Ink and Paper Communication Essay Example for Free

Ink and Paper Communication Essay People say that the art of letter writing is dead. But my idea of heaven is writing a letter to a dear friend in a far away town, a note to my cousin saying â€Å" thankyou † for the dinner we had this weekend, a fan letter to the writer whose story I read and admired. I love to write something, be it a short story, a poem, a serious article or just letters. It is so magical to gather the right words and put them together on the paper†¦ I write a couple of letters a day, and suffer from bouts of guilt, thinking I may perhaps be over burdening my friends and relatives with my written material. Letters have been very important in my life, those that I have written and received. I have treasured the ones which are very dear to me, to read them again and again reveling in the magical spell they cast on me every time unfolding something new. It was a hobby that started from my childhood, when I wrote letters to my school friends, teachers, relatives and strangers as well. I std lX, when suddenly half the nation was consumed by the passion of acting, I too was one of them. I wrote my first fan letter to the great ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ and received from him a typed reply and his autographed photograph. His letter, the special handmade greeting card, and the letters written by my friends are the most treasured possession. Recently when I revealed my letter writing habbit to my friend, I was told, †but my dear, no one writes letters anymore! Where’s the time?† Agreed! I know people who never write letters for whom its just a waste of time. How easy it is to reach for the telephone type a few digits and talk to person miles away from you†¦ no pondering over thoughts no addressing of envelopes and no waiting for response. No doubt, the telephone is more efficient and instant but I doubt whether it is, on the whole as effective as a letter. Letters have a certain power, your heartbeat ticks rhythmically with every comma and a full stop†¦ you can preserve a letter , read it study it, carry it around like a cherished possession. It is not momentary as a telephone call, quickly done and quickly forgotten. As I have grown over years, I have matured and hopefully become wiser. I have learned to think twice before dropping a letter written in a melancholic mood. I have regretted it because by the time the letter is received the gloominess is banished and then one is left anxiously thinking about the reaction at the other end. There were moments when shyness led me to writing letters. I would have never been able to make friends with strangers had I not been a keen writer. I cannot dream of calling up a writer, actor, painter whose work I admire, until and unless I know them personally. But without hesitation I write them letters of appreciation, and if my letter is welcomed, it is answered and if not, I’ve got nothing to lose. Its funny but I’ve maintained friendships solely through letters that may, I fear, break if there is a face to face encounter. So keep in touch. The pen and paper you use does not matter the voice coming from the heart does. The next time when you write a letter notice for a second the magical tune that your pen plays on your paper , the rhythm of the flow of your thoughts, like the first raindrops touching the mother earth. You feel as if you are actually sitting in front of the other person reading out thoughts, collecting thoughts, coloring them with ink and presenting them paper to loved ones†¦.. anxiously waiting for the reply†¦. Letters have their special brand of magic.

Is Dictatorship Ever Justified Politics Essay

Is Dictatorship Ever Justified Politics Essay Many people take a negative light to dictatorship, even though in some countries it can really help to improve circumstances. Take for example Singapore, in 1960 it was slums and poverty, but in 1965 it became independent from Britain and took on a dictatorship under the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Lee transformed the slums into a thriving city, which now has one of the highest GDPs per person. This essay will take a look at dictatorships, in Singapore specifically, and answer the question of if they can ever be justified, and the subtopic questions the original raises. To understand the question one must first understand the context. The definition of a dictatorship is when one person or a group of people has absolute power, meaning that they have total control, no one can challenge them.  [1]  Dictatorships come into power when there is a weakness in government due to a financial problem or social problem. Singapore used to be full of poverty and uneducated people in the 1960s  [2]  , and when Lee Kuan Yew saw this, he saw an opportunity. He persuaded his way into power through the PAP (Peoples Action Party),  [3]  and begun to implement his plans for the city. However, he used his power to greater benefit the city and all its inhabitants, and this is called a benevolent dictatorship.  [4]  The other kind of dictator is called a tyrant, and it is the one that most people think of when they hear the word dictator: a cruel person or group who uses his or her power for himself or herself or a small portion of the population. Dictators are basically just the modern version, or word, really, of kings. There have been many famous, or really infamous, tyrants in history, and not so many benevolent ones. For example, there has been Hitler, Stalin, and Kim Jong-Il. All of these tyrants have given a bad reputation to dictatorship. In todays world, dictatorship is linked with cruelness and oppressiveness, but that is not always the case. Singapore is a great example of a justified dictatorship. Singapore was ruled by Britain until 1965 when they declared their independence. However, this meant that Singapore was cut off from Malaysias economy and Indonesia continued to threaten them, drying up their entrepot, a port that can import or export without paying import duties, taxes on the goods.  [5]  This greatly hurt Singapore but they did not despair. Because of this economic crisis, a dictator came into power. Lee Kuan Yew quickly cleaned up the place using a number of techniques. To control birth rates he put up free family planning clinics and ran a campaign while decreeing that women who have more than 2 children would get higher hospital bills, shorter maternity leaves and less income tax relief  [6]  . Lee also gave a $5000 reward to mothers who, after their second child, are sterilized. Sterilized mothers are given better housing and education for their kids.  [7]  On the problem of poverty and econo my, Lee came up with a brilliant solution. He required all workers to save 25% of their salaries, and the money can only be claimed after the age of 55.  [8]  This effectively cut down poverty so much that Singapore is now almost completely poverty-free. Almost all Singaporeans agree with these rules as well. They think that it is reasonable and they make sense. They do not fear the government either, they (most, at least) complain when they feel they need to.  [9]  The amazing part about all of this is that it was achieved through a dictatorship, something once associated with vile and cruel acts and feelings. Nothing comes without a price, unfortunately. Although Singapore is rich economically, they are harsh politically. Is this price worth it? Singapore has a harsh death penalty, which has been criticized before, and freedom of speech is suppressed. However, Singapore has virtually no criminals due to their government, so there were only 11 executions from 2008 to 2010.  [10]  There has also been some ill treatment, namely caning. Caning is when you are beat with a rod, though human rights say that is must be covered in antiseptic beforehand to ensure that there will not be any infections.  [11]  A good number of the offences that are punishable by caning are immigration violations.  [12]  On the other hand, Singapores economy has skyrocketed, it has one of the highest GDPs per person in the world, and their poverty rate is 0.3%. Americas poverty rate is 20%.  [13]  Another thing to address in this question is that although these treatments are incredibly strict and unor thodox, they get their job done. They are barely ever used, and when they are, it is only enforcing the point to people. Over all, most people would agree that these unusual treatments are not without reason, they do what they are supposed to do very well, and that the huge economic benefits outweigh the ethical downsides. Another thing to consider is whether Singapore is considered a dictatorship at all. Singapore is assumed to be a dictatorship because there is one party that runs unopposed, the Peoples Action Party. There are still elections but no one wants to run against them, mainly because the way they run the country is fine with everyone as explained before. Another reason why Singapore is a dictatorship is because Lee was in power for over 30 years, while in typical democracies like the U.S. there are term limits to prevent presidents or leaders from staying in power too long and becoming dictators. Yet another reason why Singapore is not a democracy is that the peoples opinion is very important in most democracies. In Singapore people can complain to the government but that does not mean that their opinion will be taken into effect, it is always the ruling partys decision. Nonetheless, this could have changed easily. If an opposing party ran against the PAP and won other parties may be inspi red to rise up as well, turning the dictatorship into a democracy quite quickly. This is why most dictators must find ways to force their people into submission so that they will not challenge his authority. The ruling party does not need to because they have acted in the peoples best interest and therefore the people have no need to challenge their authority, they already like what they are currently doing. These are the reasons that peoples assumptions about Singapore are right, that it is a dictatorship; it is just under the guise of a democracy. Even if Singapore is a dictatorship, what makes it a benevolent dictatorship? A few reasons have been mentioned before, but those arent fact enough. The problem with a question like this is that considering Singapore a benevolent dictatorship is all an opinion, it is all based on your point of view. So, to answer the question you must ask the people. In this case, the majority of people say that yes, the Peoples Action Party are benevolent dictators. However, people do not consider them to be dictators because they are benevolent. They associate dictatorship with meanness and cruelty, not kindness and the best interest of the people. But what are their reasons behind their decision to support their government? As mentioned before in this essay, the PAP have done much to control birth rates and they have also made savings mandatory so that old people can support themselves and to reduce poverty. Along with that the Peoples Action Party has helped to improve every apartment complex so that it either has or is near to a swimming pool, recreation centre, shopping centre, community centre, and a school. They have also helped to make sure that the apartments not be shabbily built and not tiny, either. The PAP has also practically declared war against bad habits, such as littering, jaywalking, spitting, smoking, gambling, and even anti-social behaviour. The fine for all of these (except for anti-social behaviour) is $250, though gambling in the state lottery is allowed.  [14]  The PAP has especially attacked smoking. During a certain Smoke-Free Week they put up signs everywhere saying, Stub it Out, Singapore! and other signs state the cities smoking deaths, around 10 a day back then. The best part about their campaign against smoking was not the signs, anyone can put up signs, but the Peoples Action Party sent out smiling teens with baskets of apples and the teens offered to trade an apple for a pack of cigarettes. Their campaign was successful in the end, with th e percentage of smokers in the population going from 23% to only 13%.  [15]  The PAP also created new jobs for people, and improved the conditions of working by simply shifting the countrys focus to technology-intensive high value industries. That was in 1989, and that same year 30% of the countrys GDP was from manufacturing alone.  [16]  These are the reasons that people consider the PAP to be benevolent, and with that many improvements plus more unmentioned it is enough to make anyone believe that they are benevolent. However, just because dictatorship worked for one country does not mean it will work for all. One of the worst dictators was Adolf Hitler. He was smart enough to find a way to keep people from challenging him out of power but not enough to not wage war  [17]  . He paid no attention to the state of his country, and left that up to his subordinates, who paid even less attention than him.  [18]  Another example would be Kim-Jong-Il in North Korea. He ignored his people so much that 43% of children under 5 were so malnourished that their growth was actually stunted  [19]  . He monitored everything and kept around 200,000 prisoners in labour camps where they starve and are tortured.  [20]  Many people, if asked, would say that dictatorship is very bad and one person or a group having all the power is just too much. However, Singapore clearly shows that if the right man or woman is chosen for the job, they can really use that power to change their country, and even the worl d. On the other hand, if the wrong person is given power they can misuse it to the point that the rest of the world has to step in to intervene. Unfortunately, this is the most common case. So really, it all depends on the person put in power. So, in conclusion, is dictatorship ever justified? Yes, it is. It is justified in the case of Singapore, under a benevolent dictatorship disguised as a democracy. The way the dictatorship turns out depends on the person put in power. Hitler had no more power than any other dictators he just misused it more. If you can find the right person, than your country can be hugely improved and redesigned to discover new advancements, a perfect example of which is Singapore.

