Food security in Ghana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food security in Ghana - Essay Example Government responses to these challenges will also be discussed whereby it will be concluded that a lot of efforts are to be made if food security in Ghana is to be achieved. In general, the purpose of this essay is to discuss global food crises using Ghana as a case study Introduction Food security can be defined as the availability of sustainable food supply accessible to all citizens regardless of their social or economic backgrounds. Unfortunately, it has been observed that a significant number of people worldwide have continued to face food shortages with reports indicating that more than 850 million people are suffering from extreme hunger, which to a greater extent, has been blamed on poverty. It is sad to note that children are the most vulnerable and according to world statistics, more than six million of them are losing their lives every year, translating to approximately 17000 deaths per day (Shaw, 2010). To some extent, food insecurity in the world has been brought about by urbanization whereby people have neglected subsistence farming in rural areas in favor of white collar and technical jobs available in urban areas. It is estimated that 50% of world’s population are currently residing in urban areas, with youths and able bodied men and women leaving the weak and the aged population in the rural areas to participate in food production. This coupled with the rising costs of production especially due to increased fuel prices have contributed significantly in the cost of acquiring food stuff. For example, global wheat prices rose by 56% in September 2010 while the general food price index rose by 17% in the same year (Shaw, 2010). This has forced the management of the Global Food Crisis Response Program to extend its mandate to June 2011, hoping that the situation will have stabilized by then. This essay is a critical evaluation of food security in Ghana. Food Security in Ghana As earlier mentioned, food insecurity is a phenomenon that is cont inuing to pose a challenge for majority of citizens around the world, especially in the underdeveloped as well as the developing countries. A country such as Ghana for example has been facing insufficient food supplies mostly due to the fact that food production is highly based on availability of sufficient rainfall. This has made it a common problem to find that food is produced in large quantities during the rainy season but shortages persist during the dry season especially in the northern part of the country, which suffers drought mostly in the season between the months of February and July (IFAD, n.d). In this context, it has been observed that cultivating grains such as wheat and maize among others, which take a long time to mature, is not viable to the poor farmers and this has necessitated huge importation of grains to sustain their demand. For example, the government imported rice worth $100 million in 2010, with cereal imports supplementing food requirement by 4.7% (Bruce, 2010). However, it has also been observed that communities which are favored with sufficient rainfall to guarantee food production are not assisting much to alleviate the problem. This is due to the fact that the government has failed to invest in storage facilities which, coupled with poverty, force rural farmers to sell their produce immediately after harvesting so as to supplement their financial needs as well as to prevent their food

Individual Rationality and Collective Rationality Essay Example for Free

Individual Rationality and Collective Rationality Essay 1. Introduction of Double Auction As one of the most popular way to trade, auction has a long history. According to the different kinds of market structure, there are two kinds of auction, one-side auction and two-side auction (i.e. double auction). Compared with one-side auction, the market structure of the double auction is many-to-many, which means that there are more than one seller and more than one buyer, so both the buyers and sellers lose their own comparative advantage which exists in one-side auction. The relationship between them is a kind of equality between demand and supply. In recent years, with the development of the global economy, there are more challenges for new auction theory and its applications, which are shown in the following aspects. First, with the development of the Internet and communication technologies, e-commerce has become a new business method. At the same time, internet auction has been widely used in the field of e-commerce. Since auction is widely used in the field of trading non-scarcity goods, it changes structure of auction, which used to be based on the buyer’s market or the seller’s market. As double auction can solve the problem of collusion and malignant bid, it has become a widely used way in e-commerce. For example, both NYSE and Chicago Exchange have put different kinds of double auction into practice. With the growing of financial market and e-commerce, the need for better auction rules is surely increasing. Besides, as enterprise restructuring has become a hot topic, double auction is found to be a way to deal with property transactions, mergers and acquisitions. What’s more, with the upgrade of demand structure, the diversification strategy for enterprise business and influence of the supply chain management, there are diversified production, diversified manufacturing and diversified demand. Many famous car companies such as Ford are using combinatorial double auction to the sale and purchase of auto parts. When auction is used in the above fields with various needs, there is a great need for the development of new auction model. Compared with other auction mechanisms, double auction can not only solve the problem of monopoly, but also reduce the duration and costs of trade. However, there are still some problems about it, such as trading rules, the way to release information and the formation of transaction price. According to the above reasons, double auction has attracted much attention. And the core theories about it are Smith’s mystery and Hayek problem, which try to explain how the double auction can reach the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity predicted by the demand-supply model, under the conditions that there is no complete information and few people in the auction. 