Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Essay Within the next fifty years the US may experience shifting and changing length of the seasons, changes in vegetation including habitat and diversity, changes in precipitation intensity and distribution, a rise in sea-level, an increase in storm intensity and an increase in erosion events. Shifting seasons The principle sources for this idea were: Global Warming in the Temperate Zone, Geography Chapter 2, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Summary for Policy Makers, Alaska Survey (Us Global Change Research Program) Why? As global warming effects advance, colder seasons become milder and of shorter duration. â€Å"Climate †¦ refers to the annual pattern of atmospheric conditions in a place (Lew 2004). â€Å" Since the seas change temperature more slowly than land, an increase in temperature of the sea would maintain warmer patterns for longer periods of time Impact on Physical Geography â€Å"Throughout the temperate zone, changes are being recorded in where and when plants bloom and thrive. (Global Warming in Temperate Zone 2007)† Another effect is that as the temperature rises, the altitudinal zonation normally present (Lew 2004) becomes attenuated. In some areas, the top zones are disappearing, the temperature variations no longer dip far enough to maintain snow caps, glaciers or other physical attributes wildlife depend upon (. Global Warming in Temperate Zone 2007). Impact on Human Geography Changes in seasonality have not yet had much affect upon the lower United States human geography. Change in seasonality has had profound impact upon populations in Alaska and Canada. â€Å"[The Inuit’s] winter hunting and fishing is limited severely by loss of ice (Global Warming in the Arctic 2007). † Seasonal use of Ice roads, loss of sea-ice and lengthening summers all will have a profound impact on trade and national defense ( Climate Change: â€Å"Alaska† 2000). According to the IPCC report there is little that can be done to immediately reverse this trend as temperatures will continue to increase on inertia of the GHGs already in the atmosphere (Alley 2007) . Changing vegetation and Ecology The principle sources for this idea were: Global Warming in the Temperate Zone, Geography Chapter 2, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Summary for Policy Makers, Alaska Survey (Us Global Change Research Program) Why? The changes in seasonality and accompanying changes in temperature constitute changes in climate (Lew 2004). Plant organisms and their distributions are usually sensitive to climate changes. Impact on Physical Geography â€Å"Climate has a direct impact on the biogeographic distribution of the natural vegetation in a region (Lew 2004). † Observed changes in altitudinal zonation are expected to accelerate if temperatures continue to rise rapidly (Global Warming: Temperate Zone 2007). Impact on Human Geography This effect is not likely to have an immediate impact on humans, though there may be some benefit from a longer growing season and perhaps a larger farmable area. Changes in Precipitation The principle sources for this idea were: Geography Chapter 2, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Summary for Policy Makers, Regional Overview (Us Global Change Research Program) Why? Warmer air can carry more moisture. As temperature rises it increases the vapor pressure of water and causes increased evaporation. When precipitation occurs it is likely to be more intense, dumping more water in less time than would normally be the case. Impact on Physical Geography â€Å"Precipitation is very likely to continue to increase on average, especially in middle and high latitudes†¦ in the form of heavy downpours. (US Global Change, â€Å"Water overview† 2000). â€Å" Combined with seasonality, this means that some areas will become wetter and stay wetter longer than normal. Impact on Human Geography The resulting conditions may yield increased productivity, pest populations and disease. Introduce competition for water as the distribution and rates of precipitation change (US Global Change, â€Å"Water overview† 2000). Changes will very likely exaggerate conflicts in regions where fresh water is reduced by increasing evaporation and changes in precipitation (US Global Change, â€Å"Water overview† 2000). Sea Level changes The principle sources for this idea were: Geography Chapter 2, IPCC report, and Global Warming in The Artic, Rising Sea Levels Why? Sea level changes are occurring from increasing mean temperatures. The types of sea level rise include volume increases due to thermal expansion, increasing output from rivers due to increased precipitation, and increased outflow from melting glacier and icecap reserves. Impact on Physical Geography Loss of shoreline from movement of sea, submergence of low lying islands loss of wetlands and delta areas due to increased salinity in mixed water environment. Impact on Human Geography Should ice cap melting experience a surge it is possible for a rapid increase in sea-levels of 4-20 feet to occur over a short time. A rise of that size would inundate the cities forcing many to migrate away and shutting down important commercial centers, possibly permanently. Damage could by mitigated by building dikes, tidal dams and changes to building codes requiring use of higher situated building sites, most of these protective measures are not permanent solutions. Storm intensity increases The principle sources for this idea were: Geography Chapter 2, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Summary for Policy Makers, Regional Overview (Us Global Change Research Program) Why? This is related to the causes for increased precipitation, the oceans get warmer, which makes more evaporative pressure. Storms, such as hurricanes forming over water will gather more flow more quickly than they would ordinarily. The storms develop higher winds (larger volume of air is ready to enter convection) and increases in precipitation (more warm moist air, carrying more moisture than normal). Impact on Physical Geography Storms such as Hurricanes can have a profound impact on the coastal environment. Physically destroying plants, contributing to landslides, and flooding, stronger storms can change the landscape quickly. Impact on Human Geography The Katrina disaster provided some idea of the impact of super-storms. A city was virtually destroyed. These storms will prompt more frequent short term migrations to avoid them. Direct prevention is not probable, but sensible preparation and pre-planned evacuation can go far to mitigate impact upon populations. Still long term migrations are bound to occur due to stresses on the job market, infrastructure, and availability of resources. Erosion Events The principle sources for this idea were: Global Warming in the Temperate Zone, Geography Chapter 2, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Rising Sea Levels Why? Increased precipitation, higher tides, and stronger storm events translate to greater land-erosion events through mudslide, landslide, torrential run-off, and storm-surge. Impact on Physical Geography Combined, these effects will decrease the available coastal area, sweep away or bury some areas. River deltas may expand but existing habitat will be washed away as the river retreats inland with the sea following. Impact on Human Geography Perhaps the most immediate of the effects of global warming, the changes in weather patterns have already forced changes in the Carolinas, and in Galveston, and Brazoria. Stronger currents, higher tides have encroached on property and subsidence has forced many homes to be abandoned. This may become more widespread and more coastal settlements will have to move. Some rebuilding and storm wall can be built, but the problems are long term and may not have permanent solutions beyond migration References: Alley, Richard et al. (2007). IPCC WGI Fourth Assessment Report: Summary for Policy Makers. Retrieved February 2, 2007 from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Website: http://ipcc-wg1. ucar. edu/wg1/docs/WG1AR4_SPM_PlenaryApproved. pdf