Culture Of Marina Bay Sands Of Singapore Cultural Studies Essay

Culture Of Marina Bay Sands Of Singapore Cultural Studies Essay Marina Bay Sands is located at 10 Bayfront Avenue that is in the heart of Singapore Central business district area. The building is a landmark to Singapores attractions. It is the newest destination for tourists from all around the world. Marina Bay Sands consists of three hotel-towers. Each tower is 55-storey and has more than 2,500 luxurious rooms in total. It is a one-stop attraction with high-class hotel, shopping, and many fine restaurants in the three hotel-towers itself. This place will definitely leave beautiful memories to visitors. Different Cultural Background One of the hardest communication malfunctions is having different cultural background staffs. Staffs came from many different countries. Some of the staffs may not be as sensitive to the others while working or even while communicating. This is a serious problem as it may provoke or irritates ones culture without realizing. As a result, working together may be very difficult as unhappiness may be consistent. Because of this, some staffs might be afraid to communicate with each other to avoid insulting other staffs cultures and this will highly increase the rate of communication break down between the staffs. Working Experiences As mention, many staffs came from different countries and in different countries, staffs were trained in different methods and ways. Staffs with different level of working experience make working together a big difficulty. Again, unhappiness may arise and communication will break down eventually. Although the work is the same, every different staffs may want to do in a way that they were taught and that would definitely not have the fullest result of their work. New employees are also put into consideration, as they have not much knowledge in their work yet. Blocked Mind There are certain staffs that have blocked mind. Blocked mind means that the person is unable to accept new things and always rejecting new ideas. When other staffs or higher management wants to do something new, opinions, attitudes and own beliefs starts to set in ones mind. People who have blocked mind are certainly a point that really affects the companys growth. Language Imperfections A place like Marina Bay Sands requires many staffs. They came from all over the world and one thing that causes communication breakdown seriously is their differences in language. Every staffs has this different standard of English language. Between the staffs, many might not understand each other that well due to the slangs and standards of the other staffs. A simple communication breakdown can lead to many problems either big or small. Eventually, staffs will start to communicate minimally so that miscommunication is avoided which is a wrong mentality. When staffs starts to avoid communicating with each other, information are not being able to pass correctly. Task 2b: Solutions to minimize (318 words including titles) Different Cultural Background There are many ways to minimize different cultural background problem. The company can organize simple lessons for every staff that would teach the different cultures to others so that every staffs can understand each other more and that will make their work more efficient and productive. The company can also categorize the same country staffs to work together to have minimal communication breakdown and that will certainly reduce the mistakes and time wasted. Working Experiences The solution to minimize working experiences problem is to give time to new employees to learn about their job scope. Company can also appoint mentors to new staffs to assist for the first few weeks so that the new staffs get more confident in their work and know what to do in their work. Again, the higher management can conduct lessons so that all employees will have a common working style and that will benefits the staff as well as the company. When all start to work together as one, company will achieves more. Blocked Mind The solution to minimize blocked mind is to listen to other ideas more. Allow everybody to give his or her own opinions and ideas. Personal improvements lessons can also be conducted to improve ones ability and potential so that they can release their full potential and abilities when they are working. Language Imperfections The solution to minimize the language imperfections problem is to ask secretary, colleagues, superiors or anyone in department to read the message before passing to a typist or fax operator. Alternatively, the sender can expand more information as much as possible. Be sure that the receiver fully understands. If you have received message from a person and found that it is difficult for you to understand, ask the sender immediately. As a result, communication breakdown can be minimized through all these methods. Task 3: Concept of Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism (723 words including titles) Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is a state of mind where the people in the society beliefs in their cultures with respect and superiority. They despise other cultures and thinks that their culture is the best. As a result, that leads them to become very narrow minded. Ethnocentrism not only has negative impacts but also have positive impacts. It helps to bring internal unity among the people and gives the people a sense of belonging to their society. Singaporean Chinese are firm belief in the practice of pragmatism and meritocracy. Singaporean weights results, consequences, utility, and practicality higher and people are often judged by their talents and abilities. Malaysian Malay are given higher status in Malaysia compared to other races and treated with more advantages and privileges. The main difference between them are Singaporean Chinese will go all out to work for the results and often trying to show their talents and abilities whereas Malaysian Malay tends to work things out slowly. The Malay employees will gather among the other Malays as they think that their culture is more superior than other cultures. An example to Singapore Chinese employee will try his/her best to outshine other employee but this Singapore Chinese employee will also respect other culture and other races among him/her. This Singapore Chinese employee will also be concern about consequences of his/her work and the results he/she produces. Understanding that Singaporean Chinese does not compare among races and treated equally in Singapore, communications with other colleagues regardless or races are often more effective. An example to Malaysian Malay employee will do his/her work averagely and will have a strong bonding among his/her Malays colleagues. This Malaysian Malay employee will also have more loyalty to the company compared to other races as feel the sense of belonging together with other Malay employees. Trust between this employee and other races employee may be lower compared to his/her fellow Malay colleagues. This Malaysian Malay employee tends to have more arguments or unhappiness with other races and cultures colleagues due to their thinking of superiority in their culture. Biasness and favoritism may appear to other employees even there is none. Thus, effectiveness of communication with the other races employees is lower. Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism is a state of mind where there is a common respect in other cultures. No culture is any special or superior to other culture. This includes religion, ethical, aesthetic, and political. They think that every culture is as worthy and equal as their culture and there is certainly no judgment between other races. It is more of personal opinion than an absolute correct or incorrect. Thailand is a collectivist country. They weight relationships and respect more than anything else. This has also led to unwanted human rights issues. Many take advantage of this as it is more towards accepting the inequality of the races as something natural and that promotes racism. American weights respect only to their fellow Americans most. They believe that they are the most superior due to their countrys achievements. The main difference between Thai and American employee is Thais are tend to be more close to their fellow Thai colleagues where American treats American equally but has no respect to other cultures. An example to Thai employee is friendlier towards his/her other Thai colleagues. He/She does not judge or criticize other colleagues and often bias to his/her fellow Thai colleagues. He/She makes exceptions to his/her fellow Thai colleagues too. This Thai employee also gives respect to all his/her colleagues. He/She also gives due respect to his/her superiors regardless of the culture differences due to the position level. It is easy for this employee to get along with other colleagues. As a result, the effectiveness of communication of Thai employees is better than the American employees. An example to American employee is often more commanding. He/She does not give enough respect to his/her superior if he/she is not an American. As mention, they have this mindset due to the countrys achievement. This American employee belief in his/her own skills and refuses to learn from any other employee from other countries or cultures. It is difficult to mix this employee with different nationalities and cultures employee. He/She does not listen to instruction given by others and that leads to a very ineffective communication. Task 4: Five Cultural Dimensions (825 words including title) Power Distance The first of the five dimensions of national culture called Power Distance. Human inequality can occur in many areas such as physical and mental characteristics (basic fact of human existence), social status, prestige, wealth, power, laws, rights, and rules. In different societies, give weights differently in this area. In some countries, politicians enjoy status and power without wealth or businesspersons enjoy wealth and power without status. This inequality is usually happening to the relationships between subordinates and their bosses. Singapore Marina Bay Sands exercises a relatively equal weight between the physical and mental characteristics. Bosses and subordinates do have their own power, rights, and wealth. Bosses do have higher power and rights to control the company. Individualism Every individual person in society has their own ideas and patterns for living up to society, unequal society and some people does not consider the social or feelings of those around them. Individualism people rely on legal rights and do not concern cultural and social concerns. Collectivism people do respect to the feelings of others or their own group members whereas individualism concerns over only the laws. Collectivism focus more on families and workmates, Individualism focus more on their own good and business. As explained, in Singapore Marina Bay Sands, there are also different people with their own ideas and patterns for living. Singapore society is Collectivism and believes in equality between man and women. While some countries such as New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, and USA are individualism societies, which mean the staffs in Marina Bay Sands who came from these countries are most slightly does not consider the social or feelings of those around them. Masculinity Men and women is a big issue for any culture, society, or even companies. The opposite meaning of masculinity is feminine. In working terms, different countries have different cultures. Some have equal job opportunity for the men and women but some have very specific appointments. Some countries such as Japan and Islamic societies usually have this issue, as the women are regard as feminine, which will not be appointed as a leader. However, after time, many of these societies have changed and women have been given the equal opportunities to be leaders. Thailand is an example for now they have equality at work between genders. Previously the Thai culture was women have to be at home taking care of the house while the men will go work to support the family financially. Every different country has different speed of cultural change. Singapore Marina Bay Sands is a society, which has equal rights for man and women. Generally, women leaders can be found widely in Singapore and this has be en going for many years. Uncertainty Avoidance The opposite meaning of uncertainty avoidance is uncertainty-accepting cultures. This group of people is more towards tolerating different cultures from them. They minimize rules as much as possible to allow many cultures to be beside them. As a result, this will make the employees focus on the success of the work. Coming back to uncertainty avoidance, these people oppositely create many rules and are often very emotional in their work. These people are mostly motivated by themselves. Society like Japan, Belgium, and America are countries, which implements many rules and laws to avoid uncertainty avoidance where as country such as Thailand looks more on uncertainty accepting cultures between the employees to the supervisors to create a more focused relationship work. Singapore is also a country like Thailand, which also promotes uncertainty accepting cultures as this will certainly boost up the staffs morale while working as a team and eventually this will boost up the business great ly as well. Long-Term Orientation Students in 23 different countries found this dimension in a study. Humans have different dimension in terms of getting along with each other in working place. Some of them take longer time, which is known as long-term orientation, and some of them take little time, which is known as short-term orientation. People determine relations through factors while working together. Long-term orientation people have many difficulties to work with new people while short-term orientation people have no problem with that. However, after the long-term orientation people get to know the new people better, they will have a long and firm relationship and for short-term orientation people they will have no commitment in the relationship after awhile. For Thai Society, Sex discrimination does not cause a problem but it is favoritism that causing problem. Because of the hospitality culture in Thailand, it is quite difficult to do not help others. Singapore also could not avoid but to have people that ar e long-term orientated and short term-orientated. Certainly, Thailand, and Singapore do not have any sex discrimination and in addition, Singapore does not encourage favoritism. With a good balance of long-term and short-term orientated staffs in Singapore Marina Bay Sands, it has resulted to achieve great heights.

