Explain Augustine’s temporal paradox

Augustine’s temporal paradox can be explained by starting with our typical beliefs about time, to wit: the past does not exist, the future is yet to exist and only the present actually exists.   However the actual existence of the present has no duration because it immediately becomes the past or the future the moment we try to isolate it. In the words of St. Augustine, â€Å"The present hath no space†.   The temporal paradox refers to the existence only of the present which however does not have a â€Å"duration†.Following this temporal paradox and Augustine treated time in ontological terms, i.e. in relation to the nature of being and existence.   We derive the notion of time by perceiving something that has passed, something that exists and something that will exist in the future.   Time is embodied and manifested through the duration of things that come into being to the present that passed away in an incessant continuum of past and future.   Conseq uently, material things move from none existence to existence to non existence (past, present and future).The perpetuation of the time continuum entails that â€Å"the mind expects, and attends, and remembers, so that what it expects passes by way of what it attends to into what it remembers.† (Augustine, 2002, p236) What the mind expects is the future, what is remembers is the past and what it attends to at the moment is the present, which is what exists.   Attending to the present does not refer to our location or inhabitance in this time continuum but one’s capturing of the immediate past in the memory. This is precisely because the present has no duration or no space and it is only through memory that we can attend to it.For St. Augustine, even â€Å"time† is created by God and therefore he is beyond the continuum of the time series to which people and all other things are bound.   God is in a state of â€Å"Eternal Now†, where the present, past a nd future are at all once.   However, while St. Augustine’s idea of time is very revolutionary, it nevertheless has critical repercussions that run inconsistent which Christian principles which he originally wanted to justify and defend.With the past and future all happening in the present for God, people therefore are already predestined to what will happen to them. People were not really given the gift of choice or freewill but are doomed to end up to how God have designed their world. What seemed to be a series of choices for people in this space of time is actually a finished or done design for God.   (Von Martelsand Schmidt, V, 2003, p79-102)2-Imagine that Russell and Berkeley are sitting across from each other at table. Write a short dialogue (about 500 words) that captures each philosopher’s views with respect to the ontological status of the table. Be sure to bring out areas of agreement and disagreementIn order to appreciate Bishop Berkeley, one must first fully understand that ontology focuses on the nature of essence and meaning of being. Berkeley is a major proponent of subjective idealism in which ultimately argues that the world including all the material objects are not real but are mere collections of perceptions of human experience, which is what is real.   It highlights that significance of mind before matter and the preordained connection of mind and body.Thinking is function that people constantly do, consciously, unconsciously or subconsciously in relating to their environment.   The mind is essential to be considered in understanding the nature of the universe because everything entailed the consciousness of the mind.   Thus, the universe is the product of the mind. (Bourgeois, 2003, 162-163)Berkeley will not deny that the table being observed is definitely real but it needs to be subjected to one’s consciousness before we know it is real.   Moreover, the real essence of the table or that which makes a tab le what it is resides in the â€Å"idea† of the table which is in the mind of God.   It does not rest on the â€Å"physical table† which we perceived because our experiences of the table vary.   While we see the table is brown, solid and smooth, our experience of the brownness, solidness or smoothness of the table differs. There is a disparity between what at we perceive† and â€Å"what is real†.Russell agrees with Berkeley’s idea that the act of perception is dependent on the mind but the mind is only the mental functioning of the brain hence, the perceptions therefore do not actually exist in the mind.   We only get to have a mental idea of what a table is through our perception of the physical table.   Perception is the prime source of knowledge (Engel, S., 2001, p 250-260).Knowledge is mainly based on the acquisition, interpretation, selection and organization of information what we perceive.   In Bertrand Russell’s own words, à ¢â‚¬Å"our ideas are derived from two sources, sensation, and perception of the operation of our own mind, which may be called internal sense†. (Russell, 2004, p556) Hence, we form our idea of table from the perception.This approximation of what reality through our senses, despite differences in the intensity of what brownness, solidness and smoothness of the table is real knowledge we can establish by observation and generalization. Incidentally, this is the underlying philosophy of science. In the end, we gain our knowledge about the â€Å"table† not from an innate idea of a table but through an observation of the table.We know that a table is brown, solid and smooth, irregardless of the intensity of these descriptions from different people. â€Å"Perception is the first step and degree towards knowledge and the inlet of all the materials in it†. (Russel, 2004, p556) And that is what is real regardless of the ideal table that we can conceive.ReferencesAugustine and Outler, A. (2002). The Confessions of St. Augustine. Translated by Albert Cook Outler. Courier Dover PublicationsBourgeois, W. (2003). Persons: What Philosophers Say about You. 2nd edition. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.Engel, S. (2001). The Study of Philosophy. Rowman & Littlefield,Russell, B. (2004). History of Western Philosophy. 2nd edition. RoutledgeVon Martels, Z. R. W. M. and Schmidt, VM. Antiquity Renewed: Late Classical and Early Modern Themes. PREDESTINATION AND THE LOSS OF DRAMA FROM AUGUSTINE TO CALVIN by MB Pranger. Peeters Publishers   

The Failure Of War By Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry, in his essay ‘The Failure of War,’ claims that ‘modern war does not work as a solution to any problem except retribution,’ and that it promotes a vicious cycle of violence and other social problems. Supporters for war will claim that war answers the dilemma of national defense. But the agnostic, in return, will solicit to what level the cost even of a triumphant war of national defense—in life, wealth, material, foods, health, and liberty—may amount to a national overwhelm. National defense by way of war constantly entails some quantity of national defeat. Militarization in defense of freedom downsizes the freedom of the apologists. There is a crucial contradiction between war and freedom.In a contemporary war, fought with modern armaments and on the modern scale, neither side can bound to â€Å"the adversary† the harm that it does. These wars ruin the humanity. Modern war has not only made it unworkable to kill â€Å"opp onents† without massacring â€Å"non-warriors,† it has made it ineffectual to destroy your foe without spoiling yourself. Modern wars have usually been fought to end war; they have been fought for the sake of peace.To Berry most appalling weapons have been prepared, seemingly, to maintain and assure the peace of the world. â€Å"All we want is peace,† we utter as we increase inexorably our aptitude to make war. Yet in the last part of a century in which we have fought two combats to end war and numerous more to prevent war and keep peace, and in which scientific and hi-tech evolution has made war ever more horrifying and less manageable, we still, by policy, confer no contemplation to nonviolent approach of national defense. We stick to the discouraging paradox of making peace by producing war.Capital chastisement sinks us all to the same level of primal aggression, at which an act of brutality is rebuked by another deed of aggression. What the justifiers of thes e feats overlook is the fact—fixed by the history of quarrels; steer clear of the history of war—that belligerence raises violence. Operations of violence committed in â€Å"fairness† or in assertion of â€Å"rights† or in resistance of â€Å"peace† do not impede violence. They set up and justify its prolongation.The most hazardous fallacy of the parties of violence is the notion that endorsed violence can put off or control illegal violence. If we devote to these small irrationalities the enormity of worldwide relations, we make, predictably, a few much larger idiocies. In â€Å"foreign† wars, we do not explicitly experience the harm that we wreak upon the rival. We pay monies to sanction the war, but that is nothing new, for we shell out war levies in era of peace as well.Quite the reverse, war is the great solution and opening of our corporate economy, which keeps going and prospers upon war. And thus great costs are engrossed in our fixa tion on war, but the overheads are â€Å"externalized† as â€Å"tolerable losses.† Romantic separatists, which are to say most protectors for war, always contain in their public speeches mathematics or an accounting of war. The supportable price, at last, is suchlike is paid.It is straightforward to see the likeness between this accounting of the cost of war and our normal accounting of the price of improvement. Now with less fret (to date) it is observed world subjugation by global capitalism. Nevertheless its political means are milder than those of Leninism, this lately internationalized capitalism may attest even more harsh to human mores and communities, of liberty, and of environment. To Berry people would be less incongruous if the leaders would believe in good faith the verified surrogates to violence.

