Estonia Essay Essay

Estonia joined the European Union as well as NATO in 2004. Estonia has been the first country to allow for internet voting in elections for parliament members (infoplease, n. d. ). Tampering would be thought to be an issue with allow for electronic voting, but the Estonian government has taken the precautions necessary to prevent that from happening. The current president of Estonia is Toomas Hendrik Ilves. President Ilves was elected by an electoral college in 2006. He had previously served in the Estonia Parliament before being elected. The Prime Minister of Estonia, who serves as the head of the government and has just as much if not more power than the president, is Prime Minister Andrus Ansip who has held his position since 2005. The type of government that Estonia has adopted is a Parliamentary Republic. The people of the Estonia vote for the members to represent that parliament, in this case 101 people. Those 101 members of parliament then vote on who the President and Prime Minister of Estonia are. Parliament also gives forth votes to the people on issues that are concerns for the whole country. Estonia remains a so called melting pot for Eastern Europe. The country is made up of 60 percent Estonia’s, with the other 40 percent being from other parts of the former Soviet Republic and a small population from other various parts of the world (Miller, 2009). With this much diversity within the country it is commendable that Estonia has done so well and can be a model of social and political change in just a short period of time after it had gained its independence from the Soviet Union. The political landscape of Estonia remains steady even with the drastic population from other countries. The huge national population disparity can and has lead to violent conflicts in the country. In 2007, the Russians that are in the country went to the capital to celebrate Victory Day, this day being the end of Fascism at the end of WWII. Estonian’s view Victory Day totally different than the Russians that are apart of Estonia. Victory Day to Estonian’s represents the start of Soviet occupancy in their country up until 1990. The Estonian government then moved the statue that the Russians came to, to celebrate, which led to violent clashes with country police for days (Miller, 2009).

Effect of Institutional racism on Essay

Racism is the discrimination or negative attitude of people against other people purely because of their race. Institutional racism is a form of racism structured into political and social institutions. The institutions include schools and collages, while political include government and other government Parastatals or corporation. The consequence of this kind of social segregation is always negative. It some times leads to wars, hatred and in some instances low self esteem by the subject in this case. Racial discrimination stated long ago and its effect has always been negative. In page 3 of The Guardian that is dated 5th September 2008. The heading of the newspaper is: â€Å"Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools, says study† written by Editor Polly Curtis. The essence of the story in this case is to highlight the rampant racial discrimination of Caribbean children in English schools. This has largely undermined their academic and social life, further researcher had uncovered evidence that teachers routinely under-estimate the abilities of some black pupils, suggesting that assumptions about behavioural problems have overshadowed their academic talents. The findings on a survey which tracked 15,000 pupils through their education also add weight to the theory that low achievement among some black students is worsened because teachers don’t expect them to succeed. This relates well to the topic of Institutional racism because in this case racism is in a school setting where all pupils are supposed to be treated fairly irrespective of their race. But in this case black Caribbean’s are discriminated upon and this has subsequently resulted to their poor performance in school. The significance of this story in the Guardian is to put in light what is happening among the students in this particular school concerning the racism issue. This is elaborated by the statistics that show how racism has affected the black Caribbean in this particular school. Such as a third of capable black Caribbean pupils are not entered to take the hardest papers in tests at 14. Hence the issue being addressed by this statistics is institutional racism in English schools. This story affects me in different ways, its sad to note that at this age people are still being judged by the color of their skin rather than by their character and abilities. It frustrates me to hinder other people from achieving their full potential because of racism. In my point of view, its vital to note that none of us decided their race and that all humans are created equal and their variation in melanin content should never be a judgment factor but rather an ideology of the past. It’s vital for people to know that our abilities, talents are independent of our skin color. This story not only affects me but it also affects the society involved because they loose potential people in from optimizing their potential because of their unworthy discrimination of their color. This story encourages me to do something different by advocating against racial discrimination not only in schools but rather in the entire society. I will accomplish this by giving examples of how people of different races have won the Nobel peace price. Whites, Blacks, Asians have won the price. This vehemently states that the color of our skin has nothing to do with our ability. Sources Polly Curtis, Black Caribbean children held back by institutional racism in schools, says study The guardian newspaper on the web 5th September 2008