The Myth of Sisyphus :: Myths Greek Essays

The Myth of Sisyphus The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor. If one believes Homer, Sisyphus was the wisest and most prudent of mortals. According to another tradition, however, he was disposed to practice the profession of highwayman. I see no contradiction in this. Opinions differ as to the reasons why he became the futile laborer of the underworld. To begin with, he is accused of a certain levity in regard to the gods. He stole their secrets. Aegina, the daughter of Aesopus, was carried off by Jupiter. The father was shocked by that disappearance and complained to Sisyphus. He, who knew of the abduction, offered to tell about it on condition that Aesopus would give water to the citadel of Corinth. To the celestial thunderbolts he preferred the benediction of water. He was punished for this in the underworld. Homer tells us also that Sisyphus had put Death in chains. Pluto could not endure the sight of his deserted, silent empire. He dispatched the god of war, who liberated Death from the hands of the conqueror. It is said also that Sisyphus, being near to death, rashly wanted to test his wife's love. He ordered her to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square. Sisyphus woke up in the underworld. And there, annoyed by an obedience so contrary to human love, he obtained from Pluto permission to return to earth in order to chastise his wife. But when he had seen again the face of this world, enjoyed water and sun, warm stones and the sea, he no longer wanted to go back to the infernal darkness. Recalls, signs of anger, warnings were of no avail. Many years more he lived facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea, and the smiles of the earth. A decree of the gods was necessary. Mercury came and seized the impudent man by the collar and, snatching him from his joys, led him forcibly back to the underworld, where his rock was ready for him. You have already grasped that Sisyphus is the aburd hero. He is,as much through his passions as through his torture. His scorn of the gods, his hatred of death, and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing.

Asian Financial Crisis Essay -- business economics

In the summer of 1997, an economic and currency crisis rocked the Asian markets. One by one, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and Japan saw their economies crash in the wake of heavy foreign investment. An economic boom had made the region an attractive investment opportunity for much of the 1990s. By 1997, however, domestic production and development had stalled, and foreign investors grew nervous. A divestment run on the Thai baht triggered the crash. Large corporations, extremely dependent upon the confidence of foreign investors failed to meet debt obligations and began to fail throughout Southeast Asia. Currencies throughout the region faltered and nosedived from their mid-1990s positions of stability. The causes of the Asian economic crisis are varied. Lax oversight of corporations had ramifications in economic downturns that were not a concern in the mid-90s boom. Macroeconomic policies of the southeast Asian countries made their economies vulnerab le to the uncertain confidence of their foreign investors. Despite this, Corsetti, Pesenti and Roubini (1998) make the point that, ?market overreaction and herding caused the plunge of exchange rates, asset prices and economic activity to be more severe than warranted by the initial weak economic conditions.? Much of the crisis that began in 1997 has roots that go back further to the area?s economic growth that started in the early 1990s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although many economists consider the Asian economic collapse to have begun in Thailand, conditions throughout the region meant that other countries? economies were destabilized to the extent that they quickly followed Thailand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the early 1990s, growth in Southeast Asia attracted much foreign capital. However, by 1995 and 1996, Thailand?s current account deficit had grown (from 5.7% in ?93 to 8.5% in ?96 [Pesenti et al., 1998]). When domestic production slowed, this account imbalance represented an even greater percentage, when compared to GDP. Much of the instability in Thailand?s economy was brought about by heavy short-term borrowing that required stringent debt maintenance. A boom in real estate and the Thai stock market attracted foreign speculation that could not be sustained in the face of investor doubts. The Thai government attempted to shore up shaky investor confidence by officially backing the financial in... ...r 1997 are from the Economist Intelligence Unit Country Report, 2nd quarter 1998. Table 2. Non-Performing Loans (as proportion of total lending in 1996) Korea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8% Thailand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13% Indonesia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13% Hong Kong   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3% Malaysia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10% China   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14% Philippines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14% Taiwan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4% Singapore   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4% Source: 1997 BIS Annual Report; Jardine Fleming. Table 3. Debt Service plus Short-Term Debt, World Bank Data (% of foreign reserves ). 1990   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1991  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1994   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1995   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1996 Korea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  127.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  125.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  110.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  105.7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  84.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  204.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  243.3 Indonesia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  282.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  278.8   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  292.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  284.8   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  278.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  309.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  294.2 Malaysia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  64.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  45.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  45.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  42.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  48.7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  55.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  69.3 Philippines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  867.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  257.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  217.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  212.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  172.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  166.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  137.1 Thailand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  102.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  99.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  101.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  120.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  126.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  138.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  122.6 Hong Kong   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30.5   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  22.8   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  22.0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  16.8 China   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  55.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  43.7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  108.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  113.7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  54.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  49.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  38.5 Taiwan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  23.9   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  22.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  23.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  25.2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  23.7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24.2

What Would You Like to Ask?

