Blood Diamond Study Note

sBlood Diamond (2006) CHARACTERS Danny Archer – Diamond Smuggler Maddy Bowden – Journalist Solomon Vandy – Fisherman Dia Vandy (see me no more) Jassie Vandy – Solomon’s Wife Captain Poison Benjamin Kapanay M’Ed Ambassador Walker Diamond Traders Diamond Traders Rudolf Van De Kaap Rupert Simmonds SETTING Sierra Leone 1996-1999 Civil War THEMES R. U. F (Revolutionary United Front) T. I. A (This is Africa) SCENE 1 Early Morning Solomon with his son Dia telling him to go to school so one day he can become a doctor instead of a fisherman like his Dad. SCENE 2Solomon and Dia walking to school and Dia say’s one day this place will be a paradise. Solomon and Dia have a really good relationship. They see the RUF and run to the village to get the rest of their family. Soloman gets captured by the RUF but saves his family. Solomon tells Dia to run because he has to look after Jassie and the daughter SCENE 3 The RUF are executing people and cutting of their hands. We are introduced to RUF and Captain Poison who is the leader. They bring Soloman forward to chop off his arm, but before they do Poison says no put him in the truck because he doesn’t show any fear and Poison respects that.SCENE 4 There is a G8, conference about Diamonds in Antwerp, Belgium. Ambassador Walker is talking about the Diamonds in Africa. While the meeting is talking clips of slaves in Africa are shown. Slaves dig the diamonds and then Poison keeps them. Slave finds a diamond and tries to hide it in his mouth. Poison sees it takes the diamond and then kills him. The conference introduces Mr. Van De Kaap and Mr. Simmonds which are the people from the diamond business. SCENE 5 There is a high up shot of Africa where Archer is arriving in Africa off a plane to meet Drunk RUF soldiers.Archer does not act scared so the RUF doesn’t kill him as he gives him his gun and plays it cool. Archer speaks to Captain Rambo while he wants to go see Commande r Zero. Archer talks to Commander Zero and says there is not enough Diamonds and says he will not help them with the government. Archer acts very calm and experienced. He is a good negotiator and is very determined to get what he wants. SCENE 6 Archer is crossing the border with cattle. He is attempting to smuggle the diamonds into Liberia with the diamonds inside the goat. He gets caught by an intelligent army soldier claims he is from national geographic doing a story on Liberia.The soldier arrests Archer after he finds the diamonds smuggled in the goats. He tries to intermediate, bribe and threatens the soldier but the soldier does not give in and they arrest him. SCENE 7 Back at the mines, Soloman is in the river trying to find diamonds. He finds the pink and he doesn’t know what to do with it. The water valve pops which draws the attention away from Soloman so he puts it between his toes and asks to go to the toilet. He runs into Poison and Poison searchers him and canâ €™t find anything. Poison finds Solomon hiding the Diamond and asks to take it but as he does that the Government troops attack which injure Poison nd free Soloman. He grabs Poison machete and does not kill him and runs away. He finds a spot and buries the diamond. He then gets taken by the government troops and taken to the Jail. SCENE 8 Now Soloman and Archer are both in the same jail. Poison is brought in and starts talking to Solomon about the big diamond. Soloman strips and starts screaming â€Å"where is the diamond!! † Poison threatens Solomon’s family saying â€Å"I will find your family† meaning he will find them and kill them. Archer is attracted to this because he is very interested in the big diamond. SCENE 9Archer is released from jail where he meets the pilot who bailed him out. Archer is being watched by one of the Colonel Coetzee’s men. Archers name and photo has been printed in a newspaper as being publicized as a diamond smuggler whi ch is not good for his reputation as a smuggler. He tells his pilot to bail Solomon out of jail. SCENE 10 Archer immediately rings London to speak to Simmonds the owner of the diamond company. He pulls a diamond out of his tooth. He gets changed and goes into the street where some prostitutes/thief comes up to Archer and talks about diamonds.Cordell goes into Archer’s room to try and find the diamond. SCENE 11 The pilot bails Solomon out and says â€Å"it seems you have made a friend in prison† and hands him money. SCENE 12 Danny meets M’Ed at his bar and hands him money for a really good gun. Archer asks him when the RUF are going to come to Freetown and M’Ed says very soon. Archer meets Maddy Bowen and they talk about how the world is falling apart, they are being very political, Maddy tells Archer she is a journalist. We’re here TIA for the first time. â€Å"America its bling-bling, out here its bling-bang†. Archer tells her to piss off.S he continues to follow Archer. SCENE 13 Archer returns to his room and realizes it has been searched looking for a diamond. Archer and Cordell meet and start talking like they are best mates. Archer asked for a smoke and then punched Cordell in the stomach and says â€Å"that’s for breaking my TV Bru†. This shows that Archer will not be intimidated by anyone. SCENE 14 Soloman legally searching for his family, (he is looking on the list). Soloman says he has been to kissy waterloo and Port Loko in search. He is sent to the whites and asks for help, the agency replies â€Å"then God help you, because I can’t†.The RUF comes to the village where Dia and his family are and takes Dia away. SCENE 15 Archer is in Cape Town South Africa because he is Meeting Colonel Coetzee. They are in the car going to see Colonel and Archer is asleep and very relaxed. Colonel and Archer are walking through the vineyards talking about diamonds and about how Archer worked for Colo nel as a soldier. Colonel says that Archer owes him money and he will stake a stone in payment. Archer says if he had the pink he wouldn’t be on this continent. Colonel says â€Å"you will never leave Africa†. SCENE 16Back in Sierra Leone and showing all the poverty. Solomon is living in a burnt out car. Archer finds Solomon, asking him about the Pink, Solomon rushes off to work. SCENE 17 They are in the RUF base punished the children, teaching them how to shoot and brainwashing them telling them they by killing people they are going to save the nation. â€Å"Shed their blood†!! Dia kills his first man and is shocked. Poison comes to see Dia and is being