Paintballing :: essays research papers

paintballing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paintballing is a fairly new sport that takes a combination of good equipment, athleticism, and skill. This sport was invented when â€Å" A friend of ours found this gun in a agricultural catolouge that was used by cattlemen to mark cows. It wasn’t long afterwords that we bought two of these things and had ourselves a little duel. After it was over we knew that we had stumbled apon something great† –Hayes Noel. Paintballing is a fairly easy concept to explain, One team essentially hunt the other team. Players are armed with paint filled marble sized balls that when shot, travel at about 60 mph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many different forms of this game that can be played. There is the most popular game which is single elimination, or if you are hit once (and the paintball breaks), then you must remove yourself from the game. Another game is capture the flag, two armed teams both have flags at an assigned station. You have to capture the other teams flag and bring it to your teams station without getting eliminated. The last game that i will tell you about was also the first game. Two armed players stand back to back, with only one shot, a third person tells the two players to take ten paces and after the players have gone the required distance, they turn and shoot. If one person hits the other, they win.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The euqipment of paintballing is very advanced, in the begining, no saftey gear was required. Now, it is mandatory. Each player MUST wear a mask. The average player will be armed with a gun, a co2 or nitrogen tank, and about 200-400 stored paintballs that are kept in pods. A mid quality semi automatic gun can be purchased for about $100. But prices can range up to $1000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question that most people ask when purchasing a gun ask â€Å"What kind of gun do I want? Well, it depends what you want. If you are a new paintballer and want a gun to play around with, then you might look into buying a Wal-Mart pump action gun. If you want a quality gun that will perform in a game, then you want a semi- automatic gun that costs from 100-200 dollars.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Essay

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-96) was an American writer born in Litchfield, Connecticut, the daughter of a preacher, Lyman Beecher. Young Harriet grew up in a deeply religious atmosphere. In 1832, she moved with her father to Cincinnati, Ohio where he had charge of a seminary. There she met and married Calvin E. Stowe, a widower and a professor in the school. They had seven children. Cincinnati, just across the Ohio River from Kentucky, was in the very midst of the controversy over slavery. She sometimes talked to fleeing slaves, and once she even visited a Kentucky plantation whose slaves were used as models for her novel. In 1850, her husband was called to Bowdoin College and she was happy to be back in the more congenial air of New England. That same year the Fugitive Slave Law was passed. It infuriated the abolitionists, including the Beecher family. This led her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the novel that was said to have started the Civil War in the United States. This writer was selected over the other writers because of the great impact her novel made on America’s perception over slavery and the events that followed after its publication. Without doubt, the Civil War would have come in any case. Just the same, the tremendous moral force of the book made many people, who might otherwise have been lukewarm, take a firm stand against slavery. At current time, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin has been relegated to the list of required reading which made it lose some of its appeal. I thought it would be best to look at the context of its creation and what better way but to look closely at its creator, her background and her influences. There are numerous books and articles that can be found about the life and works of Mrs. Stowe. I have chosen two to be used as the major references. The first is from Twayne’s United States Authors on Harriet Beecher Stowe, Chapter 1: The Early Years. This chapter detailed the childhood of Harriet and how it was like growing up in the Beecher household ruled by the Calvinist preacher, despot and father, the Reverend Lyman Beecher. Orphaned from their mother at an early age, the Beecher siblings were brought up by their father under a strict Calvinist upbringing. Every day was a religious experience. He dominated the household with his sternness and terrorized his children with his preaching of damnation and hellfire. He believed in man’s fallibility and sought to remind and humble his children of this fact every chance he got. It was said that â€Å"within his home Lyman was a bully of the worst stripe, a benevolently intentioned and systematically complete bully† (â€Å"The Early Years,† 1). However, Harriet also suffered from neglect simply because she was female. The patriarch heaped his attention on his sons whom he successfully groomed to become preachers like him. She, on the other hand, was sent off to Hartford to her sister Catherine who was twelve year her senor, to get an education. Her sister was an impressive intellectual, establishing the Hartford Female Seminary. She was deeply religious and once suffered from near mental collapse because of her fear that her dead fiance will go straight to hell since he was not able to convert before he died. Quite domineering, she badgered Harriet into assisting her which the young girl found unbearable. She stayed with her sister for eight grueling years. Regardless, she was able to travel and mingle with people her own age. This proved to be her salvation as she was able to form her own beliefs regarding religion that was centered on the mercy of Jesus rather than the certainty of hell. Then the Beecher clan all moved from