A group of British Boys, Marooned on an Island A group of British school-boys find themselves marooned on an island (perhaps in the Pacific Ocean). They were being transported by an aircraft from England to some safer country on account of a nuclear war which had broken out in Europe. When, on the way, the aircraft caught fire the pilot released the detachable passenger-tube carrying the school-boys. The passenger-tube crash-landed on this island, and most of the boys managed to come out of it although some were trapped in the passenger-tube which was soon carried away by the waves into the open sea and lost.At first the boys who have landed on the island get scattered but soon they are able to get together when one of the boys by the name Ralph, having discovered a conch-shell, happens to blow it. Ralph now suggests that the boys should have a chief to guide them and to direct their activities. A boy called Jack, who is the leader of a group of choir-boys, says that he should be acc epted as the chief because he is chapter-chorister and head boy and because he can sing C sharp.But Ralph says that the chief should be chosen by votes. As the majority of the boys are in favour of Ralph, Ralph declares himself as the duly elected chief. Ralph now frames certain rules regarding the holding of meetings of the boys and about the conduct of these meetings. He says that, if anyone wishes to address the assembly at any meeting, he should ask for the conch and should hold the conch in his hands. Ralph Elected as the Chief. His Constructive Suggestion A conflict now begins between Ralph and Jack.Ralph had allowed Jack to continue as the leader of his choir-boys. Jack had the designated his choir-boys as the â€Å"hunters†. Having seen pigs on the island, Jack makes plans to hunt down and kill them in order to obtain meat for boys who feel fed up with the fruit which they have to eat everyday to keep themselves alive and who are craving for meat. Jack is a boy of an adventurous spirit, and the desire to hunt pigs becomes an obsession with him. Jack now begins to hate Ralphs because Ralph’s priorities are different fromJack’s. Ralph insists on the maintenance of the fire and the smoke, while Jack is wholly occupied with the hunting of pigs. Jack, having proved quite successful in his hunting expeditions, has won the support of the majority of the big boys who have come to be known as the â€Å"Biguns†. Jack therefore becomes increasingly defiant towards Ralph. Ralph now develops a liking for piggy who becomes an ardent supporter of Ralph. Jack hates Piggy even more than he hates Ralph. A beast on the Mountain-TopOne morning Sam and Eric, who are twins and who had been put on duty one night to keep the fire burning, come in a state of deep perturbation from the mountain-top and tell Ralph and the others that they have seen a beast on the mountain-top and that the beast had tried to chase them in order to seize them. Ralph, Di splaced By Jack. Simon’s Hallucination In the course of one such expedition, Jack offers the head of a slain pig as a gift to the beast in the hope that would not harm him and his hunters.Simon at this time is at his usual hunt in the forest and witnesses the action of Jack and his hunters and his hunters in offering a gift to the beast. Simon, Killed by Jack’s Hunters Jack has now begun to adopt the primitive method of tribal leaders. He refers to his followers as his â€Å"tribe† and he keeps his face painted all the time with red clay, white clay, and charcoal, asking his followers also to paint their faces in the same way. He has also begun to encourage mock-hunts in the course of which the boys dance and sing and chant certain words relating to their hunting operations and their killing of pigs.Jack and his followers now become more and more callous, with the result that, in the course of one mock-hunt, Simon is killed by the hunters. The hunters, in their frenzied excitement, had taken Simon for the beast and had pounced upon him. Jack does not experience the least regret over Simon’s death. Later, Jack accompanied by a couple of his supporters, raids Ralphs camp and takes away Piggy’s spectacles because he and his supporters need the spectacles in order to light a fire every time they want to roast pig-meat.Jack had now become quite oblivious of the to rescued from island ; but Ralph and Piggy are filling constantly worried as to whether any rescue will come, especially now when the cannot light a fire a fire and keep it burning as a distress-signal to the sailors of a passing ship. Piggy, killed. Ralph’s Life in Danger Piggy feels distraught because, without his spectacles he cannot see anything. He therefore says that he would go to Jack and demand the return of his spectacles. Ralphs thereupon calls jack â€Å"a swine† and â€Å"a bloody thief†.There is an exchange of blows between of blows betw een Ralphs and Jack. Then Piggy speaks and, addressing Jack’s savages, urges them to follow a sensible course of action instead of living like primitive savages. At this point Roger, who has become as savage as Jack, releases a rock from above in order to kill piggy. The Savages’ Pursuit of Ralph. Ralph, saved Ralph hides himself in the forest. But a little later he sees the twins standing guard at the entrance to Jack den. In a state of panic he runs out of the forest towards the beach. He stumbles and falls down on the sand.Thinking that now there is no hope for him, he cries for mercy. On looking up, however, he sees a British naval officer in full uniform standing close to him. Thus Ralph’s life has been saved. The officer says that he would take all the boys home. Ralph now bursts into tears. His whole body is shaken by spasms of grief. He weeps at â€Å"the loss of innocence†, at â€Å"the darkness of man’s heart†, and at the thought o f the death of Piggy who was his true friend. Rescue had come, but two noble-minded and innocent boys have been killed in account of the brutality of jack.Evil had reigned supreme on the island for some time. The Allegorical Significance of the Story Golding wanted to demonstrate that the evil instincts in a human being would rise to the surface and assert themselves as soon as that human being has been liberated from the restraints of civilized. The majority of people in this world are inherently evil. Evil is ineradicable, and it asserts itself as soon as it finds a favourable climate. The favourable climate consists in the removal of the fear of law and in the removal of all those restraints which civilized life imposes upon human beings.