Assignment for International Economic Relations Lecture

Assignment for International Economic Relations lecture Topic:Milton Friedman as the criticised economic agitator which has chances to succeed In my opinion, things which are fascinating in the economy for people without more than average knowledge about this science are not elaborate models, taxation or tariff systems. Really captivating issue for ordinary man is a picture of economy as a metaphysical force which rules our lives. In this context it is a reasonable tool for explaining global processes. Somehow, we should be a little skeptical, because it is quite dangerous to think that one and only impact on world society is supply and demand rule. In my essay I would like to focus on the understanding and the idea of world which Milton Friedman offered in the book „Free to Choose†. In the reality as he presented it there are two categories of action- according to â€Å"real economics† and against it. That real and good economics is a set of actions, but also lack of any action, which are undertaken for purely economical reasons. One should emphasize that Friedman sees economics as overwhelming power which, in terms of the effectiveness and the profit, is the best solution. As an example he is points to ZSSR- an opposite of the model to free economics. In his view commonwealth with the planned economy would be in even worse condition if it werent for the elements of drawing aside from the Marxist ideology in the direction of the capitalism. American economist illustrates the way in which the system works by describing the situation of the Soviet citizen who is decides to break the principles of soviet economy. He is handing the washing machine over to the national point of repair illegally. He is paying more, but repair is done without the queue and he has his working washing machine in the short time. What is more a mechanic from the national point of repair gets some additional earnings. Both benefit from that transaction, which is a pure example of capitalistic way of handling business , all that happening in the center of gravity of a planned economy. Friedman is also assigning a very important role to the price as the notifying, stimulating and regulating factor. One should add typical Smiths attitude to the role of the government presented in the epitaph for Hong Kong of the end of years 80, written in the same spirit. My point is not to report Friedmans ideas, as I think that what he presents to his readers is not only the image of economics. I can see it more as the program, desired state of affairs. In my mind a Nobel Prize winner in field of economics from the year 1976 is in a way reminding of Karol Marx. Despite the fact that the Communist Manifesto is from other times and presents the opposite ides, I could say it uses similar rhetoric. As a matter of fact the American economist is scoring the program of the co-founder of the International Workingmens Association, as if he wanted to show that the capitalism won already as the best economic system, now is the time for it to become the leading ideology. Finding support in such attributes as the freedom, the equality in the access to goods explicitly in the context of the economic system is making the text of Friedman agitational. In the following part of the essay I will be trying to confront utilitarian (or even Utopian) vision of Friedman with views of other economic minds. It is probably the best to argue against Milton Friedmans theory by using the achievements of the school of John Maynard Keynes. It is obvious that the British scholar sees the role of the government and the state rather differently. Keynes wants administration to take care of citizens in the full-time manner, rather than only as a night watchman. However he agrees with the global scope of economics. According to him the domestic production depends on the world demand, and unemployment is an effect of the insufficient demand. When comparing the two points of view I shall focus on the vivid aspects. There is a method of the psychoanalysis with the colloquial name „ dictator †. The test examines 2 persons- one is assigned to be a dictator receives for example 100 dollars. He is supposed to share money with the second person, so that the other accepts the exchange. If the second person agrees on the division of money, the amounts are given to the participants. If the division wont be accepted money is coming back to researchers. It isnt possible to negotiate and the second person knows what amount the dictator has at his disposal. Supposedly the situation is simple- the second person should agree to accept any amount the dictator offers, as it would always result in the intrinsic gain for him. Meanwhile, 69% of people for which the suggested amount stayed from 1 to 3. 7 dollar decided not to agree for the division. Dictators most often pay amounts between 28 and 44 dollars. It is one of many undoubted proofs for the fact that people do not always act reasonably and according to the spirit of economics. Adam Smith wrote, that the exchange between sides based on the principle of the freedom would take place exclusively when both sides will recognize it as profitable. How can receiving 3 dollars for nothing not be recognized as profitable? It turns out that there is something else apart from the profit as understood by Friedman. In „Free is Choose† and „The Essence of Friedman„ is summoning the famous Leonard E. Reads pencil, of which „ no man knows how to make a it†. Read is describing all stages of the coming into existence of the pencil, with a broad spectrum. The pencil â€Å"is saying† that thanks to the function of price none of the buyer is interested in a aspect who is getting the graphite: believer of the Yahweh or the Allah and whether Americans or Japanese people cut the trees down. The whole matter is showing itself not to be so simple and that is why nobody is registering international price of pencils, and more a barrel of oil concerns us. Furthermore an example of the â€Å"dictator† shows that the point of reference is extremely important in making economic decisions. Not to search far, let us take the example of the European Union, which ideology is more related to Keynes than Friedman. What I mean is the Union as the institution bristling with the customs, rates, and artificial subsidies of Community economies. After all opening to other markets, with cheap products (provided it is not dealing with the dumping) should benefit the EU. Isnt it a fact that the more participants in the free global exchange, the more effective the economy is? We, Europeans prefer to pay extra for â€Å"our† grain, by subsidizing it, rather than allow for goods from Africa. Maybe the explanation for this is the fact that we are aware that even tough the profit is less, it stays within European economy, and does not allow inhabitants of Africa to make comparatively higher profit. It is worthwhile to mention the opponent of classical economics and the self-regulation of the world market. Karl Polanyi regarded specific business activity and its rooting in the culture together with the historical moment and the social situation as the main factors influencing the shape of the economy(„ The Great Transformation †). According to Polanyiego economic transactions are not as much guided by receiving an economic or financial benefit as they are aimed at supporting and refreshing norms and social values. He found global markets moving on into the side of the laissez-faire, the main reason for the atomization of the society and the breakdown of social bonds. From the other side Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto is slightly narrowing the issues. He definitely rejects the argumentation of supporters of liberal economics, who claim that capitalism is not working in some countries (e. g. South America) due to cultural differences. He regards these views as offensive and unconvincing. In his „ The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else †, he highlights the inborn feature of entrepreneurship of inhabitants of countries which find it difficult to function as the free market economy. De Soto claims that the poor men of noncapitalistic world have significant amounts of the saving which are being estimated to account for as much as forty-fold the entire foreign help from 1945 to 2000 r. The Peruvian can see the problem in the lack transparency of these goods. The wealth which people have from outside of the range of capitalism, is not circulating in the worlds economy. It is not possible to take a loan or to pawn the central mortgage with the help of these assets. For de Soto capital is not only a transparentness. The secret of Capital lies in abilities of people of capitalist systems which can see living their wealths which they can invest as a living capital. For them it works already on the principle of the unconditioned reflex, however the rest of the world is left with the dead capital and not being able to invest it. Here Hernando de Soto is seeking the cause of the poverty. I will devote the last paragraph to the quite obvious accusation, that in the model of Friedman there is no such an instrument like social benefits. The government, which is not helping poor men to rise their quality of living and help become economically active or in more extreme cases giving them a chance to survive, seems worthless. Apart from that, words about equality of opportunities and of the access to goods, seem to be empty words in the context of a society diversified in terms of wealth from the assumption. It is not difficult to attack Milton Friedman and his views. Equally easily like Karol Marks and his social and economic model . After all in the communism a logical cohesion and an adequacy in relation to reality were not the most important issue, its aim was to give an uncomplicated and interesting interpretation of world surrounding us. The same concerns the laissez-faire of Friedman. This gives the American economist greater chances of the success than the German a philosopher had. If to examine the criticism of de Soto, Keynes, Polanyi and socialists it it is possible enough to reach the conclusion that they criticize small shortcomings rather than serious professional errors. Following Keynes thoughts, it is possible to say that there are other factors which influence human action then mere economics. However it is worth to remember the fact that at one time we didnt know how to measure the social capital, social tensions, social inequality. Perhaps at one time in the future we will manage to measure even more intangible factors such as love, pain or the dislike. Then when they become measurable and countable, it will be possible to include them in the system of economic exchange, and to check whether being a â€Å"dictator† is still more profitable. It is difficult to force people to retreat from global exchange, in favor to the local one which is fulfilling the social role, as Karl Polanyi wanted. As for de Soto, the poor of developing countries must learn the same lesson as the Americans in The Wild West did- the important of title deeds and the fact that they are liable to an exchange for other goods, that is in short transparency. There remain two questions: how to convince people for acting within the free economy, and how to solve a problem which the laissez-faire doesnt predict? First what is coming to my mind it is a Grameen Bank example. First bank in the world which opened to people without essential capital. The homeless, unescorted women, families in need could take the microcredit fitted to their needs. Everything acting as a bit as in the fairy tale- as people are rising their standard of living and Grameen notes considerable profits. What is more they already have their followers in major banks: Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, BNP Paribas. Of course, just as in every other system there are already certain shortcoming, but one should remember that the project is young. One should appreciate the fact that it is satisfying social needs of the welfare state belongs, and it is not in opposition to the laissez-faire. And if the economic liberalism would be supposed to control entire world, it is in my opinion one of the best solutions we could offer yet. It is as if we corrected the shortcoming of the framework by using the tools that the framework gives us. Maciej Bialoruski, IS UW(International Economic Relations, Wed,16. 45)

Midterm question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Midterm question - Essay Example However, since humans are not purely rational, they are prone irrational behaviors and hence the need for a code of ethics to establish relations in an organizations. Indeed, the possibility of having rational and irrational perspective gives rise to a moral consideration in business deliberations according to Kant. Most notable is the fact that reason supersedes any decision and reason gives a moral direction that abides with the law. In fact, Kant reckons that whether a moral act is right depends on the correctness of the actor’s reasoning. According to the Utilitarians, the morality of any action absolutely relies on its utility in providing happiness or pleasure. As such, the Utilitarians define morality or ethical tenets in relation to the outcome of the action. Furthermore, John Stuart Mill respects the value of the natural world and the environment by arguing that destruction of the environment and a reduced quality of life leads to reduced growth in an organization. In analyzing the business model of the Walmart and McDonald’s Corporation, the two dimensions of moral worthiness of an act in an organization will apply. Walmart Corporation is an international company with its headquarters based in Wal-Mart Home Office complex in America (Walmart). Walmart business model associates with selling a wide variety of general merchandise at significantly low prices. This seemingly relates to Utilitarianism define morality or ethical tenets in relation to the outcome of the action. Indeed, the morality of this act derives its worthiness from the profits collected from such a strategy. More so, in U.S and Canada, the company equally employs greeters and designates them at strategic places in the entrance of the store to assist the customers get what they want and give feedback. As such, the corporation plays a huge responsibility in creating quality products and marketing them in an ethical manner. This relates to Kant’s view that it is the mo tive and free will behind every action that derives the action moral worth and not the outcome of such an action. Moreover, these moral acts are compliant with the law. Furthermore, the company refers to its employees as associates thus motivating them in their work. Clearly, the corporation does this with reason and at free will as established by Kant’s view. Nevertheless, Walmart business model attracts serious criticism relating to extensive foreign product sourcing, treatment of employees and product suppliers, and environmental practices. Overall, Walmart has successfully offered goods at low prices for working families and subsequently gaining competitive advantage in the market (Walmart). McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food company (McDonald’s Web).  However, the model of business in McDonald’s faces a lot of criticism relating to its menu, its expansion, environmental policy, health policy, and labor record. Indeed, there have been consistent a llegations of corruption at the McDonald. The corporation faces accusations of increasing its profits through political influence. This subsequently has adverse effects on human health especially children who suffer obesity and social conditions of its workers. This is against the law as seen in the documentary film Super-Size Me by Morgan (Supersize Me). As we can see, the McDonald’