Boston to Cincinnati as her father accepted the post of president of the Lane Theological Seminary. Now, Harriet had to contend with both her sister with whom she still served as assistant and her father to whom she had to go home. To escape, she turned to writing. She also met the widower Calvin Stowe whose proposal of marriage she accepted. The only thing they had in common at that time was their shared affection for Eliza, his dead wife. Between 1836 and 1850, she gave birth to eight children. With such a big family, she was bound to the home more than ever. In order to augment the household income, she used her writing skills into a money making venture by submitting magazine sketches. Calvin Stowe’s appointment to the faculty of Bowdoin College which allowed them to move to Brunswick, Maine was a turning point for Harriet. Among others, she was going back to New England and would be free from the grasp of her father and sister. Her life until then was unremarkable. She was a housewife who was concerned mostly with chores, frustrations and debts. Though she lived in tumultuous times she did not participate in it. This was due to reasons as follows: Her private duties as obedient daughter and wife had demanded almost more energy than she had to give, and she had taken refuge from overwork in the consolation of heavenly love; to mistrust the world, to accept it as the abode of cruelty and injustice, was the philosophy by which she lived (â€Å"The Early Years,† 7). This was about to change with the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the novel which led President Abraham Lincoln to greet her as â€Å"the little lady who made this big war. † This remark was cited from the second reference used for this paper, the article on Harriet Beecher Stowe by Ken Wolf from the Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century. For the first part, he gave a brief account of her early life and for the second part, he concentrated on her life’s work. Uncle Tom’s Cabin first appeared in 1851-52 as a serial in an abolitionist paper. The anti-slavery sentiments were already at its peak at that time. The Fugitive Slave Law was just passed where all citizens whether they are from the north or south are obliged to return fleeing slaves to their owners or face criminal charges. The disagreements between the abolitionists and moderates were turning physically violent such as pro-slavery mobs attacking abolitionists print shops such as the one in Connecticut near the residence of the Beechers. The publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852 was indeed timely. On that year alone, it already sold 300,000 copies. Harriet’s message was clear. Slavery was wrong, the novel argued, because it was un-Christian. More specifically, slavery tore children from their mothers and thus threatened the existence of the Christian family (Wolf, 2). This book was a personal one for the author. All that she believed in were embodied in the novel. She even used the name of Calvin Stowe’s deceased wife and her good friend, Eliza, as the main female character. While the main protagonist was male, that being Tom who had kindly masters but still got sold off twice and eventually ended up being beaten to death, the novel was filled with strong female characters. A main theme was the recurring circumstance of slavery separating families and the attempts of the slave mothers to prevent it. We see Eliza jumping on ice floes to effect her and her son’s escape. We see Cassy who preferred to kill her newborn herself than allow it to be sold off later. There was Eva who persuaded her father to free Tom, but both unfortunately died before they did. There was also Mary Bird who †shamed her husband†, Senator Bird of Ohio into helping Eliza even if he was violating the Fugitive Slave Law which he helped pass. Her novel was most effective in arousing sentiments of anti-slavery because the author approached her arguments using the religious zeal that her father bestowed upon them stressing that â€Å"Christianity began at home with a strong family. Any institution that undermined the family was necessarily unchristian† (Wolf, 2). This struck deep at the conscience of the American people. Her succeeding novels likewise had female characters playing prominent roles. She believed that women are the purveyors or morality. She was not an advocate of female equality and continued not to participate in the suffragists movement or the equal rights for women. She believed in the family and the role women play within it. She also continued to write her novels based on characters she is most familiar with such as Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (1856) regarding a slave rebellion attempt, The Minister’s Wooing (1859) which was a jab on the inflexible dogma of her father’s Calvinism. This novel was also partly historical. Her next novel is likewise historical, Agnes of Sorrento (1862) about the Florentian social and religious reformist monk, Gironalo Savonarola. The Pearl of Orr’s Island (1862), Oldtown Folks (1869) and Poganuc People (1878) are childhood reminiscences of New England. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the only one of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s that aimed at direct reform. Though it sparked a war, as literature, it is not great. It is overly sentimental and the picture it draws is exaggerated. In spite of these flaws, it remains one of the most powerful novels ever written to right a wrong. Her other novels published after it had none of the appeal of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but she continued to be one of America’s popular writers at that time. Her other greatest contribution to history was her depiction of women as being in the same level as men in terms of intellect, bravery and morality. She was able to put across her message of empowerment across in a society dominated by men of the importance of women’s and mother’s role in the family and in society as regards moral regeneration. Before I conducted this research, I was under the impression that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written more as a reaction against the peculiar institution of slavery. Reading about the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe, it became evident that though her book came out of indignation against slavery, it also owed something to her Puritan conscience. Her belief’s and childhood experiences come across into her books such as her belief on women’s equality which she never did experience having been subjected to neglect because of her gender. While she persistently believed that the role of women is confined within the walls of the home, she was successful in opening a new perspective of women. Admittedly, I have not read any of her other works however, given her background that I know now, it would be interesting to read The Minister’s Wooing to gain a better idea on how it was to live with a severe Calvinist minister and how and if she was able to relate it to her own experiences in growing up with one and make it comical.