Speech

It is better to die on feet than to live on knees ventilation, or by through their relationships with themselves, other people, or even a higher being. Alice Walker, an Africa 12 Page 2811 words Life of Pi Pi (short for Piecing Molotov Patella) is a young Indian boy growing up in South India in the sass's. His father owns a zoo and, with increasing political unrest in India, decides to sell up and emigrate to Canada. In true Nosh's ark fashion, they accompany the wild animals on board the ship on 3 Page 594 Words Chicane for Life Lull's Dirty Shoes â€Å"Life cannot get any harder,† exclaimed Luis Coroner from Anchorman, Mexico.Standing five feet- seven inches tall wearing tight vintage blue Levis jeans, plain white shirt and a faded Dodger baseball cap, the worker gets prepared at the crack of dawn to go to work. As Luis gets 5 Page 1242 words Quotes About Life (â€Å"Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. † †Margaret Peters (â€Å"Perfectio n is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. † Antoine De Saint-Expert (Be kind to unkind people, for they need it most. (Always act 21 page 51 54 wordsGrandma Galloway Life Story Grandma Galloway life story Sunday marks forth- teen years since Grandma Galloway passed away. Some days It feels Like It has been years, other days It feels Like minutes. Many years ago, my dad nicknamed his mother-in-law ‘Grandma name. Unfortunates 6 Page 1355 words Struggle to Success Life is full of twists and turns . Everyone has to struggle here in this world to overcome every obstacle in the way to success. For this hard work is necessary. Without working hard and Just by sitting idle it will be hard for one to get success. Since from childhood and till now I always remember the 2 Page 280 words Buddha†¦Shakespeare used this dramatic form in lots of his plays and we can see that Arthur Miller has used it in â€Å"A view from 102 4 words Refugee Life Racial 2 members and some have been arrested or kidnapped. With full of pain and sorrow and with the hope to return we crossed the border. As soon as we crossed the border we encountered robbers. We made some ways to run off from them . We left our home moved towards the darkness, betting go 69 words The Views and Concepts of Deadlier Therapy The field of psychology today is extremely oriented towards empirical data, which means concepts must be proven scientifically.Deadlier therapy tends to be criticized for its lack of scientific data, which is difficult to prove because it's not based on cause and effect. Instead, it takes the vie 18 Page 4251 words Third Reich Slaughtering of Cultural Life Hitler seizes control: The â€Å"Slaughtering† of cultural life (Notes for an oral presentation) Introduction – soon after appointment of Hitler as chancellor of Germany in Jan 1933 G. Ordination) of German culture began – Nazis extended policy of GIG The Struggle for Women's Rights Abstract In the following report, you will read about how women have put forward great efforts to obtain a place in this world and how men have suppressed the talents of women. Regardless of how far women have gotten in this world, they continue to struggle to leave behind the stereotypes that men 10 page 241 5 words Meaning of Life. What is the meaning of Life? Among all the other philosophical questions, the most important one seems to be the one regarding our â€Å"life†. Is there a meaning of life?And if there is, what is it? How shall we live? There is no right answer to this questions but a lot of possibilities define w 1023 words Days of Our Life The World is Flat Thomas L Friedman To Matt and Kay and to Ron Contents How the World Became Flat One: While I Was Sleeping / 3 Two: The Ten Forces That Flattened the World / 48 Flattener#l. 11/9/89 Flattener #2. 8/9/95 Flattener #3. Work Flow Software Flattener #4. Open-sourcing Flatted 683 pa ge 170712 words Just Life, Nothing Personal Terror Camaraderie Nags bob â€Å"Just life, nothing personal† Every human life is full of ups and Speech It is better to die on feet than to live on knees ventilation, or by through their relationships with themselves, other people, or even a higher being. Alice Walker, an Africa 12 Page 2811 words Life of Pi Pi (short for Piecing Molotov Patella) is a young Indian boy growing up in South India in the sass's. His father owns a zoo and, with increasing political unrest in India, decides to sell up and emigrate to Canada. In true Nosh's ark fashion, they accompany the wild animals on board the ship on 3 Page 594 Words Chicane for Life Lull's Dirty Shoes â€Å"Life cannot get any harder,† exclaimed Luis Coroner from Anchorman, Mexico.Standing five feet- seven inches tall wearing tight vintage blue Levis jeans, plain white shirt and a faded Dodger baseball cap, the worker gets prepared at the crack of dawn to go to work. As Luis gets 5 Page 1242 words Quotes About Life (â€Å"Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. † †Margaret Peters (â€Å"Perfectio n is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. † Antoine De Saint-Expert (Be kind to unkind people, for they need it most. (Always act 21 page 51 54 wordsGrandma Galloway Life Story Grandma Galloway life story Sunday marks forth- teen years since Grandma Galloway passed away. Some days It feels Like It has been years, other days It feels Like minutes. Many years ago, my dad nicknamed his mother-in-law ‘Grandma name. Unfortunates 6 Page 1355 words Struggle to Success Life is full of twists and turns . Everyone has to struggle here in this world to overcome every obstacle in the way to success. For this hard work is necessary. Without working hard and Just by sitting idle it will be hard for one to get success. Since from childhood and till now I always remember the 2 Page 280 words Buddha†¦Shakespeare used this dramatic form in lots of his plays and we can see that Arthur Miller has used it in â€Å"A view from 102 4 words Refugee Life Racial 2 members and some have been arrested or kidnapped. With full of pain and sorrow and with the hope to return we crossed the border. As soon as we crossed the border we encountered robbers. We made some ways to run off from them . We left our home moved towards the darkness, betting go 69 words The Views and Concepts of Deadlier Therapy The field of psychology today is extremely oriented towards empirical data, which means concepts must be proven scientifically.Deadlier therapy tends to be criticized for its lack of scientific data, which is difficult to prove because it's not based on cause and effect. Instead, it takes the vie 18 Page 4251 words Third Reich Slaughtering of Cultural Life Hitler seizes control: The â€Å"Slaughtering† of cultural life (Notes for an oral presentation) Introduction – soon after appointment of Hitler as chancellor of Germany in Jan 1933 G. Ordination) of German culture began – Nazis extended policy of GIG The Struggle for Women's Rights Abstract In the following report, you will read about how women have put forward great efforts to obtain a place in this world and how men have suppressed the talents of women. Regardless of how far women have gotten in this world, they continue to struggle to leave behind the stereotypes that men 10 page 241 5 words Meaning of Life. What is the meaning of Life? Among all the other philosophical questions, the most important one seems to be the one regarding our â€Å"life†. Is there a meaning of life?And if there is, what is it? How shall we live? There is no right answer to this questions but a lot of possibilities define w 1023 words Days of Our Life The World is Flat Thomas L Friedman To Matt and Kay and to Ron Contents How the World Became Flat One: While I Was Sleeping / 3 Two: The Ten Forces That Flattened the World / 48 Flattener#l. 11/9/89 Flattener #2. 8/9/95 Flattener #3. Work Flow Software Flattener #4. Open-sourcing Flatted 683 pa ge 170712 words Just Life, Nothing Personal Terror Camaraderie Nags bob â€Å"Just life, nothing personal† Every human life is full of ups and Speech Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah My Topic is about any Leader, so In this world there are many leaders. We know most of them, but my speech is about â€Å"Quaid-e-Azam†. He was a Great politician and statesman of 20th century. He was generally known as the father of state of Pakistan. He was the leader of The Muslim League and served as the first Governor General of Pakistan. Quaid-e-Azam was his official names. His real name is Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Quaid-e-Azam (â€Å"The Great Leader†) and Baba-e-Qaum(â€Å"Father of the Nation†) was the name given by the public of Pakistan.Quaid-e-Azam,  Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born on 25th December 1876 at Vazeer Mansion Karachi, was the first of seven children of Jinnahbhai, a prosperous merchant. After being taught at home, Jinnah was sent to the Sindh Madrasasah High School in 1887. Later he attended the Mission High School, where, at the age of 16, he passed the matriculation examination of the University of Bombay. On the advice of an English friend, his father decided to send him to England to acquire business experience. Jinnah, however, had made up his mind to become a barrister.In keeping with the custom of the time, his parents arranged for an early marriage for him before he left for England. In London he joined Lincoln's Inn, one of the legal societies that prepared students for the bar. In 1895, at the age of 19, he was called to the bar. While in London Jinnah suffered two severe bereavements–the deaths of his wife and his mother. Nevertheless, he completed his formal studies and also made a study of the British political system, frequently visiting the House of Commons.He was greatly influenced by the liberalism of William E. Gladstone, who had become prime minister for the fourth time in 1892, the year of Jinnah's arrival in London. Jinnah also took a keen interest in the affairs of India and in Indian students. When the Parsi leader Dadabhai Naoroji, a leading Indian nationalis t, ran for the English Parliament, Jinnah and other Indian students worked day and night for him. Their efforts were crowned with success, and Naoroji became the first Indian to sit in the House of Commons.When Jinnah returned to Karachi in 1896, he found that his father's business had suffered losses and that he now had to depend on himself. He decided to start his legal practice in Bombay, but it took him years of work to establish himself as a lawyer. Jinnah first entered politics by participating in the 1906 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, the party that called for dominion status and later for independence for India. Four years later he was elected to the Imperial Legislative Council–the beginning of a long and distinguished parliamentary career.In Bombay he came to know, among other important Congress personalities, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the eminent Maratha leader. Greatly influenced by these nationalist politicians, Jinnah aspired during the early pa rt of his political life to become â€Å"a Muslim Gokhale. † Admiration for British political institutions and an eagerness to raise the status of India in the international community and to develop a sense of Indian nationhood among the peoples of India were the chief elements of his politics. At that time, he still looked upon Muslim interests in the context of Indian nationalism.Jinnah had originally been dubious about the practicability of Pakistan, an idea that Sir Muhammad Iqbal had propounded to the Muslim League conference of 1930; but before long he became convinced that a Muslim homeland on the Indian subcontinent was the only way of safeguarding Muslim interests and the Muslim way of life. It was not religious persecution that he feared so much as the future exclusion of Muslims from all prospects of advancement within India as soon as power became vested in the close-knit structure of Hindu social organisation.To guard against this danger he carried on a nation-wi de campaign to warn his coreligionists of the perils of their position, and he converted the Muslim League into a powerful instrument for unifying the Muslims into a nation. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, addressing a procession on 23rd March, 1940 At this point, Jinnah emerged as the leader of a renascent Muslim nation. Events began to move fast. On March 22-23, 1940, in Lahore, the league adopted a resolution to form a separate Muslim state, Pakistan.The Pakistan idea was first ridiculed and then tenaciously opposed by the Congress. But it captured the imagination of the Muslims. Pitted against Jinnah were men of the stature of Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. And the British government seemed to be intent on maintaining the political unity of the Indian subcontinent. But Jinnah led his movement with such skill and tenacity that ultimately both the Congress and the British government had no option but to agree to the partitioning of India.Pakistan thus emerged as an independent state in 14th Au gust, 1947. Jinnah became the first head of the new state i. e. Pakistan. He took oath as the first governor general on August 15, 1947. Faced with the serious problems of a young nation, he tackled Pakistan's problems with authority. He was not regarded as merely the governor-general; he was revered as the father of the nation. He worked hard until overpowered by age and disease in Karachi. Speech It is better to die on feet than to live on knees ventilation, or by through their relationships with themselves, other people, or even a higher being. Alice Walker, an Africa 12 Page 2811 words Life of Pi Pi (short for Piecing Molotov Patella) is a young Indian boy growing up in South India in the sass's. His father owns a zoo and, with increasing political unrest in India, decides to sell up and emigrate to Canada. In true Nosh's ark fashion, they accompany the wild animals on board the ship on 3 Page 594 Words Chicane for Life Lull's Dirty Shoes â€Å"Life cannot get any harder,† exclaimed Luis Coroner from Anchorman, Mexico.Standing five feet- seven inches tall wearing tight vintage blue Levis jeans, plain white shirt and a faded Dodger baseball cap, the worker gets prepared at the crack of dawn to go to work. As Luis gets 5 Page 1242 words Quotes About Life (â€Å"Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. † †Margaret Peters (â€Å"Perfectio n is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. † Antoine De Saint-Expert (Be kind to unkind people, for they need it most. (Always act 21 page 51 54 wordsGrandma Galloway Life Story Grandma Galloway life story Sunday marks forth- teen years since Grandma Galloway passed away. Some days It feels Like It has been years, other days It feels Like minutes. Many years ago, my dad nicknamed his mother-in-law ‘Grandma name. Unfortunates 6 Page 1355 words Struggle to Success Life is full of twists and turns . Everyone has to struggle here in this world to overcome every obstacle in the way to success. For this hard work is necessary. Without working hard and Just by sitting idle it will be hard for one to get success. Since from childhood and till now I always remember the 2 Page 280 words Buddha†¦Shakespeare used this dramatic form in lots of his plays and we can see that Arthur Miller has used it in â€Å"A view from 102 4 words Refugee Life Racial 2 members and some have been arrested or kidnapped. With full of pain and sorrow and with the hope to return we crossed the border. As soon as we crossed the border we encountered robbers. We made some ways to run off from them . We left our home moved towards the darkness, betting go 69 words The Views and Concepts of Deadlier Therapy The field of psychology today is extremely oriented towards empirical data, which means concepts must be proven scientifically.Deadlier therapy tends to be criticized for its lack of scientific data, which is difficult to prove because it's not based on cause and effect. Instead, it takes the vie 18 Page 4251 words Third Reich Slaughtering of Cultural Life Hitler seizes control: The â€Å"Slaughtering† of cultural life (Notes for an oral presentation) Introduction – soon after appointment of Hitler as chancellor of Germany in Jan 1933 G. Ordination) of German culture began – Nazis extended policy of GIG The Struggle for Women's Rights Abstract In the following report, you will read about how women have put forward great efforts to obtain a place in this world and how men have suppressed the talents of women. Regardless of how far women have gotten in this world, they continue to struggle to leave behind the stereotypes that men 10 page 241 5 words Meaning of Life. What is the meaning of Life? Among all the other philosophical questions, the most important one seems to be the one regarding our â€Å"life†. Is there a meaning of life?And if there is, what is it? How shall we live? There is no right answer to this questions but a lot of possibilities define w 1023 words Days of Our Life The World is Flat Thomas L Friedman To Matt and Kay and to Ron Contents How the World Became Flat One: While I Was Sleeping / 3 Two: The Ten Forces That Flattened the World / 48 Flattener#l. 11/9/89 Flattener #2. 8/9/95 Flattener #3. Work Flow Software Flattener #4. Open-sourcing Flatted 683 pa ge 170712 words Just Life, Nothing Personal Terror Camaraderie Nags bob â€Å"Just life, nothing personal† Every human life is full of ups and