LEGAL ASPECTS OF NURSING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

LEGAL ASPECTS OF NURSING - Essay Example Negligence on either side of the teams gives rise to severe consequences. These consequences are sometimes lethal and several patients have been reported dead on grounds of negligence. Other than filing law suits against the healthcare providers and healthcare facilities, patients and plaintiffs have in the past gone an extra step to sue jurisdictional governments for their failure to make available sufficient funds for up-to-date facilities (Martzo & Sherman 2010, 43). There are a number of federal regulations that health facilities need to observe in assuring client’s safety. The first regulation is the identification of laid down set of measurements of patients’ protection critical to the therapeutic error detection. Another parameter is classifying a set of performances concerning patient safety significant to medical inaccuracy prevention. The third guideline is identifying matters connected to implementation of mandatory reporting for diminution of errors (Martzo & Sherman 2010, 63). Establishing the utmost accommodating way to show information on the incidences of medical oversights to the civic is also a federal law. Healthcare facilities need to take levelheaded steps to ensure that medical workforce adhere to these guidelines by the established modus operandi that encourage patient safety. There are several principles of protecting patients’ safety that applied in Mr. Abraham’s case. First is the Principle of Autonomy. This is the agreement to respect a patient’s right to determine his own course of action. The agreement demands that medical practitioners respect independent decisions made by a patient. Patient Self Determination Act of 1990 passed by the United States Congress reserves a patient’s right to make decisions over what he wants to do with his life. The law, however, applies to a person in a stable state of mind and body (competent person). This principle does not apply to Mr. Abraham’s dema nd to leave the clinic since he was drunk at the time of his admission. His alcohol level was above the legal limit and this disqualified him from the principle of autonomy. The nurses reserved the right to decide on his behalf to stay within the facility for further treatment. The second principle applicable in the case study is the Principle of Beneficence. This states the nurses’ need to be compassionate, take positive action to help others and always desire to do well. This principle is considered the core principle of patient advocacy. In Abraham’s case, the nurses and medical personnel who attended to him had his best interest at heart. After attending to the patient, the nurses restrained Mr. Abraham onto his bed using Posey vest and soft wrist restraints so that he could not leave to cause more harm to himself in another fight. The nurses’ care was evident in their decision to move the patient to a room close to their station so that they could have a cl ose check on him. Further, they devised an hourly visit to ensure his best care. Nonmaleficence is the third principle that applies to the case of Mr. Abraham. This principle demands that medical practitioners may not inflict any harm on the patients as they take positive action to help (Martzo & Sherman 2010, 143). It is the central medical oath of medical ethics. In medical practitioner’s efforts to do utmost good to sustain the patient’

Process Design Matrix Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process Design Matrix - Coursework Example nsequently, this executive summary will be essential in advocating for varied aspects, which these firms entail to embrace in enhancing performance management for Engineering Support Service as well as Drive socket adapter. In improving the former, aspects that require consideration embrace product line, personal attention to approach and production line. Conversely, Drive socket adapter entail assembly line, batch as well as continuous flow approach. By considering these approaches, they will be of immense significance by firms in understanding, managing as well as enhancing respective process with ease. The focus of this aspect encompasses enhancing performance management, which implies addressing any issue that entail rectification and in regards to employees’ performances. Hence, rectify them in time to be at par with already set guidelines of policies devised to put the firm in an aggressive edge in the market. In realizing this, it encompasses upholding efficiency through employees’ praising and rewarding them based on their realizations. However, the measure of realizations entails effective strategies like each having a performance files (having at least 11-15 machine production lines), which will also be critical when considering their promotions. Mainly, this encompasses firms shunning the traditional fragmented processes that end up taking many resources that could have gone in other purposes. This is only realizable if firm have effective plan for each party besides considering the following, This is more of merging all operators’ intentions or goals towards enhancing quality of the aforementioned socket. Mainly, this is in such way the socket passes through respective assembly departments until the final one whereby afterwards inspection and shipping commences. Hence, ensuring the firm’s productions align with the management’s anticipated goals. Mainly, the appropriate approach encompasses employing â€Å"lean manufacturing process† whose

Characteristics of a True Hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Characteristics of a True Hero - Essay Example This depiction of a hero is only a myth, in reality, a hero is an individual who has abundant amount of strength that is physical as well as emotional in nature, who is brave enough to put his own life at stake for the wellbeing of others, has the ability to stand against pain and is very humble in nature. In movies, several heroes such as the superman, batman and the ironman have been depicted saving the world and human beings tend to acknowledge these heroes with appreciation (Oropeza 5). In the real world there are several heroes around human beings, but they are simply ignored and their importance is never realized. Body Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and they represent different professions, even a common man and a simple man can even be a hero. An individual is not born as a hero; he develops into a hero as his life basses on. People such as cops, fighters of fire, military officials, lawyers and well as doctors can even be regarded as heroes if they exhibit characteristic s of a true hero and if they make the lives of other human beings better through their fearless nature and valor (Jackson 81). An arm official fighting on the border does not fight because he is a psychopath who has an eye for killing other individuals; his main purpose of fighting is the wellbeing and safeguard of the people of the nation he is representing. Both the cops as well as firefighter have repeatedly risked their lives to ensure that the people of their society are safe. Individuals who are on death bed and experiencing tremendous amount of pain due to their health condition and are still fighting against their health diseases without taking up mercy killing as an option to relief pain are heroes (Walsh 1). The most important characteristic that an individual requires to be recognized as a hero is bravery. Heroes have a special condition called bravery because they stand against their darkest fears and are courageous enough to continue fighting even if they fear that thei r attempts may fail. Heroes tend to be determined in nature, they never back down and continue to fight even if they fail during attempts (Rabieh 163). A hero is a person who makes several moves before he finally achieves what he started working out for. This is because attempts to perform a heroic act can fail again and again, but a true hero is one who continues to keep attempting to win even though previous attempts may have failed. A true hero is one who is dedicated to a particular cause and he is dedicated towards that cause in order to protect the interest of others and not to protect his own interest (Mosse 52). He believes that he has a higher purpose and continues to operate to attain that particular purpose. For example Martin Luther King Jr. was a brave hero who stood against slavery at the time when black Americans were suppressed and being killed for standing against the whites. He was an individual who believed in attaining rights for the blacks in a non-violent manne r and continued to make public speeches and led non-violent marches for over 2,500 times in order to help the black Americans attain their right of voting, equal opportunity and civil rights (Moral Heroes 1). He continued to march and use non-violent measures to protest even though his marches were strongly condemned by the police who tried to stop him by arresting him. He was a believer of non-violent methods of protest and he believed that violent measures were wrong and cannot be used to stand against wrong doings. A hero is one who scores high in endurance and who does not give up

Gaming Industry in Macao Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gaming Industry in Macao - Essay Example Monopoly to Liberalisation In the year 1961, the monopoly offered to Tai Hing Company expired. As a consequence, new tenders were invited for the casino operation in Macao. In the year 1962, the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macao (STDM) was allowed to have casino concession. On the first January of the same year, STDM was able to successfully take over the gambling franchise. Since the time, gambling has established its own industry. In the process, western games like roulette, blackjack, and craps were introduced as significant games. Undoubtedly, with the passing time, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macao (STDM) has emerged as the best known and largest business group in Macao and at the same time it has played a significant role in the territory’s development. The group was established as well as managed by Stanley Ho, who put his effort to introduce it as a mere gambling character, rather as an entity to develop tourism and the entertainment business encouragin g new prosperity for Macao by enhancement of the welfare and living standard of the common citizen of Macao (World Casino Directory Staff, 2011). The Gaming Industry: New Pattern In the month of August, 2001, the Legislative Assembly had officially established Gaming Industry Regulatory Framework. The framework had given an appropriate meaning to the ‘casino’ and ‘ gaming’. The framework had also laid out regulations for concessions system as well as introduced conditions and process for bidding. At the same time, the Casino Concessions Committee was established to be responsible for the works which are responsible to tender invitation and bidding. After a series of tender invitation and evaluation across the globe,... The gaming industry in Macao started back in the year 1934, when for the first time the government in there granted monopoly rights for casino operation. The first monopoly right or exclusive franchise went to Tai Hing Company. At the very first stage, Chinese games were played in Macao. The most ancient game played in the region was believed to be Fantan. The game was supposed to be played with buttons. In this game, the players are required to guess the number of remaining buttons in a cup of buttons with the total number of buttons being divided by four. Another Chinese domino game named as Pai Kao was also considerably popular. The recent recession has put an adverse effect on the industry. The region’s gross gambling revenue from the year 2007 to the year 2008 has increased by 31 %. However, from thereon, the gambling industry has witnessed an obvious downturn trends due to the global financial crisis. Macao is blessed with rich and contrasting cultural characteristics and can be vividly described. The place is strategically located at the Pearl River Delta at the South-eastern coast of Mainland China. This has also been significant to make it an important tourist place. Since many years, the place is known for its enriched gaming Industry. The place is exemplary in exhibiting the tuneful co-existence of both gaming and cultural attractions. Undoubtedly, the industry has been considerable contributor in the economic growth of this region. However, at the same time, it must look at the adverse impacts arising from the expansion of the gaming industry in there. The government must look into the matter carefully to enhance the positive impacts of the gaming industry by curbing out the adverse effects of the same.