2. Design of Experiment In order to do some further analysis, we conducted an experiment which simplified real double auction situations with the help of several undergraduate students under four assumptions: First, rational man assumption, which means everyone wants to maximize his/her profit. Second, the goods are homogeneous, so there is no monopoly. Third, there is no cost of sending or getting information, i.e. the transaction cost is zero. Fourth, the participants have no information about the experiment parameter (the value for buyer or cost for seller) before they join the experiment. (2) Trading rules a. When the trade begins, the buyers give their quotes first. Who raises his hand first will quote first. Then, the sellers offer the price they ask. b. Both the sellers and the buyers don’t know the information about the other side. c. When quoting, the seller must ask for a price that is lower than the former seller, and the buyer must ask for a price that is higher than the former buyer. When the price of the two sides is equal, a transaction is reached. d. The trade for each group is divided into three periods and each period lasts for 5 minutes. (3)Trading steps a. Divide all the participants into two groups, buyer and seller, and each group has 8 people. b. Zero phase trade. In order to make the participants familiar with the rules, there is a zero phase trading, the result of which is not included into the final result. c. Begin official trade. d. End trade and take down all the results, including every participant’s own profit in each period and their total profits. Double Auction Experiment 1. Concept Definition and Parameter Settings If we carefully consider each quoting process, we will find the game process in double auction. There are inside game and outside game in the experiment. Firstly, there is among-group game between buyer and seller and they want to drive down or push up prices to earn as much profit as possible. And based on the theoretical design, a buyer and a seller can be trading at least one unit of commodity in one trading period. Experiment shows that each buyer and seller generally trade exactly once each period. Secondly, there is within-group game both among buyers and among sellers. Taking buyer as an example, when the seller quotes a price, buyer X can choose to trade or wait. If choosing to trade, he will probably miss a next lower quoted price although obtaining a certain surplus. However, if he chooses to wait, then the other buyers may intervene in transaction, which constitute competition for buyer X. Each buyer and seller should consider the competition within group, acting as an individual in the game. Meanwhile, they should also consider the competition between groups, acting both as an individual and a group in the game. As can be seen, the core of the complex game process is the relationship of individual-collective interaction. By observing dynamic transaction and competitive process among individual, between the individual and the collective and between the collective, we try to find the interpretation of some problems. Therefore, constructing appropriate parameters, we proceed from rational assumption to define individual rationality and collective rationality respectively. (1) Constructing quoted price functions of the buyer and the seller Firstly, assuming the quoted price function of the buyer i is bidi = vi(1-Ï€i) where bidi denotes the quoted price of buyer i, vi denotes the willing-to-pay of buyer i, Ï€i denotes expected rate of return. Secondly, assuming the quoted price function of the seller is: askj = cj(1+Ï€j) where askj denotes the quoted price of seller j, cj denotes the cost of seller j, Ï€j denotes the expected rate of return of seller j. (2) According to the market parameters and theoretical equilibrium price(7.8) of buyer and seller, we can calculate the standard rate of return of every buyer and seller, Ï€i* and Ï€j*, respectively. (3) On this basis, we assume that individual rationality index is bri=Ï€i/Ï€i* of the buyer, srj= Ï€j/Ï€j* of the seller. The higher the index, the higher is the degree of the buyer or the sellers individual rationality, for it indicates more incentive to maximize their interests strongly. The standard individual rationality is 1, indicating that the expected rate of return and the actual rate of return of the buyer or the sellers are consistent. (4) Similarly, we can define the buyers collective rationality index as sbri=Ï€i/Ï€i*, where Ï€i is the average expected rate of return of all the buyers who participate in a transaction, Ï€i* is the standard average rate of return of the buyers. Whats more, we can define the sellers collective rationality index as ssrj=Ï€j/Ï€j*. The higher the index, the higher is the degree of collective rationality, because it indicates more strongly motivation to maximize their collective interests. The standard collective rationality is also 1, indicating that the expected collective rate of return and the actual collective rate of return of the buyer or the sellers are consistent. 2. Analysis of Parameters In order to study the market inefficiency of the second group, we selected two sets of data as a typical example. Group #1s transaction price is equal to the theoretical equilibrium price (7.8), while Group #2s transaction price is far from the theoretical equilibrium price, only 6.3. Lets observe the quoted price of the buyers and the sellers in the first group, We find that in the second offer, S2s quoted price fell directly from 10 to 7.5, its price is less than the theoretical equilibrium price 7.8, which makes the sellers quoted price become farther and farther away from the equilibrium price. Instead, the buyers offer is steadily rising with smaller fluctuation, which makes the buyers successfully lower price. Let’s move to the quotes of the buyers and sellers from Group #2. Obviously, the quote fluctuations of both sides are smaller and the final equilibrium price (Pe) is closer to the ideal value. Therefore, we may infer that in the double auctions where the number of quotations reaches a certain level, if we want the final transaction price to be close to the theoretical equilibrium price, fluctuations in both quotations cannot be too great, otherwise it will be very easy to deviate from Pe, consequently making either buyer side or seller side gains too much surplus. The reason why we emphasize a certain level of the number of quotations is that if either one side of the bidders or the askers offers a price that is quite close to the expected one, a deal is very likely to be made. Actually, we do see lots of quick transactions in the experiment, especially the 2nd round of Group #1, where there would be expected to exist fluctuation. But that quick deal is based on that either buyer or seller or both of them have an intuition about Pe or are simply informed of that price. If the information for both sides is so inadequate or even zero, then it will seem quite important to estimate Pe by price fluctuation during the first several quotes. On the other hand, however, substantial quote fluctuations will not only compress the quote space afterwards, but also impair one’s own market power, while increasing the other side’s market power and surplus. Let’s now look at the changes in individual rate of return and individual rationality index of Group #1 and #2. Group #1 A. Expected Rate of Return The fluctuation of expected rate of return is distinct around the seller S2, where the expected rate of return of buyers is far higher than that of the sellers. B. Individual