Influence to Hong Kong as an International Logistics Hub

[pic] Influence to Hong Kong as an international logistics hub – under the â€Å"Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation† | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Influence to Hong Kong as an international logistics hub – under the â€Å"Framework Agreement on Hong Kong nd Guangdong Co-operation† cvnru1ulicenen6. iewst4d)0/su18. 4h06k244-055322175 (on ABSTRACT On 7 April 2010, The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Huang Huahua, signed the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation. The Framework Agreement builds on years of closely co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong. This report reviews the development of Co-operation Agreement between Guangdong and Hong Kong and the implementation of Hong Kong’s logistics industry based on the agreement.To fully understand this Framework Agreement, we explore the challenges confronting Hong Kong as an international logistic hub and event ually acquire some benefits through the co-operation of Hong Kong and Guangdong. REVIEW THE DEVELOPMENT OF CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN PEARL RIVER DELTA AND HONG KONG The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement – CEPA (signed on June 2003) CEPA introduced liberalization measures for various â€Å"Hong Kong service suppliers†.Logistics industry is one of the â€Å"Hong Kong service suppliers† and recognized to set up wholly-owned enterprises in mainland to provide logistics, international freight forwarding, storage, warehousing, road transport and shipping services. This arrangement not only provided opportunities to Hong Kong logistics companies to access mainland market but also liberated trade in goods and trade in services between mainland and Hong Kong.Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Co-operation Framework Agreement (signed on June 2004) The Pearl River Delta region(PRD), as known as â€Å"9+2†, which includes Guangdong, Fuji an, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Under this agreement, the Pearl River Delta region cooperated closely and intensively in infrastructure, trade, industry, investment and other areas. Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have entered a new stage of economic integration. Pan-Pearl River Delta Logistics Development Co-operation Agreement (signed on July 2005) Logistics industry acts as an important role in economic development.This agreement aimed to strengthen the coordination on logistics planning; logistics and transport system; logistics information system and human resources development and technological innovation. It was a remarkable stage of model logistics development in PRD. Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation (signed on July 2010) To continue the implementation of CEPA, the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation clearly defined the social economic development between Hong Kong and Guang dong.It enhanced Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre and expedited the development of financial services industries in Guangdong; it also facilitated the flow of key factors such as people, goods, information and capital across the boundary to build an international aviation, shipping and logistics hub and a world-class modern economic circulation sphere. A series of environmental protection plans have been carried out to create a high quality living area among the PRD.CO-OPERATION INITIATIVES ON CUSTOMS CLEARANCE OF GOODS The Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation has included infrastructure projects to enhance logistics development and communication and cross-boundary development. To achieve the facilitation of the flow of goods across the boundary, Hong Kong and Guangdong have put forward a number of specific policies and measures. Hong Kong Government advocated the standardization of the information and data required by the custo ms of the mainland.Hong Kong first launched the electronic Road Cargo System (ROCARS) in May 2010 to enable seamless clearance of road cargoes. With this new electronic information platform and building on the foundation of mutual co-operation and benefit, Hong Kong and Mainland Customs are able to make further contribution to enhance customs clearance efficiency and facilitate cross-boundary movement of goods. Road Cargo System (ROCARS) The present customs clearance arrangement at land boundary control points (LBCP), a truck driver has to stop first at an Immigration kiosk and then a Customs kiosk.He delivers a paper manifest which contains relevant cargo information at the latter to a Customs officer who determines on the spot whether physical inspection is necessary. It needs to wait for a moment until it is approved by the Customs. ROCARS allows Customs Officers to perform risk profiling before a truck arrives at LBCP. A shipper or agent needs to provide cargo data in eight fiel ds to the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) electronically before the cargo enters or exits Hong Kong by truck. Meanwhile, the shipper or agent receives a customs reference number for his consignment.The driver of a laden truck needs to report to C&ED within 30 minutes before his truck arriving LBCP, together with the customs reference number of the consignment concerned received from the shipper and his vehicle registration number. If it is not selected by the Customs, no physical inspection is required. Benefits of ROCARS ROCARS allows the Customs officers conduct risk profiling on every cargo consignment in advance and determine whether a truck needs to be inspected. All cross-boundary trucks, except those are selected for inspection, they enjoy seamless customs clearance at the land boundary.It increases the efficiency and shortens the time for customs clearance of road cargoes; it also ensures a smooth flow of land boundary traffic. For the transportation and logistics indus try, many truck drivers deliver a loaded container from China factory via Hong Kong and the goods are to be transshipped overseas by liner vessel. ROCARS can enhance speedy and secure movement of cargoes between Hong Kong and China. As a result, cargoes can be delivered on time to liner vessel stably and reliable. It encourages the development of Hong Kong as an international logistics hub.COLLABORATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY To facilitate information flow and service integration towards Hong Kong and Mainland, Hong Kong started to develop and operate the Digital Trade and Transportation Network (DTTN) on 2005. The aim of DTTN is to lower the barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enjoy e-commerce; it provides Hong Kong and the PRD with an e-infrastructure to secure the region’s place as a leading international logistics hub. Digital Trade and Transportation Network (DTTN)DTTN is an e-platform to connect the organizations in trading , logistics and financial industries and to enable them to exchange business documents electronically with their trading partners. It supports the whole supply chains, including Sellers and Buyers, Carriers, Freight Forwarders, Terminals, Government and Agencies, Inspection Agencies, Insurance Institutions and Banking Institutions; it provides a wide range of services on message routing and transformation, data inheritance, statistical and analytical reporting.Over 80 major documents such as Purchase or Sales order, Packing list, Shipping order, House waybill, Customs clearance or Letter of Credit†¦etc can be supported by DTTN service which facilitates the information flow and service integration on trading, logistics, finance, import and export businesses. Benefits of DTTN DTTN enables new business opportunities for logistic service providers to provide value-add services; Hong Kong logistics industry can compete as premium service leader on high quality value-added services r ather than merely competing on cost.Logistics information flow is one of the key factors for the companies to achieve success. DTTN help to maximize the benefits of e-logistics by utilizing a cost effective infrastructure. It is a neutral, secure and reliable e-platform for trading and logistics communities which can smooth the whole international logistics operation and improve our competitiveness. It further promotes regional integration and enhances the supply-chain efficiency. IMPLEMENTATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTSWith an excellent infrastructure and telecommunications facilities, a well established financial and legal system, a good international connections and a free market for trading. Hong Kong enjoys a number of competitive advantages in developing logistic industry. Facing the rapid growth of logistics development in Guangdong province, to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international logistic hub, HKSAR Government is urged to develop a closer corporation between Hong Kong and PRD.The Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation which specified several policies on expediting the construction of cross-boundary highway, rail links and ancillary works; building a high class navigation network in PRD; improving the mechanism of the five major airports in the PDR; proactively seeking national support for enlarging the air space in the PDR; supporting the aviation status of each airport, building a network of short-haul helicopter services in the PRD. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB)The HMZB project connects Hong Kong, Macau and the major cities in PRD, there will be a loop of high speed linkage among Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Guangxi, Hainan and other south western part of mainland. (Figure 1. ) [pic] Figure 1: Retrieved from Highway Department http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf It consists of three sections (Figure 2). The western section is a link road within Zhuhai and the Zhuhai-Macao Boundary Crossing Facilities (ZMBCF). TheZhuhai Link Road will connect ZMBCF to the inland area of Zhuhai. The middle section is the HZMB Main Bridge. [pic] Figure 2: Retrieved from Highway Department http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf The eastern section is within Hong Kong, there will be a Hong Kong Link Road (HKLR) to connect the HZMB Main Bridge to the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF). Meanwhile, the tunnel of HKLR will also connect Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to the HKBCF.HKBCF will serve as a strategic multi-model transportation hub, HKBCF will include construction cargo and passenger related facilities, public transport interchange, open road tolling system and some Government buildings will be set up in there. It is believed that the HMZB will bring more road haulage service between Hong Kong and mainland, in connection with the bridge, a highway is to b e built to connect Tuen Mun and Chek Lap Lok( TMCLK Link and the Tuen Mun Western Bypass) in order to meet the traffic demand between Northwest New Territories (NWNT) and North Lantau via HKBCF. (Figure 3) [pic]Figure 3: Retrieved from Highway Department http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf Impacts of the HZMB The journey between Hong Kong and the Western PRD can be shortened to within three hours, it will take around 30mins from Zhuhai to Hong Kong International Airport which will significantly reduce the cost and time for passenger and good flow between Hong Kong and the Western PRD. In addition, the HZMB will bring tremendous benefit to Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macao in the areas of economic development, tourism, finance, logistics and ultural exchange. Hong Kong’s logistics industry will not only be able to get more business in the PRD but also extend their services into the inland area of the Mainland includ ing the resource-rich Sichuan Province. Hence, it further enhances Hong Kong’s status as an international transportation and aviation hub. Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line (WEL) To promote the development of Qianhai and NWNT and enhance the co-operation between the two airports in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, there will be a cross boundary railway, WEL, to connect the western part of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including the two airports.From now the mainland destinations of HKIA mainly are the mainland cities far away from Hong Kong such as Shanghai and Beijing. Facing the rapid economic development in Mainland, the demand for domestic flights will continue to increase; there will be the same demand of international flights of international transit flight via Hong Kong. It is believed that WEL helps to connect the two airports between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, it will help the two cities in achieving a win-win situation by complementing each other and enhancing competitiveness. Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL)To expedite the construction of various cross-boundary transport infrastructures between Hong Kong and Mainland, XRL will connect Hong Kong with the Mainland’s national high-speed railway network which will significantly reduce the journey time. XRL is an express rail to link up Hong Kong with Guangzhou via Futian and Longhua in Shenzhen and Humen in Dongguan. The terminus in Guangzhou will be located at Shibi, which is the centre of the Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan area. The Mainland section of XRL will start from Shibi and enter Hong Kong via Huanggang. (figure 4) [pic] Figure 4: Retrieved from Legislative Council brief http://legco. gov. k/yr09-10/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp1022-thb200910a-e. pdf The Hong Kong Section is started from Huangguan, there will be an underground railway running from Huanggang to West Kowloon Terminus at the West Kowloon District, and between the Airport Express Kowloon Station and t he West Rail Austin Station. [pic] Figure 5: Retrieved from Legislative Council brief http://legco. gov. hk/yr07-08/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp-thbtcr11658199-e. pdf Impacts of the XRL XRL is vitally important to Hong Kong. It will connect Hong Kong with the Mainland's national high-speed railway network and significantly reduce the journey time.A trip between Hong Kong and Shibi on the XRL will only take 48 minutes, to Wuhan in five hours, and to Shanghai and Beijing in about eight and 10 hours respectively. The XRL will terminate at the New Guangzhou Passenger Terminus at Shibi in Guangzhou. Shibi, together with the stations at Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, are designated as the four major national railway passenger hubs of the Mainland. The Terminus is planned to become a mega transport hub. Hence, XRL will help reinforce Hong Kong’s status as a transport, financial and commercial hub of China.It will support the sustained growth of our four traditional economic pillars – Financial services, tourism, logistics, business support and professional services. CONSOLIDATING HONG KONG’S DEVELOPMENT AS AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS CENTRE Positioning of Hong Kong International Airport(HKIA) HKIA is the word’s busiest cargo airport, it has handled a record high of 4. 