Civil Rights Activist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Civil Rights Activist - Essay Example The Civil Rights Movement is often compared to the "David against the Goliath" fable because it was a tough battle against overwhelming odds. On one hand were the oppressors who were extremely powerful in terms of strength, numbers and political power, while on the other hand were the oppressed, and all they had was a dream, and an undying tenacity to achieve that dream. What makes it one of the most important events in the annals of world history is that this movement was largely successful. This is bolstered by acts such as The Brown decision in 1954, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 all of which helped bring about the demise of the entangling web of legislation that bound blacks to second class citizenship (loc.gov, nd). During these turbulent times, there were several visionaries who surfaced to make a change. These were great men who saw and understood that what was happening around them and to them was unfair. The Civil Rights Movement is largely associated with the life and struggle of Martin Luther King JR, however, it would be unfair not to identify the work done by several other men and women of that time in this regard. One such person who is unfortunately barely ever mentioned or completely ignored in the pages of history was Medgar Evers. It was in an oppressive world of White domination that Medgar Evers was born, on July 2 1925 to James and Jesse Evers in Decatur, Mississippi (Evers & Marable, 2005). Having taken birth in a devout Christian family, Medgar was instilled with virtues such as self-reliance, pride and self-respect right from a very young age. This made him an assertive boy. He was seen as mean by the local neighborhood. In the autobiography it has been documented that a lync hing of a neighbor that he eye-witnessed, had a profound impact on Medgar's feelings about the racist conditions that surrounded him (Evers & Marable, 2005). In 1943 Medgar left high school and joined the Army. He served the Army in World War II and was stationed in England and France. When he came back home, he joined Alcorn College in Mississippi majoring in Business. Medgar was a very popular student and also received the recognition by being named in the Who's Who in American Colleges. In 1951, Medgar married Myrlie, a freshman girl from his college. By 1952, Medgar had started in his own ways, several attempts to improve the lives of the black American people. In 1952, he became the founding member of Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL) and in that capacity, started assisting the rural blacks to register to vote and promoting memberships in NAACP. Unlike Martin Luther King JR, Medgar was not a supporter of non-violence. He believed that oppressed blacks must fight back, and if necessary also cross the line. In 1954 he was appointed Mississippi's first field secretary for the NAACP. In this role he actively worked for the betterment of the lives of black Americans. He ran several boycott campaigns against racism and institutions that supported it. He also worked towards integrating schools instead of racial segregation. He took up cases where black Americans were not granted their rights in form of denied admissions or rejected loans, and fought for them to obtain justice. Increasingly, Medgar was asked to give public spe eches to inspire

Hans and the Romans Essay Example for Free

Hans and the Romans Essay The Hans and the Romans both had very fascinating views on their technology. While The Han’s attitude toward technology was viewed as a positive contribution to their society the Romans had positive views other Romans had negative attitudes. Every document has its own opinions on the way they appreciate technology some support which is making then look good, while some think it’s for low class people and not for government. In order to fully analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology it would have been helpful to have an additional document of an interview with a Roman laborer because all of the other documents were from higher class Romans who did not work with tools and such technology. Documents 1, 8 agree with each other because the upper class people believed that technology is great and is needed. Document 1 by a Han government official said that the empire needed to be protected more fully, because it’s the government responsibility. While document 8 by a Roman general and a water commissioner said that water is easy to use and is pleasurable, because he is sticking up for himself so he can look good. Documents 2, 5 and, 7 agree in a way that they all think upper class and government should not be at the use of technology, they believe that lower classes like peasants should be the ones dealing with technology. Document 2 by a Han government official states that tools were made way better by individual families like the lower classes than the ways made by government and upper classes, so he believes only lower class people should deal with technology not government. Document 5 by an upper class Roman political leader says workshops are horrible when they are controlled by government he would much rather have lower class do it because they are much better at it. Document 7 by an upper class Roman philosopher states that Technology belongs to the lower class because the upper class are too good and special to use such technology. Documents 3, 4 and 6 agree by the ways that government and upper class should be in control of such technology. Document 3 by an Upper class Han philosopher says that their work that they did help the make more revenue by getting the power of many animals and help increasing their money by 10 fold, so he thinks that government should control technology and he like the money and the recognition of his efforts . Document 6 by a Roman high official says that the roads that are built by the government are special, and that they have parallel height, with a beautiful appearance. So he agrees that government and upper class should control technology because they make great things out of it. Document 4 by the history of the early Han dynasty stated Ti Shih was an upper class governor that invented many things of technology and took great care of his people. The reason this is being stated is that so That the government can look good for technology. Romans and Han have very different opinions based on the way their empire is run and what the government and people do in it. The Romans and the Hans were both big empires that had many thoughts on the uses of their technology.