Becoming a nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Becoming a nurse - Essay Example Other than treating patients without discriminating amongst them, I need to ensure that while treating patients I take into account the education, socioeconomic class, gender and ethnicity into consideration in order to deal with different patients in different ways. For example: needs of patients belonging to a lower socioeconomic class would be different as compared to those who belong to a higher socioeconomic class. Since their backgrounds are different there is ought to be difference in the causes of the diseases they are experiencing and these different causes need to be considered while creating treatment plans for them as different treatment plans will help eliminate different issues. I even need to ensure that I consider the personal traits of the patients while dealing with them. For example some patients are quite aggressive in nature while others are quite calm. While dealing with aggressive patients I need to keep myself calm and help them in understanding their

The Lloyds Building of London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Lloyds Building of London - Essay Example These features are made to represent and replace decorative elements for the outer faà §ade. The focus on the mechanical elements is a distinguishing feature of the Modernist movement while its recognition that everything is in a constant state of change, requiring the ability to quickly change out parts, is a characteristic of the Postmodern. Located in the center of London’s financial district and originally intended to serve as headquarters for a large insurance firm, the context of the structure again emphasizes Modern ideals with its focus on monetary, capitalistic values. Yet its design functions to make the building highly flexible, quickly and easily converted into any number of different uses and ready for the addition of any newly developed technology, such as fiber optic internet which wasn’t developed until well after completion, placing it again within the realm of the Postmodern. It is only through a very close examination of the building that one can det ermine the structure is actually more Modern than Postmodern even though it reflects the major attitudes and emphasis of each era. Modern ideas suggest that everything important to human life can be categorically classified into specific categories and definitions. â€Å"Modernity is a project, and not only a period, and it is, or was, a project of control, the rational mastery over nature, the planning, designing and plotting which led and technocracy† (Beilharz, 2001: 6). The basic ideas of Modernism were to analyze the various processes that comprised human existence in the mechanized and standardized world to discover the universal truths that could then be applied to all cultures. Clean lines and clear boundaries were expected to be found that would then be canonized and applied throughout the world as a means of developing a perfect global civilization.

Short summary of the key industry speakers from the field trip, Essay

Short summary of the key industry speakers from the field trip, drawing conclusions of their overall importance to the developme - Essay Example The Airlines has partnered with the tour operations for catering to the package deals rather than the individual customers because the place is visited mostly for tourism purpose. The company has rendered its services to the government during time of catastrophe of the Tsunami which has provided an additional leverage to popularity of the brand. The company has entered the Chinese market rather than the Singapore market because the market is untapped and there is a lot of scope to enter into alliances with the other Airlines flying to different parts of the world. Since the journeys are longer, the company intends to make the trip an entertaining one and set up sales agencies in China from where the potential customers can be acquired (Fiji Airways, 2013, p. 1). b) A number of areas of consideration are there where the airline intends to improve its services. It includes the frequency of the flights and more accuracy in the timings. The company can add more destinations to its portfo lio which would improve the sales of Fiji Airlines. For the flight services, Fiji Airways would make improvisation of their menu serving a 5 course meal and better wines since the flight timings are longer and the travellers need to be engaged. The Fiji Airways can make the tourism of Fiji popular to the rest of the world with the effective use of the Brand name. Tourism Fiji a) Since Tourism is the main source of income for Fiji Islands, the initiative of the government to promote the Tourism is on various grounds. The Brand Fiji is a composite package of the luxury resorts, the private islands for the tourists, the sun bathed beaches and the adventures that are arranged for the potential customers. Tourism Fiji has attempted at the consolidation of the markets at US, Australia, New Zealand and other places internationally. The country as to move towards a more sustainable tourism by involving more of the local people into the activities through empowerment. The country provides a 4 month Visa option to the customers to encourage their stay in the islands (Official Website of Tourism Fiji, 2013, p.1). b) Tourism Fiji has various challenges lying ahead of it. People only look at the principal islands when they plan their travel but ignore other regions. There are limitations on the facilities that the resorts would provide along with the restrictions on the flexibility of the flights. The government has to continuously invest in the development and up gradation of the facilities in the disaster prone islands. The misperception of the people about the pricing and quality has made several tourists hesitant to opt for the Fiji tour. Since the tourism at the present stage is mostly on the fag ends of the customer continuum, more medium category of tourism facilities has to be arranged so that the number of visitors gets increased. The places which are preferred by the tourists especially the northern parts do not have enough hotel facilities. The establishment of the individual island brands like Denarau have to be encouraged by Tourism Fiji so that they act as catalysts in the tourism development. South Sea Cruises a) Being the leader in the maritime operator services in Fiji this Brand provides the water transportation to various parts of the

Bmw Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Bmw - Essay Example According to the sustainable leadership model, the long term growth could only be attained by the BMW through acquiring a wider perspective beyond the profit making interest of the organization and establishing a strong network between the management and the stakeholders. The constant focus of BMW in supporting the growth of network of its communities has enabled the organization to encourage communication and interchange between the stakeholders of the organization. The sustainable leadership model of BMW could be illustrated with the help of Sustainable leadership pyramid as depicted in Figure 1 as given below (Avery and Bergsteiner, 2011). There are three level of this sustainable leadership model incorporated at BMW. The leadership model includes high quality practices at BMW which are supported by key performance drivers in the organization in order to achieve the ultimate business performance outcome. The management of BMW aims to retain their employees by constantly developing the quality of manpower. The labour relations are also given due importance in the leadership style. This has helped the organization to connect their employees with the goals of the management. The leadership model has emphasized in attaining independence from the financial markets and economic fluctuations. This has helped BMW to withstand economic crisis like the global financial crisis. The company has ensured ethical business performance and has valued the activities of corporate social responsibility. All these activities are undertaken in the leadership style at BMW in order to achieve independence from the financial up and downs in the economy and at the same time integrate the business with the stakeholders and communities in different markets. The key factors in the sustainable leadership style that has driven the business performance at BMW are the initiative of team work, establishing healthy culture in the workplace, retention and

Quality of Society and Leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality of Society and Leaders - Essay Example But, either these two are dependent on each other is a different concept than measurement. Therefore, this essay focuses on a phenomenon to identify that either quality of society is dependent on the quality of its leader, which is very minimal (Robert & Matsumiya, 2007, p. 10). 1.2 The quality of a society depends upon the quality of its leaders Quality cannot be quantified. There can be changes in the society. Research indicated that these changes arise due to the changing political conditions. There are many factors due which leaders are unable to affect the quality of society (Williamson, 2010, p. 555). Leaders are unable to affect the quality of society due to the following three reasons i.e.: society shapes the potential leaders society itself chooses a leader society itself determines the limit of change in its quality Society shapes the potential leaders Society influences the development of leaders and prevents them from affecting the quality of a society. It is the society who influences the individuals not the leaders. Societal environment, individual action and structure, all these work together (Bunge, 1997, p.420). They are the forms of one another. Leaders are included in these individual who lives in a society, therefore they are also influenced from the quality of society. But some leader who has stronger potential can resist the influence of society. This combination of influence from society and leaders is hard to resist. Whether a leader is strong or weak, but they are mainly shaped by the society. This means that society itself chooses and shapes a leader; this means it cannot gain a person with some differentiated skills. Therefore, societies cannot rely on these leaders to change its quality. Society itself chooses a leader Mainly society itself chooses a leader. Therefore it reduces the chances of getting a leader with some different and innovative qualities, it chooses a leader who have same qualities that of former. This is done throug h modern politics i.e. a leader is selected on the basis of elections. Societies mainly choose those leaders, which reflect their quality and are quite similar to it, rather than selecting such leaders who have different qualities as compared to the quality of a particular society. This phenomenon have not been promoted in this modern world, it was present late back in 16th century i.e. only those individuals were selected as a leader who had similarity with the quality of a society (Nietzsche, 1983). Even if a leader retires, he is replaced by a person who has similar qualities as that of former. This means it does not resist any change in the quality of leadership. For instance, in 1848, French Revolution people selected a new regime on the basis of volunteer, which was similar to the older one. This revolution did not lead to achievement of its goals (Marx, 1969). Removal of the regime indicated that there wasn’t a change in leadership but there was a change in the quality of society. In case if the quality of society do not change even after replacing a leader, it indicates that quality of society is not dependent on the quality of leaders. Society itself determines the limit of change in its quality In case if a leader with different quality is considered and selected for a society. It blocks the way of leaders to implement any change by allocating limits. Following a different virtue is difficult for the society and in case if it does not value that, it will