13 million tonnes of cargo in 2010. To meet the anticipated growth in demand, a new air cargo terminal is being constructed and is expected to commence operation in early 2013; the cargo-handling capacity will be increased.In long term, building a third runway is necessary to meet the forecast growth of passenger and cargo handling up to 2030. It will maintain the competitive edge of Hong Kong as an international and regional aviation centre. In view of increasing aircraft movements in PRD region, air routes and airspace open for civil aviation are insufficient, flights on many air routes have to make an additional detour or fly to a certain flight level t o ensure safety, it increased the flight time and flight delay in Mainland is always happened from time to time.To meet the aviation development needs and strengthen the economies between Hong Kong and Mainland, HKSAR government has to formulate a development plan for future air spaces capacity of the HKIA as well as the positioning of HKIA in accordance with its function as mentioned in the Framework Agreement to avoid the traffic congestion in the airspace over the PRD region. Measures to enhance the maritime port’s competitiveness To reinforce Hong Kong's position as a renowned international maritime centre and it is believed that a well established international business and maritime network is necessary.With regard to port expansion, HKSAR Government is looking for the right location for Container Terminal 10, which may be required as early as 2015. It will be other local transportation projects to shorten the travelling time of goods and commuters within the territory. The Hong Kong Shipping Register is the first-rate service offered by the Hong Kong maritime cluster. To maintain the reputation of the Hong Kong Shipping Register, the Hong Kong Marine Department will work closely with the industry to enhance the standards of Hong Kong ships and increase the competitiveness of the Register.Such as providing e-services for expanding one-stop shop services for ship registration, strengthening pre-registration quality control and enhancing coordination with the relevant Mainland authorities to offer better protection for Hong Kong ships. Hong Kong can also provide higher value-added services like maritime insurance, ship financing, international arbitration and logistic management to form a stronger industrial cluster.POSITIONING HONG KONG AND GUANGDONG AS A MODERN ECONIMIC CIRCULATION SPHERE To reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a logistics and maritime centre, Hong Kong needs to have first-class infrastructure facilities in parallel with hard i nfrastructure development. Banking and Bond Business The Framework Agreement deepens the Hong Kong’s RMB trade settlement and finance businesses at local level. It provides a best platform for Mainland authorities and Hong Kong Monetary Authority to jointly discuss and investigate how to expedite the application of RMB outside the China and continuously improve the RMB trade settlement services.It also facilitates the bond services, the qualified Guangdong financial organizations and companies can issue RMB bonds in Hong Kong. This approach creates many different financial channels to both sides and supports the development of Hong Kong’s RMB bond services simultaneously. Securities Services For securities business, the Framework Agreement pushes forward connection and mutual co-operation in respect of talents, knowledge, products, and institutions between both sides.In addition, more Guangdong financial organizations and companies are encouraged to raise funds in Hong Kong and to be Hong Kong listed companies. In order to strengthen the collaboration of securities services between Hong Kong and Guangdong, the supplement VI of Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) was signed in 2009 which permitted securities organizations in Mainland and Hong Kong to establish securities investment consultancies in joint venture mode. Insurance ServicesWith the support of Framework Agreement, the qualified Hong Kong financial organizations can set up legal institutions with insurance services in Guangdong and this facilitates Hong Kong insurance organizations to develop business in Mainland by lowering the entry requirements of Mainland insurance market. The supplement IV of CEPA helps Hong Kong insurance agents to set up wholly-owned companies in Mainland. The collaboration of China Insurance Regulatory Commission and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance in Hong Kong can continuously be increased.Developing international logis tics hub in Hong Kong and PRD region The Framework Agreement helps the development of financial logistics service in Hong Kong by integrating supply, production and sales and formed the financial supply chain system. It was the revolution of third-party logistics services in Hong Kong. Financial logistics service has became gradually popular that combined with logistics and financial products. The ability of third-party logistics services and operating profit has been improved; logistic companies can expand financing channels, reduce financing costs and improve capital management efficiency.The new third-party logistics service definitely drives toward the goal of win-win supply chain. Logistics companies can activate occupied costs of idle raw materials and finished products for optimizing companies’ resources. The provision of financial logistics service can enhance companies’ integrated logistics services and competitiveness; it further increases the business scale as well as the value-added services. The enhanced financial costing and broad financing channels reduce the capital utilization of raw materials and semi-finished products.Moreover, the optimal capital allocation can reduce the procurement costs, expand sales volume and increase the companies’ sales profits. For further support, financial logistics services help companies to expand the size of loans for smoothing the cash flow, reduce credit risk and support the disposal of bad assets. The combination of logistics services and financial services which provides an integrated supply chain financial plan, it also increases the competitive advantage and profits.Through the financial logistic services, the warehouse logistic companies can achieve multilateral success; enhance customers’ capital capability and responsiveness to market risk. It encourages customers to deal with the warehouse goods processing and facilitates the interactive information sharing of goods, large amount of goods storage and high goods turnover rate. The diversified payment methods can maximize customers’ capital settlement. Therefore, customers’ pressure on accounts receivable can be reduced.With the connection of logistics and insurance industries, it provides a comprehensive logistics insurance service for all supply chain activities and items. It includes equipment damage, goods delivery, property and facilities, operation safety of trucks and other means of transport, and employee insurance, etc. Through the enhanced financial services, increased financial channels and the supports of Mainland banks and insurance companies, the logistics industry in Hong Kong obtains abundant resources to develop the financial logistics services, logistics routes and business in Mainland.Foreign enterprises also can take Hong Kong and Guangdong as a platform to invest in mainland market, in returns, Hong Kong acts as a bridgehead for Mainland enterprises to â€Å"go global † and establishes their head office in Hong Kong and promotes their business to global markets. CONCLUSION Hong Kong is the gateway of China and positioned in the heart of Asia; we can reach all major Asian countries within four hours and half of the world's population within five hours by plane.However, facing the changes of global economic structure and the worldwide trend of forming a regional economic co-operation and competition, it is difficult for an individual city to compete at its own. As such Hong Kong has to strengthen itself by co-operating with Mainland, particularly PRD region in Guangdong, to search for larger market hinterland so as to maintain its long term competitiveness. Under the outline of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong Guangdong Co-operation, Hong Kong has to work towards betterment by consolidating innovation into its existing pillar industries, including finance, trading, shipping and logistics.To enhance our competitiveness, Hong Kong has conti nued investing in key infrastructure projects to maintain an efficient multi-modal transport network which covering air, land and sea to meet the different needs. Major infrastructure projects like HZMB, XRL and WEL, which materialize the â€Å"one-hour intercity circle† for people in PRD region and enforce a sound regional system of marine, land and air transport integration within this region. To facilitate the logistic flow and customs procedures, ROCARS has been introduced on the customs clearance.Some other recommendations on customs procedures can be considered in future, for instance, a mutual recognition of the examination results of cross-boundary vehicles, relaxation of the restrictions on Hong Kong trucks with valid licenses to travel in Mainland, as well as a centralized electronic communication platform on other control points to shorten the customs clearance time. In parallel with hard infrastructure development, Hong Kong should continue to develop the required software, particularly in the expansion of our aviation network, nurturing fresh talent and IT development.Hong Kong should make use the advantage of legal system and professional service, an extensive shipping and aviation network so as to provide a high value-added logistic services like pick-and pack and inventory management services. We believe that maintaining a closely correlation between Hong Kong’s hard and soft infrastructure is one of the factors to sustain our economic growth and prosperity. To further reinforce Hong Kong’s position as an international logistic hub and a gateway for Asia to access global markets, we have to tie with the co-operation and development of mainland.Last but not lease, we do believe we shall always empower ourselves to meet the great challenges and proactively identify new engines of economic growth of Hong Kong. References Trade and Industry Department â€Å"Supplement to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership A rrangement† Retrieved 27 Sept, 2011 from http://www. tid. gov. hk/english/cepa/legaltext/cepa2. html Trade and Industry Department â€Å"The CEPA benefits Hong Kong economy, January 5, 2006† Retrieved 27 Sept, 2011 from http://www. tid. gov. hk/english/aboutus/presspeech/press/2006/20060105. htmlCustoms and Excise Department – Road Cargo System (ROCARS) https://www. rocars. gov. hk/en/landing_page. html Digital Trade and Transportation Network http://www. hk-dttn. com/home/english/home. html Digital Trade and Transportation Network (2005) †Tradelink announces agreements with the HKSAR Government on the Digital Trade & Transportation Network (DTTN)† Retrieved 26 Sept, 2011 from http://www. hk-dttn. com/events/english/050901_Agreements_DTTN_E. pdf Digital Trade and Transportation Network (2006) â€Å"Microsoft and DTTNCo Join Hands to Enhance Supply Chain Efficiency in Hong Kong† Retrieved 26 Sept 2011 from http://www. k-dttn. com/events/english/ Microsoft-DTTNCo%20Press%20Release_Eng. pdf Digital Trade and Transportation Network (Nov 2004) â€Å"Approach for Digital Trade and Transportation Network (DTTN) Document Structure Development† Retrieved on 26 Sept 2011 from http://www. hk-dttn. com/advisory/english/doc_dev_v0. 2. pdf Hong Kong's Information Service Department (April 2010), Press Release of â€Å"Signing ceremony of Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation held in Beijing† Retrieved on 27 Sept 2011 from http://www. info. gov. hk/gia/general/201004/07/P201004070113. tm Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in New York(2010) â€Å"Hong Kong, Guangdong sign cooperation pact† Retrieved on 27 Sept 2011 from http://www. hketony. gov. hk/ny/e-newsletter/10mar/CoopPact. htm Transport and Housing Bureau of HKSAR http://www. thb. gov. hk/eng/policy/transport/issues/cbt_3. htm Transport and Housing Bureau (2011), Hon Jeffrey Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng at the Legislative Council meeting, â€Å"Logistic industry in Hong Kongâ€Å" Retrieved on 28 Sept 2011 from http://www. hb. gov. hk/eng/psp/pressreleases/transport/logistics/2011/201102161. pdf Highways Department (Oct 2009) International Business Committee â€Å"Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge† Retrieved on 28 Sept 2011 from http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf Legislative council brief (2010) â€Å"Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express Rail Link ( XRL )† Retrieved on 1 Oct 2011 from http://www. legco. gov. hk/yr09-10/chinese/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp1022cb1-166-1-ec. pdfLegislative council brief (Oct 2009), â€Å"Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express rail link funding arrangement and Special rehousing package† Retrieved on 1 Oct 2011 from http://legco. gov. hk/yr09-10/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp10 22-thb200910a-e. pdf Legislative council brief (April 2008) â€Å"Hong Kong section of Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express rail link† Retrieved on 1 Oct 2011 from http://legco. gov. hk/yr07-08/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp-thbtcr11658199-e. pdf Transport and Housing Bureau of HKSAR – XRL ttp://www. thb. gov. hk/eng/policy/transport/issues/cbt_4. htm MTR Corporation Limited http://www. expressraillink. hk/en/database/xrl-in-hk. html Transport and Housing Bureau (May 2011) Speech of the Secretary for Transport and Housing at a shipping community luncheon in Korea. Retrieved on 1 Oct 2011 from http://www. thb. gov. hk/eng/psp/speeches/transport/maritime/2011/201105311. pdf Transport and Housing Bureau (Mar 2011) Secretary for Transport and Housing's opening remarks (transport policy areas) at LegCo Special Finance Committee Meeting.Retrieved on 1 Oct 2011 from http://www. thb. gov. hk/eng/psp/speeches/transport/land/2011/201103221. pdf Constitu tional and Mainland Affairs Bureau http://www. cmab. gov. hk/en/issues/council. htm Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation (2010) â€Å"Highlights of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation† Retrieved on 6 October 2011 from http://www. hkecic. com/compass/eng/201006/Compass201006_2_RoadtoChina3. pdf Kee, P. & Yoshimatsu, H. (2010), Global movements in the Asia Pacific, 1st edn. World Scientific Publishing Company, US. Luo, Z. (2010), Service Science and Logistics Informatics: Innovative Perspectives, 1st edn. , IGI Global snippet, US. Waters, D. (2010), Global Logistics: New Directions in Supply Chain Management, 6th edn. , Kogan Page Publishers, UK. Legislative Council (2010) †Legislative Council Panel on Commerce and Industry Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation† Retrieved on 6 October 2011 from http://www. legco. gov. hk/yr09-10/english/panels/ci/papers/cicb1-1559-1-e. pdf