Rationality As can be seen, buyers’ individual rationality fluctuates more than the sellers’, while the degree of buyers’ individual rationality (1, since round 2) is much higher than that of sellers’ (1, and decreasing since round 2). Thus, we can assume that there is a collective irrational phenomenon among the sellers. Usually, both buyer and seller will hope to receive higher surplus and try to make the price more beneficial to themselves. So it’s reasonable to see that individual rationality index fluctuates a bit around the standard line or even higher than it, just to make the final transaction price and surplus closer to the theoretical ones. But in this case, seller S2 suddenly lowers his expected rate of return (from the normal 2.22 to 0.86), probably because he underestimates Pe or just wants to quickly sell the product. It’s quite hard for the following sellers to reach the ideal level, but can only quote under 1, giving buyers more space for quote and more power to control the market. If the sellers following S2 used to have higher expectation than 1, then a phenomenon called inconsistency of collective rationality occurs by the influence of inconsistency of individual rationality. When it happens, the irrational collectivity’s power is impaired and Pe and surplus will end up more beneficial to the other collectivity. As can be seen from the experiment results, the collective rationality index of buyers is 2.793, which is much higher than that of sellers, 0.808. Group #2 A. Expected Rate of Return The expected rate of return fluctuates more, comparatively. What’s more important, the values of both sides are quite close. B. Individual Rationality This corresponds to our previous analysis. The individual rationality index of both buyers and sellers is always larger and very close to Group #1. The individual rationality equals to the standard individual rationality when the final deal is made. In this situation, the quote range and market power for both sides are similar without any doubt. The price at equilibrium and the surplus are close to the theoretical value. Therefore, we can think that there is no disturbance of individual rationality to collective rationality for both sides. From the perspective of collective rationality index, sbri=1.879ï ¼Å'ssrj=1.692ï ¼Å'the difference is relatively small and both values are larger than 1. From the analysis above, the following could be inferred. In certain times of quote, if the market’s transaction price and surplus diverge from the theoretical Pe and surplus, there must exist a negative disturbance of individual rationality to collective rationality for one side which enables the other side to have dominant power of quote. In another way, if the market’s transaction price and surplus are close to theoretical values, there is going to appear two cases. First, individual rationality and collective rationality are in accordance with each other for both sides and both have the similar market power which results in mutual antagonism; second, disturbances for both sides may be very large and the rationality values are not close at all, which does not show in all the experimental data while it could be thought to exist theoretically. The values are close only at the transaction price and it is based on an obvious premise that the values are larger than 1, since as long as one value is less than 1, it is very easy (not necessarily) to fall to a weak position (which usually happens in the first round of Group #2). The way to analyze these three situations is pretty similar to the one analyzing monopoly and competitive markets. The key element is the effect of the relation between individual rationality and collective rationality to market power. Conclusion From the analysis above, we can reach a primary conclusion that the quote from a single seller or buyer can affect the formation and the result of market equilibrium. We can use individual-collective rationality model to explain the process. Individual rationality can cause a destabilization to collective rationality (resulting in remarkable fluctuation), when the destabilization is small, which means that the individual rationality that causes it is not less than one, the collective rationality still tends to be consistent and this will not have a significant effect on the market power of both sides. But when the destabilization is large, which means that the individual rationality that causes it is less than one, there will be a significant effect on the consistency of the collective rationality, so there will be a change of the two sides’ market power. Then, the equilibrium price and the surplus of both sides also change. So, there is a kind of tension between individual desirability and collective desirability. There are some points that we need to pay attention to. First, this kind of relationship becomes more obvious with the increasing of quotation times during one period. The deeper reason for this is the lack of information and each side has to continuously probe and tries to release as much information, which can maximize his profit, as possible, no matter whether the information is true. If the deal can be reached within one or two times, there will be no such complex game about the info releasing and collecting. Second, in reality, the destabilization is always negative (i.e. a sudden decrease in bid or expected return), which indicates the bounded rationality. We don’t need to take positive destabilization into account. So, how can we use this model to explain the non efficiency phenomenon of market in double auction? There are two aspects that we need to pay attention to. First, the relationship of individual rationality and collective rationality has an effect on the market power, and then affects the equilibrium price and the ratio of the surplus of both sides; the price either has a bad effect on the sellers or the buyers (In our experiment, it is the sellers that lose). Thus, some buyers or sellers that could have entered the deal are kicked off now, which leads to some deadweight loss. Second, when the market power is out of balance, the number of games between buyers and sellers will increase. Let’s take the third group (whose transaction price is averagely 10% less than theoretical Pe) as an example. When the buyers realize their power and advantage, they will wait the sellers to decrease the price. At that time, from the perspective of buyers, the earnings of waiting is larger than the risk. The sellers are forced to decrease the price, but only for a little each time to avoid a worse price. As a result, during the limited trading times, the number of transactions decreases, which leads to further deadweight loss. References 1. JAVIER GIL-BAZO, DAVID MORENO, AND MIKEL TAPIA, â€Å"Price Dynamics, Informational Efficiency, And Wealth Distribution in Continuous Double-Auction Markets†, Computational Intelligence, Volume 23, Number 2, 2007 2. Charles A.Holt, Loren W.Langan, Anne P.Villamil, Market power in oral double auctions† Economic Inquiry, 24:1 (1986:Jan.) p.107 3. Juliette Rouchier, Stà ©phane Robin, â€Å"Simulation Gaming† 4. Darren Duxbury, â€Å"Experimental Evidence on Trading Behavior, Market Efficiency and Price Formation in Double Auctions with Unknown Trading Duration†