Running the Government without Debt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Running the Government without Debt - Essay Example However, what is equally disturbing is that the US government moved away from surplus budgets during the latter period and never even gave it a rethink. There has been a marked tendency to succumb to populist agendas and vested interests which marked the post-surplus era in the US economy. In most cases, ‘popular sentiment’ is but a facade for narrow political gains. This era has seen a marked increase in spending, not only for new ventures but also for cutting down unnecessary and wasteful expenditure. While running a government without debt is likened to running a company, we conveniently forget that a company does so out of a lack of choice. No company can afford or receive the luxury of unlimited credit and ultimately should plough its profits back into the system. Only in the rarest of rare cases can a company expect a bailout package. However, such measures are time bound and come at a price. Hence, a balanced or surplus deficit is the only way out for a sound fina ncial system. 1. Curtailing Big Spending The three areas that can directly impact federal spending are defense, social security, health care and interest on debt. Striking at these revenue guzzlers will eliminate the need for deficit budgets. As the saying goes, a penny saved is a penny earned. Defense seems to be one area of spending where the only way is the way up. After the end of the cold war era, the need for maintaining massive armaments has become irrelevant. The US, with its relative isolation from Europe, Asia and Africa does not require increased spending in arms either in the long or short term. Intervention in foreign countries should be brought down to the barest minimum. Instead of unilateral incursions into certain nations, the US should focus on diplomatic initiatives as a measure to reform them. This would keep public anger at check by reducing losses and reverses suffered by the military abroad. The use of the armed forces should be restricted to peace keeping and for ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches the intended target. The nation’s nuclear arsenal should be used only as a deterrent and not to encourage an arms race among states. Social Security is another area where reforms are called for. The ceiling on payroll tax should be removed so that income over the threshold limit can be brought under the tax net. Gradually raising this rate can cover the shortfall in this area over the course of time. With a graying population, one should take a serious note of the retirement age. This should be gradually and progressively raised to 75 to compensate for the additional expense incurred by maintaining the present retirement age. Likewise, we need to identify the extent of retirees who are affluent enough to either be taxed or have their benefits curtailed. Health Care is the third area which can do with cost cuts. As Cox (April 5, 2011) reports in CNBC, there is a need to shift the burden on Medicare and Medicaid spending from the pati ents, and thereby the state to the providers of health care i.e. hospitals. As in the case of social security, the age for eligibility to Medicare can also be increased from the present 65 to reduce costs. Debt Interest is the area that could seriously affect the debt levels over time. With more public debt owned by foreigners, interest payments leave the country rather than circulate within the nation if US citizens received the interest on debt. 2. Increasing the Revenue Directly increasing the revenue by

Case Analysis on Human Resources at Hewlett Packard Essay

Case Analysis on Human Resources at Hewlett Packard - Essay Example HP Way in conducting its business is based on a set of ethical principles. Honesty and integrity form the very core of this approach. Its customers must be sure of the deals that they make with the company. For this it’s necessary to inculcate ethical principles in HR personnel. Teamwork at HP is emphasized since stakeholders, particularly the shareholders, depend on company’s policy in generating value for all concerned. Thus a sharing responsibility for organizational outcomes among HR personnel would be desirable. The company encourages flexibility and innovation among its employees. Their primary goal should be the development of innovative and flexible ways to carry out daily tasks so that functional processes become smooth. Teamwork enables horizontal communication function to be carried out with a singular focus on organizational goals. While communication structures have been overhauled to support a more democratic and less centralized vertical functional network within the organization there is also a well planned strategy to achieve results. There are both advantages and disadvantages associated with working for a company like HP. In the first place advantages include such benefits like good future prospects, career development, performance related pay, a positive and independent work environment and opportunities for innovation and meaningful contribution. Future prospects lie with the diversity and expansion of the organization (Becker, Andrew & Dave, 2001). A fast growing organization with ever rising net revenues must be any employee’s dream because the future of the company and its employees is basically determined by the current pace of positive progress that the company is making. Career development at HP is possible depending on the scope of the job. High tech companies like HP with a fair degree of diversification into other fields through merger and acquisition (M&A) are more likely to produce positive synergies that would

Personal Injury Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Injury Law - Essay Example The duty of the proprietor is measured using the reasonable man’s test: that is, what a reasonable man would have done when presented with similar circumstances. The law imposes a duty on a proprietor to maintain the premises in a reasonably secure or safe condition. This means that he has a duty to offer premises that are safe and secure for use. This duty is owed to every invitee: that is, somebody who has either express or implied permission to be in the premises. Additionally, he has a duty to inspect the premises for that which was likely to cause injuries. A breach of this duty makes the proprietor liable for any resulting injury to an invitee. The basis of liability for this duty is the presumed â€Å"superior knowledge† on the part of the proprietor. The law presumes that the proprietor has better knowledge on the existence of a factor that predisposes the invitee to risks. If the invitee has as much knowledge of the hazard as the proprietor, there is no duty on the part of the proprietor to warn him and the proprietor is not liable for any resulting harm if the invitee voluntarily assumes the risk. ... Therefore, the proprietor is more likely to be found culpable where he has more comprehension of the quality and quantity of risks presented by a particular set of circumstances than the invitee. The proprietor is not liable for readily observable hazards that should be appreciated by the invitees. He has no duty to warn about obvious risks that the invitee should decipher from the use of reasonable senses. Additionally, in both cases the court addresses the question on the circumstances in which it shall grant a judgment notwithstanding the verdict of the jury. As a general rule, the court shall try as much as possible to uphold the verdict of the jury unless, even without weighing the credibility of evidence presented, there can be only one conclusion as to the proper judgment. The question as to negligence shall be left to the jury, unless in indisputable cases. The standard of review for a motion of judgment notwithstanding the verdict requires that the court weigh the evidence i n the most favorable manner to the non-moving party, giving the party all the benefit for all favorable inferences that may be made. Oates V. Mulji Motor Inn, Inc. The brief facts of this case are that a school tennis team registered to stay overnight at the appellee’s motel. At about 9pm, the team decided to go swimming at the motel’s pool. While swimming, a 17 year old Jarvis Coates drowned while swimming in the defendant’s motel pool. Coates parents commenced an action against the motel and the coach alleging that their negligence led to the death of Jarvis. At the time of the drowning, the pool did not have overhead lights, or a safety rope separating the deep from the shallow end. Although there was an underwater light

Understanding the Global Environment Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Global Environment Essay Globalization can be defined as a process whereby goods, services, labor and capital are moved around the globe (Friedman, 2000). This movement in most cases than not is a harmonized one with interconnectedness that is institutionalized. There is usually a set of relations that are global in nature that are established to ensure that the resources found in the world though in short supply, are used efficiently. The movement is acknowledged to the rise in economic integration globally that has in turn increased investments and trade. The world due to globalization is turning into a global village in that it is headed towards living in a world without borders. In a nutshell, globalization is a transformational process whereby the local phenomenons are transformed into global ones. The people in the universe are undergoing the process of being united into a single societal unit that functions as one (Ulrich, 2000). The globalization process entails bringing together of sociocultural, economic, technological and political forces. The economic aspect is more vivid in that a national economy is incorporated into international economies as a result of imports and exports trade, foreign investments, cash aids and technology spread. Though there has been sharing and exchange of goods, knowledge and even services among people and countries since time immemorial, the technological development and reduction of barriers has quickened the whole process. The state is thus put in a state where it is accountable not only to its people but to the whole globe. States are somewhat powerless in the in light of these global relations to an extent that they may be unable to control their personal economies at least in terms of autonomous economic policy implementation. The interconnectedness brought about by globalization has reduced time and space overcoming barriers to social organization and economic growth hence allowing them to be worldwide in its operations. Therefore globalization is linked to the vast spread of new technologies (Giddens, 2000). Globalization affects each and every individual. It imparts in each individual a sense of belonging not only to ones country of origin but to the global community as a whole. Globalization has made most societies if not all come to realize that they need each other to prosper and no one can live in isolation. Globalization is not a new thing. Most of the recent studies of globalization are a appraisal of the previous one just modified with improvement in technology. With time man has evolved and come up with new things thanks to evolution in technology that have eased globalization as compared to the previous face of globalization. The first globalization wave is believed to have been between the years 1870-1914 followed by the second wave in 1960 to date (Jones, 1995). These two waves of globalization have there differences too. In the first wave, there was industrialization of the north and de-industrialization of the south. As a result, wide income discrepancy was generated between groups that were close. The second wave on the other hand de-industrialized the north and industrialized a big part of south if not all. Transport costs during the first wave of globalization were very high. This led to limited trade and the industries were very rare and stagnating. The high cost in transport contributed largely in the stagnating of industries having them scattered in the north and southern parts. Therefore it was very hard for entrepreneurs to interact hence impairing innovations and any progress in technology. The world was more like retarded in its growth. The second wave came with diminished transport costs. This led to high investment rate that led to the growth of the world market as a whole. Specialization was adopted that promoted and stretched trade (Sassen, 1999). The two waves can be said to be basically different but ostensibly similar. The first wave was marked by long term flow as compared to the second wave that was characterized by short term flow of capital. Advancement in technology in the second wave is what aided in the short term fall of capital that also included very high pace of exchange of information. Therefore, in the second wave of globalization, exchange of ideas was much more important than any other form of trade as compared to the first wave. The kind of trade that existed during the first wave was that of intra-industry foreign direct investment that was among nations that had similarities and focused on services, industrializing and outsourcing. The second waves nature of trade involved much larger intra-trade between similar states focusing on differentiation of products and economies as compared to first waves inter-industry trade. Second, the initial conditions are very dissimilar and this matters greatly. There is great income difference in the countries involved that is seen now which is the second phase as compared to the previous. This has great impact on policy making and the surrounding environment more especially in the third world. Furthermore, the 19th century trade and de-industrialization disillusioned countries such as India and made it very hard for them to embrace the laissez-faire trade and policies investments. On a more positive note though, the gap between the rich and the poor slightly narrowed on the second phase of globalization due rapid technology transfer (Friedman, 2000). Though there can be skepticism about the world becoming smaller in the sense that it is termed as a global village, globalization has brought a new wake of change evidenced world wide. The time has reduced in the aspect of conveyance of information, transport systems have improved thanks to technological boost and services like medical can be termed as international thought most of them are financially bound. The fact that the world is interconnected, many parts of the world still remain left out in the globalization network. These countries include much of the sub-Saharan Africa therefore presenting thus making globalization not so much global. Global implies that it is supposed to include every part of the universe and the way it is at the moment, the inclusion is uneven. According to history, capitalism is more of the driving force of globalization. With that aspect in mind, globalization has had ambitions to the world wide level with respect to resources and market. To some extent, globalization is just an extension of capitalism in an advanced stage not something utterly new. It has been done before with Aquarius and after that with postmodernism. Globalization should therefore not be looked at as a new phase in world history because it has not taken the whole world but just a part of it. The globalization process did not start the other day, it has been an on going process for centuries now all though currently much more experiences of the same are felt. Benefits of globalization 1) Economic growth in countries The countries that participate well with the world economies have had their economies grow much faster and consistently as compared to those countries that have detached themselves closing their borders to globalization forces. These countries that are open to globalization have had their economies growth rates increase to the rate of 2. 55% higher on average scale compared to those that are closed to globalization. (Friedman, 2000). 2) Improvement of standard of living and poverty reduction Globalization has brought faster economic growth to countries that have embraced it. Due to the high rate of economic growth, the people have had their standards of living improved and in the process poverty rate reduced. An effective example is India which due to globalization has had its poverty rate reduced by half. This is due to the fact that a wide product range is made accessible to people by the availability of cheaper imports and through competition, efficiency and quality production is guaranteed. 3) High life expectancy level Growth of wealth as a result of economic improvement that comes with globalization has led to access to not only good health care but also treated water. This has increased peoples life expectancy in that people are no longer dying from curable diseases; they have access to the medical services they require. Research shows that 85% and more people are expected to live for at least 60 years. This is twice as much years as it was expected 100 years back. 4) Globalization has led to the reduction of investment barriers. As a result foreign investments have increased in many countries boosting economies and creating jobs for the citizens in that country. According to research, these foreign investments by 2003 totaled to US$575 billion as compared to US$23 billion in 1975. 5) The world has become a global village thanks to globalization therefore leading to improvement and accountability as far as the environment is concerned. This is a positive impact to the environment encouraging people to conserve the environment by use of less polluting agents of technology. There is also the use of renewable energy resources in place of limited natural resources and promoting their imports and exports (Sassen, 1999). 6) Solving of international conflicts Globalization has brought with it increased interdependence among countries leading to the formation of institutions such as world trade organization and World Bank that aid in the settlement of inter government squabbles. This has enabled international tensions on political and economic issues to be resolved having set rules that are internationally agreed upon and using those rules as the resolution approach. This has booted peace in many countries because not many countries would want to get into conflicts with their trading partners. 7) Respect of cultural diversity Migration from country to another is as a result of globalization. People are free to travel to other states and this has led to awareness and appreciation of the diversity that is there in the cultures of the world. This has improved the democratic aspects of life and every person regardless of culture has his or her rights respected. 8) Globalization has led to improvement of technology in the global sense. This has in turn reduced the cost in communication, business and even education. Disease eradication has also been made easier because the world comes together in the wake of a new ailment to find its cure. Technology and improvement of modern communication has also eased the flow of information around the world. The whole world is put on the know if anything happens anywhere in the globe (Giddens, 2000).