sympathetic because he knows Dia is upset. He is acting like a Father so Dia is attracted to Poison as he says â€Å"I will take care of you I am now your Father†.Dia has been rewarded with a position of Captain to make Dia feel special but its deliberate because he knows Dia’s dad Solomon has the Pink SCENE 18 At M’Ed’s bar talking about when the RUF is coming and M’Ed is saying he is not scared he underestimates the RUF. Archer and Bowen meet again and go for a dance talking about how Archer is a smuggler. Maddy says â€Å"is it possible that you don’t care how many die because of the deals that â€Å"you do? † and Archer replies â€Å"people here kill each other as a way of like. Always been like that! † now Archer is annoyed for the second time and walks off. She follows him again.Maddy gets offended by Archer’s generalization. SCENE 19 In free town Archer is talking to Solomon, Archer says â€Å"I got you out of jail we are partners† Solomon replies â€Å"we are not partners, you’re a liar† archer says â€Å"without me you’re just another black man in Africa. † The RUF arrive and while they are running Solomon says â€Å"you will say anything, how can I trust you† Archer replies à ¢â‚¬Å"you don’t have to trust me I said I don’t give a fuck about you, this diamond could be priceless, we split the diamond and I’ll get your family back? † There are people dying everywhere and Archer gets himself and Solomon through the Chaos.The army surrenders because they were scared by the RUF. SCENE 20 Rebels have taken Freetown and Killed M’Ed. The RUF are having a big party. Solomon and Archer are wandering around and eventually escape. SCENE 21 Archer and Solomon need to get across the bridge. Solomon and Archer are working together but Solomon does not approve. Solomon and Archer are travelling with refuges. Solomon says to Archer â€Å"I have agreed to nothing† Archer replies â€Å"you have no choice†. SCENE 22 They arrive at the refugee camp and Archer is trying to be nice but Solomon is being very short.Archer tries to bluff his way into being a journalist. Archer asks a man if he can tell Maddy Bowen that Danny Archer i s looking for her because he has the story she wants. Maddy and Archer meet and Archer gets straight to the point about helping Solomon out, Maddy says â€Å"your using him† archer replies â€Å"I’m using him your using me this is how it works, isn’t it? † SCENE 23 Maddy, Solomon and Archer are flying to the refugee camp to find Solomon’s family. Maddy is in charge and gives the name for Solomon’s family. Maddy starts taking of the refugees for her story.Solomon spots Jassie and his daughter but not Dia, he starts yelling because he realizes that Dia has been taken by the RUF, he gets wacked away from the fence by the army. Archer pulls Solomon away from the fence and says â€Å"do you want your family to see you get killed, get away from the fence. † They fly over the hills where the diamond is. SCENE 24 Solomon won’t tell Archer where the pink is because he still doesn’t trust Archer. Solomon is telling Archer that Dia was very smart and was going to become a doctor. Archer goes to speak to Maddy and Maddy is still angry and him. Maddy is writing a story.She is really angry and she realizes that what Archer said about using each other is true because she need facts. Archer tells Maddy that the only chance Solomon’s family will be released is through the Diamond. Archer explains the process of the diamond smuggling. Archer gives Maddy the details with the names and bank accounts, and he says â€Å"you right this story before I have given them the diamond I’m dead. † SCENE 25 Archer and Solomon get on the bus and pretend to be journalists. They get off the bus due to an accident so they take photos of the accident. The RUF start shooting at them and Archer starts taking leadership.They get in a car because someone on the bus doesn’t let them on. SCENE 26 The RUF are partying again and they are giving the kids Heroin. Dia calls himself â€Å"See me no more. † They are invading on different villages. Archer, Maddy and Solomon are getting shot at by the RUF again. Archer gets them out of trouble and starts driving off. The RUF start chasing them but they run into a bush and then run off. Archer starts to show affection towards Maddy to make sure if she is alright. Archer, Maddy and Solomon are walking through the forest in the dark. SCENE 27 The Sun is shining through the trees.The locals from the forest are protecting the own land and threating to kill them, Maddy takes charge and saves Archer and Solomon with her camera. The locals bring them to a school where they meet kids that have been saved from the RUF. They meet Benjamin and he explains what this place is and what he does. SCENE 28 Benjamin shows them around the school to show them the normal kids and how he saved them. They show some kids that are suffering. Archer says â€Å"you did well today† and Maddy replies â€Å"you too† this shows they start to bond. Benjamin bri ngs Archer a beer and they start to talk about the attacks in the area.Benjamin asks Archer â€Å"would you say that people are mostly good? † Archer replies â€Å"I’d say there just people. † Benjamin says â€Å"a moment in love even in a bad man can give meaning to a life†. Solomon is having fun playing soccer with the kids. SCENE 29 Children are singing and Maddy is in there in the light and Archer is outside in the dark. The light represents the happy life and the new day. The dark represent how he is finished if he stay, is in Sierra Leone. Maddy and Archer start drinking some wine which is very strong. Archer starts being completely honest to Maddy.Archer said his Mum was raped and killed and his Dad was decapitated. Archer says â€Å"sometimes I wonder, will god ever forgive us for what we’ve done to each other, then I look around and I realize, god left his place a long time ago. He is showing some emotion and is asking her without saying do you understand. Maddy holds his hand and become a kind of couple. SCENE 30 They are driving with Benjamin and run into some kids from the RUF kids asking what they are doing and who they are. They shoot Benjamin and Archer threatens the kids with a gun and drives off. They are trying to help Benjamin and he cracks a joke.So Archer has now saved them again. They drive to Colonel Coetzee to save Benjamin. They meet Colonel and Archer is forced to go with Colonel. Maddy and Archer start talking. Maddy distracts the soldier so Solomon