Electronic Fetal Monitoring :: Technology Pregnancy Essays

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Technology has had a very prominent influence on electronic fetal monitoring since its appearance in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For many years, fetal monitoring was simply done by listening to a fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. Dramatic changes in the heartbeat, such as a long period or a drop in the rate or intensity, could be detected,. Now, not only is the electronic fetal monitor used on the outside of the womb by strapping electrodes to the mother’s abdomen but electrodes can also be inserted during the first stage of labor and placed directly on the baby’s head. With advanced technologies such as this the acidity of the infant’s blood as well as the heart rate can be measured. New technologies are being developed every day. The latest advance in fetal monitoring is the fetal oxygen monitor: â€Å"A device that directly measures fetal oxygen saturation during labor and delivery is now available and has the potential to reduce the number of Cesarean sections performed for non-reassuring heart rates.† (Mechcatie) The article by Mechcatie describes the monitor extremely well: â€Å"The device’s sensor, located at the end of a flexible tube, is made of pliable plastic and is inserted through the cervical os until it lies along the fetal cheek, where the pressure of the uterine wall keeps it in place during labor. The sensor shines light into the fetal skin and computes the oxygen saturation by measuring the color of the reflected light coming through the blood cells.† There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. â€Å"They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.† Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, â€Å"The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound. Electronic Fetal Monitoring :: Technology Pregnancy Essays Electronic Fetal Monitoring Technology has had a very prominent influence on electronic fetal monitoring since its appearance in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For many years, fetal monitoring was simply done by listening to a fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. Dramatic changes in the heartbeat, such as a long period or a drop in the rate or intensity, could be detected,. Now, not only is the electronic fetal monitor used on the outside of the womb by strapping electrodes to the mother’s abdomen but electrodes can also be inserted during the first stage of labor and placed directly on the baby’s head. With advanced technologies such as this the acidity of the infant’s blood as well as the heart rate can be measured. New technologies are being developed every day. The latest advance in fetal monitoring is the fetal oxygen monitor: â€Å"A device that directly measures fetal oxygen saturation during labor and delivery is now available and has the potential to reduce the number of Cesarean sections performed for non-reassuring heart rates.† (Mechcatie) The article by Mechcatie describes the monitor extremely well: â€Å"The device’s sensor, located at the end of a flexible tube, is made of pliable plastic and is inserted through the cervical os until it lies along the fetal cheek, where the pressure of the uterine wall keeps it in place during labor. The sensor shines light into the fetal skin and computes the oxygen saturation by measuring the color of the reflected light coming through the blood cells.† There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. â€Å"They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.† Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, â€Å"The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound.

Plato’s Republic Essay

Plato’s Republic is a book in which Socrates, as a character, explores the nature of poetry. Although Socrates completely supports everyone’s obligation to explore various notions, (leading to his being charged with â€Å"corrupting the youth,†) the idea that poetry can be detrimental, as it may influence the minds of the youth is also proposed. This means that certain fictional readings, which would install themselves into the minds of their believers as delusions were likely to result from the reading of certain fantastic poems. In Cervantes’ Don Quixote, access to unlimited writings, however, corrupted the mind of the novel’s protagonist, who became quite crazy, as his mind became filled with ideas of the business of knights, which occurred as he read books that, according to other characters of the book, should have been banned. Plato’s Socrates was often engaged in the business of encouraging people to challenge accepted notions, and explore other ones. But poetry, when it relates fictional stories, would have had the potential to negatively influence the malleable minds of a younger audience. â€Å"Plato was concerned with the ability of a text to convince in the face of its fictionality,† Frederick de Armas wrote in Cascardi’s novel, The Cambridge Companion to Cervantes. And Plato’s concern was not without merit, when applied to the story of the man from La Mancha, who is driven insane by the fictional stories that he enjoyed. Unfortunately for Don Quixada of La Mancha, fantastic books and stories of chivalry and â€Å"knight-errantry† were permitted in Spain, and he got his hands on a great many of these stories. Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is the story of a man, who, accompanied by his loyal squire, participate in activities based on the delusions inspired by the books that he read. Don Quixote was at first a normal, honorable man, but after reading a great many books and stories about the chivalrous and challenging adventures of knights, he became of the opinion that he was indeed a knight himself, and that the stories he had read were actually incorporated into the whole world. He would produce such beliefs, based on the readings that he had scoured, that simple objects and people of the world were actually characters present in the adventures of the greatest knight who ever was, as he often thought of himself. Every belief that he had throughout the body of the book was tied to the stories of the chivalrous activities of knights that he had read. And these stories prompted him to dress in Medieval military attire (such as chain mail, accompanied by a helmet with a visor, a lance, and a shield), and partake in the activities of the extinct knights that he had read about. The books, which captivated his mind, led Don Quixote de La Mancha to believe notions as preposterous as windmills being giants, and every woman around being damsels in distress. His faithful squire, Sancho Panza was captivated by