Effects of an oil price shock on importing and exporting countries

Effects of an oil price shock on importing and exporting countries From the middle of twentieth century, due to exceptional importance of the crude oil in the supply of the worlds energy demands, it has become one of the major indicators of economic activities of the world. Even after the appearance of alternate forms of energy like solar power, water and wind, the importance of crude oil as the main source of energy still cannot be denied. This sharp increase in the world oil prices and the volatile exchange rates are generally regarded as the factors of discouraging economic growth. Particularly, the very recent highs, recorded in the world oil market bring apprehension about possible slump in the economic growth in both developed and developing countries. A large number of researchers proposed that exchange rate volatility and oil price fluctuations have considerable consequences on real economic activities. The impact of oil price fluctuation is expected to be different between in oil exporting and in oil importing countries. An oil price increase should be considered as bad news for oil importing countries and good news for oil exporting countries, while the reverse should be expected when the oil price decreases. Through demand and supply transmission mechanism, oil prices impacts the real economic activity. The supply side effects are associated with the fact that crude oil is a basic input to production, and an increase in oil price leads to a rise in production costs ultimately that result in firms lower output. Oil prices changes also entail demand-side effects on investment and consumption. Consumption is also affected indirectly through its positive relation with disposable income. Moreover, oil prices have an adverse impact on investment by increasing firms costs. On the other hand it is generally recognized that the depreciation of exchange rate would reduce imports and expand exports, while the appreciation of exchange rate would encourage imports and discourage exports. Especially a depreciation of the exchange rate leads to income transfer to exporting countries from importing countries through a shift in the terms of trade. Since 2003, oil prices increased continuously, even touched the peak of $137 per barrel in July 2008, but after that a declining trend was observed. After 1970s, many negative oil shocks hit the world economies. The first one was during 1973-74 caused by OPEC oil prohibition, and secondly in 1978-79 when the OPEC put restraints on its oil production. This rising trend in oil prices continued until mid 1980s, subsequently, Iraq-Iran war in early 1980s further shoot up the prices. However in 1986, when Saudi Arabia increased its crude oil production, oil price tend to decreased. In 1990s, Iraq-Kuwait war was a major factor of oil price increase but it was ended in a year because of Asian financial crisis. In 1999-2000 the OPEC again narrow its production leading to another price shock. The latest and last oil price shock was started in the year 2003 which continued till July 2008. In other words, oil prices have always remained quite volatile. According to report of IEA (2004) , these price shocks have raised serious concerns among the policy makers all over the world. The adverse economic impact of higher oil prices on oil-importing developing countries is generally considered as more worse than for the developed countries because of their more reliance on imported oil and are more energy-intensive. Malik. A (2007) also mentioned in her research that, the recent surge in the oil prices especially after 2000 has worried many economists about its possible adverse impacts. This increasing trend in the oil prices has hurt many of the economies worldwide including that of Pakistan, in terms of creating inflationary pressures, increasing budget deficit and balance of payment problems. According to ADB (2005) report, supply, demand, and speculative factors, and their interrelationships, all leads towards the steady rise in oil prices. From the last many years, all over the world, the demand for oil grew due to economic strength and growth in the US, as well as strong economic performance in developing Asian countries specially China and India. From 1990s to 2003 global demand for oil grew at the rate of 1.3 % whereas for the People Republic of China and India the combined rates is at 7 % and accounted for almost 40 percent of the demand growth. There are various empirical literatures, investigating the relationship between oil price variations and economic growth. The existence of a negative relationship between macro-economic activities and oil prices has become widely accepted especially after Hamiltons 1983 work. He pointed out that increase in oil prices, reduced US output growth from 1948 to 1980. Hamiltons findings have been confirmed and extended by many authors and researcher. Hooker (1996) confirmed and extended Hamiltons work for the period 1948 to 1972 and demonstrated that the oil price level and its changes do reflect the influence on GDP growth. This is shown in the third and fourth quarters after the shock that rise of 10% in oil prices lead to a GDP growth decrease of approximately 0.6 %. Accordingly, Lee et al. (1995) Mork (1989), and Hamilton (1996) presented the non-linear transformations of oil prices to re-establish the negative association between oil prices increases and economic decline, as well as t hese researchers also analyzed Granger causality between both variables. The result of Granger causality test proved that oil prices Granger cause U.S. economy before 1973 but no longer Granger cause was found from 1973 to 1994. Recently, Hamilton (2003) and Jimenez and Rodrà ­guez (2004) also confirms the non-linear relationship between the economic growth of U.S. economy and increases of oil prices The quantitative exercise conducted by the IEA in alliance with the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and development) department of Economics and with the assistance of IMF Research department in 2004, indicated that a continued $10 per barrel increase in oil price would result in the decrease of about 0.4 % OECD as a whole, in the first and second years of higher prices. Inflation would increase by half a percentage and unemployment would also increase in this case. The OECD imported the oil at a cost of over $260 billion in 2003 which is 20% more than its 2001 oil need. European countries, which are highly dependent on oil imports, would suffer most in the short term, their GDP dropping by 0.5% and inflation rising by 0.5% in 2004. The U.S would suffer the least, with GDP falling by 0.3%, because its indigenous production meets a bigger share of its oil needs. Japans GDP would fall 0.4%, This analysis assumes constant exchange rates and economic growth for the US econom y. The present paper is the extension of the existing empirical literature in two directions. First, we have not focused on the oil importing US economy only , rather we analyzed the effects of an oil price shock in two different type of countries which include five oil exporting countries i.e. Saudi Arabia, Norway, Venezuela, Kuwait , Nigeria and five oil importing country i.e. Pakistan, India , China, Japan , Germany. Secondly, we will not only demonstrate the relationship between oil prices and real economic growth but we will also analyze the role of the real exchange rate for real economic growth. Oil Importing Countries China Chinas real GDP has increased continuously at surprising rate of 10% per year in recent years. Simultaneously with strong economic growth, its demand for energy is also surging rapidly. The figure 1 clearly shows about the oil consumption and production behavior of the country which tends the country to import from different countries. China produces 3798 thousand barrels per day and consumes 8200 thousand barrels per day of oil in 2009. This means that China has to import roughly 4402 thousand barrels per day to meet its consumption needs per day. In the year 2007, China was declared as the worlds third largest net importer of oil behind the U.S and Japan. In July 2005, the reform of the exchange rate system was introduced by the central bank of China. After the reforms, the exchange rate of yuan was set according to a basket of other currencies. At the end of 2007, the yuan was appreciated by 7.5% approx. against the dollar, in consequence of these reforms. India According to the Oil Gas Journal (OGJ), India had second-largest amount of proven oil reserves i.e. 5.6 billion barrels in the Asia-Pacific region after China as of January 2009. With the high rates of economic growth and over 15 % of the worlds population, India has become one of the important consumer of energy resources. In 2006, India was the sixth largest oil consumption country of the world. The global financial and credit crises have slowed Indias significant economic growth particularly in its manufacturing sector. Due to this crunch, the GDP growth rates have turn down from 9.3 percent in 2007 to 5.3 % in the last quarter of 2008. Despite of this slow economic growth, Indias energy demand continues to rise. India is developing into an open-market economy now but traces of its past autarkic policies remain. The accelerated country growth was averaged at 7% since 1997 and the main factor behind this was economic liberalization, including reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, began in the early 1990s. An industrial slowdown early in 2008, followed by the global financial crisis, led annual GDP growth to slow to 6.5% in 2009, still the second highest growth in the world among major economies. The government abandoned its deficit target and allowed the deficit to reach 6.8% of GDP in FY10. Nevertheless, as shares of GDP, both government spending and taxation are among the lowest in the world. From the figure 2 it can easily be observed that the production of crude oil is not upto that level to meet consumer demand which tends the country to import from outsiders. From 1996 onward India is producing oil approximately with the same trend but consumption is increasing day by day. India produced 680.4 thousand bbl/d of total oil in 2009, of which approximately 650 thousand bbl/d was crude oil, with the rest of production resulting from other liquids and refinery gain. India has over 3,600 operating oil wells, according to OGJ. Although oil producti on in India has slightly trended upwards in recent years, it has failed to keep pace with demand and is expected by the EIA to decline slightly in 2009. Indias oil consumption has continued to be robust in recent years. In 2007, India consumed approximately 2.8 million bbl/d, making it the fifth largest consumer of oil in the world. In 2006, India was the seventh largest net importer of oil in the world. The EIA expects India to become the fourth largest net importer of oil in the world by 2025, behind the United States, China, and Japan. On the other hand the Govt of India control its exchange rate and after 2002 reforms , it tends to decrease and Indian currency tends to appreciate. Japan In the years following World War II, government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan develop a technologically advanced economy. Today, measured on a purchasing power parity basis, Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China; measured by official exchange rates, however, Japan is the second largest economy in the world behind the US. Japan has virtually no domestic oil or natural gas reserves and is the second-largest net importer of crude oil and largest net importer of liquefied natural gas in the world. Including nuclear power, Japan is still only 16 percent energy self-sufficient. Japan remains one of the major exporters of energy-sector capital equipment and Japanese companies provide engineering, construction, and project management services for energy projects around the world. Japan has a strong energy research and development program that is supp orted by the government. Oil is the most consumed energy resource in Japan, although its share of total energy consumption has declined by about 30 percent since the 1970s. The figure 3 clearly shows about the oil consumption and production behavior of the country which tends the country to depends heavily on imports from different countries. Japan Oil production is very low and in 2009 it produces only 5.3 thousand barrels per day which is very low as compare to its consumption demand i.e. 4362.9 thousands barrel per day in 2009. This means that Japan has to import roughly 4357.02 thousand barrels per day to meet its consumption needs per day. Due to its gap between domestic consumption and production, Japan remains the second-largest net importer of oil after the United States. After 1970s Japan shows the declining trend in its exchange rate with dollar which means that dollar depreciate against Japanese yen. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely becaus e of the after effects of inefficient investment and an asset price bubble in the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. In October 2007 Japans longest post-war period of economic expansion ended after 69 months and Japan entered into recession in 2008, with 2009 marking a return to near 0% interest rates. Germany The German economy the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europes largest is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force. GDP grew just over 1% in 2008 and contracted roughly 5% in 2009. Germany crept out of recession in the second and third quarters of 2009, thanks largely to rebounding manufacturing orders and exports primarily outside the Euro Zone and relatively steady consumer demand. The German economy probably will recover to about 1.5% growth for the year 2010. Because of Germanys monetary dilemma, and because the German government as well as the nations bankers and industrialists have recognized German limitations and vulnerabilities, the exchange rate of the country remain very stable from the last many years against dollar. However, If we see the Figure 4, we can easily judge the oil consumption and production behavior of the German economy. In the year 2009 the total oil production was 30.8 thousand barrels per day while the consumption was 2,437 Thousand barrel per day. This means that roughly country had to imported 2406.2 thousand barrel per day of oil from other nations. As with the passage of time it reduces its consumption of oil due to environmental reforms but to fill the gap of Oil production and consumption, country have to rely heavily on oil imports. Pakistan Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment. Between 2001-07, however, poverty levels decreased by 10%, as Islamabad steadily raised development spending. Between 2004-07, GDP growth in the 5-8% range was spurred by gains in the industrial and service sectors despite severe electricity shortfalls but growth slowed in 2008-09 and unemployment rose. Inflation remains the top concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to 20.3% in 2008, and 14.2% in 2009. In addition, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated since 2007 as a result of political and economic instability. The government agreed to an International Monetary Fund Standby Arrangement in November 2008 in response to a balance of payments crisis, but during 2009 its current account strengthened and foreign exchange reserves stabilized largely because of lower oil prices and record remittances from workers abroad. Figure 5 of oil consumption and production shows that Pakistan is not reach in oil production however, the ratio is quite good than other advanced economies. The consumption of oil in the year 2009 was 373 thousand barrel per day which was less as compare to 2008 i.e.396 thousand barrels per day. Oil Exporting Countries Kuwait Kuwait is one of the worlds top exporters of oil, with about 2.4 million barrels per day exported in 2008. Kuwaits economy is heavily dependent on oil export revenues which account for roughly 90 percent of total export earnings. Kuwait channels around 10 percent of its oil revenues into the Future Generations Fund for the day when oil income runs out. The Kuwaiti constitution forbids foreign ownership of Kuwaits mineral resources. The Kuwaiti Parliament passed the Foreign Direct Investment Act in 2001, aimed at promoting foreign investment in Kuwaits oil and gas sectors, which facilitated some development in those sectors. Kuwait has a geographically small, but wealthy, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 102 billion barrels about 9% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 95% of government income. Kuwaiti officials have committed to increasing oil production to 4 million barrels per day by 2020. Kuwait survived the economic crisis on the strength of budget surpluses generated by high oil prices, posting its tenth consecutive budget surplus in 2008, before slipping into deficit territory in 2009. Foreign exchange rates of Kuwaiti dinar are quite stable if compared with dollar. Figure 6 above shows the production and consumption capacity of the co untry which clearly depicts the exporting behavior of the country. In the year 2009 the total oil production was 2350 thousand barrels per day where as consumption was only 320 thousand barrels per day which allow the country to export the oil to other nations and increase their income level. From the figure the it can also seen the how Iraq- Kuwait war in 1992 impact the Kuwaiti oil market and its production. Venezuela Venezuela is one of the worlds largest exporters of crude oil and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. In 2008, the country was the eighth-largest net oil exporter in the world. The oil sector is of central importance to the Venezuelan economy. Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for roughly 90% of export earnings, about 50% of the federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. A nationwide strike between December 2002 and February 2003 had far-reaching economic consequences real GDP declined by around 9% in 2002 and 8% in 2003 but economic output since then has recovered strongly. President Hugo CHAVEZ in 2008-09 continued efforts to increase the governments control of the economy by nationalizing firms in the agribusiness, banking, tourism, oil, cement, and steel sectors. In 2007, he nationalized firms in the petroleum, communications, and electricity sectors. In January, 2010, CHAVEZ announced a dual exchange rate system for the fixed rate boliva r. The system offers a 2.6 bolivar per dollar rate for imports of essentials, including food, medicine, and industrial machinery, and a 4.3 bolivar per dollar rate for imports of other products, including cars and telephones. The nation is also the fifth largest member of the OPEC, in terms of production. As a result of its bountiful natural resources, Venezuelas economy has been one of the most thriving economies in South America. According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Venezuela had 99.4 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in 2010, the largest amount in South America. Figure 7 shows that Venezuelas production of crude oil has fallen, while domestic consumption has risen, causing a decline in net oil exports. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islams two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. It possesses about 20% of the worlds proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 80% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and service sectors, while Riyadh is struggling to reduce unemployment among its own nationals. Five years of high oil prices during 2004-08 gave the Kingdom ample financial reserves to manage the impact of the global financial crisis, but tight international credit, falling oil prices, and the global economic slowdown reduced Saudi economic growth in 2009, prompting the postponement of some economic development projects. Saudi Arabia is t he worlds largest producer and exporter of total petroleum liquids, and the worlds second largest crude oil producer behind Russia. Saudi Arabias economy remains heavily dependent on oil and petroleum-related industries, including petrochemicals and petroleum refining. Oil export revenues have accounted for around 90 percent of total Saudi export earnings and state revenues and above 40 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). Figure 8 shows the Suaid Oil production and consumption behavior. It is the largest consumer of petroleum in the Middle East, particularly in the area of transportation fuels. Domestic consumption growth has been spurred by the economic boom due to historically high oil prices and large fuel subsidies. In 2006, Saudi Arabia was the 15th largest consumer of total primary energy, of which 60 percent was petroleum-based. The remainder was made up of natural gas, the growth of which has been limited by supply constraints. The graph also depicts the sa me behavior of consumption and production Saudi Currency is one of the stable currencies as compared to dollar from the last decade. Norway Norway is the worlds third-largest gas exporter, its position as an oil exporter has slipped to seventh-largest as production has begun to decline. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. In anticipation of eventual declines in oil and gas production, Norway saves almost all state revenue from the petroleum sector in a sovereign wealth fund. After lackluster growth of less than 1.5% in 2002-03, GDP growth picked up to 2.5-6.2% in 2004-07, partly due to higher oil prices. Growth fell to 2.1% in 2008, and the economy contracted by 1% in 2009 as a result of the slowing world economy and the drop in oil prices. According to the Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Norway had 6.7 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January 1, 2009, the largest oil reserves in Western Europe. Norway produced about 2067 thousand barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2009 and consumed about 220.2 thousand barrel per day (Figure 9).From 2004 onward the trend shows that Oil production is declining day by day but the good sign is that consumption trend is not showing many fluctuations however, there is hope that new developments in the Barents Sea and increasing the production of existing fields will offset some of the recent declines. In 2008, Norway was the sixth-largest net oil exporter in the world, exporting about 2.25 million bbl/d. According to EIA, Norway exported an estimated 2.25 million bbl/d of crude oil and petroleum products in 2008, down from 2.34 million bbl/d in 2007. According to Statistics Norway, the amount of crude oil alone exported in 2008 was 1.83 million bbl/d. The largest single recipient of Norwegia n oil was the United Kingdom, which imported 35 percent of Norways total oil exports. Norway currency was also depreciated in 2007-08 but again appreciated in 2009 as compared to dollar. Nigeria British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africas most populous country grew through the 19th century. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, has undertaken several reforms over the past decade. Nigerias former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices, GDP rose strongly in 2007-09. The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector which, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), accounts for over 95 percent of export earnings and about 65 percent of government revenues. Figure 10 show s the oil production and consumption of the country. The graph shows the decreasing trend in the production si de, hence less oil will be available to export. In 2009, total oil production in Nigeria was slightly over 2.2 million bbl/d, making it the largest oil producer in Africa. Crude oil production averaged 1.8 million bbl/d for the year. According to the Oil and Gas Journal, Nigeria had an estimated 37.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January 2010.Since December 2005, Nigeria has experienced increased pipeline vandalism, kidnappings and militant takeovers of oil facilities in the Niger Delta. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is the main group attacking oil infrastructure for political objectives, claiming to seek a redistribution of oil wealth and greater local control of the sector. Additionally, kidnappings of oil workers for ransom are common. Security concerns have led some oil services firms to pull out of the country and oil worker s unions to threaten strikes over security issues. The instability in the Niger Delta has caused significant amounts of shut-in production and several companies to declare force majeure on oil shipments. Nigeria is an important oil supplier to the United States. Close to 40 percent of the countrys oil production is exported to the United States. Currency of Nigeria is also not as much stable and was highly depreciated in 2009 against dollar. Despite the general recognition that oil price and real exchange rate plays an important role in economic growth, a comparative analysis on the impact of oil prices and exchange rate on oil export country and oil import country is still few. In this paper we firstly take the natural log to eradicate the problem of after that we have checked the descriptive statistics of the data. After descriptive analysis we then employed ADF test to check the stationarity of data. After checking stationarity of data we employed AIC test and then Co-integration. Granger Casualty test was employed at the end to investigate whether the oil price and real exchange rate Granger cause to the economic growth in all of our oil importing and exporting countries. Moreover, the vector autoregressive (VAR) modeling with co-integration techniques is applied to examine how real GDP in all our sample countries are affected by changes in international oil prices and the real exchange rate of these countries in the long-run. Finally, a vector error correction model (VECM) will be employed to analyze the short-run dynamics of these variables.