and Archer can steal colonel’s goods so they can survive and not go with the army. Archer and Maddy say goodbye for the last time and Maddy gives Archer all her contact numbers. Archer is telling Maddy to get on the plane. SCENE 31 Solomon and Archer run off to go get the diamond. Archer is telling Solomon what to do and Solomon replies â€Å"yes, boss† which means that Archer is treating him like a slave.They are walking through the jungl e/forest. SCENE 32 In the dark when the RUF drive past and Solomon and Archer are hiding in the bushes on the side of the road. Solomon thinks he sees Dia on the RUF truck so he yells out which almost gets them caught. Luckily Archer grabs Solomon and runs to safety. So after all Archer has done for Solomon he puts there life in danger yet again. The next morning Archer wakes Solomon up and is talking about how he can capture baboons and how he can kill anybody, as archer says â€Å"if you risk my life like that again, I will peal your face back off your head. † SCENE 33They are walking through the hills. SCENE 34 They walk through a village and they meet another black African and he says the RUF are in the next town. Solomon lies to Archer saying they are going straight through to the RUF. Archer goes to turn right and Solomon continues straight. Archer starts threating Solomon and calls him a â€Å"kaffir† which is a huge insult to black people in Africa. Archer pull s a gun after fighting and says â€Å"your son is gone! † and Solomon replies â€Å"he is alive! † Solomon is getting really upset saying â€Å"I have to know if he is dead or not, shoot me if you want, why should matter I’m dead already. Archer replies â€Å"fine we will wait till dark† SCENE 35 They go into the RUF camp when it’s dark to have a look. The RUF base are walking and singing, part of the song is â€Å"go tell my parents they may see me no more† which is Dia’s new name. SCENE 36 Solomon and Archer are now walking and Solomon is asking Archer personal questions. Solomon says â€Å"I’m confused† archer replies â€Å"that makes two of us, my bru. † SCENE 37 Solomon is talking about his grandfather and his past. Solomon says â€Å"this place will be a paradise. † Archer makes a promise â€Å"we will get your back. After this they are walking up a hill and Archer falls and Solomon helps him up. SC ENE 38 They are looking down on the view to the diamond mine. Archer calls an attack helicopter as a diversion. Archer promises that Dia is not in the mine, but says â€Å"you can look all night†. SCENE 39 Solomon goes into the camp by himself in the dark. He spots Dia and goes up to him. Archer goes to rescue Archer again. Dia denies Solomon and screams â€Å"enemy, enemy, I hate you† SCENE 40 Poison finds Solomon and threatens him and his family in front of Dia. Poison says that he wants to get out of Africa.Poison tells Solomon to go get the Diamond or he will kill Dia. As this is about to happen to chopper appears and starts shooting. Poison takes Dia and Solomon starts chasing them. Solomon catches poison and kills him. Archer saves Dia. SCENE 41 The rebels are dead, Dia is alive, and this should be the happy part. Colonel comes to Archer and threatens to kills them if they don’t get the diamond. Archer screams at Solomon because he wasn’t telling th em where the diamond was. Archer puts Dia at risk so Solomon tells them where it is. SCENE 42 They go to find the Diamond.They find holes that Poison has tried to find it. He asks Cordell for a smoke, Cordell puts a gun to him and says â€Å"smoking will kill you†. Archer says â€Å"better stop smoking, hey, Solomon†. Solomon finds the diamond and then Archer and Solomon start to kill the army. Archer shoots Colonel and before he dies he says â€Å"TIA, huh, Danny† and Archer then shoots him. Archer realizes he has been shot and wounded. Solomon finds the diamond and then Dia holds a gun towards Archer and then Solomon, Solomon starts talking to Dia and reminding him what and who he really is and what he loves doing and who is his proper father.SCENE 43 Archer, Dia and Solomon are walking up the hill to where they are meeting the plane, Archer can’t walk any further and collapses, and Solomon picks him up over his shoulder and carries him. Archer tells So lomon to stop. Solomon has a worried look on his face as he realizes that Archer is dying. The plane flies over and Archer realizes that he cannot go on and gives Solomon the Diamond. Archer tells them to go. Archer says â€Å"take your boy home†. The Army troops start shooting and Archer shoots back at them. SCENE 44Archer calls Maddy and tells her what’s happened, he tells her to meet Solomon and help him out. The plane flies over Archer. Archer says â€Å"you can write the hell out of the story† because he is dead now. Archer says â€Å"I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be†. SCENE 45 It cuts from the silent calm Africa, to London where Solomon is meeting Mr. Simmonds. Maddy is taking photos for her story. Simmonds says â€Å"you diamond could not have ended up anywhere else† and offers him 2 million pounds. Solomon says â€Å"this isn’t enough, I want what is promised to me by Archer, and I want my family and the money†.Solomon looks around London and sees a diamond necklace and realizes this is what all the trouble is about. He meets with his family and then the diamond is put into a secure safe. SCENE 46 Kimberley, South Africa, January 2000. There is a conference about the blood diamonds. Solomon opens a magazine to Maddy’s article to see a picture of Archer. Solomon gets called in to talk about what happens in Africa. SCENE 47 There are credits telling us what has changed. Sierra Leone is at Peace, but there is still 200,000 children soldiers in Africa. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1) ARCHER – â€Å"you take your home boy, huh? Archer’s death proves he was a noble character all along – Discuss 2) Benjamin – â€Å"A single moment of love can give value to a life† does archer sacrifice himself for the sake of Solomon and Dia or does he just give up because he is wounded? 3) Then I realize, â€Å"God left this place a long time ago. † Archer complains a bout â€Å"this god-forsaken continent â€Å"without realizing that he and people just like him have helped to make it that way. Do you agree? 4) â€Å"T. I. A† (this is Africa) – Archer, captain Poison and Colonel Coetzee believe this is to be true: Solomon, Maddy and Benjamin believe it is a lie, who is right? Discuss.