Spf and Sunscreen

What do the SPF Numbers on Sunscreen mean? What is the SPF number on the sun screens? The higher the number, the better, right? Before you head out in the sun this summer, you should know a few things about SPF. What is it, exactly? What do the numbers mean, and how high can they go? We use sunscreen to block ultraviolet light from damaging the skin. There are two categories of UV light. The UVA- has more long-term damaging effects on the skin, like premature aging. UVB –causes sunburns.SPF or sun protection factor, numbers were introduced in 1962 to measure a sunscreen's effect against UVB rays. To determine a sunscreen's SPF, testers round up 20 sun-sensitive people and measure the amount of UV rays it takes them to burn without sunscreen. Then they redo the test with sunscreen. The â€Å"with sunscreen† number is divided by the â€Å"without sunscreen† number, and the result is rounded down to the nearest five. This is the SPF. SPF numbers start at 2 and have just recently reached 70.To figure out how long you can stay in the sun with a given SPF, use this equation: Minutes to burn without sunscreen x SPF number = maximum sun exposure time For example, if you burn after 10 minutes of sun exposure, an SPF of 15 will allow you to be in the sun for up to 150 minutes without burning. You should know that this equation is not always accurate. People usually use far less sunscreen than the amount used in testing. In the real world, the average sun worshipper uses half the amount of sunscreen used in the laboratory, which could result in a sunburn in half the time. My mom and her family grew up around a swimming pool.They spend all day by the pool when we go out of town. My grandparents have to get cancer removed every year. It is true, a higher SPF number means more sun-exposure time. It also indicates the level of UVB absorption, but this number doesn't increase exponentially, which can be confusing. For example, an SPF of 15 absorbs 93. 3 pe rcent of UVB rays, but an SPF of 30 absorbs 96. 7 percent. The SPF number has doubled, but the absorption rate has increased by only 3. 4 percent. Because of the confusion about UVB absorption, the FDA proposed a cap on SPF numbers. Any sunscreen higher than 30 SPF would be a â€Å"30-plus. Thirty was the decided cap because above that, the percentage of UVB absorbed and overall protection of the skin increases only slightly, but people may misinterpret these higher SPF numbers as a much higher level of protection or even a guarantee of all-day protection. SPF| % UV absorbed | 2| 50 | 4 | 70 | 8 | 87. 5 | 15 | 93. 3 | 30 | 96. 7 | 50 | 98 | As helpful as the FDA was trying to be, the cap is clearly not in practice: Neutrogena and Hawaiian Tropic recently released sunscreens boasting an SPF of 70. We have sunscreens ranging from 15 SPF to 70 SPF in our cupboard at home.There are several factors that allow all of us to get a sunburn even if we have sunscreen on. First, we don’ t use enough. Second, despite waterproof or sweatproof labels, all sunscreens decrease in effectiveness when exposed to water or sweat. If you don't apply the correct amount and then reapply after exposure to water, a 12-hour bake in the sun could give you a serious sunburn. The bottom line is that a sunscreen with a higher SPF does offer higher protection against UVB rays, but once you get past SPF 30, protection doesn't increase very much, and the higher number may give you a false sense of protection.Instead of letting SPF be your only guide to sun protection, avoid a burn by following a few simple sunscreen rules. 1. Know yourself: If you are whiter than a sheet of paper, if your Aunt Linda has skin cancer, or if you are sensitive to the sun because of a medication or a medical condition, take extra measures. Stay out of the sun as much as possible, wear a hat when you are out, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF and reapply that sunscreen often. Don’t put a lo t of sun screen on and lay out by the pool. 2.Look for â€Å"Broad-spectrum† label: The SPF number indicates protection only against UVB rays — many sunscreens, even those with a high SPF, allow UVA rays to be absorbed by the skin. UVA protection is usually indicated by a â€Å"broad-spectrum† label. Look for this label to ensure the most well-rounded sun coverage. Broad-spectrum sunscreen ensures protection from both UVA and UVB rays. The latest sunscreens boast new chemicals, like Mexoryl, which has proven to be one of the most effective UVA-blockers out there. 3. Be prepared- be proactive in planning: To be effective, sunscreen eeds to be fully absorbed into the skin, so apply it 15 to 30 minutes before you even step into the sun. Make sure your whole family has taken the time to put sunscreen on. Then get ready for your time outdoors. 4. Reapply yourself: Whether you're lying by the pool or mowing the lawn, you'll probably be exposed to sweat or water, the n atural enemies of sunscreen. To be safe, reapply after you swim or sweat. If you are going to a friends home or to the park, take a bottle with you. My mom keeps a bottle in each of our golf bags.It takes almost 3 hours to play 9 holes in the junior league and it is extremely hot. 5. Full exposure: No matter how high the SPF, sunscreen can protect only the skin it covers. The most commonly missed spots are the temples, ears, back of the neck and top of the feet. If you are sometimes guilty of losing your focus while applying your lotion, try one of the sunscreens that contains disappearing colorants, so you can identify unlotioned areas before they burn to a crisp. Our generation needs to learn from our parents and grandparents.My grandma and grandpa Cox are always having skin cancer frozen or burned. My grandma has had a small part of her nose removed from malignant skin cancer. My mom grew up with a pool in her backyard her whole life. She spent so many years laying out in the sun with no sunscreen on. She also spent a year at BYU Hawaii so she could be in the sun. Our family is good about putting sunscreen on but we can all be better. I have learned so much about protecting my skin. This summer I am going to make a goal to wear sunscreen at the beginning of the day and have a bottle with me.