Merits of Arbitrations

Merits of Arbitrations Critically assess the respective merits of arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA and ICSID rules: Introduction: In order to fully comprehend how arbitration that transcend states this discussion will explain how states are bound by contractual obligations in the public and private international arena. It will consider the role of the ICC and the protection of human rights violations within states, asking whether it is better to allow domestic jurisdictions to prosecute or the ICC. This will then be applied to situations when states become involved in investment practices between states and what duty of care these states owe to each other and their investors. Hence considering the legal nature of contracts between states, i.e. can they be easily be rescinded or is there a higher obligation to honour? Does this differ when states are in a position of dominance? Also investment law arguably bridges between private international law and public international law because investment from the WTO, WBO and states such as the US and regions, such as the EU need certain social and democratic treaties to be initiated and fulfilled. The main concern of countries within the international arena is to maintain its sovereignty and integrity from incursions of other states, which is the arena of public international law. This discussion is going to consider the effectiveness of international law in dealing with disputes once an incursion has occurred, focusing on whether the decisions at an international legal level are effective or flouted in either a direct or indirect manner. In order to do this essay is going to consider when a state has been subject to and penalized by international law it can legally not adhere to these obligations. In the case of private individuals that transcend borders there is the problem that the stronger party will lobby to have the case in the state that protects their interests, which will be considered when discussing the LCIA. International Criminal Court (ICC) – Outdated System of Arbitration: The ICC deals only with war criminals as defined under the Rome Statute. Crimes against humanity as defined in the Rome Statue include extermination of citizens, slavery, torture, rape, forced pregnancy, persecution on the grounds of race, religion, culture, gender or ethnicity, disappearances that are forced by the state and systemic attack on civilians. In short what the Rome Statute has done is extend the crimes that contained in a warfare situation to a non-warfare situation, i.e. if the state or political leader commissions such crimes it is contravening international humanitarian law, which results in criminal liability. The other crimes that the ICC deals with are genocide and crimes of aggression against other states or even between factions within the states. However the key factor of prosecutions by the ICC relies on actions by the state, it does not take into account non-state actors, such as corporations; therefore limiting its power and authority. The ICC seems more inte rested in the actions of states as opposed to other actors, which is primarily to do with the fact other organizations are not signatories to the UNDHR. At the moment the ICC has only investigated four states and is taking action against three, which are Uganda, the Congo and the Dafur in the Sudan and the process is lengthy and it is questionable it will sanction the ring leaders as opposed to causing more harm to the poverty stricken. This follows the problems with many international human rights law; for example if one is a large company they should not be able to abuse human rights, such abuses will be dealt with by domestic courts if they are properly protected; however in developing nations where economics outweigh the individual’s rights then these abuses go unchecked. This is partially the liability of the state which should be properly prosecuted; however the transnational corporation should also be held liable for their role in the abuses. Human rights and crimes ag ainst humanity will not be properly protected until companies who commit, initiate or support individual state’s and political leader’s actions that result in crimes of humanity are held criminally liable. It seems to fail to bring many cases because it includes crimes under the genocide convention and these are primarily brought under national courts and not the ICC, which is its domain since 1998. In addition to local tribunals that the UN sets up in post-war areas, so the ICC is not really performing the duties it was set up to do and focuses too much on the state. Prior to the ICC domestic courts brought actions under the genocide convention and focused on the criminals and seemed to be successful. The most famous or infamous examples are those of ex-Nazi Officers after their acts during the concentration camps in Nazi occupied areas of Europe. The conviction of these officers after the war seemed straight forward as with the cases of Knochen[1] and Oberg[2] Yet th e conviction of officers today is still hard under the convention, one example is the case of Imre Fitte in an Ontarian Court in Canada, where the crime was kidnapping and slaughtering Jews in 1944 as a Nazi Officer.[3] Another problem fraught case dating back to Nazi Germany and the Canadian courts is the case of Oberlander; whereby the government has tried to deport Oberlander because of his involvement with the Nazi death squads and the evidence has shown he lied about his innocence, but still has not been convicted of the crime due to legal technicalities: The government is trying to deport Oberlander, 78, after a Federal Court judge found he lied about his involvement with the death squad when he applied to emigrate from Germany in the early 1950s. Cabinet paved the way for his expulsion by stripping him of Canadian citizenship last year. But, as has been the case since proceedings against Oberlander began more than seven years ago, his fate remains unclear amid legal wrangling. Lawyers for Oberlander are seeking a judicial review of the cabinet decision, arguing it was flawed. They are also trying to have deportation proceedings put on hold until that issue is settled. The immigration hearing in Toronto was allowed to resume yesterday it was suspended almost a year ago but board member Carmen DeCarlo cant make a deportation order until a related appeal has been decided.[4] Yet there are successful cases where an individual is prosecuted for genocide, such as another Canadian Case of Leon Mugesera who was convicted of inciting genocide in Rwanda in a speech given in 1992, this resulted in a deportation order back to Rwanda; however Mugesera is still on appeal in Canada.[5] The most famous example of a successful genocide case is the one of Pinochet in Chile; whereby his immunity was lifted and his has been found guilty of this crime with ten other cohorts.[6] In the UK domestic courts held that officers of former Yugoslavia were guilty of the crime of genocide, which seems to be a situation that mirrors the horrors of Nazi Germany: Fridays military court finding in the central Serbian town of Nis jailed Lt. Col. Zlatan Mancic for seven years and Capt. Rade Radivojevic for five years on charges of ordering two soldiers to kill two Albanians during the conflict in April 1999.[7] Therefore there has been mixed success with respect to genocide in domestic court, especially with the necessary requirement of men rea. If one considers the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda’s (ICTR) actions in respect to the genocide in Rwanda only eleven persons have been found guilty of the crime of genocide, which illustrates that there are problems with prosecuting under the convention as a lot more persons were involved in this bloodbath. In the ICTR cases of Ruggiu[8] and Serushago[9] their guilty pleas were seen as mitigating circumstances and the sentences were more lenient for helping to exterminate persons of another race? Therefore the law seems to be focused on the mindset of the potential accused rather than the atrocities committed by their acts. Another problem with the Genocide Convention is that it needs to be either upheld in a domestic court or by a international tribunal; however to have an international tribunal it needs to international in natur e as illustrated in the Tadic case where there was movement for dismissal as it was argued that the International Criminal Tribunal of Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) had no jurisdiction as it was a domestic conflict.[10] The tribunal ruled in the broadest manner and ensured that its jurisdiction was upheld; however this illustrates the deficiencies of current international law, i.e. it needs to take in the actions of civil society and the domestic not just focus on the role of state actors, as the ICC is too focused upon. It needs to learn from the past deficiencies rather than to perpetrate these problems. LCIA ICSID – Fairness in Private International Law: The LCIA deals with commercial disputes and provides a forum for individuals to turn to when a commercial agreement crosses borders. The LCIA follows the law of private international law and does not bring the confusing factors of regime shopping; rather arbitration process relies on the just route. Here are the basic rules of arbitration: The LCIA arbitration rules are universally applicable. They offer a combination of the best features of the civil and common law systems, including in particular: maximum flexibility for parties and tribunals to agree on procedural matters speed and efficiency in the appointment of arbitrators, including expedited procedures means of reducing delays and counteracting delaying tactics tribunals power to decide on their own jurisdiction a range of interim and conservatory measures tribunals power to order security for claims and for costs special powers for joinder of third parties fast-track option waiver of right of appeal costs computed without regard to the amounts in dispute staged deposits parties are not required to pay for the whole arbitration in advance[11] Therefore the aim is to make disputes easier to resolve, without going through a domestic legal system that gives one party over the other an advantage. This introduces the problem of regime shopping that the independent forum of the LCIA would resolve. [The] possibility of shopping around for suitable legislation is often said to be most influential since the other elements depend on the controversial aim of deepening European integration. It is possible that the United States situation may be a precedent. In the United States individuals are free to incorporate under the laws of any state since the location of the company is not relevant.