Comparative Economics Studies of China and India Essay

In 1950, China and India was the two developing countries with largest resources in term of land and labor. At that time, they both had the comparable economic structures and degree of development. However, with the difference mainly in political systems, in which China is Socialist Communist government, while India adopt parliamentary democracy, and specific countries’ development policy, it leads to the difference in the rate of growth in industrialization in particular countries. The dissimilarities in political system account for the rate of decision making process. It is the particular reason China had its development policy change in 1978, which undertake export-oriented policy creating special economic zones (SEZs), result in being one of the fastest growing countries in the past 30 years, while In the case of India, before 1991, the economic growth is considerably low, referring as â€Å"Hindu rate of growth†, reflects slow growth in industrialization. After 1991, India had its economic reform policies, Industrialization begin to grow once more, especially with the support of SEZ Act in 2005. It is still questioned whether India could follow China in growth of industrialization due to poor quality of infrastructure and protesting in land acquisition. Introduction The development policy of China and India had it starting point since India’s independency in 1947 and China’s liberation in 1950. These two countries had merely identical initial position in term of economic structures. GDP per capita of China and India, using prices at 1960, were estimated to be 65 US dollar and 62 US dollar respectively. Also, total labor working in industry was 11 percent in India, while it was only 7 percent in China. Moreover, 9 percent of total output was generated in Large-scale manufacturing and utilities, similar to 6% in India. Likewise, Both China and India economies characterized by mass rural poverty under feudal mode of protection in the country side. However, the gap of industrialization between two countries began to widen during 1970s. As in 1980, there was a substantial disparity in percentage share of GDP, only 21. 9 percent in India, compare to 48. 5% in China (Saith, 2008. ) Why was the gap broadened due to similar economic structures? This paper focuses on the reason behind the different rate of industrialization that leads to discrepancy in economic growth. The first section analyzes about the distinction of Chinese and India’s political system, autocratic socialist versus parliamentary democracy, and how it affect the decision making process of two countries. Next section examines various policies of each country, including Import substitution policy of India during 1950-1990, China reform in 1979 with special economic zones (SEZs) and SEZ Act of India in 2005 and the success or failure of those policies. The third Section discusses the policy of land acquisition of China and India that contribute to industrial district. Section four reviews quality of infrastructure of two countries that affect the industrialization accordingly. The Final section concludes the paper. Political Systems There is a distinct political system between China and India. China or PRC is considered as a single-socialist party, in which general secretary of communist party is the president of PRC. This gives total power to communist party to rule over country, although there are minorities of eight other political parties. Furthermore, having economic reform in1978, it gave provincial leader powers to allocate resources in their province. Local economic performances among states evolved into the essential criterion to evaluate lower-level officials. These economic performances included GDP growth, to steel produced, the miles of road constructed (Li & Zhou, 2004. ) It created competition among state official to compete for promotion in to higher level, which increase efficiency in each states. Li and Zhou (2004) used data from 28 provincial units from 1979-1995, estimated with regressions, showing that annual growth rate of GDP has positive relationship with promotion (15 %. ) Moreover, with average growth rate over 5 years, result in positive relationship more than double of the result of annual growth rate (33%. In contrast, India constitutes a parliamentary multi-party democracy which more than 40 political parties. It can be said that Indian politics is dominated by duopoly of National Congress party and BJP party. However, those small regional parties still possess some political power as no parties have votes enough for being one-party government. After 1992, Indian politics have become politics of caste factions. Cand idates for legislative assembly seats have been selected from local faction leaders who have local ote banks in specific caste and community. There is no party which can be one-party dominance except being head of multi-party coalition (Stern, 2000. ) Also, with numerous political parties, those parties choose to play vote bank politics. Sometimes they prefer not to afflict with their vote banks, although it is better in terms of society (Inhovi, 2009. ) Moreover, the composition of state power of China and India which it was created during achieving independence or liberation is what make it difference between two political system. In India, the independence movement was supervised mainly by the people in the middle and upper castes. By this I mean, in the post-independence period, people in middle and upper castes can retain their power, while protecting their benefits. As a result, the Indian institutional framework is taking as a constraint toward industrialization and economic growth (Saith, 2008) On the other hand; revolutionary communist party led by Mao Zedong has taken control over china in 1950. Those powers were in the hand of the poor peasant and workers. Prior Status-quo and political structures were overthrown during the revolutionary under socialism. Therefore, the Chinese could adjust their institutional framework so that it is suitable for development of the countries. With the dissimilarity in political system, it