Mahatma Gandhi Essays (431 words) - Ascetics, Gujarati People

Mahatma Gandhi I am purely amazed by the astonishing personal revolution by which a simple inarticulate man transformed himself into the Mahatma, who ushered the British Empire out of India without even firing a shot. In the age of Empire and Military might he proved that the powerless had power and that force of arms would never prevail against force of spirit. Based on all this, Mahatma Gandhi surely deserved an award, which spoke of his efforts, his fight for freedom and justice and all his other contributions to this world. This award could be given to a few other people also who have been great reformers. It could be given to one who is a reformer, who has fought for the rights of the people, one who has fought against all the injustice, malpractices of this world, for the oppressed people. One who does not use his status, power and military to reform the world but his own might and that force of spirit to make this place a better world. One who displays the courage and conviction to stand for his beliefs. In short, he/she could be called the guiding light for peace in this world. Gandhi's concept of nonviolent resistance liberated one nation and sped the end of colonial empires around the world. His marches and fasts fired the imagination of oppressed people everywhere. Millions sought freedom and justice under Mahatma's guiding light. He proclaimed the power of love, peace and freedom. He fought for the rights of the Indians, for their freedom from the British. His principles surely made a difference in this world. In spite of being treated rudely and paying all sorts of penalties, he was never deterred. Many people, organizations and awards have already acknowledged Gandhi for his efforts. Recently he was rated the runner up Person of the Century second only to the great scientist Albert Einstein who had himself said that " the future generations will scarcely believe that such a man in flesh and blood, had tread this earth." in reference to Mahatma Gandhi. The British Broadcasting Corporation also voted him as the Man of the Millennium. Gandhi is a great man held in universal esteem, a figure lifted from history to moral icon. I would want to show my respect and reverence for him and also want to express that his efforts have not gone in vain and today even the children who are the future generation of this world remember and respect his work. I would like to call this award the "Life and Leaders" award. It would be given to a living or a dead person every year. I would first like to honor the so-called Father of the nation by the Indians, Mahatma Gandhi, by this award.

Human (Cultural) geography is the other part of g Essays - Clothing

Human (Cultural) geography is the other part of g Essays - Clothing Human (Cultural) geography is the "other part of geography". It is the study of cultural diversities "found throughout the world" in relation with spaces and places "where they originate and travels" throughout the world "as people continually move across" different "areas"(web). Human geography studies "cultural phenomena" such as "language, religion, different economic and governmental structures, art, music and various cultural aspects" which will define "how and why people function as they do in the places in which they live" (web, Human Geography: An Over View of Human Geography). The article is related to religious aspect of cultural geography. There is a mutual relationship between "religion and geography". Every individual studying geography with social science have "little interest in religion". This will provide knowledge about "how religion develops, spreads and impacts on people's lives are rooted in geographical factors and they can be studied from a geographical perspective". Here in the article which was previously written by Tom Gjelten has a discussion about hijab (headscarf worn by Muslim women) (Park, C.2004) Religion and geography. Ch. 17). Hijab, or covering headscarf, "takes the center stage whenever there is battle between truth and falsehood". Those women who wear hijab with "religious conviction, the truth is clear". For others who has "limited knowledge" of it may be "confusing". It is essential to get into the realization of various clues related to "hijab and modesty". If one goes through the historical research of various time period, one would find "modest covering of women in almost every society". The other fact is that "modesty" is a part in almost "every world religion, particularly in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam". Besides religious aspects hijab represents woman's obedience, respect and her attachments towards faith. To elaborate this, Allah Almighty says: "That is more suitable that they will be known..." . More than religious importance there are other "purpose and functions of hijab" to explain these the following "purposes and functions of hijab" will explain this point. "Hijab is a test for t he Muslim woman". It is "clear from the Qur'an" that "hijab is a religious obligation, which a woman has to undertake" (Web, Wikipedia), This shows a devote to Allah and a belief of not exposing private parts of women. In this article there is a story about a Muslim girl wearing hijabs in USA where majority of people are non-Muslim. Maryam Adamo talks about her professional life, social life in relation with her religious life. She further more explains her experience of wearing hijabs. Asma Uddin is another woman who is a devote of her religion also explains her religious identity being a burden despite her faith towards it. Another woman Asra Nomani (journalist and teaches journalism at Georgetown University and is co-director of the Pearl Project) in her article says non-Muslim woman wearing hijab "gives an interpretation to the rejection of Islam". She also elaborates "the headscarf has become a political symbol for ad ideology of Islam that is exported to the world by the theocracies of the government of Iran and Saudi Arabia" There is much about who should wear hijabs? And much about how others interpret about Muslim girls wearing hijabs in countries where most of the people are not Muslim. Religion is a learned behavior, it is carried by medium of people who are the followers to the different part of the world, even it is evolved in certain part of the world. Actually not only religion but all the cultural dimensions such as language, art, music are also spread by the people, so it is natural to have people following others cultures knowingly or unknowingly. But there is much focus into hijabs in this article saying non Muslim who don't know about what it means to wearing hijab. Todays world is much getting into religious controversies, in this situation we should maintain peace and harmony rather than arguing about religious topics. As I have realized there is nothing to go with religion being a human, in my perspective, nobody by birth came with a religion, it is a learned behavior, we learned form our society where we lived. Religion is a medium to bind human together to foster positive attitudes and to develop a