'The global financial crisis (2007-2009) is an evidence of the Essay

'The global financial crisis (2007-2009) is an evidence of the weaknesses of the existing international and national regulator - Essay Example The excessive spending and the systemic risk associated due to the fluctuation of macroeconomic factors in the world economic environment exposed the investments and the subsequent lending by the financial institutions to high risks which was slowly growing into a large bubble1. Before the global financial crisis that started in US during 2007 and rippled throughout the world, the prices of the real estate was soaring very high. Thus, people could make huge profits in the short run by investing in US properties which was unmatched with any other investment in the US and the international markets. Apart from this, the national government in US also adopted the policy of property holding right for the US citizens that encouraged the financial institutions and their intermediaries to lend for the purpose of purchase of property2. However, due to the lack of tight regulatory framework, there were cases of lending and investments that could be identified as risky due to several factors li ke repayment capability of the investor, feasibility of the investment returns, regulatory compliance, etc3. The heavy bubble of bad lending by the financial institutions burst into a global financial crisis which was an evidence of the weakness of the national and international regulatory frameworks that were put in place for avoiding the systemic risk and the excessive risk taking of the financial institutions. Systemic risk The systematic risk is explained by the risk that arises due to the fluctuation of the macro economic factors like export-import, appreciation of depreciation of currencies, economic performance of developed countries, changes in international investments, fluctuations in the financial return and risk, etc. The global financial crisis brought out the systemic risk that started in the US and melted down globally to international economies across the world4. The inter-linkage between the houses of production, markets and the financial intermediaries led the plat form where the manufacturing and the production units suffered a slowdown in the production level due to the loss of the financial intermediaries which in turn was affected due to the default risk of the borrowers who invested in the US real estate and properties5. The lack of tighter regulatory framework fuelled the investments in the US real estates. The regulatory framework for the financial institutions is also liable of not putting checks when the financial institutions relaxed their approaches on due diligence and compliance checks to find the default risk in case of lending6. The business houses were also granted loans for increasing the supply to match the rising demand. The systemic risk exposed the weakness of the regulatory frameworks when the household and the businesses defaulted in paying back the borrowed money to the financial institution and there was financial catastrophe in the US economy7. Excessive risk taking by financial institutions The global financial crisi s in 2007 to 2009 could be attributed to excessive risk taken by the financial

The Market Economy in Jacksonian America. Did it benefit or hurt Research Paper - 1

The Market Economy in Jacksonian America. Did it benefit or hurt america - Research Paper Example According to Jackson, the proper road to reform lay in an absolute acceptance of majority rule as was expressed through the democratic process. However, beyond these general principles, Jacksons campaign was particularly vague about specific policies. As an alternative, it stressed Jacksons life story as a man who had risen from modest origins to become a Tennessee planter who was successful. His claim to peculiarity lay in a military career that included service as a young man in the Innovatory War, some anti-Indian campaigns, and, of course, his topmost moment in the Battle of New Orleans at the end of 1812 war.2 Jacksons election marked a new direction in American politics. He was the first president to be elected from the west, certainly, the first president from a state other than Massachusetts or Virginia. He confidently proclaimed himself to be the common man champion and he believed that their interests were ignored by the aggressive national economic plans of and Adams and clay. Nevertheless, more than this, when Martin Van Buren followed Jackson as a president, this indicated that the Jacksonian movement had long-term significance that would outlast his own alluring leadership. In the year 1834, President Andrew Jackson was celebrating the â€Å"glorious victory.† The old warrior who battled the Seminoles, the British and the creeks now was cheering his victory over a president who was referred to as â€Å"colossal of corruption.† Now, who was the giant that jack had to eliminate from the world two earlier years? This mammoth was the bank of the United States of America and Jackson’s defeat of the bank and its president, Biddle, was among the most important legacies of his presidency.3 The bank of the United States had been formed in the year 1791. It was chartered by the federal government, its stock was owned jointly by private investors and the government. It served as the bank of the government- center of tax revenues were being

Create a staffing plan for a job position Essay

Create a staffing plan for a job position - Essay Example o assist the patients in taking the healthy intake and treat their illnesses by fulfilling any nutritional deficiencies that might occur in their bodies. Normally, the nutritionists are required 24 hours a day, all days a week, but surely the work schedules correspond to the different shifts as per schedule. Some of the issues arising from a full time job are the hectic and painful schedule of meeting the timely meal requirements of the patients, the vigilance required in the process throughout in supervising and also in the planning process. Besides, all the staff should be provided with adequate training; the job not only requires the nutritionist related skill but management skills are also important as the nature of the job is such that it requires managing the people including the chef, the kitchen people and also dealing with the purchasing agents for the required accessories and components of the meal for the patients. The working conditions for nutritionists are usually in pleasant surroundings. They might be sometimes expected to work in kitchens that may be steamy, might occasionally require them to be on their feet for extended periods of time. They work in offices, hospital kitchens, or college classrooms. They come into contact with other professional people as well as with kitchen personnel, clerical staff, students, patients, and a wide variety of other people. They should have management ability, an aptitude for science, good health, imagination, and the ability to get along well with others.2 The job of the nutritionist includes first identifying the nutritional status of each patient by gathering the subjective information the patients’ records, their attendants or the guardians. They also counsel their subjects about their nutritional needs and provide them with information that can help them prevent their current problems and in future also avoid the medical problems that they have. Another part of their job is to train and conduct

Health Management - Managing the aftermath of an adverse safety Essay

Health Management - Managing the aftermath of an adverse safety incident - Essay Example When the patients are not treated with the highest safety standards, they are likely to record dismal results in their performance. For instance, when the patients are not living in a highly hygienic place, they are likely to contact other diseases which will affect their health. Similarly, there is a need for health practitioners to offer services at the right time and at the right place. For instance, some patients need emergency services and should be given priority whenever they check into an institution. Such people need urgent care and services as their situation is extremely out of control (Khatri Hughes LC, Chan and Mark, 2009: 28). However, when the situation is not given priority, the person is likely to succumb to the injuries since the situation is getting worse. For instance, a person that is profusely bleeding needs urgent care. It is openly expressed that a person that is profusely bleeding needs to be given ample care and first aid. This will stop the bleeding and the person will be in a stable condition. However, when the bleeding continues for a long time, the person is not likely to survive. The body fluids will be at minimal levels, which is detrimental to a person’s health. There are a number of incidences in the health sector that openly display the need for safety measures in the profession. In most instances, the incidences are caused by human error. The people working on the patients are erroneous and end up making a mistake. Some mistakes are controllable while others are not controllable and could affect the life of the victim. However, in bizarre cases, the consequences of the incident are adverse and this could lead to death of the victim. These calls for undivided and focused attention from the medical practitioners and the nurses in the profession to ensure the patients are given steadfast services (Hurwitz and Sheikh, 2011: 21). The errors

Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait Essay

Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait - Essay Example There are several cases that domestic workers, who have been abused by their employers tries to escape and the Kuwaiti law allows the employers to sue these domestic workers for trying to abscond and they get these workers deported at the end of the day (Human Rights Watch, 2010). This trend can only encourage modern-day slavery in Kuwait as there have not been stringent laws to curb the excesses of employers that abuse their domestic workers. This situation is rather different from the one in the United States of America as the government of the country has made efforts to reduce the problem of modern-day slavery to the barest minimum. The US government has given the domestic workers the right to sue their employers whenever they feel they have been maltreated by them. Thus, the modern-day slavery in Kuwait seems to be more terrible than the one in the US and this is due to the fact that the domestic workers in US have the right to protest against harsh treatment, while the ones in Kuwait have not been granted that privilege (Human Rights Watch, 2010).

