very enthusiastic and I’m sorry. Enthusiasm, they say, is contagious, but I can’t be infected.I’m quite mortified that they have so soon forgotten me for some nobodies [06] who, according to my information, are not even pretty, but I’ll be very careful so that they’ll not be vain thinking of another thing and in case it’s calculation as I imagine. 11 June 1883 Rizal and Antonio (Paterno) who were at the Retiro yesterday brought me flowers and they told me to go there, but I haven’t gone because those girls go and I don’t want to be obliged to speak with them. Rizal told me he was going to Paris to distract himself, to cure himself of an illness contacted a year ago.Then he has seen others deceived by the amiability with which they have been treated and he was afraid the same thing might happen to him; that he fell in love again and it seemed to him that he was going to be accepted and soon he was disappointed. Now it’s different because she belongs to a much higher class. â€Å"I have,† he said to me, â€Å"too many aspirations. † â€Å"Man must always have them. † â€Å"Yes; but when they’re too high they’re ridiculous. † â€Å"An aspiration is never ridiculous when its end is good and neither do I believe that you have aspired for the moon. â€Å"No; but it’s so difficult that I know it will accept only one with a great name or high position. † I didn’t answer him. What could I say to him? If I gave him hope, then later to tell him â€Å"no† would be a crime; and I haven’t enough willpower to take all hope from him, because, despite everything, I like him. â€Å"Tell me what you w ant from Paris. † â€Å"Nothing, may you enjoy much. † â€Å"You already know that I’m going to study French, and what I’ll try is to get curried if I don’t succeed. I’ll follow the currant. Lete and I have concluded a truce for the summer. â€Å"We’re in it,† I said to him. â€Å"When does it end? † â€Å"In September. †Ã¢â‚¬Å"Then on the day following, the end. † â€Å"In October? † I asked, knowing what he wanted to say. â€Å"Yes. † â€Å"And what’s it, in what does it consist? † â€Å"Pardon me, for as it’s Lete’s also, I can’t tell you. † â€Å"Don’t say it then. † 18 June 1883 Rizal has gone to Paris; he says he’ll come back in September. Last night Antonio (Paterno) told me that as the train moved, he sent us many regards through him. Will he get cured? 23 August 1883 The other night Lete told me that on Monday he talked wit h Rizal for more than four hours. As a good friend,† he said, â€Å"I related to him everything, and now he saw that I had not been sincere towards him. † Before, Rizal said to him, he didn’t think of me, now the told him the opposite. Rizal asked him about the status of his relationship with me. He told him and he advised Lete not to go to Barcelona because â€Å"If you go,† he said, â€Å"it’s possible she may not answer you on the 24th but on the 25th, or never, which is the same; then, as soon as you’re away she’ll get cold, in case she’s becoming convinced, and as for me I can’t be responsible to you.â€Å"You know,† Rizal continued, â€Å"that I liked Ines and nevertheless I left her to Antonio (Paterno); with her I could have passed away the time, but with Consuelo no; for this reason I have told you as a friend I advised you to marry her, but as Rizal, no. † â€Å"As he’s noble,† Lete continued, â€Å"we have made a pact that he’ll say nothing until 24 October. He told me he had to answer a question you put to him. I asked him wit it was but he replied that he couldn’t tell me because it was a secret. The following day Rizal came and brought two music sheets as a souvenir from Paris and some verses that I had asked him at the concert and others dedicated to me [07] which confirmed everything Lete had told me.They go with this diary to save me the trouble of writing them down and because I believe they reveal passion, not for an indifferent one but for me who had inspired them, and for knowing their author. My question was if he already got cured, a rather bold question which I’m sorry I asked. 3 September 1883 I showed Rizal’s letter to Matilde. [08] She didn’t like it and said there was a very bad intention in the polite piece. 