Planning question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Planning question - Essay Example The First Cellnatian Five Year Plan has been in existence for over four decades. This means that not only the country is new but that its infrastructure and its plans are in its developmental stages. It has, however, been in the trade business for centuries so that as an entity it has existed although under the wing of Great Network. Cellularnet had a baseline it could either emulate or restructure given their idiosyncrasies. Given that there are three ethnic groups: Cellchatters, Celltexters, and Cellsurfers they tend to live in harmony. The Cellchatters live in traditional villages and work in agriculture; the Celltexters dominate the economy; and, the Cellsurfers are comprised of professionals and skilled workers that work in the plantations. The country’s revenues are US$30.6 billion and its expenditures are US$36 billion. Its public debt is 42 percent of the GDP which is $308.8 million and its per capita is $12,709. Their unemployment rate is 3.5 percent and its population is below the poverty line at 18 percent. Within their social structure in 2000, 88.6 percent of the homes had an improved water source in the urban area while in the rural area it was 78.1 percent. This means that they had reasonable access (at least 20 litres a person a day from a source within a kilometre of the dwelling) to an adequate amount of water from an improved source (household connection, public standpipe, borehole, protected well or spring, rainwater collection). Sanitation improved as well, 80.8 percent in the urban area and 53.9 percent in the rural area (vendors, tanker trucks, unprotected wells and springs). The healthcare system in Cellularnet has a hierarchical or a pyramidal structure. The village health stations are the backbone of the Cellularnet Primary Health Care System (PHCS) and they serve between 10000 to 20000 people (please check these figures, or is it 100000 to 200000?). Health care is offered according to