Decision making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Decision making - Assignment Example 2. You are on the team which was assigned to make the decision about whether or not to stop current production and fill the rush job order which has come in. The team is currently leaning toward telling the â€Å"big customer† who wants the rush order that the company will be unable to fill the job. Your role on the team is to stimulate dialectical inquiry. What will you point out to the team as you fulfill this role? [Remember that your job is to force â€Å"group members to ‘think outside the box’ and look at new ways to analyze the problem.†] -- In the spirit of lgical argumentation, I would encourage the team to look at the possible pitfalls of shifting production at this crucial point in time. Would it be worth the trouble on their end as prinary workers, to complete the requirements for the shift in production. What kind of problems will the large scale client face if we were to shift production mid-stream? Then, I would ask them to consider if they would actually be able to meet the deadline set by the big client for their order even if we suddenly change directions with the machines . 3. What would be your decision if you, alone, were presented with the dilemma? How would you come up with a decision? Are there questions you would want to ask before making a final decision? If so, what are those questions? --If it were all left up to me, I would turn down the mid sized order order or at least try to delay its completion until after my regular run has met its required number of orders. I would come to this decision after asking myself the

Prosecuting mothers of children born with problems due to the mothers Term Paper

Prosecuting mothers of children born with problems due to the mothers substance abuse during pregnancy - Term Paper Example In this regard, ingested psychoactive substances such as drugs have the ability of inducing dependence just like other forms of addictive behavior such as gambling. Due to the ambiguity of this term, medical practitioners and researchers regard addiction as a human behavior that motivated by emotions, ranging from craving to compulsion, continued use in spite of the known adverse effects and that result to a person losing control (Henry and Ting, 2008). In reference to drug use, American Psychological Association uses substance use disorders as a collective term for substance abuse and dependence (APA, 1994). Under dependence, APA (1994) identifies impaired control over using a substance as an important component. This implies a combination of behavioral, cognitive and psychological symptoms that indicate continuous use of the substance in spite of the resulting health problems cause by it (Henry, and Ting, 2008). Substance use in the society is widespread and one of the major areas concern is its effect on pregnant women. Chiang and Loretta (1996) noted that substance abuse in women is common to those struggling with poverty, homelessness, mental illness violence and trauma. In United States, SAMHSA (2009) reports that pregnant women are more likely to engage in substance abuse than their non-pregnant counterparts in the same age bracket. According to SAMHSA (2009), 22% of pregnant women reported using cocaine compared to 17% of those who were not pregnant. The rate of substance abuse such as amphetamines and marijuana in pregnant women exceed that of non-pregnant women. According to SAMHSA (2009), 21% of pregnant women used amphetamines compared to 13% of women who were not pregnant. Moreover, 17% of pregnant women admitted to using marijuana as their drug of choice compared to 13 % of those who were not pregnant. In addition, 18% pregnant women are likely to seek medical attention on drug related problems compared to 31% of their pregnant counterparts (SAMHS A, 2009). Substance abuse among pregnant women varies with age and race in the United States. For instance, white women are more likely to smoke and use tobacco related products compared to the blacks and Hispanic women (SAMHSA, 2009). An average of 25.7% of pregnant women aged from 15-25 smoke cigarettes compared with 10.6% of their pregnant counterparts aged from 26-44 years (SAMHSA, 2009). This pattern is reflected in alcohol use among the pregnant women, whereby younger pregnant women have higher prevalence rate compared to their older counterparts. However, alcohol use among pregnant women is lower compared to their non-pregnant counterparts in the United States. In addition, most pregnant women use more than one type of drugs (SAMHSA, 2009). According to MCFD (2003), one of the leading causes of mental, psychological and physical impairments in children is use of substances such as alcohol, tobacco and other illegal drugs by the pregnant mothers. Different drugs have diverse h ealth complications to the unborn child, and MCFD (2003), notes that alcohol is one of the most notorious drugs that cause the severe health complications. Substance use during pregnancy causes premature birth, in addition short term and long-term impairments. However, the effects depend on several factors, including the health status of the mother, the quantity and the type of the drug that

Judicial Activism Essay Example for Free

Judicial Activism Essay Judicial activism is gaining prominence in the present days. In the form of Public Interest Litigation (PIL), citizens are getting access to justice. Judiciary has become the centre of controversy, in the recent past, on account of the sudden (Me in the level of judicial intervention. The area of judicial intervention has been steadily expanding through the device of public interest litigation. The judiciary has shed its pro-status-quo approach and taken upon itself the duty to enforce the basic rights of the poor and vulnerable sections of society, by pro ¬gressive interpretation and positive action. The Supreme Court has developed new methods of dispens ¬ing justice to the masses through the public interest litigation. Former Chief Justice PN. Bhagwat, under whose leadership public interest litigation attained a new dimension comments that the supreme court has developed several new commitments. It has carried forward participative justice. It has laid just standards of procedure. It has made justice more accessible to citizens. The term judicial activism is intended to refer to, and cover, the action of the court in excess of, and beyond the power of judicial review. From one angle it is said to be an act in excess of, or without, jurisdiction. The Constitution does not confer any authority or jurisdiction for activism as such on the Court. Judicial activism refers to the interference of the judiciary in the legislative and executive fields. It mainly occurs due to the non-activity of the other organs of the government. Judicial activism is a way through which relief is provided to the disadvantaged and aggrieved citizens. Judicial activism is pro ¬viding a base for policy making in competition with the legislature and executive. Judicial activism is the rendering of decisions, which are in tune with the temper and tempo of the times. In short, judicial activism means that instead of judicial restraint, the Supreme Court and other lower courts become activists and compel the authority to act and sometimes also direct the government regarding policies and also matters of administration. Judicial activism has arisen mainly due to the failure of the executive and legislatures to act. Sec-ondly, it has arisen also due to the fact that there is a doubt that the legislature and executive have failed to deliver the goods. Thirdly, it occurs because the entire system has been plagued by ineffec ¬tiveness and inactiveness. The violation of basic human rights has also led to judicial activism. Finally, due to the misuse and abuse of some of the provisions of the Constitution, judicial activism has gained significance. Besides the above mentioned factors, there are some other situations that lead to judicial activism. These are: (i) When the legislature fails to discharge its responsibilities. (ii) In case of a hung parliament where the government is very weak and instable. (iii) When the governments fail to protect the basic rights of the citizens or provide an honest, efficient and just system of law and administration, (iv) When the party in power misuses the courts of law for ulterior motives as was done during the Emergency period, and (v) Finally, the court may on its own try to expand its jurisdiction and confer on themselves more func ¬tions and powers. Areas of Judicial Activism During the past decade, many instances of judicial activism have gained prominence. The areas in which judiciary has become active are health, child labour, political corruption, environment, education, etc. Through various cases relating to Bandhua Mukti Morcha, Bihar Under trials, Punjab Police, Bombay Pavement Dwellers, Bihar Care Home cases, the judiciary has shown its firm commitment to participa ¬tory justice, just standards of procedures, immediate access to justice, and preventing arbitrary state action. Public Interest Litigation: An Innovative Step towards Judicial Activism Public interest litigation means a suit filed in a court of law for the protection of public interest such as pollution, terrorism, road safety etc. Judicial activism in India acquired importance due to public interest litigation. It is not defined in any statute or act. It has been interpreted by judges to consider the intent of public at large. The court has to be satisfied that the person who has re sorted to PIL has sufficient interest in the matter. In India, PIL initially was resorted to towards improving the lot of the disadvantaged sections of the society who due to poverty and ignorance were not in a position to seek justice from the courts. After the Constitution (Twenty Fifth Amendment Act, 1971), primacy was given to Directive Principles of State Policy by making them enforceable. The courts to improve administration by taking up PIL cases, for ensuring compliance constitutional provisions has also increased. PIL is filed for a variety of cases such as maintenance of ecological balance, making municipal authorities comply with statutory obligations of provision of civic amenities, violation of fundamental rights etc. It has provided an opportunity to citizens, social groups, consumer rights activists etc., easier access to law and introduced a public interest perspective. Justices P.N. Bhagwati and V.R. Krishna Ayer have played a key role in promoting this avenue of approaching the apex court of the country, seeking legal remedies in areas where public interests are at stake. PIL has been considered a boon, as it is an inexpensive legal remedy due to nominal costs involved in filing the litigation. But there are some problems also in the PIL cases. There has been an increase in the number of frivolous cases being filed due to low court fees. Genuine cases got receded to the background and privately motivated interests started gaining predominance in PIL cases. In view of this, the Supreme Court has framed certain guidelines governing the PIL. Presently the court entertains only writ petitions filled by an aggrieved person or public spirited individual or a social action group for enforcement of the constitutional or the legal rights of a person in custody or of a class of persons who due to reasons of poverty, disability, socially or economically disadvantaged position are finding it difficult to approach the court for redress. PIL is an extraordinary remedy available at a cheaper cost. As Justice Bhagwati observed in the case of Asiad workers case, now for the first time the portals of the court are being thrown open to the poor and the downtrodden. The courts must shed their character as upholders of the established order and the status quo. The time has come now when the courts must become the courts for the poor and the struggling masses of this country.