Return Of The Native Essay -- essays research papers

In Thomas Hardy’s poem “Her Dilemma,'; it relates to book one of the novel Return of the Native in the concept of marriage and distrust of feelings. In both the poem and the novel, the woman’s feelings and emotions cause conflict in her marriage. It is interesting that both these literary works has a marriage transpire with one person doubtful, especially during a time when divorce was unconceivable. The question arises, should a lifetime decision be made solely upon the basis of one’s personal desires?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In “Her Dilemma'; the title gives the reader a clue that a choice must be made between equally undesirable alternatives. Hardy uses iambic pentameter as the rhyme scheme to make the poem flow smoothly. The first stanza uses detail to describe an ancient church where the couple is soon to be married. Once this stanza ends Hardy’s attitude changes to one of sorrow. “For he was soon to die, --he softly said, ‘Tell me you love me!’—Holding hard her hand.'; It is pathetic that this is the last wish of a dying man. Hardy’s use of consonance allows the reader to understand the man’s feelings. Next stanza the tone changes again, to one of pity for the woman who sells her soul “to be a moment kind.'; Regardless of whether the woman decides to marry, the man will die. Eventually, her sympathy for the man overwhelms her consciou...

Pfizer Animal Health Essay -- Business Marketing Case Study, solution

Pfizer entered the animal health industry in the early 1950’s. Today, Pfizer Animal Health products are sold to veterinarians, livestock producers, and horse and pet owners in more than 140 countries around the world and used in more than 30 species. Pfizer Animal Health is committed to providing high-quality, research-based health products for livestock and companion animals. The company continues to invest more in research and development than any other animal health company. This offers opportunities for substantial growth and internal synergy. Pfizer has more new animal health products in its research pipeline today than at any other time in its history. Their products include anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, and anti-parasitic pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and feed additives. These products are used by cattle, swine, and poultry industries, as well as, veterinarians serving both the livestock and pet markets. The animal health segment of Pfizer accounts for approx imately 10% of their total revenues. ) Pfizer Animal Health revenues were $1,314 million in 1998. Some of Pfizer’s top selling animal health products are Rimadyl, Anipryl, Dectomax, and RespiSure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The animal health segment is served in manufacturing by the 35 production plants around the world. Their products are sold through veterinarians, drug wholesalers, retail outlets, distributors, and directly to users. Animal Health gross revenues declined 1% to 1.3 billion in 1998. (Note Appendix:) This decrease is due to continuing weaknesses in the U.S. livestock market, the poor Asian economy, and the unfavorable effects of foreign exchange. This decline was offset by growth of Pfizer products; the cattle endectocide Dectomax, the canine anti-arthritic Rimadyl, and the swine vaccine RepiSure. Pfizer is among the leading suppliers of companion animal vaccines, a $500 million market worldwide. They have over 43 animal health product candidates in clinical development. Pfizer’s Animal Health markets several feed supplements for large animals. Feed supplement product sales slowed in 1998, due in part to regulatory issues, market conditions, and competitive pressures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pfizer’s goal for both its business units is to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of all their customers. They achieve this with ongoing innovation through state-of-the-art research and development, ... ...s small, medium, large, and extra large coolers to accommodate shipments ranging in size.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Government regulations are a large threat to our company. In December 1998, the Council of European Agricultural Ministers voted to ban the use of Pfizer’s antibiotic feed additive, STAFAC, throughout the European Union. It is regulations like these that can stunt our sales growth in both of our business segments. FDA requirements and reviews have increased the amount of time and money necessary to develop new products and bring them to market. Our international businesses are subject to a number of risks that are inherent in carrying on business in other countries. Some government-imposed restraints may include laws on pricing or reimbursements for use of products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another threat to Pfizer’s Animal Health segment is competition. Principal methods of competition in this marketplace vary depending on the particular product, but are mainly: product innovation, service, price, quality, and effective promotion to veterinary professionals and consumers. Pfizer is the leader in the animal health industry today. Some of their main competitors are Merck, Alpharma Inc, and Wingo Inc.

Comparing The Color Purple and Macbeth :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing The Color Purple and Macbeth What is a perfect human? Human perfection may be measured by physical ability or intellectual achievement; however, it may also be measured by strength of character, and in this realm humans may often fall short. Weakness of character, shown through various character flaws, causes most of the hardships in life. Literature such as Shakespeare's Macbeth and Alison Walker's The Color Purple contain three levels of characters: setting characters, secondary characters and the main character. Combined, these three all contribute character flaws which leads to the novel or play's ultimate tragedy. The setting character appears in the beginning of a piece of literature to give one a feel and sense of how the piece will reach out to the reader. King Duncan sets the atmosphere in Macbeth when we see different characters take advantage of his character flaw, naivete. Immediately we begin to see some of the major themes such as betrayal and manipulation and know what direction the play will take. King Duncan's naivete is first shown when we find out that the former Thane of Cawdor has betrayed King Duncan and that he did not have any idea of it. This incident then prepares us for King Duncan's meeting with Lady Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth deceives King Duncan. We know Lady Macbeth is not loyal, yet he considers her his "honour'd hostess.../Which still [he] thank[s] and love[s]" (I. vi. 9-12). Once again when naive King Duncan puts his trust into the hands of disloyal Macbeth by making him Thane of Cowdar, the atmosphere and plot advances by making Macbeth's future plans possible. Celie's mother, in the beginning of the novel The Color Purple, is a very small but effective setting character. Her character flaw was irresponsible parenting because she did not protect her daughter. With this lack of protection, Celie did not have any female role models when she was growing up. Therefore, Celie was not able to become knowledgeable about life and have good female company. Another effect this flaw had on the protagonist was that she had no one to teach her how to understand herself. Celie was unable to realize all of the wonderful qualities of being and becoming a woman. Because she could not appreciate being a woman, she was unable to appreciate herself, and therefore had a lack of self confidence.

What Major Events in the Cold War Caused Fidel Castro?

What major events in the Cold War caused Fidel Castro to side with the Soviet Union Super Power? In the 1960’s the world was largely dominated by the Cold War which was a long period of tension and hostility that only occasionally broke out into open warfare. This conflict was caused by the rivalry of two superpowers – the United States and the Soviet Union and emerged after the Second World War. Both super powers had different ideologies – the United States was a capitalist democracy, whereas the Soviet Union were communist.These two super powers tried to influence many different countries throughout the world which ended up causing worldwide tension. More specifically, Cuba as country was affected by the Cold War in many ways and there were many events that caused them to side with the Soviet Union during this time when driven away by America. The major events such as Cuba’s New Regime, the Bay of Pigs attack and the Cuban Missile Crisis all had an impac t on Cuba being pushed away from American alliance and towards the Soviet Union. Cuba was largely controlled and owned by the United States.This includes their economic wealth, oil, refineries, mines, cattle ranches and railways. When Fidel Castro came into power in Cuba, many things changed. He introduced the new regime, which America was extremely suspicious of when Castro began to bring in socialist reforms such as redistribution of land, the collectivization of agriculture and nationalization of transport. These measures affected American investors and in turn caused America to react by banning Cuban sugar imports to America and break all diplomatic relations.USA became more hostile when Castro started trading with the Soviet Union and brought in thousands of Soviet technicians. America began to believe that Cuba was communist, which was not yet the case. America started secretly planning to invade Cuba and to overthrow Fidel Castro. This event of the new regime which was conduc ted after the Cuban Revolution had a great impact in the driving away of Cuba from their alliance with the United States and in turn pushed them closer to the Soviet Union.Another largely to blame event is the American failure of the landing at the Bay of Pigs. This was another attempt to over throw the Cuban government and evict Fidel Castro from power. This affair was a complete disaster on the behalf of America as Castro’s guerrilla forces easily defeated the US invaders within 2 days of the attack and all Americans were killed or taken as prisoners. The Bay of Pigs ambush was extremely embarrassing for the US, both because their involvement had been very public and the whole affair had been poorly planned and executed.Kennedy took public responsibility for the mistakes made, but remained determined to rid Cuba of Castro. This was an extremely short conflict and left USA with great shame and embarrassment. The Cuban Missile Crisis was also an important event that contribut ed largely to Fidel Castro being pushed into alliance with Soviet Union by America. US spy planes spotted nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. After being informed of this, Kennedy called together 18 of his closest advisers to try to resolve the most dangerous confrontation of the cold war.Kennedy decided to place a naval blockade around Cuba with the aim that it would prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies into Cuba. Kennedy demanded the removal of the missiles already there and the destruction of the sites. During the crisis, the two sides exchanged many letters and other communications. The leaders of both superpowers recognized the devastating possibility of a nuclear war and publicly agreed to a deal in which the Soviets would dismantle the weapon sites in exchange for a pledge from the United States not to invade Cuba.In a separate deal, which remained secret for more than twenty-five years, the United States also ag reed to remove its nuclear missiles from Turkey. Although the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba, they escalated the building of their military arsenal; the missile crisis was over, but the arms race was not. There were several monumental events that occurred during the Cold War that caused Fidel Castro and Cuba to side with the Soviet Union.There were political disagreements between Cuba and the United States, as well as direct conflict and violence between the two. There were extremely tense confrontations between the two super powers that could have ended tragically and caused an entire nuclear war. President Kennedy told Americans after the Cuban Missile Crisis had ended – â€Å"For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal. â€Å"