[12] This has caused problems because justice is not being served; rather powerful players are breaching the rules of justice to win their case under the most favorable regime. In the EU this has been seen in the Centros Decision[13], which has been condemned for putting economic interests above the interests of justice. This decision was based around the requirements of registration and trade within Denmark, which raised an issue of conflict between the laws of the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands whereby a properly registered foreign company is to be recognized; whereas Nordic law depends upon registration and whether refusal of registration was permissible to stop the circumvention of national law. The ECJ decided that this refusal went against the principles of competition law, which resulted in regional competition law outweighing domestic law therefore undermining the sovereignty of the state. The aim of the two Danish nationals by registering their company Centros in the UK and then transferring to Denmark was purely to circumvent the fee associated with registration. The question was whether the Danish court could refuse registration in Denmark because the aim was to defraud the Danish state; the ECJ advised that refusing registration was imposing an obstacle of the basic freedoms that make up company law. This case basically has caused competition law to become prevalent over national concerns. In fact it has possibly weakened the regulations of company law so that social and cultural policies will soon be under fire. This seems to be falling under the trap of companies for regime shopping, i.e. the weaker the regulation the higher the investment. In this case the act of defraud was not taken into account, the Danish nationals set out to misuse EU competition law to abuse the requirements of Danish national law. The Centros decision belies this inevitability; however the problem with such lax laws is that they equate to easier exploitation and perfect for re gime shopping for the powerful player in the dispute. This breaches fairness and just rules of law, therefore illustrating the importance of the LCIA. In fact this institution should become the primary organization to deal with international company disputes rather than relying on competing law in domestic regimes. The problem is that unlike the ICC and ICSID it is a voluntary arbitration resolution organization and should be set up through International Convention to deal with these specific disputes. This approach is mirrored by the ICSID, which was set up through states contracting similar to the ICC as an independent branch of the World Bank, but is more concerned with dealing with the problems of individual companies rather than focusing on just state to state problems: The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID or the Centre) is a public international organization created under a treaty, the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID Convention or the Convention). The Convention was formulated by the Executive Directors of the World Bank and submitted by them on March 18, 1965 to member States of the Bank for consideration with a view to signature and ratification. The Convention, entered into force on October 14, 1966.[14] The aim of this arbitration is to ensure that parties are treated fairly and the stronger power does not take advantage of the position. This is especially important in respect to transnational companies who have an economic advantage over a developing country who needs the investment.[15] Therefore like the fair minded approach of the LCIA it provides an independent place of arbitration that deals with the real problems in state and foreign direct investment and takes away the problem of domestic rules and laws that would clash otherwise. This can be seen in the following exploration of state contract and private international cases, which cause a problem to determining a fair verdict or resolution in domestic courts. In the case of Serbian Loans[16] any contract that is not a contract between states in their capacity as subjects of international law is based on the municipal [domestic] law of some country†¦ The rules thereof may be common to several states and may even be established by international conventions or customs, and in the latter case may possess the character of true international law governing relations between states.[17] Therefore when it comes to investment contracts between states then it will have elements of adhering to the contractual word of the agreement; as well as the duty of care that the obligations are met as in public international contractual agreements. There has been a suggestion that cases that are on a private international matter allows the domestic court that makes the decision have an extraterritorial effect in imposing the obligation across borders, i.e. applying the higher standard of obligation and care that public international law holds.[18] On the o ther hand, the case of Holmes v Bangladesh Biman[19] argued that foreign jurisdictions have no legitimate reason for subjecting their civil law on foreigners in their own country. Therefore these two cases make it difficult for correctly pursuing fraud, negligence or any circumstance that leads to an action when it is a case of foreign investment, i.e. where would you make the action and could you legally serve and enforce the action papers in foreign jurisdiction. There is a possibility by using international treat formalities such as the Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra-Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters[20] and the Convention of the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters[21]. There are safety clauses for states to protect its sovereignty under private international law, as this is a major factor in any treaty under public international law, which was used in the case of Westinghouse v Rio Tinto Zinc[22] where the request fel l outside the ambit of the treaty and enabled the UK court to 12(b) of the Convention on Service to deny the request because it impinged on the sovereignty of the UK. The Lotus Case[23] reaffirms the basis of public international law in private international law, which is preserving the sanctity of a state’s sovereignty. Therefore creating difficulties in actions between parties in respect to foreign investment as this falls within the jurisdiction of the offended party’s state, which may not extend to the other party’s state. The case of Nationality Decrees in Tunis and Morocco [24] questions the legitimacy of this approach and introduces the subject of international relations and treaties, i.e. international public law; whereby contractual obligations between states should be fulfilled and only in extreme cases impinged upon. Therefore from an investment perspective, which may be third parties the question of extending jurisdiction should be upon the legality of the contract between the two parties and if the contract was between the two states how the obligations and duty of care would be resolved? The ICJ does not deal with such subject matter and has on occasion had to determine domestic or international jurisdiction in the case of Certain Norwegian Loans[25] where it was decided that it was the jurisdiction of the domestic court. On the other hand, similar facts in the Serbian and Brazilian Loans Cases[26] were held to be an international dispute for the ICJ to settle. This creates a difficult situation for states to understand the extent of private investment matters because its obligations may or may not be held at the normal level of private contract law or the higher level of public international contractual obligations. Therefore the ICSID deals independent with the problems between states and companies that want to invest directly in a given state; whereas the LCID deals with the conflicts between companies that are in differen t states. In both cases it is a lot more successful. Conclusion: Unlike the war crime and human rights arbitration it is a lot more successful to have an international place of arbitration and tribunal for commercial and foreign investment conflicts, as it reduces the problems with state sovereignty and regime shopping. The problem with the ICC is the limitations that the contracting states have placed upon it. It needs to be a lot more proactive and have the powers to deal not just with states, but also actors that assist in human rights abuse. At the moment the ICSID system is the best because it has the backing of International Convention and resolves problems in competing International Private Law systems within states. The LCIA is a voluntary organization, which is a good system but needs to be supported by an International Convention such as the ICSID. The ICC has this International Convention support but has failed on the grounds that its jurisdiction is too limited and previous domestic prosecutions and UN tribunals are much more effective . It would be more effective if it could deal with all actors that cause or have a role in gross human rights violations, because the ICC is not living up to its basic premise: The International Criminal Court (ICC)is the first ever permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to promote the rule of law and ensure that the gravest international crimes do not go unpunished.[27] Bibliography: Arab Regional Office (2004) Quarterly Report, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Beirut, Lebanon, March 2004 found at: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/5/arab-mar04.doc Bagheri, 2004, Competition and Integration among Stock Exchanges: The Dilemma of Conflicting Regulatory Objectives and Strategies, OLJS 24(69) Bananalink, Banana Trade Wars can be found at: http://www.usleap.org/Banana/bananatempnew.htm#tradewars B.R. Barber (1995) JIHAD v McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism is Reshaping the World, New York, Times Books Catherine Barnard, 2000, Social Dumping And The Race To The Bottom: Some Lessons For The European Union From Delaware E.L. Rev. 2000, 25(1), 57-78 P. Craig, G. De Burca (1999) The Evolution of EU Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press R.K. Gardiner (2003) International Law, Harlow, England, Pearson Laurent Garzaniti. David Pope, 1993, Single Market-Making: EC Regulation Of Securities Markets Comp. Law. 1993, 14(3), 43-54 ICC, About the Court, can be found at www.icc-cpi.int ICSID, Cases, can be found at: http://www.worldbank.org/icsid/cases/cases.htm International Law Commission, 1996, Chapter Three – State Responsibility can be found at http://www.un.org/law/ilc/reports/1996/chap03.htm LCIA, Arbitration Rules can be found at: www.lcia-arbitration.com Prevent Genocide’s website at: http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#europe Siems, 2003, Convergence, Competition, Centros and Conflicts Of Law: European Company Law In The 21st Century, E.L. Rev. 2002, 27(1), 47-59 N.E. Simmonds, Introduction in W.N Hohfeld (2001), Syrpis, 2001, Smoke without Fire: The Social Policy Agenda and the Internal Market, ILJ 2001(30) UN Mission in Iraq (UNIKOM) can be found at: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unikom/ K. Waltz (1991) America as a Model for the World? PS: Political Science and Politics: 24(4) M. Waters (1995) Globalization, London, Routledge Weiler, 1999, The Constitution of the Common Market Place: Text and Context in the Evolution of the Free Movement of Goods in Craig De Burca (eds), 1999, The Evolution of EU Law, Oxford University Press, Oxford Worldwatch Institute (2004) State of World 2004: Progress Towards a Sustainable Society, London, Earthscan UN, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Some Questions and Answers, found at: http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/iccqa.htm United Nations Press Releases, Roman Statute of International Criminal Court, ESCWA, July 2nd 2002 found at: http://www.escwa.org.lb/information/press/un/2002/july/02_2.html UN website, ICTR, can be found at: http://www.ictr.org/default.htm UN website, ICTY can be found at: http://www.un.org/icty/ [1] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s website at: http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#europe [2] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s website at: http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#europe [3] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s Website at http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#americas [4] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s Website at http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#americas [5] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s Website at http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#americas [6] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s Website at http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#americas [7] Reported on Prevent Genocide’s website at: http://preventgenocide.org/punish/domestic/index.htm#europe [8] UN website, ICTR, can be found at: http://www.ictr.org/default.htm [9] UN website, ICTR, can be found at: http://www.ictr.org/default.htm [10] UN website, ICTY can be found at: http://www.un.org/icty/ [11] LCIA, Arbitration Rules can be found at: www.lcia-arbitration.com [12] Siems, 2003, Convergence, Competition, Centros and Conflicts Of Law: European Company Law In The 21st Century, E.L. Rev. 2002, 27(1), 47-59 [13] Centros Ltd v Erhvervs-og Selskabsstyrelsen (C212/97) [2000] 2 W.L.R. 1048 (ECJ) [14] ICSID, Cases, can be found at: http://www.worldbank.org/icsid/cases/cases.htm [15] Tesoro Petroleum Corporation v. Trinidad and Tobago (Case No. CONC/83/1) [16] France v Serbia (1929) Series A Nos 20/21 [17] Ibid [18] Deutsche Schachtbau v Shell International [1990] 1 AC 295 [19] [1989] 1 All ER 852 [20] The Hague, 1965, UKTS 50 [21] The Hague, 1970, UKTS 20 [22] [1978] AC 547 [23]France v Turkey [1927] PCIJ Series A No 10 [24] (1923) Series B No 4