Modern day diseases

There is something almost contradictory around the idea of man-made diseases. It could easily create images of mad scientists or evil terrorists creating the ultimate In biological weaponry. At this point the conspiracy theorist In all of us starts to wonder about the origin of any number of diseases and we look over our shoulders cautiously to see if Big Brother is standing there. However, between the conspiracies and the terror campaigns is a fascinating list of diseases that could fit the criteria.Within these there has to be recognition that not all, If any, man-made diseases are created Intentionally and some are more the result f the progress of the species than of any dire plan. 10. Obesity Although It Is more than cause of disease rather than the disease Itself, It Is probably worth recognizing that obesity In the twenty-first century Is the product of a society that has removed, through changing work habits or the provision of convenience, the practices that previously kept it in check. In this way, man has made the basis off plethora of diseases.In the last twenty years, obesity rates in the developed world have virtually doubled. This has had a profound effect on the number of number of people suffering Gall Bladder Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Displacement, as well as increasing a number of other health concerns. This has led to obesity being acknowledged as being virtually epidemic in its spread through and impact on the human race. There are those who are genetically disposed to obesity and for these people it remains a condition to be managed.But for the greater part of the Industrialized world, almost a third of all people are afflicted with a disease that is â€Å"caught† through inactivity, poor diet and a lack of awareness. The AIDS virus has been blamed on any number of Institutions, Just as It has on arioso species and continents. While many of us believe that Its eruption and the misery it has caused is similar to othe r dreadful epidemics, such as the Black Plague, that have afflicted the human race and whose origins have never been fully determined, there are also many who mount strong arguments for human intervention. Comate the human race. However, as it primarily attacked the homosexual community, the ravages of AIDS were mostly limited too minority. Yet it is this limitation that has raised so many questions. Was it a stroke of â€Å"luck† that AIDS began in the gay community? Or was it a planned assault on a sector of the community that offended the establishment? The circumstantial evidence has led theorists to consider the role of the American Government, the World Health Organization and even the Catholic Church as players in a diabolical scheme to rid the world of homosexuals.But as any more substantial proof is not forthcoming, it is difficult to accept that any human could inflict such tragedy on another, let alone on millions. Whether through the volume of voices raised in pro test or through the bizarre series of facts that seemed to have fallen into place to see it begin as it did, there is enough injector to consider that AIDS may have been a man-made disease.While there is little, if any, evidence to suggest that Cardiovascular Disease is the product of direct or deliberate intervention by an individual or group of scientists, it must be considered that it incidence has risen dramatically in the light of modern living. This would suggest that, while not exactly man-made, the danger and spread of the disease is clearly attributable to man's cultural and social progress. Cardiovascular Disease was the cause of less than ten per cent of deaths at the start f the twentieth century, yet today has a role in at least thirty per cent of deaths.Eight out of every ten of deaths from this disease today occur in the developed nations of the world. The causes of Cardiovascular Disease include smoking, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and poor diet. This wo uld suggest that as we have become more prone to stress, as we have lost the need to work in ways that maintain physical effort and as we have been provided with convenient food sources as opposed to healthy ones, we have become more susceptible to this disease.Man has made his life more pleasurable, convenient and comfortable, but has multitudinously made a disease that is growing in its prevalence Viruses can have a debilitating effect on susceptible organisms and when people are sick they have a tendency to look for someone to blame. While it is occasionally satisfying to growl at the dog or snarl at the cat when one isn't feeling well, the prospect of blaming a pig for a potentially fatal virus offers little comfort. On this basis, a number of broadly termed â€Å"scientifically-minded† people have decided that Swine Flu is a man-made disease.There is a strained, but compelling logic to the argument. Swine Flu is believed to be he result of a combination of four previousl y identified viruses, a Swine Flu strain from Asia/Europe, North American swine flu, North American avian flu and human different species coming together by accident is incomprehensible, so there must have been human intervention. That is, bitterroot are at work. However, with the speed and ease with which people and animals now move around the world, it is quite possible that a virus could be carried enormous distances by multiple hosts.The high rate of vaccination and immunization that occurs in the general population means that non-symptomatic arises are far more common than was once the case. The sad predicament of the pig in being susceptible to both human and bird diseases, not to mention his own collection of bugs, makes him an effective breeding ground for a huge gathering of virus component. The endpoint being a nasty virus, combining four previously known viruses, that comes from swine, that is the Swine Flu. As neat as this explanation is, the scientists can't realistical ly claim to have it all their own way.Their scenario makes sense, but the probabilities behind it must give something to the â€Å"scientifically-minded†. On this basis, the man-made versus quirk of nature argument remains a nil-all draw. Although the polio virus itself is on the brink of extinction worldwide and many governments have been considering the abolition of vaccination against the disease, US researchers were able to add it to the list of man-made diseases in 2002 by â€Å"building† the first synthetic virus based on the genome of the polio virus.That is to say, while the rest of the world celebrated the defeat of a monster, scientists put time and effort into reviving it once again. While there may have been good reason to create the virus, such as studying it to covers the best means of defeating its like in future, the people responsible had a more simplistic motive for their work. The reason they did it was to prove that it can be done.They also admitted that they had achieved the feat by following a recipe that â€Å"they downloaded from the internet† and were able to use gene sequences that they attained from a mail-order service. In answer to criticism that they had made the way clear for terrorists to create new and deadly viruses, the researchers explained that there are only a handful of people who would have the knowledge to carry out the task successfully. But they did advise that all governments should follow the lead of the World Health Organization and stockpile significant quantities of polio vaccine Just in case.As broad as this topic is, by the very nature of the process through which vaccines are made and administered, they must be the most effective and impressive of man- made diseases. The earliest medical practitioners would probably have noticed that those who survived a virus, however nasty (the virus, not the people), were somehow didn't know how to use this knowledge. The Chinese had a revolting, but cl ever attempt at harnessing this process in their trudge against smallpox, but it wasn't until the sass's that the idea really found an audience in Europe.Now the study and production of vaccines is continually being improved, but the basic procedure remains the same. Simplistically, a virus contains two parts, that which makes us sick and that which contains antigens that stimulate the immune response. By isolating the antigens a vaccine is able to be created that will tell our immune system to build up defenses against a particular virus. Then when the virus reaches us, we already have the defenses in place.