Comparative Study of 6T and 8T SRAM Using Tanner Tool

Comparative Study of 6T and 8T SRAM Using Tanner Tool Rajnarayan Sharma, Ravi Antil, Jonish Abstract— in this paper we focus on the dynamic power dissipation during the Write operation in CMOS SRAM cell. The charging and discharging of bit lines consume more power during the Write â€Å"1† and Write â€Å"0† operation. 8T SRAM cell includes two more trail transistors in the pull down path for proper charging and discharging the bit lines. The results of 8T SRAM cell are taken on different frequencies at power supply of 1.5 V. The circuit is characterized by using the 130 nm technology which is having supply voltage of 1.5 V. Finally the results are compared with Conventional 6T SRAM cell. The power dissipated in low power 8T SRAM cell is reduced in comparison to conventional 6T SRAM cell. The result of the research has practical reference value for further study. Keywords—SRAM, Tanner Tool, T-Spice, W-EDIT, IEEE I. INTRODUCTION SRAM is mainly used for the cache memory in Microprocessors, mainframe computers, engineering workstations and memory in hand held devices due to High speed and low power consumption. The need for low-power design is becoming a major issue in high-performance digital systems such as microprocessors [1], Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) and other applications. The increasing Market of mobile devices and battery powered portable electronic systems is creating demands for chips that consume the smallest possible amount of power. SRAM consist of almost 60% of Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits. It is also said that memories are the biggest culprit for the power dissipation in any digital system and No digital system gets complete without memories. Several techniques have been proposed to reduce the power consumption during Write operation of SRAM like, Segmented Virtual Ground Architecture for Low-Power Embedded SRAM [2], Low power SRAM design using half-swing pulse mode techniques [3] and A single-bit line cross-point cell activation (SCPA) architecture for ultra-low power SRAM’s[4].Some other techniques which are use for low power SRAM like Half-Swing Pulse-Mode Techniques[5] these techniques are use for reduce the power dissipation of the SRAM circuit. All these discussed papers are used extra circuitry for reducing the power consumption. In this paper optimized SRAM cell contains two extra tail transistors in the pull-down path of the respective inverter to avoid charging of the bit-lines. These two trail transistor are controlled by an extra signal write select (WS). During read or write mode at least one of the tail transistor must be turned OFF to disconnect the driving path of respective inverters. II. RELATED WORK Karimi and Alimoradi [6]: Rapid growth in semiconductor technology has led to shrinking of feature sizes of transistors using deep submicron (DSM) process. As MOS transistors enter deep submicron sizes, undesirable consequences regarding power consumption arise. This can be done by using one PMOS transistor and one NMOS transistor in series with the transistors of each logic block to create a virtual ground and a virtual power supply. Notice that in practice only one transistor is necessary, because of their lower on-resistance, NMOS transistors are usually used. Cheng and Huang [7]: they present a low-power SRAM design with quiet-bit line architecture by incorporating two major techniques. Firstly, the authors use a one-side driving scheme for the write operation to prevent the excessive full-swing charging on the bit lines. Secondly, they use a precharge free pulling scheme for the read operation so as to keep all bit lines at low voltages at all times. SPICE simulation on a 2K-bit SRAM macro shows that such architecture can lead to a significant 84.4% power reduction over a self-designed baseline low-power SRAM macro. Ming et. Al. [8]: They describes a low-power write scheme by adopting charge sharing technique. By reducing the bitlines voltage swing, the bitlines dynamic power is reduced. The memory cells static noise margin (SNM) is discussed to prove it is a feasible scheme. Simulation results show compare to conventional SRAM, in write cycle this SRAM saves more than 20% dynamic power. III. STATIC RAM SRAM or Static random Access memory is a form of semiconductor memory widely used in electronics, microprocessor and general computing applications. This form of semiconductor memory gains its name from the fact that data is held in there in a static fashion, and does not need to be dynamically updated as in the case of DRAM memory. While the data in the SRAM memory does not need to be refreshed dynamically, it is still volatile, meaning that when the power is removed from the memory device, the data is not held, and will disappear. There are two key features to SRAM Static random Access Memory, and these set it out against other types of memory that are available: The data is held statically: This means that the data is held in the semiconductor memory without the need to be refreshed as long as the power is applied to the memory. SRAM is a form of random access memory: A random access memory is one in which the locations in the semiconductor memory can be written to or read from i n any order, regardless of the last memory location that was accessed. Fig 1 shows the read/write operations of an SRAM. To select a cell, the two access transistors must be â€Å"on† so the elementary cell (the flip-flop) can be connected to the internal SRAM circuitry. Fig. 1 Read/Write Operations OPTIMIZED 8T SRAM CELL Schematic of 8T SRAM cell is shown in fig 2 In that we are using two more transistors M7 and M8 for reducing the power dissipation. WS signal is used for controlling the M7 and M8 during Write â€Å"0† and write â€Å"1† operation. Fig. 2 Optimized 8T SRAM Cell IV. COMPARISON ON DIFFERENT FREQUENCY This section provides the detail simulation analysis of Low power SRAM cell for different frequencies. The dynamic power may be expressed as: P=ÃŽ ±CVf. SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF SRAMS (S-EDIT): Fig. 3 Conventional 6T SRAM Cell (S-EDIT) Fig. 4 Optimized 8T SRAM Cell (S-EDIT) SIMULATION WAVEFORM OF SRAMS ON DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES (S-EDIT): Fig. 5 Simulation Waveform of 6T SRAM at 1GHz (S-EDIT) Fig. 6 Simulation Waveform of 8T SRAM at 1GHz (S-EDIT) From the fig 4.7 it has been clear that for 1 GHz the charging time is less then discharging time. So due to increment in charging and discharging time with frequency the power dissipation will also increase. Fig. 7 Simulation Waveform of 6T SRAM at 2GHz (S-EDIT) Fig. 8 Simulation Waveform of 8T SRAM at 2GHz (S-EDIT) TABLE I COMPARISION ON BAISES OF FREQUENCY Write operation on different frequencies, are given in Table I. Our 8T SRAM cell dissipates lower dynamic power during the switching activity. In 8T SRAM cell the crosstalk voltage values are increased for bit lines, word line (WL) and for outputs in comparison to conventional SRAM cell but these Values can be controlled with the help of proper sizing of Width (W) and Length (L) of the transistor. SIMULATION WAVEFORM OF AVERAGE POWER DISSIPATION AND DELAY (S-EDIT): Fig. 9 Simulation Waveform of 6T SRAM (S-EDIT) Fig. 10 Simulation Waveform of 8T SRAM (S-EDIT) TABLE II COMPARISION TABLE In our 8T SRAM cell as shown above we are preventing any single bit line from being discharged during write â€Å"0† as well as write â€Å"1† mode by proper selection of signal WS, which turn either M7 or M8 OFF. The comparison of conventional 6T SRAM cell and 8T SRAM cell is shown in table II V. CONCLUSION Most of the developed low-power SRAM techniques are used to reduce only read power. Since, in the SRAM cell, the write power is generally larger than read power. We have proposed an SRAM cell to reduce the power in write operation by introducing two tail Transistors in the Pull-down path for reducing leakages. Due to this Stack Transistors the power dissipation has reduced from 18 % in comparison to Conventional 6T SRAM cell. The 8T SRAM provides power efficient solution. There is also improvement in the delay in case of 8T SRAM cell is 29% faster as compared to the conventional SRAM cell. So the newly designed low power SRAM cell consume lesser power and can be said that it is a power aware cell which is acceptable in today’s VLSI design market. REFERNCES [1]International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors.[Online].Available: http://public.itrs.net. [2] Mohammad Sharifkhani, Member, IEEE, and Manoj Sachdev, Senior Member, IEEESegmented Virtual Ground Architecture for Low-Power Embedded SRAM IEEE transaction on very large scale integration(VLSI) systems, vol. 15, no. 2, february 2007 [3] Mai, K.W., Mori, T., Amrutur, B.S., Ho, R., Wilburn, B., Horowitz, M.A., Fukushi, I., Izawa, T. and Mitarai, S. (1998), â€Å"Low power SRAM design using half-swing pulsemode techniques†, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 33, pp. 1659-71. [4]Vkita, M. et al. (1993), â€Å"A single-bit line cross-point cell activation (SCPA) architecture for ultra-low power SRAM’s†, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 28, pp. 1114-8. [5]Low-Power SRAM Design Using Half-Swing Pulse-Mode Techniques Kenneth W. Mai, Toshihiko Mori, Bharadwaj S. Amrutur, Ron Ho, Bennett Wilburn, Mark A. Horowitz, Isao Fukushi, Tetsuo Izawa, and Shin Mitarai IEEE journal of solid state circuits, vol. 33, no. 11, november 1998 [6] Gholamreza Karimi1 and Adel Alimoradi â€Å"Multi-Purpose Technique to Decrease Leakage Power in VLSI Circuits† Canadian Journal on Electrical and Electronics Engineering vol. 2, no. 3, March 2011. [7] Shin-Pao Cheng and Shi-Yu Huang â€Å"A Low-Power SRAM Design Using Quiet-Bitline Architecture†Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Workshop on Memory Technology, Design, and Testing, 2005. [8] Gu Ming Yang Jun, Xue Jun. â€Å"Low Power SRAM Design Using Charge Sharing Technique†,IEEE, 2005.

Capital Punishment Essay -- social issues

Capital Punishment "Dead Man Walking!" This sound rings through each and every death row inmate a thousand times a day; But should it? Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. The problems with capital punishment stem as far back as the ritual itself. The number of occurrence on why the death penalty is racist is uncountable. A 1990 report released by the federal government's General Accounting Office found a "pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty after the Furman decision." Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970's. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for 230 non-racial factors, he concluded that a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black, and I think that's exactly how it should be. The Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial dispair, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas findings sh owed that defendants in a case involving a white victim are three-and-a-half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times, and in Mississippi five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of murdering blacks. There is also the issue of Capital Punishment being a deterrent. But does the death penalty really deter crime? The death lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is "yes." But, in fact, it is a resounding "NO." Consider this...the US is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually more common in states t... ...Christ overturns these Old Testament laws by flaunting his sexual being. Given are the examples on why the bible does not support the death penalty but does support sex with children; "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile." Remember that when Jesus came upon the crowd stoning a prostitute, He told them, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Christ taught a doctrine of peace, love, and forgiveness, not revenge, retribution, and death. Capital punishment is a power that no man or woman deserves to make for another human being. The Constitution clearly states that everybody deserves, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;" But if you kill that person how can any of this be attained? Capital punishment is just plain wrong and has no place in today's society. There are too many flaws in the death penalty; therefore the only reasonable solution is to abolish the death penalty. Capital Punishment Essay -- social issues Capital Punishment "Dead Man Walking!" This sound rings through each and every death row inmate a thousand times a day; But should it? Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. The problems with capital punishment stem as far back as the ritual itself. The number of occurrence on why the death penalty is racist is uncountable. A 1990 report released by the federal government's General Accounting Office found a "pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty after the Furman decision." Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970's. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for 230 non-racial factors, he concluded that a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black, and I think that's exactly how it should be. The Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial dispair, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas findings sh owed that defendants in a case involving a white victim are three-and-a-half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times, and in Mississippi five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of murdering blacks. There is also the issue of Capital Punishment being a deterrent. But does the death penalty really deter crime? The death lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is "yes." But, in fact, it is a resounding "NO." Consider this...the US is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually more common in states t... ...Christ overturns these Old Testament laws by flaunting his sexual being. Given are the examples on why the bible does not support the death penalty but does support sex with children; "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile." Remember that when Jesus came upon the crowd stoning a prostitute, He told them, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Christ taught a doctrine of peace, love, and forgiveness, not revenge, retribution, and death. Capital punishment is a power that no man or woman deserves to make for another human being. The Constitution clearly states that everybody deserves, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;" But if you kill that person how can any of this be attained? Capital punishment is just plain wrong and has no place in today's society. There are too many flaws in the death penalty; therefore the only reasonable solution is to abolish the death penalty.