Morocco as a Tourist Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Morocco as a Tourist Place - Essay Example Though not usually thought of as a single cohesive industry, the growth of tourism since World War II has nonetheless been dramatic (Landau, 1969). Higher discretionary incomes, smaller family size, changing demographics, lower transportation costs, improved public health standards, infrastructure development, and hospitable environments for tourists in many destinations have made tourism, especially long-distance tourism, an activity within the reach and desires of many members of many nations. Furthermore, developments in marketing, management, vertical and horizontal integration, pricing, and tour packaging, as well as capital investments in physical facilities -- "bricks and mortar" -- and public infrastructure, have provided tourism with the necessary framework to allow the tremendous growth it has experienced over the past half century. Thus, tourism has indeed emerged as an "industry" which, according to the World Tourism Organization, in 1989 generated approximately 74 millio n jobs in its direct and service-related industries, such as airlines, hotels, travel services, and publications (Gartner, 1996, pp 76-82)). Many countries and regions which have possessed the necessary resources for tourism development have chosen, either consciously or otherwise, the path of developing large scale tourism as a major national or regional activity. Tourism has become a major employer, taxpayer, and physical and political presence in many jurisdictions. As a result, tourism has often altered the very nature of social, political, and economic interaction that occurs in these places. Frequently, the transformation has been no less dramatic than the shifts that took place generations before, as agrarian ways were pushed out by industrialization. Now, in industrialized countries, tourism is frequently pushing out (or more correctly, replacing) manufacturing, distribution, or extractive industry as the economic mainstay. In developing countries, the shift typically has be en from an agrarian economic base to a touristic economic base, bypassing an industrial phase altogether. Globalization and Tourism Tourism is not only arguably the world's largest industry; it also involves the greatest flows of people on the surface of the earth. It is, therefore, a major agent of change in today's world and some see it as one of the most visible expressions of globalization. Tourists and tourism development affect almost every country. They produce impacts upon communities, environments and economies, some of which are beneficial and others that can be a cause of concern. At the same time, tourism is a source of immense enjoyment and pleasure for hundreds of millions of people and creates contact and communication between peoples from different regions and cultures. With the effects of globalization, tourism sector has lived some changes in the marketing, tourist profile and technology areas. As a