leads to the differentiation in the decision making process. For China, which political system is one-party domination, the decision for policies can be made in the communist party as less transaction cost of negotiation among political parties and no obstacle from institutional framework and status-quo. But for India, having duopoly in politics with coalition of multi-party government, culture of patron-client relationship and vote banks system, such decision on policies takes longer time as high negotiation cost between political parties, and it might has conflict with their vote banks (Inhovi, 2009 . ) In addition, China had dual-track implementing system in decision making process, in which State Planning Committee (SPC) make important decision on policies. It also monitors and implements the policy, supporting by powerful party structure, result in successful solutions in terms of growth and infrastructure development. While, India had separated institutions of decision making process and implementation on policies. Strategic Plans were constructed by working groups, including representative of line ministries, technical experts and others. However, in reality, the implementation was deviated from the plan. In addition, past Indian development plans only pointed out directions but not specific goals, making implementation process harder. The distinct model of decision making process would affect both developments policies and infrastructure of both countries that lead to difference growth of industrialization and economic performance (Kim& Nangia, 2008. Development Policies In 1950s, India led by Nehru Gandhi launch first development plan, in which its objective was to promote industrialization which large investment were made basic industries. It was known as Import Substitution Policy (ISI). Self-reliance on industrial goods was their prime target. As a consequence, government placed heavy pr otection against domestic industries with licenses, permits and quotas. Only manufactured goods that improve productivity of industrial goods were allowed to import. The development of industrial sector was portrayed by central planning which controlled private sector through license and permits and massive investment in public sector, including specific industries exclusively reserved (McMillan& Naughton, 1992. ) Consequently, India industrialized that its industries mostly produce everything from tinned fruit to nuclear energy (Stern, 2000). However, the rate of industrialization is slow as in behalf of non-comparative advantage and high costs of producing goods. Still, average annual GDP growth in industrial sector in real term from 1951-1960 was 5. 7% (Reserved bank of India, 2011. ) At the same time, China had its development policy slightly differentiate from India. China also had development policy centrally planned. However, it relied on the collectivization of agricultural sector, using surplus on development of producing raw materials, investment goods industries and larger-scale, capital intensive industry. All trade of China was c ontrolled by foreign trade corporations, which indeed owned by ministry of Foreign trade. It regulated all imports and exports to specific quantitative guidelines. Similar to India, China’s export and import is irrelevant to country’s comparative advantage (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) Then, in 1970s, there’s a turning point in Chinese economy. China, led by Deng Xiaoping, had a several economic reforms especially creating â€Å"special economic zones. † These zones were enacted for which foreign firms receive preferential tax and administrative treatment and given an unusually free hand in their operations (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) By that time, there were 4 zones: Shenzen, Zhuhai, Xiamen and Shantou. The prime objective of SEZs was to serve as a bridge to introducing foreign capital, technology and knowledge and management know-how (Roychoudhury, 2010. ) These special economic zones had several advantages. First, each of the zones is extremely large in terms of geographical area; for instance, 2000 square kilometers in Shenzen. It creates cost advantage of economies of scale for industrial sector both internal and external, and low transportation cost among suppliers. Second, they locate in the coastal area, having ports and transport networks. Also, these zones were established near major cities or countries; for example, Shenzen neighbor Hongkong, and Xiamen borders Taiwan. It could attract foreign investment from nearby cities, boast industrialization in SEZs. Moreover, foreign industries received preferential tax in corporate tax rate; the actual tax burden is 11%, while domestic industry paid 23% in actual tax burden, although nowadays, the preferential tax had been lifted except few high-technology sector and small enterprises (Guo& Feng, 2007. SEZs helped foster rapid industrialization in China within its area; incentivize foreign investors using comparative advantage of cheap labor costs. Along with the assistance of import policy in 1987, which granted imports of raw materials, parts and components for exporting production purpose tax-free, China industrial sector emerged as low-wage assembly services (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) As a result, SEZs growth has been enormous, as an example of Shenzen, which av erage annual GDP growth rate from 1980-2005 was 27%, later referred as â€Å"Shenzen Speed† (Guo& Feng, 2007. Later on, China has gained benefit from importing technical knowledge contained in capital goods, parts and components; as a result, some of the industry has shifted from assembling and processing services to self-manufacturing (Branstetter& Lardy, 2006. ) By the end of 2005, there are five Shenzen brands with sale more than 10 billion Yuan. The actual use of foreign capital inShenzen has increased to $3. 3 billion in 2006, compare to $153. 