Contrasts in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening :: Stopping Woods Snowy Evening

Contrasts in 'Stopping by Woods'    The duality of the narrator's response to the woods is caught in the contrast between the relaxed, conversational idiom of the first three lines (note the gentle emphasis given to ‘think', the briskly colloquial ‘though') and the dream-like descriptive detail and hypnotic verbal music ('watch . . . woods', 'his . . . fill . . . with') of the last. Clearing and wilderness, law and freedom, civilization and nature, fact and dream: these oppositions reverberate throughout the poem. Frost develops his   own quietly ironic contrast between the road along which the narrator travels, connecting marketplace to marketplace, promoting community and culture - and the white silence of the woods, where none of the ordinary limitations of the world seem to apply. In a minor key, they are caught also in the implicit comparison between the owner of these woods, who apparently regards them as a purely financial investment (he lives in the village) and the narrator who sees them, at leas t potentially, as a spiritual one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This contrast between what might be termed, rather reductively perhaps, 'realistic' and 'romantic' attitudes is then sustained through the next two stanzas: the commonsensical response is now playfully attributed to the narrator's horse which, like any practical being, wants to get on down the road to food and shelter. The narrator himself, however, continues to be lured by the mysteries of the forest just as the Romantic poets were lured by the mysteries of otherness, sleep and death. And, as before, the contrast is a product of tone and texture as much as dramatic intimation: the poem communicates its debate in how it says things as much as in what it says. So, the harsh gutturals and abrupt movement of lines like, 'He gives his harness bells a shake / To ask if there is some mistake', give verbal shape to the matter-of-fact attitude attributed to the horse, just as the soothing sibilants and gently rocking motion of the lines that follo w this ('The only other sound's the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake') offer a tonal equivalent of the strange, seductive world into which the narrator is tempted to move. 'Everything that is written', Frost once said, 'is as good as it is dramatic'; and in a poem like this the words of the poem become actors in the drama.