The Impacts of Gender Roles for Society in Advertising

The impacts of gender roles for society in advertising There are lots of social roles that a person has to perform during his or her life time. The most clear and basic role is gender role. A gender role is a set of social and behavioral norms that are generally considered appropriate for either a man or a woman in a social or interpersonal relationship. Gender roles are widely between cultures and even in the same cultural tradition have differed over time and context.Most societies regulate different behavior pattern and social value regarding to gender, therefore consumer’s behavior cater for their gender role image. Men and women roles and how the roles are defined and described in the advertisement can affect individual acceptors, public's consciousness, behavior pattern and the social system. There are three impacts of gender roles for society in advertising. First of all, the gender role can make the fixed idea and change. In most societies, the members of societies hav e similar thought about a series of characteristics that the gender has.We call that fixed idea of gender roles. the fixed idea is socially shared belief and excessively simplified belief in matters of the specific target. Every society has the simplified idea about men and women and the fixed idea which regulate personality and role regarding to the gender. For example, the fixed idea about women is that women are passive, sensible, dependent, lacking in patience and internally sensitive. Vice versa, the fixed idea about men is that men are active, ideal, independent and possible for mind control. This fixed idea about men and women provided background that divide men and women role.Through the characteristic role, men work outside and women work inside for their life, and the polarization of the gender role is accepted as the best way for their work and family. This fixed idea is accepted as a natural result for a long time. People could not realize that they have the fixed idea b ecause this idea exists everywhere of society. However, now, realization of the gender roles in advertisement is changed according to the passing of time. Before women’s liberation, the fixed idea about the gender role was believed as natural phenomenon and what is bred in the bone.The pioneer of women’s liberation claim that women’s potential power and ability had been restricted because they be bred true to the fixed idea about the gender role. Also, we delude ourselves that physical, psychological and social characteristic according to the gender is real, and we define what men are and what women are. Also, we delude ourselves that physical, psychological and social characteristic according to the gender is real, and we define what men are and what women are. The fixed idea is always exaggeratedly simplified, and sometimes could be totally wrong.Also, the fixed idea exaggerates or minimizes difference between groups. The fixed idea about the gender role makes men look as if they are similar even if actually they are very different each other, so do women. Finally, the fixed idea can be usually used to justify prejudice and discrimination to member of some groups. This distorted fixed idea about the gender role cannot reflect the image of the gender role properly in modern time. Secondary, the concept of androgyny comes to the fore. According to the radical change of society, the concept of the gender role becomes changed. Androgyny is at the head of the change.Bem(1974) rendered the concept of androgyny for the first time. It means that the two character coexistent in one person. In other words, androgyny has manhood and femininity. Through the study about people who have the fixed idea about the gender role, androgyny people are more ethical, self-respected, and stable than them who have the fixed idea about the gender role(Block, 1973; Bem;amp; Lenny, 1976; Kyoungsuk Park, 1988; Jeongeun Lee, 1991;Sujung Seo), and androgyny people are more flexible and practical and have more information-processing capacity. These studies confirm the value of androgyny.As a result, the concept of androgyny develops our society and diversifies industry. Third is socialization of gender role image. Women’s role image in an advertisement affects learning of women’s social role, namely women are affected their socialization by an advertisement. It shows how much mass media and advertisement is an important information source to women. We can guess that mass media and advertisement affects consumer to form mold about other world if the mass media or the advertisement is considered as the optimum conditions for effective learning, cultural environment.Social scientists point out that the gender role description in an advertisement applies leverage on thought about society. An advertisement had a tremendous impact on a consumer when the role or image of the character is a role model. Today, day by day, we are living in nu merous advertisements. Gender roles that appear in the advertisement can change our traditional stereotypes. The advertisement appeared to reflect social change traditional stereotypes Image and appearance are mixed gender role images appear in the advertisements today.People realized that the concept of androgyny is better than a fixed idea of gender roles. Moreover, socialization of gender roles has become an important issue in our society. Image to adhere to traditional gender roles, women's social activity and a surge in traditional gender roles than in the past, the position is improved according to the hypothetical social change gradually, and social roles that appear in the structure, major changes are reflected in a market economy, the advertising is the side effects that are not suitable.Fixed according to gender in advertisements, when you think that advertising is having a big impact on the value formation of children as well as the function of promoting the sale of goods and as a medium of socialization with the public over an image or a negative image of women reassurance that the portrayal is not a desirable thing. Exercise and develop human potential is an important factor which is responsible for its leading role, the mass media and advertising, and the stereotypes tied to the gender roles of society be reshaped.Advertising like a mirror reflects a social phenomenon and as a pathway for changing gender roles in this society, the society and culture of that era and the social interaction that leads to the development direction because they share two features to create a new culture will be able to. Reference Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155-162. Yijeongeun (1991). Study of Learned Helplessness in ministering to college studentof identity and attribution according to the type of Sookmyung Women's University Graduate School Master's thesis.

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

Kolb’s experimental learning model was developed in 1984. The theoretical perspective of the model was that different people showed difference in their development preferences towards different styles of learning. Like any other way, such people would develop different preference to other styles in their lives including leadership, management and negotiating. According to Kolb, a combination of four styles in the learning process determine the nature of the learning styles. Consequently, the legitimacy for learning to take place should be a compound of the four different processes. These styles are: – Firstly, active experimentation seeks to establish the basis of what could be new in the learning process. It seeks to use the combination of various methods aimed at driving towards the act of new knowledge. According to this process, learners should be professional models when left in determining the best criteria within a package of relevant learning materials. This process involves  Ã‚   discussion within small groups, solving of learning problems and getting feedback from peer members. Abstract conceptualization seeks to find and conceptualize the relationship between two or more things. This is achieved through analytic comparison between learning analogies, going to lectures and reading learning materials. Abstract conceptualization is promoted through comparative approaches in case studies, reflective thinking and theoretical reading. According to http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm, reflective observation seeks to relate the perception brought out through observation by a learner in developing contingent knowledge. This could be through observation of journals, logs as well as brainstorming. From what a learner sees from the reflective observation, the trainer should then provide the most adequate interpretation to learner. Concrete experience is what the learner conceptualizes from real life learning experience through an interaction with the learning environment. It involves the use of fieldwork excursions, laboratory findings and physical observations. From what the learner gets from such concrete experience, he/she should then question about the most appropriate area with which such knowledge can be applied. The training methodology involves peer group feedback from learners with directions from their trainer. (Sherry, Lori, 2004) Kolb’s experimental learning theory is therefore a component of four stages /processes. The model is important in that it seeks towards understanding the different learning styles among different individual persons as well as giving a fundamental experimental cycle that helps in its implementation. It forms the benchmark principle in his learning theory where both concrete and immediate experience acts as the basic tool support of the learner’s reflections and observations. Accordingly, whatever reflection and observations that are distilled and assimilated help to provide abstract concepts that produce new action implication that could be taken through active testing. The final consequence of this chain network of activities is the development of rational experience that make fundamental of knowledge. (Carolyn, 1993) Kolb’s learning cycle is a representative process, which involves touching all learning bases through a spiral learning cycle. The cycle involves experiencing, thinking, reflecting and acting. Consequently, the results of concrete and immediate experiences would be reflections and observations. Such set of reflections undergo through a process of assimilation which is then passed through absorption and translation into specific abstract conceptions which have active implications. Such a person can thus involve in an active testing and experimentation of what he /she had got from the former process and thus creating new set of experiences. According to Kolb’s, the preference towards learning styles is diverse for different people. The influence towards a specific learning style is determined by the potentiality of various factors. Kolb’s adequately defined out the three specific stages of development. Elsewhere, the propensity towards the reconciliation within these stages and the integration with these learning styles has its growth and improvement through out the different development stages. (Carolyn, 1993) Indeed, he has cited the acquisition stage as what comes between birth and adolescent. Here, a person develops cognitive structures and basic abilities. Either, specializations is what comes during schooling period and experience towards adulthood. Here, the person develops special styles of learning whose influence is the state of socialization within an organization and the state of education. The stage of integration occurs during mid-career period across the old life domain. The person expresses learning styles which are non-dominant. According to Kolb, the influence towards a particular learning style consists the implications of two state variables.   These include feeling and thinking towards concrete experience and abstract conceptualization. Elsewhere, there is   doing and watching towards active experimentation and reflective thinking. The importance held by knowing the nature of learning style by a particular person helps the trainer to give learning orientations according to such specific methods. Consequently, specific learning style would have positive response to specific stimulus needs. These active training options allied to the different learning styles include the diverging perspective, where the learners have different perspectives to look things. There is a high sensitivity towards learning objectives. Either, there consists assimilation which refers to styles that are concise in nature and which require logical approaches. Here, concepts and ideas make an important aspect. Moreover, converging process involve solving problems as well as applying their learning skills towards finding practical solutions. The accommodating style of learning is relied only in intuition than the use of logics. It involves the use of other person’s learning results in taking experimental and practical impacts. (Sherry, Lori, 2004) Reference Carolyn, Z. (1993) Topical Article: Integrating Separate and Connected Knowing. The Experiential Learning Model. Teaching of Psychology, Vol. 20 Kolb’s Learning Styles, Experimental Learning Theory. Retrieved on 26th April 2008 from http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm Sherry, K Lori, R. (2004) Designing Online Workshop: Using an Experience Learning Model. Journal of College Counseling. Vol. 7

Kal Gourav Madhusudan Das

Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das [pic] Madhusudan Das popularly known as Utkal Gourav, was born on 28th April 1848 in the village of Satyabhamapur, 20 kms away from Cuttack, Odisha. His father’s name was Choudhury Raghunath Das and his mother’s name was Parbati Debi. He had two older sisters and a younger brother named Gopalballabh. Madhusudan Das had his primary education in the village high school learning all subjects including Persian. After his primary education he went to Cuttack High School (later known as Ravenshaw Collegiate School) and completed his secondary education.Later he went to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) to pursue his MA and BL degrees. He stayed there for fifteen years and then returned to Cuttack and started his legal practice. He was the first Odia to get the Degree of M. A. B. L. from Calcutta University. He was not only a lawyer but he was also a social reformer and a patriot. He worked hard for the social, political and economical upliftment of t he people of Eastern India. He was the founder of â€Å"Utkal Sammilani† which brought the revolution in the social development of Odisha.He gave away all his earnings generously for the higher education of poor children. He became a popular person among the Odia peoples. Many common people of Odisha called him as â€Å"Madhu Babu†. He was an admirable personality holding many high positions and honours in his entire life span. During the British rule Odisha was divided into four different States. To bring Odisha under one independent rule, he organised â€Å"Utkal Samilani† in the year 1903 and started a revolution called â€Å"Desha Mishrana Andolan†, that resulted in the emergence of Odisha as a new State.Apart from this he was also a writer and has written many famous articles and poems in both Odia and English language. The famous poems of Madhusudan Das are â€Å"Jati Itihash†, â€Å"Utkal Santan†, â€Å"Jananira Ukti† etc. Deat h Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das died at the age of 85, on 4th February 1934. He till the last moments of his life dedicated himself for Odisha. His immense contribution towards the State and Nation would be admired forever and he will continue to remain as a source of motivation for the younger generations to come.