7 million in 1979 (Guo& Feng, 2007. ) 7% of gross world FDI flows in 2009 went in to China, increase significantly from 1% in 1980. In 2008, China had its share of world GDP in PPP basis of nearly 12% compare to 2% in 1980. China’s real GDP has increased average over 10% annually (Roychoudhury, 2010. ) SEZs policy has proved its own successful, accelerating industrialization and economic growth in China in the past 30 years. In contrast, coping with Hindu rate of growth for over 40 years, 3 percent per annum from 1947 to 1975 and 5 percent per annum from 1976-1991, India had its economic reform later in 1991, starting trade liberalization to oster industrialization and economic growth, including abolishing of industrial licensing, decreasing tariff protection, removing industries reserved for public sector and small-scale sector and liberalizing foreign direct investment. Before trade liberalization, the import substitution policy proved to be inefficiency due to licensing policy, high cost of producing, inflexibility of labor market and non-incentive for efficiency improvement (Ahluwalia, 2002. ) Companie s paid no attention on management training, quality control and advertising because there is only few or no competitor due to licensing policy and tariff protection. As in 1970s, Indian market for industrial goods soon exhausted as domestic market is small and low competitiveness against other companies in the world market. GDP growth in industrial sector of India from 1971-1980 is only 4. 3% especially growth from 1970-1976 is only 3. 4%, compare to 5. 9% and 6. 2% for growth from 1951-1960 and 1961-1970 respectively (reserved Bank of India, 2011. ) As a consequent, industrial licensing has been nullified, replaced by new competition law to increase competitive environment in domestic and international market. Moreover, 15 industries in public sector that was reserved exclusively, such as iron and steel, air transport services, have been opened for private companies to invest. Also, some of productions reserved for small-scale sector have been removed as those productions have export potential. Moreover, import licensing against capital goods and intermediate goods were removed in 1993, and quantitative restrictions on imports of manufactured consumer goods were abolished in 2001. It increased competitiveness for domestic industry, forcing to compete with other companies in global markets. In addition, Average tariff rate has reduced from 72. 5% in 1991-1992 to 15 percent in 2004, which will increase competition in domestic markets. However, the average tariff was considered high, comparing to China (Ahluwalia, 2002. ) The growth in economy and industrialization in India in late 2000s also partly came from â€Å"Special Economic Zones† or SEZ. In 2005, Government of India has passed SEZ A, which it goals was to incentivize local and foreign investors and promote export. There are numerous benefits investing under special economic zones.. Firstly, the government provided duty free import of goods for development, operation and maintenance of SEZ units. Secondly, income tax on export in the first 5 years is exempted, and 50% exempted in year 6TH -10TH and 50% of the export ploughed back export profit for year 11TH-15TH. Third, SEZs units also exempted from central sales tax, service tax and minimum alternate tax. Moreover, SEZs units could borrow from external commercial borrowing up to 500 million dollars in a year without maturity restriction. In addition, SEZs unit gain benefit from single window clearance for central and state approvals, which reduce transaction cost of dealing with governments (SEZ India website, 2011. ) The SEZs policy in India is quite similar to SEZs policy in China; however, there are some distinctions between two countries. First, SEZs units in China mostly produce industrial products or consider in industrial sector, while in India, it can be both industrial sector and service sector. IT/ITES/Electronic hardware Technology parks accounted for 61. 3% of formal approvals of SEZs.

Battle of Fishers Hill in the American Civil War

Battle of Fishers Hill in the American Civil War Battle of Fishers Hill - Conflict Date: The Battle of Fishers Hill was fought September 21-22, 1864, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Armies Commanders: Union Major General Philip H. Sheridan29,444 men Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early9,500 men Battle of Fishers Hill - Background: In June 1864, with his army besieged at Petersburg by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, General Robert E. Lee detached Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early with orders to operate in the Shenandoah Valley.   The goal of this was to have Early reverse Confederate fortunes  in the region which had been sustained a blow due to Major General David Hunters victory at Piedmont  earlier in the month.   Additionally, Lee hoped that Earlys men would divert some Union forces away from Petersburg.   Arriving at Lynchburg, Early was able to force Hunter to withdraw into West Virginia and then drove down  (north) the valley.   Entering into Maryland, he pushed aside a scratch Union force at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9.  Ã‚  Responding  to this new threat, Grant ordered Major General Horatio G. Wrights VI Corps north from the siege lines to reinforce Washington, DC.   Though Early threatened the capital later in July, he lacked the forces to mount a meaningful assault on th e Union defenses.   With little other choice, he withdrew back to the Shenandoah. Battle of Fishers Hill - Sheridan Takes Command: Weary of Earlys activities, Grant created the Army of the Shenandoah on August 1 and appointed his cavalry chief, Major General Philip H. Sheridan, to lead it.   Composed of Wrights VI Corps, Brigadier General William Emorys XIX Corps, Major General George Crooks VIII Corps (Army of West Virginia), and three  divisions of cavalry under Major General Alfred Torbert,  this new formation received orders to eliminate Confederate forces in the Valley and render the  region worthless as a source of supplies for Lee.   Moving south from Harpers Ferry, Sheridan initially showed caution and probed to ascertain Earlys strength.   