Are Governments Controlling The Internet Essay

Prior to the 21st century society greatest inventions were the automobile, the telephone, the airplane as a means of communication and transportation. Now individuals are blessed with the Internet. It is commonly regarded that the Internet is a manifesto of technology that allows human beings to interact with one another using networking services. The Internet has broken down the barriers and means of traditional communication. In cyberspace, people can talk with each other regardless of location. It can be defined as a â€Å"unique medium† with no geographical location but available to anyone (p. 21). It is not only used for communication but information searching, listings of products and services, advertising of large/small businesses, and much more. In essence, the Internet can be regarded as a separate entity from our own physical world – a digital utopia. The question being raised is, with the large scale of the internet, how is it maintained or even controlled? Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu’s book Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World gives a perfect example of how the Internet is being directly (and indirectly) controlled by territorial government. As each section of the book is uncovered, it is clearly pointed out that national governments through control of local and global intermediaries and coercion exercise dominate control over the digital empire. The book is subdivided into three large sections. In the first section Wu and Goldsmith marks the impression to the readers that the Internet is in fact a â€Å"libertarian state† where users can freely express themselves. The authors argue at the commencement of the Internet there are no actual â€Å"rulers† or â€Å"governors† of the Internet rather it was the upheaval of a Digital American Revolution, that’s built on â€Å"language and reason and our fail in each other† (p. 22). The authors later indicate that it was open because it was willing to â€Å"accept almost any kind of computer or network†. Thus it is a society that is ruled by the humanity that resides within the Internet. â€Å"Humanity united might do better than our lousy systems of government, throw away the constructs of the nation-state, and live in some different but better way† (p. 7). Section two establishes that users from different geographical regions want their information presented in their local language. As the author pointed that language is one of the most important aspects on the internet. It gives the example that people in Brazil, Korea and France do not want English versions of Microsoft products but rather want a version they can fully understand (p. 50). As the next section unravels we start to notice how digital humanity needs rulers and starts to get involved how national governments are governing the borders of the internet. It proves that government uses coercion and local intermediaries to restrict and even block content that is on the internet. An example would be Nazi merchandise and hate sites appearing on French networks and even an incident in China where a 15 year old girl Liu Di was punished by the Chinese government when she was making an argument comparing the Chinese government and a prostitute. It also points out how controlling Governments can be a beneficial factor in regulating illegal activities such as file sharing and copyrighting. The final section of the book shows how the government aims to make the borders of the Internet a haven that protects its citizens from harm. This section explores the aspect of globalization and competing countries in controlling the Internet. Europe, U. S. and China all wishes to have a centralized power over the Internet. If two out of three countries that are in favour of online gambling while the one third is not, how can a borderless digital society solve this problem? The sections encourages decentralized governments to work together to adapt to people’s needs and respond in a more positive manner (p. 53). For the struggle of ultimate control lies within national governments – and a problem of clashing government interests and priorities can be a serious concern for the future of the Internet (p. 171). Wu and Goldsmith both agreed that this is the â€Å"beginning of a technological version of the cold war, with each side pushing its own vision of the Internet’s future† (p. 184). In order for the book to draw readers closer into fully understanding the Internet the authors must not only make a compelling argument but the style and construction of the book is also important. This essay will discuss four areas in which the book was successful or non-successful into helping readers understand the importance of national governments and their role on the Internet. The notable points in creating a compelling argument lie within the thesis, the method(s) of research, the evidence that supports the thesis and the overall evaluation/recommendation. The first point that’s important in this book is the thesis. The thesis is the main point the authors are trying to make throughout the entire book. In the book Who Controls the Internet Wu and Goldsmith stated their thesis in the conclusion rather than the introduction. Instead they decided to allure readers by telling a short story in the introduction to foreshadow readers into the overall point of the book. In my opinion the thesis of the book can found on page 180 where it reads â€Å"Beneath of fog of modern technology, we have seen the effects of coercive governmental force on local persons, firms and equipment† (p. 180). Ironically, this is not the thesis that users anticipated on hearing when they decide to read the book. On the back cover of the book it reads â€Å"a book about the fate of one idea – that the Internet might liberate us forever from government, borders and even our physical selves†. (Wu and Goldsmith) Wu and Goldsmith prompted readers with a general idea then throughout the book used examples and heated evidence to prove that idea wrong. It gives readers the perception that the Internet is in fact a challenge to governmental rule rather than the idealistic entity of freedom and liberty. The thesis was not always stated at the end of the book rather the author hinted their thesis throughout chapters to reinforce their main point along the way. For instance in chapter 5, Wu and Goldsmith talk about how local intermediaries are present and how government uses coercion to control these intermediaries, thus â€Å"ruling the internet† (p. 65). The authors stated that it would be extremely easy for individuals to â€Å"overlook how often governments control behavior not individually, but collectively, through intermediaries† (p. 68). The authors use the example of HavenCo to reinforce their thesis. In the book HavenCo was described as â€Å"the first place on earth where people are free to conduct business without someone looking over their shoulder† (p. 65). Shortly after, HavenCo became the object of negativity where porn and other offensive content were being hosted. Due to their business model they would not seek out cooperative intermediaries. However falling into a downward spiral, HavenCo became desperate so they looked towards national governments for assistance. However the government would not oblige since it was hosting offensive content and demanded that HavenCo remove the material. Of course, without this aspect â€Å"HavenCo was nothing†. And now without the support of powerful government officials and intermediaries HavenCo is now a â€Å"jumbled pile of network equipment, rotting and obsolete† (p. p. 84-85). The authors presents the readers with a clear and indirect thesis in each chapter, and as each chapter passes they are vividly trying to reinforce their thesis by providing real life evidence that happens in the midst of the digital society. Other notable examples that are highlighted in the book that supports the thesis would be the Chinese government sometimes with help from Yahoo, seize political dissidents and put them in prison (p. 181). Next, the government that are threatening Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and search engines and credit card companies with fines so that they can filter out offensive net communications. And, it is clear that Jon Postel and the Internet’s founders give up control over their creation under implied threats of governmental force. And finally, under