Political Theory of Locke and Rousseau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Theory of Locke and Rousseau - Essay Example According to Rousseau, the development in the field of science and arts led to the destruction of human virtue and morality. This is one statement which led many thinkers to contemplate on in the future theoretical world. This thinking of Rousseau, also bestowed upon him fame and recognition. Rousseau claim is that human beings by nature are virtuous but got corrupted during many historical events. He became a prominent figure in history of philosophy due to his unique contribution emphasizing on natural state of human .According to Rousseau, human beings are good by nature, but the social conventions have corrupted them along the history. In his article (Younkins) writes that â€Å"According to Rousseau, in the state of nature, people tended to be isolated, war was absent, and their desires were minimal and circumscribed† Rousseau reestablishes the necessity of a governed body to monitor the social security and needs of human beings. According to him state would have been â⠂¬Å"class state† with no rights to poor and weak in the absence of Government. The Social Contract† one of his controversial work on political philosophy has raised many debates among his counterparts Age of Enlightenment and Locke The Age of enlightenment is a movement in 18th century where all the intellect raised awareness among societies to reform and adapts oneself to natural and liberal state. In the age of enlightenment, the social and political scenario of central European societies was pathetic, as the power was in the hands of rich and elite. When it comes to Locke and Rousseau, both had prominent role to play in reforming the society. One of the philosophers Locke can be considered as pioneer of â€Å"Age of enlightenment† and his book called... Age of Enlightenment and Rousseau The theories of Rousseau had a significant role to play in enhancing the â€Å"Age of enlightenment†. Like Locke, Rousseau believed and put forward the natural rights of human beings and liberty as ideal principles of society. During, the age of enlightenment, Rousseau along with the other thinkers and philosophers questioned the dominating authority of church and state alike. Rousseau is a thinker, who did not believe in an authority, who need better quality of life than other. According to him, all has the right to live on the earth with equal power and freedom. However the government’s role comes in to play to preserve the rights of the property. When these messages were passed on to the society, people got enraged and a revolution broke out. Thinkers like Rousseau have had a majestic role to play during the age of enlightenment. Rousseau’s main statement is that human are basically good by nature but the historical and social conventions corrupt them in the long run. This is where the weak and the less able got awakened and a powerful enlightenment movement started. The age of enlightenment put forward the rationality and reasoning as a major force in human -kind, as nature is not self – ordering. This rational based â€Å"age of enlightenment â€Å"spread to the West from France and ignite awareness among the Americans. This in later times, led to the independence of America. Finally we could analyze that Locke being an advocate of â€Å"liberalism† and Rousseau being the pioneer of the â€Å"Age of Enlightenment† has contributed invaluably for the social upgrading of human rights and freedom in West So it can be well said that Locke and Rousseau are the cornerstone in political theory and age of enlightenment movement.

Strategic Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Marketing - Research Paper Example The majority of marketing scholars addresses strategic marketing as a continuous, long-term process, one that is concerned with clarifying the present state of the institution, a series of coordinated steps along a clearly defined route, while others speak to strategic planning as the organization’s defining of a mission and strategies to achieve goals and objectives in the most effective manner. This paper aims to examine and analyze customer orientation perspective of strategic marketing, with a specific focus on customer orientation, consumer behavior and relationship marketing. In a customer-oriented organization, the process of identifying and responding to the interests and needs of the customer is crucial, and must be viewed as the key element of the company’s strategic business plan. In a customer-oriented organization, quality is defined by the one who uses and ultimately benefits from the specific product or service, that being the customer or client. Those at the helm of successful businesses realize that the focus of the organization must be aligned with creating customer satisfaction above all else (Hinton & Schaeffer, 1994). Everyone’s job is defined by the customer. It is the customer, after all, who ultimately, defines how well the product or service is to be created, or delivered (Webster, 1994). As Jack Welch, the highly acclaimed CEO of General Electric, often reminded his employees, â€Å"Companies can’t give job security. Only customers can!† (Kotler, 1999, p. 20). The managers of responsive organizations focus on customer satisfaction, and make every effort to satisfy the needs and wants of the customers (Kotler & Armstrong, 1999). Forler Massnick, author of The Customer is CEO (1997), stakes a claim for TQM (Total Quality Management) by emphasizing that value is defined and determined by the customer. This practice of continuous product improvement, viewed through

Molecular Basis of Disease Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Molecular Basis of Disease - Lab Report Example Staining is one of the techniques used in the characterization of cancer cells. The most commonly used staining methods and Hematoxylin and Eosin staining. Generally the two methods have been used to differentiate between the nucleus and the cytoplasm of cells. Hematoxylin stains the nucleus purple while Eosin stains the cytoplasms pink. Cancer cells can also be stained particularly to differentiate them from other cells. However, it is imperative to note that there are preparation processes that should take place in order for tissue staining to be specific and relevant (Ahmed, 2007, p.490). Histopathology is a technique that involves the studying of disease development in tissues at the microscopic level. In medicine histopathology refers to the examination of tissue biopsies that have already been prepared through histological techniques and placed on glass slides. The histological techniques used in sample preparation are tissue harvesting, fixation, embedding, mounting and staini ng of the tissue sections. Tissue harvesting: it involves the surgical removal of the tissue followed fixing to ensure that the tissue is stable and that it does not decay. Fixation: two methods are used; chemical fixation and freeze fixation. Chemical fixation is done using formalin while freeze fixation is done using cryo-protectants such as OCT, TBS or Cryogel before freezing. Mounting: Tissues are placed in paraffin before being sectioned using a microtome before they are stained. Staining: The processed tissues are stained for viewing under a microscope. Objectives I. To prepare low and high power drawings of normal skin, breast and colon tissues. II. To prepare low and high power drawings of one diseased skin specimen or one diseased colon specimen. III. To prepare low power diagrams of all three diseased breast tissue specimens IV. To answer the relevant questions in the practical manual Materials I. Light microscope. II. Blank plain paper. III. Pencil IV. Specimens: a) Colon - Normal human - Polyposis b) Skin - Normal human - Basal cell carcinoma - Malignant Melanoma - Squamous cell carcinoma c) Breast - Normal human - Lobular hyperplasia - Fibrodenoma Methods Human Colon The slide was held up to the light and the darker purple staining layer of the gastric mucosa (inner most layer of colon) identified. The slide was then place on the stage so that the inner layer of the colon was on top. The upper edge of the specimen was then focused under low power magnification of the microscope (X40) and the following areas identified: gastric mucosa, muscularis mucosa, sub-mucosa and muscularis. After the major layers had been identified, the following layers were labeled: mucosa, colonic glands, gastric pits, sub-mucosa, muscularis mucosa (inner and outer layers) and blood vessels. A high power drawing of the gastric mucosa was the prepared and the following labeled: surface epithelium, colonic glands, goblet cells and lymphoid follicles. The same procedure was repeated for diseases colon cells and the differences between tissue specimens identified. Human Skin The slide was held up to the light to identify the outer layer of the skin. The slide was then placed on the stage so that the surface of the skin was positioned on top. The upper edge of the specimen was focused under low