0 October 1883 All the Filipinos came last night. Lete told me that he had asked Rizal what we were going to talk about, and replied that it was nothing. And he added: â€Å"Is it you who have to talk with him? † Yes,† I answered, â€Å"what I regret is that you have told him; I’ll not say anything to him again. † â€Å"I, too, am sorry, but now nothing can be done. † As Rizal was warned by Lete, several times he spoke to me and asked me as formerly if I would win in the game but I didn’t want to have a conference with him to show Lete I was not interested and, besides, it was already becoming difficult.I went with Papa yesterday to see the king returning from his excursion. The enthusiasm was great. . . . We were also carried away in that surge and when it cleared a little I heard a voice telling me: â€Å"Over here, Consuelo. † It was Maximino (Paterno) who was with his brother, Ventura (Valentin), and Rizal. The last asked me if I knew why all were so studios. â€Å"Because they have realized the evil they were doing and they abj ured their errors. † â€Å"No; because they have learned that it’s a prerequisite to certain things to have a career and for that reason they study in order to aspire for them. We talked a great deal and I don’t remember everything. â€Å"If I believed in certain things,† I continued, â€Å"I would say that you’re immortal. † â€Å"Immortal? † â€Å"For many things. † â€Å"For none I believe; it seems to me that I’ll die soon and if one thing that I’ve thought of and I haven’t told anybody occurs, I’ll notify you wherever you may be to show you I’m right. †Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’ll note down what you have told me as soon as I get home. † What interpretation had he given to my words? Later he told me that he believed in nothing, that he had no faith. â€Å"And how can you live? † â€Å"Without it. â€Å"On the contrary I think we ought to believe in something that may encourage us in our undertakings and may comfort us in our misfortune. † â€Å"When a curate says it, I don’t believe it; if you should say it, I would believe it. † â€Å"God grant that I may have power to make you believe! † He kept silent and after awhile he said to me: â€Å"Neither do I believe in the love of parents; mine love me, but they would not remember me if I would not return or I’m delayed ten years in returning. † â€Å"Don’t say that; I believe little and if you speak to me thus, I’ll believe in nothing.The love of parents doesn’t die. † â€Å"I’ve not been a father, undoubtedly for that reason. . . .† â€Å"I neither, but I judge filial love by the paternal. I’ve separated from Papa for some twenty days and when the train left I was very happy. . . . It seemed to me I was going back home at night, but upon arrival at the town where I was going, despite my efforts and I’m not give n to tears, I couldn’t control myself and I cried . . . and everyday I remembered him. † â€Å"You must have been alone. † â€Å"No; my brother was with me. † â€Å"We don’t speak of those loves. And the others? â€Å"Oh, we are agreed on those. † When I was small I heard it said that friendship couldn’t exist between two boys, and I said: What has distinct sex got to do with it? I wished to try the experiment and I see it’s true. I believed in a friend, nothing more than a friend, and we broke up quarreling. †Ã¢â‚¬Å"I would be yours if that wee not too much for me, I can’t aspire. . . .† â€Å"And if it’s granted to you? † They interrupted us in order to cross the street, and then Sanmarti, [09] whom we met, stood beside me. Rizal also asked me what I would say if Lete would ask me how I spent the day. The truth,† I replied. â€Å"Then, I’ll tell him that I spent it very well, and then I saw the Queen and the King. † â€Å"You’ve been more fortunate than I,† I said to him as if I didn’t understand him. † â€Å"The Queen was beside a gentleman [sic.! ]. . . .† It seems to me Lete would not be very much satisfied for God knows what Rizal would tell him. When all had left, Rizal told Papa for me to hear: â€Å"Spain ought to ally herself with another nation. † Papa: â€Å"No sir; Spain is all right as she is. †Rizal: â€Å"It’s time she ceases to be a second class power. Papa: â€Å"You know Spain’s history, therefore you know that whenever she allied herself with other powers she lost rather than gained. † Rizal: â€Å"However, an alliance with a young, rich, and strong nation, I believe, in the present circumstances and even in the future must be beneficial to her, though it may be only a support that a weakened monarchy needs. . . .† â€Å"Weakened? How? Never has it rested o n a more solid foundation; never was it more loved by the people that see in it the symbol of regeneration, of peace, of new life. Rizal: â€Å"Right, Don Pablo, but only in form, not at the bottom, as it represents the symbol. The people, as part of it, loves the monarchy per accidens, [Contingently, indirectly, by virtue of some chance, circumstance, or happening. Latin for, by happenstance. Opposite of per se. – rly] because it represents the peace of Spain which it loves per se, because it still believes in that longed-for regeneration of its past grandeur; but the primates of the people adore above all someone who is determined to take possession of her with the same purpose of governing her.