the stories that his master told him of knight-errantry, and it helped to corrupt, or make him delusional as well. The books, stories, and poetry on the subject of knight errantry were completely to blame for the downfall of Don Quixote’s mind, which in turn, dragged down that of Sancho Panza’s. But there were character from Quixotes hometown, such as his niece, housekeeper, and a man of the church who recognized that it was the fictional adventure books that caused a once respected man to go insane. His niece and housekeeper had noticed that the books were corrupting him from the start. â€Å"‘Senor Licentiate Pero Perez,’ that was the curate’s name, â€Å"some misfortune must certainly have happened to my master; for six days, both he and his horse, together with the target, lance, and armour, have been missing; as I am a sinner, it is just come into my head, and it is certainly as true as that everyone is born to die, those hellish books of knight-errantry, which he used to read with so much pleasure, have turned his brain: for, now I remember to have heard him say to himself more than once, that he longed to be a knight-errant, and stroll about in quest of adventures. May Satan and Barrabas lay hold of such legends, which have perverted one of the finest minds in all La Mancha,† the housekeeper of the illustrious knight, Don Quixote remarked after her master returned from his very first enterprise in the field of knight-errantry (Cervantes, Part 1, Chapter V). It is very straightforward, from the words of his housekeeper, that Don Quixote’s intense readings about the stories of knights and chivalry were very detrimental to his mind. Indulging in these stories over, and over, he went mad, and believed himself a universal character of the topics on which he read. Plato may have held that expression of fictional ideas had the ability to be completely detrimental to the youthful minds that absorbed various notions, and that is why (in Don Quixote) the man of the church, the barber, and Don Quixote’s niece and housekeeper set to burn (except for a few books, which they themselves prized) all of Don Quixotes library, which was filled with books on the subject of knight-errantry. In the writings of Plato, poetry had the unfortunate ability to do to young, easily-influenced people what the books of knight-errantry did to Don Quixote. This was the ability to propose delusions that would survive alongside actual beliefs which were based on true phenomena. Poets had the ability to harm the minds of the youth who indulged in their poems, just as did the writers of the chivalrous stories in Don Quixote. If it had not been for the fictional stories that Don Quixote read over and over, he would likely have not held that he himself was a character of the genre, which, at the time, was represented only in fiction. The various authors’ narrations on the fictional activities of knights were indeed what captivated the mind of Don Quixote, and caused him to go insane. Early in his adventures, his squire, Sancho Panza was bewildered by some of the delusional and fictional properties that Don Quixote extended to various environmental phenomena. His readings had him believe that a row of windmills were giants that served to hinder his own progress. â€Å" ‘Fly not, ye base and cowardly miscreants, for, he is but a single knight who attacks you,’† Don Quixote yelled at the windmills, which were, due to his mental captivation by the activities of knight-errantry, on which he had read, not windmills, but giants. This was his final warning to the giants before he charged, and rammed his lance into the propeller of a mill, shattering it, and falling to the ground, along with his trusty steed, Rocinante (Cervantes, Part I Chapter VIII). Plato’s theory, expressed in The Republic, about the detrimental and negatively influential properties of poetry are undermined in Spain at the time of the story of the knight from La Mancha. The people who collected in Don Quixote’s house, following his very first adventure (which left him immobilized, and without a weapon after he attacked a group of merchants who he perceived to be evil) were of the opinion that Plato proposes in The Republic, which is that fictional stories can be dangerous when imposed upon malleable minds, like those of the youth (or those of unstable characters, such as the prime one seen in Cervantes’ work). Although it is quite likely that the novel was composed because of its entertaining qualities, Cervantes certainly wanted to parallel the story of Don Quixote to the warnings of Plato in his views on poetry. â€Å"In this work, Plato argues that poetry inspires undesirable emotions in society and should be censored from adults and especially children for fear of lasting detrimental consequences,† Schatzie Speaks writes in her article, entitled Aristotle vs. Plato on the Dangers of Poetry. â€Å"Plato believes that since children have not yet acquired proper formation of character and knowledge of the world around them, every new experience makes a profound impact upon them. Children have no ability to know what emotions should be tempered and which should be expressed, and certain expressed emotions can have lasting consequences later in life. Plato finds it necessary to limit the types of poetry, works which he deems induce profound emotions in individuals, to protect children and future society. † Poetry, unfortunately for the knight in Cervantes’ novel, and many of those whom he encountered, was not limited, but embraced by the knight himself, and it had the very effect that Plato warned that it might. â€Å"He states that scary stories,† Speaks continues, â€Å"such as gods coming to the world in disguise and harming people, must be avoided to eliminate timidity, as such tales will induce profound fear. Furthermore, children must not be told tales detailing the horrors of death for they will then grow up to fear death and lack courage. † Plato’s critique of poetry is justified in Cervantes’ story of Don Quixote, who found himself fully subjected to the negative aspects of poetry (such as its ability to conjure up thoughts and delusions that may not actually exist). It was because fictional tails of such fantastic adventures of knights were allowed in Spain that Don Quixote was able to get his hands on these books, and fall under their spell. They inspired vast delusions in him, just as Plato said such writings could if they were not censored. Works Cited De Cervantes, Miguel. Translation by Rutherford, John. Don Quixote de la Mancha. Penguin Books, New York, 2003 De Armas, Frederick A. Cervantes and the Italian Renaissance. In Cascardi, Anthony J. The Cambridge Companion to Cervantes. Cambridge University Press, 2002. Plato. Edition by Cooper, John M. The Republic. In Plato, Complete Works. Hackett Publishing, Indiana, 1997. Speaks, Schatzie. Aristotle vs. Plato on the Dangers of Poetry. Viewed 23, July, 2009. http://hubpages. com/hub/The-Emotions-Surrouding-Poetry–Aristotle-vs-Plato