Department of Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Department of Homeland Security - Essay Example The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department under the federal Government of the U.S. The main tasks of this department are to protect the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. This department works in order to protect the state within, at and outside its borders. The goal of this department can be defined as â€Å"to prepare, prevent and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism†.It was in 2003 that the Department of Homeland Security assumed its duties and now it is running with over 200 000 employees, being the third largest cabinet department of the United States. The formation of this department by President Bush was a response act to the September 11th attacks in the United States. The mission of the office was stated as â€Å"to develop and coordinate the implementation of a Comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks. The office will coordin ate the executive branch’s efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States†. As a first step to achieve their mission the department had come up with a color-coded terrorism risk advisory scale that provides â€Å"comprehensive information about the various risks to the federal, state and local authorities and to the people†. Actions will be intensified and protective measures strengthened if any area or department’s risk level rises... As a first step to achieve their mission the department had come up with a color-coded terrorism risk advisory scale that provides "comprehensive information about the various risks to the federal, state and local authorities and to the people".  Actions will be intensified and protective measures strengthened if any area or department's risk level rises. (Homeland Security) This is considered to be the largest Government reorganization since the U.S. Department of Defence was created. Any agency under the Department of Homeland Security will be housed in anyone of the four major directorates namely Border and Transportation security, Emergency of preparedness and response, Science and Technology and Information Analysis and Infrastructure protection. The Border and Transportation directorate includes representative agencies from Treasury, Justice, Transportation and Agriculture. The Emergency preparedness and response directorate brings together the Federal Emergency Management Ag ency (FEMA), the Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System (HHS), the Emergency, Justice and the National Domestic preparedness office. The scientific and technology directorate includes the CBRN Counter measures programs, Environmental Measurement Lab, National BW Defense Analysis center and Plum Island Animal disease center (for agriculture purpose). The Information and Infrastructure protection directorate includes the Federal Computer Incident Response Center, National Communications System, National Infrastructure Protection Center, Energy Security and Assurance program.  

The Purpose of the Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Purpose of the Corporation - Essay Example The authors assert that although the diverse assumptions of each of the two groups tend to be "logically or intuitively connected to represent it coherent world view, favoring one [group] does not require that we exclude the other." A major purpose of stakeholder theory is to help corporate managers understand their stakeholder environments and manage more effectively within the nexus of relationships that exists for their companies. However, a larger purpose of stakeholder theory is to help corporate managers improve the value of the outcomes of their actions, and minimize the harms to stake-holders. The whole point of stakeholder theory, in fact, lies in what happens when corporations and stakeholders act out their relationships. To this end, we conclude this volume with our view of contributions that stakeholder theory can make to redefine the corporation through a focus on performance measurement. The criticism of stakeholder theory that it cannot define what or who is or is not a stakeholder, as well as the attempts to delimit stakeholders, is perhaps misplaced. In spite of the atomistic nature of early definitions, stakeholder theory embodies in its very nature it relational view of the firm which incorporates the reciprocal dynamics of community, and the theory's power lies in focusing management decision making on the multiplicity and diversity of the relationships within which the corporation has its being and the multipurpose nature of the corporation as a vehicle for enhancing these relationships in their various dimensions. Freeman holds that nothing less than a redefinition of the corporation is needed and, as seen earlier, he recognizes that a redefinition of the corporation requires a redefinition of the self. And, ultimately, such a reconstructed self requires a reconstructed philosophic context within which conceptually to locate its relational nature. Critical Analyses on Milton Friedman's Arguments on "The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits" Friedman is therefore dismissive of any notion of corporate social responsibility: 'The doctrine of social responsibility is fundamentally subversive......there is one andonly one social responsibility of business- to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it engages in open and free competition without deception and fraud" (Friedman, 1970). Milton Friedman1, back in the early 1960s, argued that the one and only social responsibility of a company is to increase its profits He moreover equaled corporate donations with hypocritical window-dressing and tactics approaching fraud. According to his logic, social engineering is doomed to failure for several reasons: corporate managers do not have the necessary skills or expertise to arbitrate between competing claims of different sections of society - such competence is only given to an elected government; corporate managers are not elected and have therefore no political mandate to decide between competing claims for resources - again, such competence i

How has the treatment of cancer evolved over the past 10 years Research Paper - 1

How has the treatment of cancer evolved over the past 10 years - Research Paper Example cannot imagine the circulation of blood in the veins and arteries of the body, not only this, but if blood is not circulated then the liver may cease to perform its function and in turn, kidney shall stop filtering the waste out of the body. If waste is not excreted out of the body then it will obstruct the digestion procedure and hence the process of assimilation will be hindered and ultimately the body will lack the energy that it requires to perform various tasks and thus one can imagine how the machinery inside the body functions. The most significant components, however, in the body that lays the foundation of the entire human structure are cells. Cells in medical terms are known to be the building blocks of a human body. Every organ is composed of these cells. Blood circulation is the most important condition that is to be met for the continuation of life in a body cannot take place without the presence of cells. But the paradox is, if these cells start growing unnecessarily than they may prove to be as dangerous as being fatal. Cells in a human body are produced by the multiplication of existing cells and splitting of these cells provides the human body with its cell requirement from time to time. When the body does not require some cells, they die and are drained out of the body in various forms. However if the cells began to divide and give birth to more cells without the body needing them then this causes complexities in the body and leads to a disease known to us as cancer. Cancer is the abnormal growt h of body cells and it may take place at any portion of the body. Growth of the human body is a natural phenomenon and it takes place by virtue of the dispensable ability of the body cells. A cell divides into two, two divides into four and four into eight and so on and so forth, as per the body requirement. The DNA in the cells contains all the information regarding growth or demise of cells in the body if this information is corrupted, by reasons to be