Prohibtition of Alcohol in Gujarat

Prohibtition of Alcohol in Gujarat LESLIE DO REGO FYBA B. SECTION 1: Gujarat has a sumptuary law in force that proscribes the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Prohibition has been in place ever since statehood in 1960, originally in the purview of the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949, but now under the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 2011, following several amendments. The latest version, which followed 150 deaths caused by hooch in Ahmedabad in 2009, includes the death penalty for those found guilty of making and selling spurious liquor. The law allows for temporary and long-term drinking permits to foreigners, NRIs and tourists, with outlets and purchase limits specified. A resident can get a permit only on health grounds. At special economic zones, the government allows consumption against three-year permits.(service, 2014) SECTION 2: Inter-disciplinary approach: There are many ways in which we can analyse this issue, through different disciplines which give us greater perspective and gives us a better idea of the issue viewed from different angles. First, let me shed some light on the Political aspects of this law: Appeasement of the masses: When looking at a law or a bill, one has to ask the simple question: Why was this proposed? In this case, it’s very simple. The people in power want to appease the people of Gujarat. An alcohol-free state encourages a family state. When I say that I mean parents would be happy to raise their children in a state where it would be impossible for them to fall prey to underage drinking and all the harms that come with it. It becomes an environment which is conducive for children growing up healthy and it keeps the vice of alcohol away. Also, this law has been in existence for over 60 years. In that time, the culture of Gujarat has changed and it has been cemented in the values of the people and families. For now, people are so used to the idea of an alcohol-free state that they may not be willing to make way for a more progressive state of things, in which the laws are relaxed. The conservative population will do anything to maintain this Law. This is wh ere the politics comes into play. Politicians, being pro-Prohibition or anti-prohibition internally, will project themselves as Pro-prohibition in order to appease the masses and gain their support. Vote Buying: This concept is different from Appeasement. Instead of the people following politicians, it’s the other way around in Vote Buying. Politicians provide incentive for people to support them. The reason I’ve brought this concept up in my paper is because of study on the reality of things in Gujarat. There has been evidence of politicians or members from political parties offering alcohol to the people. People have been visited at their homes for these kind of exchanges. It is estimated that liquor demand increases manifold during the election season as many parties resort to supplying liquor to people anticipating favourable voting. This sort of under the table activity is an act of vote buying and it unfortunately occurs which is why I’ve put it into this paper. Booze for ballot: While no police official was willing to be quoted on record about the flow of liquor to specific pockets in the state ahead of elections, sources said that liquor for vote was a reality in several places. During polls, the quantum of seizures made by the Election Commission remains higher than that of the police (Times of India, 2014). However, due to the impending fear of seizures and consequent losses, the transportation of liquor from other states to Gujarat falls during elections. The bootleggers often increase their stock of goods before the poll date and release them gradually at a larger profit. Bribery and monetary gain: Theweekly payoffs flow continuously in government as well as police departments from the bottom to the top. Regular raids on liquor dens and bootleggers, and arrest and imprisonment of offenders, are mere drama which provide the police with some good publicity. For, the truth is that the liquor mafias ensure that families of arrested or jailed bootleggers are not short of money while the hafta collection continues. This has been a regular feature of prohibition in Gujarat from the beginning. It is estimated that the money involved in illicit liquor business is almost equal to the loss in excise and customs duty of the state exchequer. (dna, 2014) So it is glaringly clear that the higher-ups or the people in power benefit from the support of a large percentage of the people for keeping the law in place but also benefit from the under-the-table deals that are rampant in the State with respect to alcohol laws. Social Aspects: Demonstration Effect: Demonstration effects are effects on thebehaviorof individuals caused by observation of the actions of others and their consequences. The term is particularly used inpolitical scienceandsociologyto describe the fact that developments in one place will often act as a catalyst in another place (Wikipedia, 2014). If we look at the law optimistically, we see the behaviour of people as shown by the demonstration effect. Taking the law on prohibition, when alcohol is banned, most of the people stop consuming it. On seeing the behaviour of the people in question, others may stop as well, maybe people from outside Gujarat. So the law does not affect only the citizens of Gujarat. Through the demonstration effect we can see that the alcohol consumption of people from neighbouring states may well decreases thanks to the law. Consumption of spurious alcohol: It is an observed phenomenon in modern studies of human behaviour that when something is taken away from a person, their want for that object increases. We can equate it with the prohibition law. With the ban of alcohol, the demand for it does not go away. In the state of Gujarat a large portion of the population still demand alcohol. This demand is met by bootlegging activities (which I will elaborate on later). However, since the law prohibits the selling of alcoholic substances, the bootlegged liquor that one receives is at a higher price. The people of impoverished circumstances simply cannot afford the good stuff. But the demand remains. Therefore, the poor population resorts to alcohol of an inferior quality. This is often spurious alcohol which is incredibly harmful to the body and can also prove fatal. On 7 July 2009, ten people died inBehrampuraafter drinking spurious liquor.The liquor was brewed in the house of Arvind Solanki, who also died after consuming the liquor. The death toll rose to 43 next dayand crossed 120 by July 12.276 people were admitted in various hospitals with nearly 100 of them inintensive care units.More than 1000 litres of hooch containingmethanolwas brought to AhmedabadfromMohammadabad. (Wikipedia, 2014) Section 3: When one thinks of the economic analysis of Prohibition one’s mind goes to revenue. The revenue of a state under prohibition is significantly less than that of an anti-Prohibition state, obviously. The widespread consumption and purchase of alcohol by the masses provides huge income for the state through sale and tax. But, when we delve deeper into this issue, we see the many aspects of economics that comes into play. The economics of Prohibition and Addiction The relatively inelastic demand for alcohol by an alcoholic: To start off, I’ll explain in a few lines what the elasticity of demand is. It is basically the behaviour of a consumer’s demand with a corresponding change in price. It shows the relationship between the two and measures the extent to which the consumer’s demand changes. When we use the term relatively inelastic demand what we’re saying is the change in price doesn’t have a very big effect on the demand of the consumer. This is usually observed in the demand for essential goods. Therefore, when analysing the demand for alcohol of an alcoholic, he is psychologically and sometimes physically dependant on alcohol. Thus even when the price goes higher he still demands alcohol. So the bootleggers in a way have a direct impact on the welfare of the people, controlled with the prices that they charge for bootlegged alcohol. Also, the sever dependency of an alcoholic on alcohol can drive him into poverty due to his inelastic demand for alcohol and the prev iously mentioned high prices of bootlegged alcohol. We can also see this form the point of view of the sellers of liquor. Experience has shown that stricter the law against drinking, higher is the price of illegal liquor and greater are the profits. The existence of a huge black market of alcohol in the state of Gujarat: As I’ve said before, bootlegging in Gujarat is rampant. It is safe to say that even with the blanket ban, anybody who wants to can have access to alcohol and its products. There are over 300 listed bootleggers in Ahmedabad and over 3,500 in Gujarat. Half of them smuggle IMFL while the rest brew country-made liquor. As part of an unwritten understanding between bootleggers and low-ranking policemen, bootleggers are booked in small-time cases from time to time and sent to jail for short durations. A senior police official says that politicians-from the panchayat to the state levels-are greater beneficiaries of this illicit business. According to an unofficial estimate, the Ahmedabad police getRs.80 lakh toRs.1 crore as monthly bribes from bootleggers. It is believed that the Gujarat police get aroundRs.100 crore as bribes from bootleggers. Vadodara police getRs.50 lakh each year, Surat police getRs.70 lakh andRs.25 lakh goes to the Rajkot police. There have been instances where police officials themselves have created bootleggers to earn illicit money from them. Around a dozen major bootleggers operating from the border areas of Gujarat churn out an annual turnover of overRs.1,500 crore by selling illicit Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) in the state. Hundreds of smaller IMFL and country-made liquor bootleggers operate with impunity under the very noses of the Gujarat police and politicians. With the prohibition law becoming a farce, each year the state Government losesRs.3,000 crore in excise duty due to bootlegging. According to state intelligence sources, bootlegger Kailash Rathis gang alone pushes 10 trucks of IMFL worthRs.1 crore into Gujarat each day. Rathi, who was arrested in Ahmedabad recently, operated from Sanchor, Rajasthan. His annual turnover is pegged atRs.300 crore. Ramesh Patel alias Michaels turnover from selling illicit liquor is as much as Rathis. Patel operates out of Daman on the south Gujarat border. His brother is a district panchayat chief in Daman. That the police are involved in bootlegging is evident from the suspension of an Ahmedabad police inspector for accepting a bribe ofRs.20 lakh from Nagdan Gadhvi, one of Gujarats most active liquor smugglers. (Indiatoday.intoday.in, 2014) So the numbers don’t lie. Gujarat ropes in a huge amount of revenue from bootlegging. But unfortunately, Gujarat does not gain anything. In other states, through various taxes the State has a piece of the pie of this revenue. However, due to the ban, all the money brought in because of alcohol is black money which results in the loss of possible income of thousands of crores of rupees for the exchequer. Increased price of Alcohol: It is a common concept in economics that when supply goes down, price goes up. Now in a State which has a policy of prohibition, it is obvious that the supply falls dramatically. Since, again, it is a state under Prohibition, there can be no regulation in prices. The sellers of alcohol can freely decide the prices of the products they sell and the customers are powerless and have no choice but to accept these prices. And they are forced to pay these prices for their daily fix. Policy Efficacy and Section 4: The avoidance of alcohol consumption can be looked at as a noble cause. However, the government should not have the right to force it upon people. We elect the government to protect us and serve us for the good of the country. The attempt at legislating what is moral should not be encouraged. I feel that this law should be repealed. It is a law which is over 60 years old and is a hindrance to the advancement of India on a global scale. There are many direct losses due to this law. The state loses thousands of crores of excise duty which, in turn, has to be recovered by making other goods and services more expensive. Gujarats government has estimated that it loses Rs 30 Billion ($ 615 Million, â‚ ¬ 441 Million, Â £ 379 Million) a year in excise revenues from prohibition, hinting at the true magnitude of the states underground alcohol trade (1). Several other Indian states have tried prohibition in the past, but all except Gujarat have abandoned it. Gujarat is trying hard to promot e itself as a global investment destination and a tourist hub. For both these industries, the ban on alcohol has an adverse effect. Indians are ok with the hypocrisy of routinely breaking the law. Many foreigners are not. Foreign tourists do not find it exciting or normal to have bootlegged alcohol. Gujarat’s beach destinations, for instance, will never thrive unless the alcohol policy is lifted. Tourism creates jobs. With this law in place, we are preventing employment to thousands of Gujarat’s youth. Also, even as an investment destination, this policy isn’t helping Gujarat. There is no global finance city – be it London, New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul or Mumbai — where alcohol is banned. World businessmen don’t wish to live in a place where they are doing something illegal when they attend a party. If Gujarat is serious about becoming a world class business destination, the need of the hour is to benchmark its laws to these locations. Looking at it from an economic point of view, even then, I feel it is imperative to repeal the law. As I’ve said above, Gujarat cannot hope to become a global financial hub if this law remains. The massive increase in revenue if the law is repealed can go a long way in improving the conditions in Gujarat and can finance a number of social welfare schemes. To end, I say that taking steps to address social problems such as alcoholism are welcome. But prohibition, especially if implemented in bits and pieces, may not serve its purpose. The Government should endeavour to educate people about the perils of excess alcohol consumption. An outright ban impacts not only people with a drinking problem, but also those who see alcohol as a recreational beverage and social lubricant. CITATIONS: dna, (2014).The punch of liquor lies in prohibition by Gujarat govt | Latest News Updates at Daily News Analysis. http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/report-the-punch-of-liquor-lies-in-prohibition-by-gujarat-govt-1626224 The Times of India, (2014).In dry Gujarat, booze demand soars before polls; EC’s largest liquor seizure in India was made in state The Times of India.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/In-dry-Gujarat-booze-demand-soars-before-polls-ECs-largest-liquor-seizure-in-India-was-made-in-state/articleshow/34223925.cms service, E. (2014).Prohibition: How Gujarat and other states fared. [online] The Financial Express. Available at: http://archive.financialexpress.com/news/prohibition-how-gujarat-and-other-states-fared/1283150 J Indian Acad Forensic Med. Jan- March 2012, Vol. 34, No. 1 Indiatoday.intoday.in, (2014).The price of Prohibition : NATION, News India Today. [online] Available at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/illicit-liquor-business-thrives-in-gujarat/1/130913.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2014]. Wikipedia, (2014).2009 Gujarat alcohol poisonings. [online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Gujarat_alcohol_poisonings Wikipedia, (2014).Demonstration effect. [online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonstration_effect