Leading four  infantry and two cavalry divisions, Early misinterpreted Sheridans early  tentativeness as  over-caution and permitted his command to be strung out between Martinsburg and Winchester. Battle of Fishers Hill - Gibraltar of the Shenandoah Valley: In mid-September, having gained an understanding of Earlys forces, Sheridan moved against the Confederates at Winchester.   In the Third Battle of Winchester (Opequon) his forces inflicted a severe defeat on the enemy and sent Early reeling south.   Seeking to recover, Early reformed his men along Fishers Hill just south of Strasburg.   A strong position, the hill was situated at a point where the valley narrowed with Little North Mountain to the west and Massanutten Mountain to the east.   Additionally, the north side of Fishers Hill possessed a steep slope and was fronted by a creek named Tumbling Run.   Known as the Gibraltar of the Shenandoah Valley, Earlys men occupied the heights and prepared to meet Sheridans advancing Union forces.    Though Fishers Hill offered a strong position, Early lacked sufficient forces to cover the four miles between the two mountains.   Anchoring his right on Massanutten, he deployed the divisions of Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton, Major General John B. Gordon, Brigadier General John Pegram, and Major General Stephen D. Ramseur in a line extending east to west.   To bridge the gap between Ramseurs left flank and Little North Mountain, he employed Major General Lunsford L. Lomaxs cavalry division in a dismounted role.   With the arrival of Sheridans army on September 20, Early began to realize the danger of his position and that his left was extremely weak.   As a result, he began making plans for a retreat further south to begin on the evening of September 22.      Battle of Fishers Hill - The Union Plan: Meeting with his corps commanders on September 20, Sheridan rejected mounting a frontal assault against Fishers Hill as it would cause heavy losses and had a questionable chance of success.   Subsequent discussions resulted in a plan to strike Earlys right near Massanutten.   While this was endorsed by Wright and Emory, Crook had reservations as any movement in that area would be visible to the Confederate signal station atop Massanutten.   Adjourning the meeting, Sheridan reconvened the group that evening to discuss a thrust against the Confederate left.   Crook, with support from one of his brigade commanders, future president Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes, argued in favor of this approach while Wright, who did not wish his men to be relegated to a secondary role, fought against it.   When Sheridan approved of the plan, Wright attempted to secure leading the flank attack for VI Corps.   This was blocked by Hayes who reminded the Union commander that VIII Corps had spent much of the war fighting in the mountains and was better equipped to traverse the difficult terrain of Little North Mountain than VI Corps.   Resolving to move forward with the plan, Sheridan directed Crook to begin quietly moving his men into position.   That night, VIII Corps formed in heavy woods north of Cedar Creek and out of sight of the enemy signal station (Map). Battle of Fishers Hill - Turning the Flank: On September 21, Sheridan advanced VI and XIX Corps towards Fishers Hill.   Nearing the enemy lines, VI Corps occupied a small hill and began deploying its artillery.   Having remained concealed all day, Crooks men commenced moving again that evening and arrived at another concealed position north of Hupps Hill.   On the morning of the 21st, they ascended the east face of Little North Mountain and marched southwest.   Around 3:00 PM, Brigadier General Bryan Grimes reported to Ramseur that enemy troops were on their left.   After initially dismissing Grimes claim, Ramseur then saw Crooks men approaching through his field glasses.   Despite this, he refused to send more forces to the left end of the line until he discussed it with Early. In position by 4:00 PM, Crooks two divisions, led by Hayes and Colonel Joseph Thoburn, commenced their attack on Lomaxs flank.   Driving in the Confederate pickets, they quickly routed Lomaxs men and pressed on towards Ramseurs division.   As VIII Corps began to engage Ramseurs men it was joined on its left by Brigadier General James B. Ricketts division from VI Corps.   Additionally, Sheridan directed the remainder of VI Corps and XIX Corps to pressure Earlys front.   In an attempt to rescue the situation, Ramseur directed Brigadier General Cullen A. Battles brigade on his left to refuse back to face Crooks men.   Though Battles men mounted a fierce resistance, they were soon overwhelmed.   Ramseur then sent Brigadier General  William R. Cox’s brigade to aid Battle.   This force became lost in the confusion of the fight and played little role in the engagement. Pressing forward, Crook and Ricketts next rolled Grimes brigade as enemy resistance faltered.   With his line shattered, Early began directing his men to withdraw south.   One of his staff officers, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Pendleton, attempted to mount a rearguard action on the Valley Turnpike but was mortally wounded.   As the Confederates retreated in confusion, Sheridan ordered a pursuit in the hopes of dealing Early a fatal blow.   Chasing the enemy south, the Union troops finally broke off their efforts near Woodstock. Battle of Fishers Hill - Aftermath: A stunning success for Sheridan, the Battle of Fishers Hill saw his troops capture nearly 1,000 of Earlys men while killing 31 and wounding around 200.   Union losses included 51 killed and around 400 wounded.   As Early escaped south, Sheridan commenced laying waste to the lower part of the Shenandoah Valley.   Reorganizing his command, Early attacked the Army of the Shenandoah on October 19 while Sheridan was away.   Though the fighting at the Battle of Cedar Creek initially favored the Confederates, Sheridans return later in the day led to a change in fortunes with Earlys men being driven from the field.   The defeat effectively gave control of the valley to the Union and eliminated Earlys army as an effective force.    Selected Sources Civil War Trust: Battle of Fishers HillShenandoah at War: Battle of Fishers HillHistoryNet: Battle of Fishers Hill