the aspect of file sharing (where it was debated it would be hardest to control) governments have executed hidden but important ways to fuel coercion on the economy of file-sharing and â€Å"tilts the playing field to favour law-abiding companies like Apple† (p. 181). The authors have a very climatic way to communicate their thesis to the reader, By presenting support evidence and a strong conclusion they are in fact proving to readers that the government does control the internet. The next section uncovers the methodology that the authors used to present their topic. In order to prove their thesis they need an abundant amount of information. Not only does this information provide historical insight in the topic but it grants validity in the matter. In the book the authors have presented much needed evidence that governments control the internet, as each chapter is unraveled the readers are engulfed with powerful side stories of the lives of specific individuals that resided in the digital age. The book uses a combination of statistical information and encoded facts, personal biographies and appealing stories. If we direct our attention to the sources at the end of the book we notice that the authors use a hefty number of secondary sources. The only notable errors that are present in their methodology were that the sources they used were a little out of date. Old sources will lead to skewed results and that might cause a misinterpretation of the research. The book was written and published in 2006 but the majority of sources they used were within the 1998-2001 timeframe. Although they did use several sources that were recent (2005) it still does not change the fact that the Internet and technology are always changing in real time. With this change it’s rather hard to keep up and readers can be misinformed of with irrelevant information rather than significant information. Although with these slight flaws in the book, the methods were applied correctly in the sense that it is very easy to understand. They have broken the entire book into three parts; each part builds up information for that peak ending (or thesis). The methods were appropriate in the sense that the authors had a balance of evidence to support their claim. For example, the information gathered was not all focused on the government’s point of view but rather an equal split between government, organizations and individuals. It would be naive to think that a proper thesis can be proved without the support of evidence. Methodically the authors predominately still influence the readers with horror stories and statistics of government coercion on digital societies to prove their thesis. For example, the chapter on China outlines President Bill Clinton’s visit to the foreign land. Clinton observed that users required national ID cards before logging on. Regulated cafes also featured cameras pointed directly at the computer screen and police officers would occasionally monitor users right behind their back (p. 97). In China the Internet is far from being a liberating force but rather it is the major attraction for government surveillance. As previously mentioned Liu Di was arrested on personally insulting the government over the Internet, shortly after Liu Di’s story was printed in the press as a warming to all other civilians using the Internet. Throughout the book we see many stories that mimic the true horrors of the Internet, presented in a non-fictitious way to leaves readers shunned into believing the overall message of the book. Other factual occurrences that are displayed in Wu and Goldsmith’s methodology are the Kazaa/Napster case where digital piracy was at its initial state. Napster, a company located in the United States was battling with court officials to stay alive. With no luck, a simple U. S. ourt order was easily enforced and that led â€Å"to a total system collapse† (p. 108). Another factor that stands out with the evidence was that it’s very diverse in the geographical sense. The authors not only present their ideas from the American standpoint but tackles on other regions of the world. In the introduction the authors commences a deep discussion on global borders of the internet, the evidence and support was from a simply disgruntled individual that didn’t like seeing Nazi merc handise on the French site of Yahoo (p. p. 1-10). By using this intrinsic method of communicating the thesis they are successful in the sense of drawing readers. This chapter rather than supporting the thesis, they argue against it saying that the Internet â€Å"cannot be regulated†. Using factual data, they are offering both sides of the story in a very objective manner. This helps readers understand the thesis a little better and perhaps even raise serious questions on a political, global and technological standpoint. Who Controls the Internet is a very accurate portrayal of the digital society. It tells readers the important message that originally the Internet was designed to liberate individuals and it was designed to escape government and borders, but without the government mingling in affairs the Internet as we know it today wouldn’t flourish. One of the few appealing factors of this book is that it speaks out in a very clear and engaging style. Within each chapter the author conveniently uses sub-headings to divide important topics and that each chapter features several compelling stories. The two authors, who are both lawyers does an excellent job of communicating the legal issues to the readers without heavy use of legal jargon. Despite the many praises the book gets, it still has some flaws. In my opinion the flaws are contained within the unnecessary pictures and images that are included. Many (if not all) of the pictures are unneeded. For instance on page 4 it shows a rather large photo of the Palais de Justice, where the Yahoo case was litigated and similarly on page 66 shows a picture of Sealand where HavenCo was initiated. Although visualizations are nice they have no purpose in proving the thesis. How can a picture of Jon Postel who is described as â€Å"a rambling, ragged look, living in sandals, and a large, unkempt beard† help readers understand the dominate government forces on the Internet. In another part of the book Wu and Goldsmith dedicated half a page to Steve Jobs and as a background; shows a skull and sword insignia and was labeled â€Å"Piracy†. In retrospect the authors should have gotten rid of filler photography and replaced it with diagrams, which brings up the next flaw, the limited use of diagrams within the book. A diagram can help readers understand the point the author is trying to prove in either a passage or chapter. Back to the Steve Jobs example, if the authors showed using a diagram how Apple and national governments were combating internet piracy it would strengthen their thesis in proving that government controls most sides of the Internet. Or even a timeline that showed how government intervened with such programs such as Napster, Kazaa and then taking on Apple. This book appeals to a large audience of graduate, undergraduate students and professors teaching either politics or information technology. The benefits include that readers of this book can raise important questions and use these questions as the foundation for political debates. The content is not the only contributing factor in a well rounded book, Wu and Goldsmith does an excellent job in constructing the book that’s easily presentable to the reader. Even an individual with very little prior knowledge of the Internet can understand the book. Each term is defined when it is firstly introduced. Next, at the end on page 187 the authors implemented a â€Å"frequency used abbreviations† section and the definition in case the reader is having a hard time following due to the technological jargon. In conclusion, there are four areas that were used to critically analyze the book. They are the thesis, the methodology, the evidence used to construct the book and the personal evaluation. This book presents many important topics that relate to past, presents and futures of the technological era. It is telling a story where digital democracies suffer at the ends of coercive governments. It is not just powerful nations have the power to reshape the Internet’s architecture, more specifically it is the United States, China and Europe using their dominate power to reestablish their own version of the Internet.