Toms Shoes Epedemic

Simona Brotnei Professor Angelone English Writing 102 7 March 2012 â€Å"How Toms Shoes tipped ? † Intro Section In the book, The Tipping Point, How little things can Make a Big Difference, written by Malcolm Gladwell. What is an Epidemic? Well there are different kinds of epidemics. Epidemics can be Products, diseases, Trend’s, and or Crimes. In order for an epidemic to tip, there are three rules that apply for an epidemic to tip. Epidemics are the phenomena word of mouth, or any number of mysterious changes that mark everyday life is for us to think of them as just that.Epidemics are a contagious behavior; the rules in an epidemic are the Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. The Stickiness Factor The stickiness factor is some kind of information that makes it memorable and sticky, basically something that makes a person remember easily or a message that makes an impact. One of the three Laws that applies too, Toms Shoes is the stickiness of the shoes. The Epidemic that crossed my mind was TOM’s shoes. The co-founder of TOM shoes was Blake Mckoskie, his name was not Tom, Blake’s chose toms because it stands for Tomorrows Future.Back In 2006, Blake went to Argentina, and discovered that the kids there had no shoes, So he came up with the Idea that for every pair of shoes purchased, he would give another pair to a child in need. Tom’s shoes missions is the One for One deal, which I stated above. The reason why Toms tipped was because of the One for One. This is what made TOMS so sticky, just the other day I wore a pair of Toms and this lady stopped me and somehow noticed my shoes and said to me, â€Å"Are those the shoes? † where they give a pair for free? and she wanted to look at them, So I showed them to her. he then went on and said â€Å"that they are expensive ,† but I also stated that they were for a good cause. In the past year of September, TOMS sold over one million pair of sh oes. His company is becoming more successful, and are growing bigger and bigger each day. Blake based the shoe style on the alpargata, a traditional Argentine shoe that farmers have worn for more than 100 years. The shoe is very lightweight and canvas slip-on with just a sliver of a rubber composite sole. It comes in multiple colors and prints for women, men and children. Toms comes out with a new style almost every six months.The shoe prices average from about $40-$100 dollars, They can be pricy but we also have to remember that its helping many kids without shoes, have shoes. The reason as to why Toms is so successful is, because they feel as if there making a difference in the world by helping the kids. They are satisfied and happy about themselves by helping the kids with no shoes. Toms has donated over 600 thousands paris of shoes to kids in 2010. The Power of Context Gladwell states, That the power of context, is no less more important than the two laws mentioned in the beginn ing of the book.Epidemics are sensitive in the time and places in which they occur. The Power of context is one that has to do with the environment we live in. We are the ones that get the word out. Like for instance the word of mouth epidemic is by a person telling them about it, then them telling someone else; or even when they see something that they like, People will ask you where you got the product, then tell his or her friends. Back In May of 2010, I was at a Romanian convention and I noticed a guy wearing them and wanted to find out what kind of shoes they were, because they looked very cool and comfy.I then went on found out where he got them, and bought two pairs, Now Most of the majority of the romanian community owns at least a pair of toms, if not even more. That explains why so many trends like skinny jeans, and or Jeans tucked in boots start. The environment has a lot to do with how epidemics occur, And that is how many trends come about. Just like in the book, The Ti pping Point there were two kids that were wearing hush puppies in East village, and some high fashioned stylists seen them. Later on they skyrocketed and sold over 600 thousands pairs.There is no other explanation more better than how the environment has many effects on how we look and or how we dress, the environment plays a big part on how products tip and how trends become more popular. Conclusion The reason why products tip are because the message itself had an impact, and or the environment where they were seen was noticed by big entrepreneurs. Why is it that many people like myself? are buying all into this, One thing is that it is contagious and the little things that make a change make a difference in the world.Trends and or diseases are also just as contagious. The co-founder of Toms travels to many different colleges to reach out to peers because he wants the new generations to be concerned and aware with different things. and helping others is one that everyone can do if they cant help by buying a pair they can help by not wearing shoes for 24 hours and that event that is called One Day Without Shoes, is targeted mostly to students because they are the ones with time and its a free advertising by getting his shoes known. and what more not doing it at colleges.Blake wants to raise up a better generations for our kids, and by helping and joining events just like this one is a great opportunity for many students to be aware and help make difference in the world. That is why they have an event every year, In Fact It is coming up shortly Sometime in April. The event mostly focuses on the awareness for people to realize that in many different parts of the country children are without shoes. Also to get others student to join and help if not by buying the shoes but by simply getting the word out.The One Day Without Shoes event allows student-led college chapters of TOMS to hold awareness events on campus (and do some free advertising for TOMS). The movemen t reaches out to students who want to help and be a part of a larger philanthropic movement, but can’t afford to give large amounts of money or commit an extended amount of time. People who are already passionate about helping children in need are the prime candidates to join the TOMS movement, so the student chapters and the organization reach out to these individuals through their  advertisements  and promotions. Im gonna finish a quote by Ghandi, which was Blake’s favorite quote. Be the change you want to see in the world Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston: Little, Brown, 2000. Print. â€Å"Shoes Offer a Better Tomorrow. † NewsOK: Oklahoma News, Sports, Weather, Business, Entertainment & Oklahoma City Photos & Video OKC. Linda Miller, 5 Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Millennials and Philanthropy: 5 Tips I Learned from TOMSA  Shoes. † Rebekah Bowen. 26 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Mar . 2012. . â€Å"TOMS SHOES LOGO. † Bio Of Blake Mycoskie, The Founder & Chief Shoe Giver Of TOMS Shoes. 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .

International Intervention in Libya

International Intervention in Libya Introduction Oil, otherwise known as black gold, is the driving force of the world economy. It is a major commodity of trade that is required by all countries. Western countries rely on the constant supply supply of oil, thus they try to ensure its supply is not interrupted. Given this realization, oil played a major role in influencing the western powers to intervene militarily in Libya, but not in Syria.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Intervention in Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Libya accounts for 2.8% of the global oil reserves (Cohen par. 1). It plays a major role in supplying many industrialized countries, especially those in Europe. In 2010, Libya produced over 1,789,000 barrels of oil per day. In comparison, Syria only produced 400,000 barrels of oil per day (Cohen par. 2-3). Therefore, oil is the main reason why military intervention was used in Libya, but not in Syria. As a major oil supplier, it was important to ensure the stability of Libya to avoid affecting the global oil supply. Reasons for the intervention Many western countries rely on oil to run their economies. Thus, problems with the supply of oil can have devastating consequences on the economies. The problems in Libya began with an uprising in 2011, which wanted to replace Muammar Gaddafi with a more democratic leader (Roff and Momani par. 6). Gaddafi was a threat to the western countries. His leadership decisions after the uprising meant that oil exports would be affected adversely. His response incited the people more, especially when the ruling regime was accused of working with the Al Qaeda terrorists. Moreover, Gaddafi ordered his people to capture the protestors. He also threatened to start a door-to-door campaign and ‘cleanse’ those who were against his regime. Thus, there was a threat of mass genocide in Libya. This led to a global response, with many countries being ag ainst the decisions made by Gaddafi. Those who were opposed to Gaddafi included groups like the League of Arab States, the United Nations Security Council, and other western powers (Wood par. 4). Gaddafi was later killed, but the country is yet to return to normalcy. Western powers were uncertain about the consequences of a rebel government. Thus, they saw it fit to help the opposition in order to gain their support once they took power from Gaddafi. Currently, the parliament is held by two differing groups, thus it has not reached a state of stability (Daoudy par. 5-6). Despite this, oil production has started to increase to its original output. Therefore, the western powers and their allies were able to gain and retain their oil supply.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The situation was similar in Syria, where the Bashar al-Assad regime reacted harshl y to uprisings against the government. Gaddafi’s death influenced the opposition in Syria to think that change could be achieved in the country. However, the opponents of the ruling regime in Syria continue to suffer, with many dying as a result of harsh responses by the security forces. Many supporters of the opposition are captured, tortured, and the military uses excessive power against them. Moreover, the Assad regime uses propaganda to ensure that people opposing his regime suffer. The opposition began to take up arms as a way of protecting themselves (Taheri 218). This led to a situation where many rebel groups arose in Syria, each trying to gain control over the country. Currently, a war within a war has emerged in Syria, whereby the rebel groups are fighting each other in trying to support their individual policies. Despite this, the international community has not reacted like it did in the case of Libya. This can be attributed to the immense oil output Libya contrib utes to the global economy in comparison to Syria’s oil output. The United States, a major economic power, tries with all its might to defend, guarantee, and protect its interests. A case to consider was the March 2011 UN Security Council vote (Cohen par. 1-2). Many developed countries, including Germany, India, Brazil, China, and Russia, were against military intervention in Libya. Despite this, the UN Security Council resolution allowed military action in Libya. State sovereignty was a major reason why most countries did not support a military intervention. Specifically, China and Russia tend to advocate for state sovereignty, as they want to create an international agreement that state sovereignty is of utmost importance (Zyberi and Mason 44). Libya was also attacked because it did not have any allies to defend it, as the case was with Syria. On the contrary, the Assad’s regime enjoys the support of Russia and China, who have veto power in the United Nations Securit y Council.  Many western countries share the belief that the Middle East can greatly affect. Thus, being able to control the flow of oil is important to the western countries. Moreover, it is no longer important to protect the Arab regimes, but to influence people to rise and address their grievances. This is done in a manner that does not cause instability, but it decreases the hatred towards Americanism. Energy is a major determinant in the decisions made by the western nations.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Intervention in Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Even though the US tries to advance for human rights, it gets involved in any situation where its energy supply is at threat, in comparison to situations where human rights are being violated. Thus, the US, with support from its allies, did not take long to support military intervention in Libya and kill Gaddafi, but it has not i ntervened militarily in Syria yet (Alston and Goodman 83). Syria and Libya were characterized by many similarities, which formed the background of their impending problems. Both Syria and Libya were characterized by mismanagement. The regimes impacted negatively on the social, political, and economic policies. The United States and its allies come together to champion for human rights whenever countries are at the brink of social unrest or characterized by poor governance. The citizens in the unstable countries are seen as important, thus the western governments use their diplomatic ties to influence the behavior of the government towards the citizens. However, the Libya and Syria cases exposed the US and its allies as hypocrites, who use the campaigns against violation of human rights as smokescreens to advance their agendas (de Rugy par. 3-4). In many cases, the choices of the western countries to intervene in any country are based on their interests, especially if these interests are under a threat. Reasons for not intervening militarily in Syria The western powers exercised different responses to the problems in Libya and Syria. In Syria, the western powers reacted by sanctioning the regime, while military intervention was the choice in Libya’s case. Many other reasons have been advanced to explain why military action was not preferable in Syria’s case. For instance, Syria differs greatly with Libya, thus military action could not be applied universally. The terrain and population in Syria proved quite difficult to deal with, in comparison with Libya. Syria has 22.5 million citizens in comparison to Libya’s 6.6 million, which is three times the population of Libya. Therefore, the costs incurred in military intervention would be higher in Syria compared to Libya (Hamid par. 1). Syria is also well equipped and has a larger professional military than Libya. In Syria, those who support a military intervention are only 40% of the population (Wood par. 6). Thus, military intervention will be seen as an attack against the sovereignty by the rest 60% of the population.. Syria also shares the same geographical characteristics with Afghanistan.