The Presidential Powers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Presidential Powers - Essay Example Presidents can get the congressional support by building up public support for their policies. Thus, the presidential powers are limited and it can be argued that the constitutional powers given to the president are the weakest. The actual constitutional powers given to the president can be limited and different from those given to the Congress. It can not be said that the president is ‘too powerful’ or more powerful than the Congress. Under the constitution, the presidential powers are limited to institutional and political. The president serves as the chief executive which is the head of the executive branch according to the constitution. This implies the presidential powers as being the chief administrative officer within the division of labor in the executive branch. The president also serves as the Commander-In-chief of the armed forces but in limited powers and as the financial manager of the federal budget approver (Ginsberg 309). The president holds the responsib ility to manage the National Budget but ultimately Congress has to approve it. Furthermore, the president has the authority to sign the bills into laws and has the power to veto them, but again the Congress has the powers to over-ride his veto. The Congress must also approve the decisions made by the president to assign judges to the Supreme Court and other high positions like Foreign Ambassador. The president has a role on the law enforcement on the condition that he takes care of the law being executed fairly. But over the years, the Congress has also been involved in the law enforcement duties and the presidential powers have turned out to be in rough proportion to the responsibilities and power of the national government. The formal powers of the president include many significant leadership roles that can be majorly divided into two authorities: domestic policy and foreign affairs. In the domestic arena, the president has the powers as the chief executive and the authority to o versee the execution and the implementation of the law. The president can also influence the legislative and judicial branches significantly. Thus, through these powers, the president can form a long-lasting influence on the nation’s domestic policies. Moreover, the constitution gives the Congress and the president different responsibilities for the war. The president is allowed to wage wars as commander in chief whereas Congress has the power to declare wars and fund them.  

Popular Music and Its Cultural Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Popular Music and Its Cultural Context - Essay Example To understand popular music in its culutal context, this paper divides the development of the art through the decades. Jazz - 1920 to 1950 -: Jazz was the most prominent style of music that was categorized as Pop Music from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was seen that in great Britain, jazz was adopted by thoswe musicians who wanted a platform for "social activism and political change". (McKay George, 2005). The cultural context: Jazz evolved from simple hum able melodies in the early part of the 20th century to become the most complicated and intricate genre of music. Music, at the beginning of the Jazz "era" was not just a part of culture, but a culture all by itself. Though it influenced the younger generation, the music could only be heard in pubs, magazines and some concert halls. Jazz has become an intrinsic part of different cultures of the world Jazz was first heard when the music of the Africans (brought to America as slaves) combined with that of American music prevalent in that time period and culture. The new Afro American genre of songs was initially typified by the Gospel music, a more "powerful, joyful and effective" rendition by the Africans who adopted Christianity. (Ergelmis, Can). Jelly Morton invented "Stride", music with a "wide perspective" (Ergelmis) mainly based on piano music. When the elements of Gospel music, Stride and the ambience of the Afro-American culture, came together in ragtime music, this symbolized the birth of Jazz, according to popular knowledge. Ragtime as we know is simple music with simple emotions, which chiefly ainmed to entertain and Scott Joplin (called the king of ragtime writers) popularized the genre to a remmarkable extent. (Biography of Scott Joplin). History tells us that after the first world war the economy of US bloomed and entertainment became an intrinsic part of life. (Ergelmis). Jazz musicians were invited to play their bands and sing, and this herlded the pdevelopment of popularity of this music. Louis Armstrong, was probably the most popular of jazz musiscians, and his rendition of the trumpet took jazz all over the world. Armstrong's commitment to music was phenomenol and by also symbolizing a voice of the Civil Liberties struggle, he will remain an important protagoniist of the cultural life of the US right from the 1920s. ("American masters", Web page) From the 1920s to the 50s jazz continued to influence the culture of the countries in which it was embedded as a music genre. Clothes, style, vocabulary and general attitude towards life were all influenced deeply by the music, its composers and their lifestyles. (Ergelmis). The economic depression after the 1920s brought lesser concerts for the musicians. They coped with the situation by forming larger bands. The music now came to be called "Swing". Radio and the movies too helped popularize music as people could now hear recorded performances; this did not burn a hole in theit pockets, as hiring a live band would have. (The history of swing music", Web page). After the 103-s and the tumultous events of the world war, jazz music started declining in popularity and only those deeply interested in the genre payed more attention to it. (Ergelmis), The reason attributed by George McKay (2005) for the decline of jazz, was that it was a fusion of Afro and European cultuures in Britain, something that was a reconciliation of opposing factors. 1950s