Showing up the Actor :: Boxing Personal Narrative Papers

Showing up the Actor When I was younger I spent much of my time alone. My father bred in me, perhaps by nothing more than his example, a certain New England stoicism which thrived on solitude. Nothing displayed this rustic discipline more than the pop-up camper my father bought from our neighbors when I was six. From that summer our family spent most vacations on the road, pulling the camper behind us, my father winching it up and spreading the canvas roofing in Nova Scotia or Florida or upstate New York. Many summers later I insisted that I live in the camper, parked in the driveway. My mother brought me my meals and my father decided I should begin reading Hemingway. I sat propped in the tent-like house, eating hot dogs and reading terse, athletic prose about boxers and bullfights and impotent veterans. I figured out why my father named our dog Brett. I also spent a good deal of time at elite institutions of learning. When he wasn't camping my father taught math at prep schools. From my birth until my fourth birthday we lived at St. George's in Newport, Rhode Island, among the brocaded mansions like Egypt's pyramids, crafted of heavy-set stones. Then, in 1981, we moved to Phillips Academy in Andover, where the shops on the main street came in threes: bank boutique salon bank boutique salon. I can think of no better reason than that for why I took up boxing in the summer before my Senior year of college -- than that I spent most of my youth alone at elite institutions. And yet, in my four years as a student at Phillips, enrolling eleven years after my family's arrival, I wasn't entirely alone. A friend of mine, Noah -- his father also taught on the faculty. Noah also received the ninety percent tuition discount. Noah's fridge was also usually empty, because he had also eaten in school cafeterias for most of his life. He had also, for four years, somehow slipped between the kid whose wealth was a ticket to fuck around and the boy whose mother was a janitor, between the blonde suburban girl whose father owned The New York Times and the tight-knit handful of urban kids who came under the banner program of "A Better Chance" -- that is, between privilege and opportunity. This is not to say that the two sides of this educational gauntlet weighed in equally. Showing up the Actor :: Boxing Personal Narrative Papers Showing up the Actor When I was younger I spent much of my time alone. My father bred in me, perhaps by nothing more than his example, a certain New England stoicism which thrived on solitude. Nothing displayed this rustic discipline more than the pop-up camper my father bought from our neighbors when I was six. From that summer our family spent most vacations on the road, pulling the camper behind us, my father winching it up and spreading the canvas roofing in Nova Scotia or Florida or upstate New York. Many summers later I insisted that I live in the camper, parked in the driveway. My mother brought me my meals and my father decided I should begin reading Hemingway. I sat propped in the tent-like house, eating hot dogs and reading terse, athletic prose about boxers and bullfights and impotent veterans. I figured out why my father named our dog Brett. I also spent a good deal of time at elite institutions of learning. When he wasn't camping my father taught math at prep schools. From my birth until my fourth birthday we lived at St. George's in Newport, Rhode Island, among the brocaded mansions like Egypt's pyramids, crafted of heavy-set stones. Then, in 1981, we moved to Phillips Academy in Andover, where the shops on the main street came in threes: bank boutique salon bank boutique salon. I can think of no better reason than that for why I took up boxing in the summer before my Senior year of college -- than that I spent most of my youth alone at elite institutions. And yet, in my four years as a student at Phillips, enrolling eleven years after my family's arrival, I wasn't entirely alone. A friend of mine, Noah -- his father also taught on the faculty. Noah also received the ninety percent tuition discount. Noah's fridge was also usually empty, because he had also eaten in school cafeterias for most of his life. He had also, for four years, somehow slipped between the kid whose wealth was a ticket to fuck around and the boy whose mother was a janitor, between the blonde suburban girl whose father owned The New York Times and the tight-knit handful of urban kids who came under the banner program of "A Better Chance" -- that is, between privilege and opportunity. This is not to say that the two sides of this educational gauntlet weighed in equally.