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is a mountainous region, thus a military attack would be unfavorable, risky, and costly. In comparison, Libya is sparsely populated and many people reside in the coastal areas, thus a military attack is easier and cheaper. Moreover, Libya is closer to Europe, thus air strikes can be conducted easily because the distance involved is smaller (Wood par. 8). Many countries, especially African countries, continue to suffer under dictators and unfavorable regimes, yet the US hardly intervenes because these countries lack energy resources to supply the US economy. In another case, the US was keener to intervene militarily in Iraq when ISIS was a threat to the oil reserves. However, it did not do so when ISIS was gaining traction in Syria (Hamid par. 1-3). Thus, many of the decisions made by the west are not humanitarian in nature, but they are a result of capitalism. The crisis in Syria is fueled by ethnic differences. For instance, President Assad is able to gain the support of his tri be by threatening the minorities to join him or be killed. Assad belongs to the Shia minority, who are in control of many vital organs of the country, including the police, intelligence agencies, and the army. The civil war has been persistent through sectarian violence. Many of Assad’s former allies have also stated their distaste about his decisions. This makes it hard to attack the country, as the differing groups are wide and varied. Moreover, if the western countries take part in the conflict, there is a risk of spreading the sectarian violence to other countries like Israel, Iraq, Turkey, and Jordan (Ramos 106). The military intervention in Libya was seen as a precedent by critics. It meant that the western powers would come to the aid of the Arab countries whenever there was an uprising and people were threatened by their government. However, this was not the case, given that Syria’s opposition supporters have been left to fend for themselves, while they suffer under their government. Just like Libya, there have been calls for an intervention of the western powers, but the calls have been largely ignored (Zyberi and Mason 46).  In conclusion, oil was a major factor in deciding to intervene militarily in Libya, but not in Syria. Many western powers rely on oil. Thus, an unstable government in Libya would affect the global oil supply and production. Libya also has the biggest oil reserves in Africa. Thus, protecting the country and ensuring its stability was important in guaranteeing that the oil supply would not be interfered with. Even though the country is not supplying its original production of over a million barrels of oil a day, Libya still produces sufficient quantities that are mostly exported to the European countries. Alston, Philip, and Ryan Goodman. International Human Rights, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Cohen, Nick. The West has a Duty to Intervene in Syria. The Guardian, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. guardian.co.uk/co mmentisfree/2012/jan/01/nick-cohen-intervene-in-syris/print. Daoudy, Marwa. â€Å"The Case against Military Intervention in Syria.† Jadaliyya.com, 5 Jan. 2012. Web. jadaliyya.com/pages/index/3922/the-case-against-military-intervention-in-syria. de Rugy, Veronique. How Much Would War In Syria Cost? Reason 45.7 (2013): 18-20. Print. Hamid, Shadi. Why We Have a Responsibility to Protecy Syria. Brookings Institute, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. brookings.edu/opinions/2012/0126_syria_interventions_hamid.aspx?p=1. Ramos, Jennifer M. Changing Norms through Actions: The Evolution of Sovereignty, New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. Roff, Heather, and Bessma Momani. â€Å"The Tactics of Intervention: Why Syria will Never be Libya.† The Globe and Mail, 31 Oct. 2011. Web. theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/the-tactics-of-intervention-why-syria-will-never-be-libya.aspx?p=1. Taheri, Amir. Has the Time Come for Military Intervention in Syria? American Foreign Policy Interests 35.4 (2013): 217-220. Print. Wood, Lisa. â€Å"To Intervene or Not to Intervene: Why Libya but not Syria?† Viapolitica.eu, 15 Jan. 2012. Web. http://viapolitica.eu/2012/01/15/to-intervene-or-not-to-intervene-why-libya-but-not-syria/. Zyberi, Gentian, and Kevin T Mason. An Institutional Approach to the Responsibility to Protect, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.

The Role of ICT essays

The Role of ICT essays ICT is changing people lives everywhere. This goes from the home to the office. No matter who the person is they will have come into contact with ICT and it will have helped them in some way. 3 areas where ICT has changed are: It is these I will be discussing. The first is individuals. ICT has a big impact on people in their everyday lives and is affecting people in different ways. Technology is all around us but most people do not realise. It is taken for granted because of how common it is. The way it is changing people lives is though things such as the internet and mobile phones. Most people now have access to the internet whether it is at home or in the local Library. It is allowing people to find whatever information they want whenever they need it. We can also talk to people all over the world for free through instant messenger programs and Email. Mobile phones are allowing us to communicate at anytime anywhere we are. This means that people no longer have to either look for a phone box or have to wait until they get home to talk to someone. We can now phone people wherever we are even if on the other side of the country. We can just pick up a mobile phone and talk. This is making life better for people because before this technology people couldnt keep in touch easily and it could cost quite a lot of money to do so. Now we can communicate where ever we are. The bad points about this technology are the fact that people who do not have access are left out. Also this technology can be expensive and for some people it can be quite hard to learn how to use and so they are left behind and some people like the old ways. Another disadvantage is people hacking and theft. Because of mobile phone there are more people being mugged in the street for their phone. Also with hacking peoples personal details and things such as credit card numbers can be found out althoug ...