Debt in Australia, Monetary Policy Essay Example for Free

Debt in Australia, Monetary Policy Essay Introduction It is imperative that the Australian households’ debt have noticeably risen over the past two decades, and is currently rated high according to international standards. The sharp increase in housing debt has been the reason for the rise in the household debt. Increased availability of housing finance, strong demand for debt from investors, and lower interest rates are the main drivers of the rising housing debt. The households’ net worth and servicing ratios will be discussed in this paper as the impacts on the higher household debt levels. The impacts of the instability in global capital markets will be discussed in this paper in relation to the housing finance market in Australia. Lastly, the implications of the rising household debt will be discussed in relation to the financial stability and monetary policy. Trends in household debt It is important to note that Australian households had a fairly stable ratio of debt to disposable income at approximately 45% during the 1980s. However, rapid rise in the ratio of debt to disposable income was recorded since 1990, with it reaching optimum of 157% in December 2007. The bulk of the increase was accounted for by the housing debt, that is, over the period, the ratio of the housing debt to disposable income rose to 134% from 31%. It was also recorded over the same period, a rise in the ratio of personal debt to disposable income to 22% from 13%. A sharp rise in the ratio of debts to assets was recorded at 17% in December 2007, from 8% in December 1989 (Wilkins Wooden, 2009). A sharp rise in household indebtedness in a number of advanced economies has been witnessed over the last two decades. It is however, noted that the increase in household debt in Australia is pronounced. The Australia’s ratio in household debt to income was recorded as the highest in December 2007 despite Australia recording as one of the countries with the household debt lowest ratio to disposable income among advanced economies in the late 1980s. It is also imperative to point out that among advanced economies; Australia rose from the bottom position to the middle number in terms of the ratio of household debt to assets over the same period (Berry Dalton, 2009). Housing finance market Focus on the housing finance market is emphasized in this paper because the housing debt in households’ total debt is dominant. An average of 15% in the annual growth in housing debt was recorded since 1990. In the periods, 1988-1989, 1994, and 2002-2004 strong growth in housing debt was recorded. This strong growth in the growth in housing debt was faster than the growth in the disposable income of households over the same period that stood at an average of 6% only (Berry Dalton, 2009). Significant growth in house prices accompanied the sharp increase in the housing debt. Over the period 1987 and 1988, the house prices doubled, however, during the first half of the 1990s the house prices drifted slowly higher, with the house prices doubling more between 1997 and late 2003. Continuous increase in aggregate house prices was recorded since late 2003; however, the trend varies markedly across the country, for instance, house prices in Perth increased strongly, while the house prices in Sydney decreased over time. The boom in resources supports the varied trends in house prices across the country (Berry Dalton, 2009). A number of factors accounts to the rising house debt in Australia over the past years, with lower interest rates accounting for high borrowing by the households whenever they take their housing loan out. This trend has been responsible for the rise in the average size of new loans, which results into the rise in the average size of outstanding loans over time. The availability of housing finance has resulted into the rise in the capacity of households to borrow finances (Wilkins Wooden, 2009). Financial health of households It is noted that the historic sharp increase in the Australia’s disposable income in December 2007 was accounted by the strong rise in the housing debt in Australia over the past fifteen years. It was however, pointed out that only a few households had difficulties in repaying their debt obligations, despite the historic sharp increase in the housing debt in December 2007 (Berry Dalton, 2009). Impact of the turbulence in global capital market It is significant to note that the housing finance market in Australia has suffered greatly as a result of the global capital markets’ turbulence. This is because half of the total funding for financial institutions in Australia is accounted for by the deposits. The foreign and domestic capital markets the balance in the Australian financial institutions. There has been significant rise in the mortgage rates, and significant change in the markets shares from lenders, due to this, there is limited restriction to the overall supply of housing finance (Berry Dalton, 2009). Significant reduction in some forms of capital market funding as well as significant rise in the most of the forms of capital market funding have resulted from the turbulence in the financial market. It is however, noted that the impact of the financial market turbulence have been felt in a number of securitization markets. Securitization markets over the past decade or so, have established itself into as a significant source of funding for housing loans in Australia. In mid 2007 for example, outstanding securitization housing finance loans had accounted for 23% (Wilkins Wooden, 2009). This was a significant rise from the mid 1990s 5% housing finance loans that were securitized. A number of loans from mortgage originators were being securitized. Institutions like credit union, regional banks, and building societies had adopted securitization of their loans since it was a cost effective way of wholesale funding (Wilkins Wooden, 2009). The onset of the global financial turbulence in July 2007, led to significant close of the securitization market. There were significant rise prime residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) to 75 basis points in December 2007 from approximately 15 basis points in mid-2007. It is imperative to point out that Australia’s Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (RMBS) accounted for the issuance of a number of Australian Asset-backed Securities (ABS) that extends on AAA-rated senior tranches (Berry Dalton, 2009). There was significant spread in the subordinated AAA-rated tranches that increased to approximately 110 basis points from approximately 20 basis points. It is significant to point out that despite the sharp increase in the spreads, investors in Australia has never encountered losses on rated Australian RMBS, coupled with the housing market in Australia remaining healthy. The investors have become more concerned with the product itself, as discounts are attached to all the sales of securitized products. The selling of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) by several structured investment vehicles (SIVs) has also created excess supply in the secondary market (Berry Dalton, 2009). Implications for financial stability and monetary policy It significant to point out the access to credit by the household sector has greatly increased courtesy of financial innovation and deregulation. The households in Australia have become more comfortable to take loans owing to the ongoing strong performance of the economy (Berry Dalton, 2009). Â  The balance sheets of households have remained in good health despite the significant rise in the household debt; this has resulted into significant rise in asset-value capable of offsetting the rise in debt. It is also significant to note that macroeconomic conditions in the economy are also favorable. References Berry, M., Dalton, T. (2009). Mortgage default in Australia nature, causes and social and economic impacts. Melbourne: AHURI. Wilkins, R., Wooden, M. (2009). Household Debt In Australia: The Looming Crisis That Isnt. Australian Economic Review , 42(3), 358-366.