P&G Advertising Strategy Essay Example for Free

PG Advertising Strategy Essay For marketing students at IIM Ahmedabad, 9th of January, 2011, is anything but a typical Sunday. They have resisted the temptation to join their batchmates in a lazy basketball game and appear oblivious to the cheerful riotous frenzy of the kite festival on the banks of the Sabarmati. Instead they have been pitted against each other all morning in a brand exercise organised and masterminded by PG. The prize? A dinner date for the teams with a man responsible for running the marketing function of one of the most powerful FMCG companies on the planet, Marc Pritchard , global marketing and brand building officer, PG. However, even students who do not make the cut get a chance to experience Pritchard firsthand when he addresses a respectably packed hall that evening. Soon after he’s done, the questions fly thick and fast. These include some potentially embarrassing posers. How does PG feel, one student wants to know, about its campaigns being ambushed by its archrival HUL? Few people have forgotten the teaser campaign about a mystery shampoo last year (that was revealed to be PG’s Pantene) being hijacked by Dove from the HUL stable. Pritchard opts to take the high road on this one: â€Å"We can’t prevent any competitor from ambush (surprise attack). But if you focus on the consumer, what your brand is doing to serve the consumer and if you have a big idea, you will win most of the time. † And that’s a running theme through pretty much everything that Pritchard has to say. Whether he’s addressing students at IIM-A, the media or an audience at the Cannes Lions Festival, he’s a tireless champion of brands serving consumers or â€Å"purpose driven branding. † PG spent most of the 1990s establishing a global footprint. Now, according to Pritchard, it finally has the chance to live up to its purpose. The first step was getting senior management to define a purpose for each of the brands in the PG stable: a blueprint on how the company could touch and improve lives. Pritchard explains, â€Å"We still have a core benefit but are thinking more broadly on how we can deliver it. We are very focussed on sharpening what the brands stand for, identifying human insights that can translate into big ideas. † Bold Gamble However those prepared for a lofty chronicle of CSR and corporate do-gooding are likely to step back, a little disappointed. Pritchard’s showreel of purpose driven work from PG includes pretty much every big campaign the FMCG has come up with recently. This includes the highly awarded work on Old Spice with its cocky ‘The man your man could smell like’ tagline. Pritchard says, â€Å"Purpose is much more than a cause or a corporate responsibility. We deliberately focused on making people define purpose as how brands improve everyday lives. A cause is just a piece of it as opposed to the whole thing. † This helps take purpose out of an ivory tower. It’s no longer something that resonates only with consumers in developed markets, fed up with hard sell, looking for corporates to do something more. Instead it could even be used as an effective go to market strategy. Which is pretty much the case with Pampers. Pritchard defines the brand’s purpose as â€Å"to improve a baby’s healthy, happy development. Its benefit is dryness and comfort that allows babies to sleep, play and explore more. When they do that, they develop better. By the way, it’s also making their mom’s lives a lot better if they sleep through the night. † To bring this purpose to life, PG sends pediatricians to villages with tips on how to help the baby sleep and advice on immunization, besides using this interface as a sampling opportunity. The one pack = one vaccine program run in association with the UNICEF is tied into this larger purpose too. â€Å"It helps bring the community of moms together since they like to help other moms,† says Pritchard. Even ‘Women Against Lazy Stubble’ for Gillette, a homegrown campaign, has something larger driving it. Purpose takes on a more meaningful role in developing markets,† he explains. The vans that propagate the program give young men tips on shaving, how to dress, handle an interview and talk to women. Purpose coincides well with PG making a concerted push into non-city markets not just in India but in other countries like Brazil and China that have a yawning urban-rural divide. PG is focusing on stores because it’s the first moment of truth for the rural consumer. Pritchard says, â€Å"We market back from there to create awareness to get them to that point. † There are approximately 7 million high frequency shops in India and PG has covered 4 million of these so far. A fair amount of product and package development is being done to cater to this segment. Using the store as the starting point also helps make the entire process less sporadic. Pritchard states, â€Å"It means you are always on. We have consolidated the number of distributors into a core highly capable, powerful group. We give them the material, knowledge and know how on display. † India is in some ways at the vanguard of PG’s rural drive. One of the things pioneered in India was generating more household trial. Pritchard admits, â€Å"It was Sumeet Vohra (chief marketing officer – Asia, PG) who created this machine to identify what it was going to take to get these products in the households, as well as the tools to measure performance. Much of what we learnt in India has been exported to other markets like Africa for example. † The recent acquisition of Paras by Reckitt Benckiser proves that multinational giants look to India for a lot more than its large consumer base. Pritchard gives a diplomatic answer when asked if there are any local heroes that he’s got an eye on. But PG invariably unearths little jewels with every acquisition, he says. Like Koleston which was not very big globally but strong in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, around the time Wella was acquired. PG took the brand to Mexico, Europe and are now launching in India. Pritchard goes further back for his next example: Richardson Vicks in 1985 had a very tiny brand called Pantene that accounted for $70 million in sales. He says, â€Å"We put the new technology in, and launched it in Taiwan and came up with Pantene Pro V. Now it is over a $3 billion brand. † To be chosen for the big push, the brand needs equity and it helps to have some sort of a story. Like Max Factor’s SK2 which was made with Pitera, a yeast extract used by monks in Japan which kept their skin in a better condition. â€Å"We built from that story, tested it in different markets and now it’s more than half a billion dollars and growing like crazy,† says Pritchard. In a classical FMCG battle, market observers may be tempted to brand PG as a pacifist, with hardly any aggressive countermoves towards competition. But, combining brand awareness with social programmes, driving its brands further into the hinterland and acquiring a knack of creating billion dollar brands, Pritchard knows that the company is pushing the right levers.