How Globalization Effects Third World Countries Essay

Globalization refers to the ways in which capital; people, information and culture can now flow back and forth across national borders with a greater ease and greater rapidity than they had before this new phenomenon. Globalization, the growing integration of economies and societies around the world, was a word hardly used only a few years ago and now I doubt if there is a single country in the world where globalization isn’t being discussed. The global spread of the term is evidence that something very new is happening in the world but I’m not saying this new term is beneficial for all. This phenomenon has both positive and negative effects on third world countries but in the end it seems like only one party is benefiting, the rich. † The poor are thus being doubly denied their right to life first when the resources that sustain them are taken away from them in a free trade world, and then when the pollution and waste of the global economy are unequally and unjustly piled on them.† (Global Capitalism p.128)Though globalization has been one of the most hotly debated topics in international economics over the past few years there has been some bright sides. Rapid growth and poverty reduction in China, India, and other countries that were poor 20 years ago, has been a positive aspect of globalization. Another positive attribute according to Thomas l. Friedman, in his book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, is globalization â€Å"increases the incentives for not making war in more ways than in any previous era in modern history.†Ã¢â‚¬  To begin, it is important to explain the meaning of The Lexus and the Olive Tree. The Lexus refers to technological advancement and growth, where the Olive Tree refers to traditional roots and stability. The basic premise of the book is the conflict between the two within cultures, economies, and individuals and how it if possible, at all, to bring the two camps together.† (Friedman p.31-34)But globalization has also generated significant international opposition over concerns that it has increased inequality and environmental degradation. The proponents of globalization cite numerous benefits to be gained by underdeveloped countries though greater access to the goods and services that transnational companies can provide. Anti-globalization activists, on the other hand, point to many examples in the developing world where globalization has robbed indigenous  populations of traditionally held land or water rights, disrupted cultural and social values, and disturbed lifestyles. Problem StatementWhat I intend to examine in this paper is the comparison trend of capitalism in the late 19th – early 20th century with the trend of globalization today. Explaining that globalization of the world economy has the potential to bring both great benefit and great hardship to third world populations, but like capitalism, globalization without proper checks and balances could become a runaway force, knowing no moral or ethical boundaries. Though globalization offers extensive opportunities for worldwide development, in my opinion this process is not progressing evenly. I intend to prove that the richest of 225 people in the world have a combined wealth equal to the annual income of the poorest 47% of the world’s individuals. (Joshua Karliner) Countries that have been able to integrate with other nations are seeing faster growth and reduced poverty. However, many nations have not been so fortunate, especially in developing areas. One in four individuals across the world lives in abject poverty, without access to adequate food, clean water, sanitation, essential healthcare or basic education services. This is both the principal moral issue facing the world as well as the utmost menace to the future security and stability of the planet. Many of today’s problems, such as war and conflict, mass migration, and environmental degradation are rooted in poverty and inequality. Yet if globalization resembles early capitalism, the rise of international anti-globalization organizations is beginning to resemble the early development of trade unions in the western world. While pro-globalization forces still consider these groups to be nothing more than a collection of cranks and misfits, incapable of understanding the global economy, there is growing evidence that these groups are becoming a force to be reckoned with:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ the process of globalization also has created alliances once thought impossible. At the Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization in 1999 — and later at â€Å"anti-globalization† protests in Washington, DC, Los  Angeles, Prague and Quebec City — debt relief activists, Green party members, health care advocates, labor leaders, development economists, religious groups and hundreds of thousands of young people marched together.† (AlterNet par. 2) Interestingly, the same forces that facilitate economic globalization also greatly enhance the abilities of the anti-globalization faction to mobilize against it. Greater communication, Internet use, travel, and news dissemination allow activists around the world greater access to each other and greater knowledge of difficulties being faced in developing countries. Of particular interest is the timeliness of the broadcast of information, this sometimes allowing activists to slow or stop projects, rather than just criticize them after the fact. Globalization can also put a spotlight on issues of international and local justice, giving people access to supporters that was never before available and helping to advertise problems that in earlier times would never have been picked up by the media. Thus it seems possible that while developing countries very often have governments that actively promote the most ugly aspects of globalization, or are at least powerless to prevent them, the rising tide of grass-roots activism shared by both the developed and developing worlds may, in fact, be the beginning of an organization with the ability to curb and regulate globalization. In order to have a clear understanding of globalization’s impact on third world and the developing world, it is important to understand exactly what globalization means. When discussing globalization many make the mistake of assuming that it is a merely or even primarily an economic process. However, globalization also has political and social implications. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) sees globalization as an economic, and as a purely natural stage in human cultural and technological evolution stating:†Economic globalization is a historical process and the result of human innovation and technological progress. It refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through trade and financial flows. The term sometimes also refers to the movement of people  (labor) and knowledge (technology) across international borders.† (IMF par. 6)The IMF also assumes that globalization, because it is a natural occurrence, is a good thing. From this point of view, the inequalities of wealth and poverty are the result of unequal globalization, and once that full globalization is reached, poorer countries will automatically benefit. The income gap between high-income and low-income countries has grown in recent decades. But it is wrong to jump to the conclusion that globalization has caused the divergence, or that nothing can be done to improve the situation. To the contrary: low-income countries haven’t been able to integrate with the global economy as quickly as others, partly because of their chosen policies and because of factors outside their control. No country, least of all the poorest, can afford to remain isolated from the world economy. Every country should seek to reduce poverty. The international community should endeavor by strengthening the international financial system through trade and through aid in order to help the poorest countries integrate into the world economy, grow more rapidly, and reduce poverty. That is the way to ensure all people in all countries have access to the benefits of globalization. (IMF par. 48)Objective OverviewMy main reason for writing this paper on globalization effects on third world countries is because I’m from a developing country, Grenada. Though it’s been many years sine I last visited my country of birth I’m still very interested in seeing this beautiful island successfully build up its economy. Also I want to be very much a cause of that development but I first needed to find out the general meaning of globalization and it’s effects on poverty stricken countries. As well as if globalization is helping or hindering my country as well as other developing nations. During my research I’ve gained a better understanding of globalizations cause and effects. The trends of globalization, rapid technological advancements, free trade and emergence of trading communities present challenges to Grenada’s developing economy. The Caribbean region as a whole is struggling with the reduction of international aid funds, due to relatively strong performance on the UN Human Development Index, at the same time that the region’s traditionally agricultural based economies are turning to tourism  for economic growth. In my opinion this hasn’t been enough for my country’s developing process. Agricultural production, primarily of bananas, cocoa, mace, and nutmeg, has historically been the largest sector of Grenada’s economy, providing the majority of employment and foreign exchange earnings. However, between 1987 and 2000 agriculture declined from 18.7% of GDP to 9.7%. The sector was plagued by problems throughout this period, including the loss of preferential trade agreements with the EC, a mealy bug infestation that devastated crops, the collapse of a nutmeg price agreement with Indonesia, and quality control problems that halted all banana exports. For example, â€Å"Critics point out that not only does the U.N. report depart from standard economic procedures like not correcting for price levels from country to country it hides numbers. Perhaps most egregiously, it compares gaps in income between the poorest and richest countries not individuals. Thus the economic circumstances of the citizens of tiny Grenada are put on a par with those of China, which has a population 12,000 times greater. Mistakes like these completely distort the record of globalization.† (The Rich Get Rich and Poor Get Poorer. Right? Let’s Take Another Look.) During the months after American invasion, which was beneficial, the mass organizations were dismantled, the labor unions were reorganized, over half of all medical personnel were expelled, investment and tax codes were revised to favor foreign investment, and cooperatives and states enterprises were sold to private interests. Billboards that had inspired the population to work for justice, equality, development and national sovereignty were quickly replaced by those designed to inspire them to buy American consumer products. The quality of life for most islanders deteriorated in the period following the invasion despite infusions of American aid. This is why I’m very interested in what globalization is doing for developing nations though I’m living a better life here; I’m still concerned in the countries progress. Although Grenada’s economy has been expanding, poverty is widespread. Though there is political freedom, the government is conservative and corrupt. And, in this era of neo-liberal globalization, the  island’s brief socialist experiment is but a fading memory. Lecture Review†The Era of Globalization† or is fast becoming the preferred term for describing the current times. Just as the Depression, the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20’s are used to describe particular periods of history; globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today. (Porter par. 3)Economic â€Å"globalization† is a historical process, the result of human innovation and technological progress. It refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through trade and financial flows. The term sometimes also refers to the movement of people (labor) and knowledge (technology) across international borders. (Globalization: Threat or Opportunity? IMF par. 6) I didn’t particularly agree with the IMF’s take on Globalization but as I further researched the IMF’s views I began to understand them. Global free trade has caused worldwide environmental destruction in asymmetric pattern. The international economy is controlled by the corporations of the North who are increasingly exploiting Third World resources for their global activities. (Global Capitalism p.113) This is exactly how I feel about Grenada. Resources are being drained but nothing is going back into the country. The Vandana Shiva, author of this particular chapter in the book, really explains how I feel about globalization in Third World countries she further discuss,† It is the South that is disproportionately bearing the environmental burden of the globalised economy.†Joseph E. Stiglitz states,† IMF programs are typically dictated from Washington, and shaped by the short missions during which its staff members pore over numbers in the finance ministries and central banks and make themselves comfortable in five-star hotels in the capitals. There is more than symbolism in this difference: one cann ot come to learn about, and love, a nation unless one gets out to the countryside.†(Globalization and Its Discontents, p.24) He basically is saying the economist sent from the IMF should spend time in the country’s poorest areas not in the developed cities. I agree. He further says,† Statistic bear out what those who travel outside the capital see in the villages of Africa, Nepal, Mindanao, or Ethiopia; the gap between the poor and the rich has been growing, and even  the number in absolutely poverty-living on less than a dollar a day-has increased.†A question was asked of author Thomas L. Friedman in his book The Lexus and the Olive Tree by an Egyptian woman, â€Å"Does globalization mean we just leave the poor to fend for themselves?† he stated, â€Å"After enough such conversations I realized that most Egyptians-understandably-were approaching globalization out of a combination of despair and necessity, not out of any sense of opportunity. Globalization meant adapting to a threat coming from the outside, not increasing their freedoms. I also realized that their previous ideo logies-Arab nationalism, socialism, fascism or communism-while they may have made no economic sense, had a certain inspirational power. But globalism totally lacks this. When you tell a traditional society it has to streamline, downsize and get with the Internet, it is a challenge that is devoid of any redemptive or inspirational force. And that is why, for all of globalization’s obvious power to elevate living standards, it is going to be a tough, tough sell to all those millions who still say a prayer before they ride the elevator.†Concluding StatementsGlobalization has the potential to bring both great benefit and great hardship to developing nations and third world populations. Like capitalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, globalization without proper checks and balances could become a runaway force, knowing no moral or ethical boundaries. But capitalism has been somewhat tamed by a system of checks and balances that have grown from a variety of sources, including labor unions, activists, legal restrictions such as anti-trust laws, and such organizations as the FDA and SEC. While many people currently find globalization quite alarming due to its unregulated environment and the lack of restrictions on multi-national corporations, globalization carries within itself the very vehicle for its own regulation. Although formal international legal entities are still too weak to create lasting and enforceable legislation, the groundswell of public opinion is making itself felt. Internet use is putting activists in the developed world in direct contact with the developing world populations being most affected by globalization. Greater access to international travel allows protesters to be on hand and heard during meetings such as those of the WTO taking place in Seattle. The explosion of cable and online news services has made access to wide varieties of information easily available. Activists and protesters are able to reach investors, and investors are making their views heard through the buying and selling of stock. Just as runaway capitalism seemed untamable in the infancy of the labor movement, globalization now seems too monolithic an entity to ever be harnessed. It is possible, however, that the social, political, and legal results of today’s anti-globalization activism may provide enough safety measures that globalization can become primarily an agent of progress for all people. Whether this will happen in time to save developing countries from being socially and culturally overwhelmed, it is too early to say. BIBLOGRAPHY Porter, Keith. â€Å"What is Globalization?† Globalization Issues. About.com. Nov. 2002 http://globalization.about.com/library/weekly/aa080601a.htm. World Bank. Poverty in an Age of Globalization. Oct. 2000 http://www1.worldbank.org/economicpolicy/globalization/documents /povertyglobalization.pdf. Alternet.com. Globalization Overview. Nov. 2002 http://www.alternet.org/issues/globalization.html. Countries from A to Z. Grenada. The US Invasion of Grenada (2003). http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/grenada.htmhttp://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2003/10grenada.htmKarliner, Joshua. The Corporate Planet: Ecology and Politics in the Age of Globalization. 1997. Sierra Club Books. Longworth, R.C. â€Å"Globalization Survey Reveals U.S. Corporations Prefer Dictatorships.† GlobalExchange.org. Nov 19, 1999. http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/econ101/survey.htmlInternational Monetary Fund. â€Å"Globalization: Threat or Opportunity?† Apr. 12, 2000. http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2000/041200.htm. Hutton, Will and Giddens, Anthony. (2000). Global Capitalism. The New York Press, New York2000. Stiglitz, Joseph E. (2003). Globalization and Its Discontents. W.W, Norton & Company, Inc.,500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. ISBN 0-393-05124-2Friedman, Thomas L. (1999,2000). The Lexus and the Olive Tree. New York: Farrar, StrausGiroux ISBN 0-385-49934-5Postrel, Virginia. (August 15, 2002).†The Rich Get Rich and Poor Get Poorer. Right? Let’s TakeAnother Look.† New York Times

Jeremy – Pearl Jam

â€Å"Jeremy† is based on two different true stories. The song takes its main inspiration from a newspaper article about a 15-year-old boy named Jeremy Wade Delle, born February 10, 1975, from Richardson, Texas who shot himself in front of his English class at Richardson High School on the morning of January 8, 1991 at about 9:45 am. In a 2009 interview, Vedder said that he felt â€Å"the need to take that small article and make something of it—to give that action, to give it reaction, to give it more importance. † Delle was described by schoolmates as â€Å"real quiet† and known for â€Å"acting sad. After coming in to class late that morning, Delle was told to get an admittance slip from the school office. He left the classroom, and returned with a . 357 Magnum revolver. Delle walked to the front of the classroom, announced â€Å"Miss, I got what I really went for†, put the barrel of the firearm in his mouth, and pulled the trigger before his tea cher or classmates could react. A girl named Lisa Moore knew Jeremy from the in-school suspension program: â€Å"He and I would pass notes back and forth and he would talk about life and stuff,† she said. He signed all of his notes, ‘Write back. ‘ But on Monday he wrote, ‘Later days. ‘ I didn't know what to make of it. But I never thought this would happen. † When asked about the song, Vedder explained: It came from a small paragraph in a paper which means you kill yourself and you make a big old sacrifice and try to get your revenge. That all you're gonna end up with is a paragraph in a newspaper. Sixty-three degrees and cloudy in a suburban neighborhood. That's the beginning of the video and that's the same thing is that in the end, it does nothing †¦ nothing changes. The world goes on and you're gone. The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself. Be stronger than those people. And then you can come back. The other story that the song is based on involved a student that Vedder knew from his junior high school in San Diego, California. He elaborated further in a 1991 interview: I actually knew somebody in junior high school, in San Diego, California, that did the same thing, just about, didn't take his life but ended up shooting up an oceanography room. I remember being in the halls and hearing it and I had actually had altercations with this kid in the past. I was kind of a rebellious fifth-grader and I think we got in fights and stuff. So it's a bit about this kid named Jeremy and it's also a bit about a kid named Brian that I knew and I don't know†¦ the song, I think it says a lot. I think it goes somewhere†¦ and a lot of people interpret it different ways and it's just been recently that I've been talking about the true meaning behind it and I hope no one's offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it.