Are Spinozistic Ideas Cartesian Judgements? :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Are Spinozistic Ideas Cartesian Judgements? Abstract Some commentators of Spinoza maintain that Spinozistic ideas are judgements. I shall call this view the common interpretation, since it is popular to interpret Spinoza as reacting against Descartes’s theory of ideas and accordingly consider Spinozistic ideas not as Cartesian ideas, but as Cartesian judgements. The clearest difference between Descartes and Spinoza here is that whereas Descartes thought that ideas are passive, Spinoza thought the opposite. The concept of activity plays accordingly an important role in interpreting Spinoza’s theory of ideas. According to the common interpretation Spinoza and Descartes use the concept of activity in the same way. And since Descartes thought that judgements are active, it is maintained that the Spinozistic, active ideas are like Cartesian judgements. I find that the considerations according to which the activity of Spinozistic ideas is seen in the light of Descartes’s distinction between action and passion are based on too superficial an interpretation of Spinoza. I argue that what Spinoza means by saying that ideas are active does not merely mean that they are active in a Cartesian sense. He has in mind something additional to the mere Cartesian activity. Whereas Spinoza wants to say that active ideas incorporate the property of truth or certainty, Descartes does not think in that way about judgements. Thus, the Spinozistic ideas can be called truth-expressing. Introduction Renà © Descartes brought the concept of idea into a central place in epistemology. Another famous rationalist—Benedictus de Spinoza—made use of the same term "idea", but had an entirely different view concerning the nature of ideas. Whereas Descartes thought that ideas are passive, Spinoza had the opposite view according to which ideas are active. In this paper I shall examine what Spinoza means by the activity of ideas. According to some commentators Spinozistic ideas should be seen as Cartesian judgements. I call this view the common interpretation and I shall argue that it does not capture the whole of Spinoza’s theory of active ideas. The activity of Spinozistic ideas is something more than merely the kind of activity found in Cartesian judgements. In the first part I will sketch Descartes’ conception of ideas as passive. In the second and third part I move on the outline Spinoza’s position and point out that there are passages which motivate the common interpretation. In the fourth part I will proceed to argue that the activity of Spinozistic ideas is not merely that of Cartesian judgements.

Oligopoly Problems

Oligopoly Problems (Note that second page has some partial answers so that you can check yourself. I think these are correct, but I did it quickly. So I will offer one bonus point per mistake for the first person who finds the mistake in my answers with a maximum of 3 points per student. ): 1) Demand is given by P=100-Q/2. Two firms compete according to the Cournot model and each has TC=10q. What profit does each firm earn?How would your answer change if the second firm observed the first firm’s decision (this is the Stackleberg problem)? 2) Demand is given by P=80-2Q. There are three identical firms each with TC=10. Find the profit of a firm if they each pick quantity simultaneously (Cournot). Find the Profit of a firm if the each pick price simultaneously (Bertrand). 3) Suppose there are n firms that compete according to the Cournot model and that each has MC = C. If demand is given by P=A-BQ, what profits will a firm earn?What would a cartel do? 4) Factory 1 has TC=20q +10 and Factory 2 has TC=10q. If both factories are operated by rivals who compete according to the Cournot model, what profits would each earn assuming that demand is given by P=180-Q? If this was one firm (a cartel) what would it do (hint: if the one firm decided to operate both factories it would want MC to be the same at both locations or else it could increase profits my shifting where it produced)? 5) Firm 1’s demand is given by P=49-q1+0. 5q2 and Firm 2’s demand is given by P=49-q2+0. 25q1. If TC=q2 +5 for each, what profit will each firm earn? What kinds of goods are the two firm’s selling? 1) q1=60 and q2=60 for Cournot while q1=90 and q2 = 45 for Stackleberg. 2) Under Cournot, q1= q2 = q3 =10. Under Bertrand, the firms will push price down to 0. 3) Each firm will produce q = (A-C)/[B(n+1)] under the Cournot solution. 4) In the competitive situation, q1=50 and q2= 60. 5) Each firm would make q=13. 07.