Educational Paradigms Essay Example for Free

Educational Paradigms Essay Paradigms are ways of thinking or getting things done. As time passes and new concepts evolve, the way things are being done or implemented begin to undergo significant changes. Paradigms are continually shifting and this is unavoidable. For example, prior to the beginning of the information age, education could only be achieved by physically seeking admission and going through manual registration processes before one could be considered a student. The situation has changed today. Most of these processes may now be achieved online, as is the case with American Intercontinental University (AIU). A new educational paradigm has been ushered in as a result of technological advancements (Riegle, n. d. ). Which paradigm best describes your current learning organizational environment? Why? Provide an example. The ideal paradigm is the one that favours the emergence of standard practices, improved methodologies, and a range of resources that help to establish benchmarks and develop instructional strategies that give students the opportunity to learn properly and reap the benefits of education optimally. American Intercontinental University (AIU) provides an online educational system that offers increased accessibility to students from the convenience of their homes. This is accomplished through the use of up-to-date technological devices, software programs, internet connection, and computers. Since technology has turned the world into a global village, the educational paradigm is gradually shifting from the use of traditional classrooms to an online learning system. This learning platform has necessitated the need for an interactive method of learning to supplement the lecture materials, sample essays and the numerous resources that are made available to students to facilitate their learning process. For example, Instructional strategies that involve the use of chat rooms, discussion groups, emails, forums or message boards are employed to achieve learning. How does your organizational paradigm affect your assessments and measurement of student learning? AIU strives to balance learning strategies by adopting principles of various learning theories and applying them to instructional design and students’ assessment. The University presents materials to students in formats that they can easily understand, usually in the form of video, audio, presentations, and other related methods. Measurement of student learning is achieved through the evaluation of students’ participation in group activities, discussion groups, learning teams, chat rooms, and ability to use concept maps, mnemonics or organizers to reflect their knowledge of concepts. This is in support of the Cognitivism theory which states that it is important to understand how the human mind works so that we can understand how students learn (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2008). Assessment of learning is also done by giving students home work, assignments or group projects so that they can learn through their own activities and personal experiences. This is a very important paradigm at AIU since most of the learning activities take place online. Students are encouraged to learn through simulation, exploration and active participation in message boards and various projects assigned to them. This method of assessment is in agreement with the constructivism theory which states that knowledge is imbibed through active participation and engagement of the learner. The theory asserts that for knowledge to be retained, it is important to link new concepts with familiar concepts (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2008). On a personal level, which paradigm do you feel most represents your own views of education and assessment? Even though technology has its numerous benefits and offers students various opportunities of convenience and ease of use, traditional learning methods should also be sustained because each style of learning has its own benefits. It’s important to maximize the advantages of each learning style so that optimal results may be achieved. In consonance with the theory of behaviorism, good performance should always be rewarded with praise, awards or any other form of recognition to encourage the students, while the undesired behavior (bad performance) may be rewarded by holding back such rewards (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2008). This ensures that individual performances in learning are immediately observed and weak points are focused on for possible improvement. By balancing the learning theories and employing the use of best practices in administering lectures to students, learning can indeed become an enhanced and exciting experience. References Learning Theories Knowledgebase. (2008). Index of Learning Theories and Models. Retrieved September 25, 2008 from http://www. learning-theories. com Riegle, R. P. (n. d. ). Educational Paradigms. Visionary Leadership for the Information Age. Retrieved September 26 from http://people. coe. ilstu. edu/rpriegle/wwwdocs/paradigm/welcome. htm

Biology Essays Heart Disease

Biology Essays Heart Disease The Biological Basis and Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary heart disease is a blanket term which describes all types of heart disease caused by blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Lack of sufficient blood is associated with a lack of oxygen, also called ischemia. Hence coronary heart disease is also called ischemic heart disease. Angina, heart attack and heart failure and are all clinical forms of coronary heart disease.1 Overall, coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Western world.2 In the UK, heart attacks are responsible for around 150,000 deaths every year and cost the NHS approximately  £719 million per year. Almost half of all heart attack sufferers die within 20 days of the attack.3 The heart of the problem The heart is a vital organ, pumping blood which carries essential oxygen and nutrients all around the body. As a powerfully active muscle, the heart needs a ready and plentiful supply of oxygen and nutrients itself; however these are not extracted from the blood that flows through it. Instead, the heart has its own specific blood supply – the coronary arteries. There are two major coronary arteries – the right and left. The volume of blood which flows to the heart is largely determined by the width of these vessels and is not so dependent on the power at which the blood is pumped through them. Unlike other organs which can use the oxygen within veins if needed, the heart is completely reliant on the coronary arteries’ supply. Hence their ability to expand and supply more blood when required is essential.4-6 Coronary heart disease develops when various materials build up within the walls of the coronary arteries causing a narrowing of the vessels and potentially leading to complete blockage. The obstruction of blood flow to the heart which results from this build up within the coronary arteries can cause a range of cardiac problems. When the blood flow to the heart is only temporarily interrupted, usually during exercise and times of exertion when the heart muscle requires more oxygen, the condition is known as angina. A person with angina will experience short attacks of chest pain which usually clear up with rest. Ultimately, insufficient blood flow can result in actual physical damage to the heart tissue. In severe cases, where blood flow is completely blocked, the portion of the heart affected may die from lack of oxygen– this is termed myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. Symptoms of heart attack include prolonged and severe chest pain, weakness and shortn ess of breath. In rare cases, patients with coronary heart disease experience heart failure. This is a broad condition which describes any symptoms showing that a patient’s heart is not performing as it should. 4-6 Why do coronary arteries become blocked? In healthy arteries, the walls are smooth and blood flows easily. The process leading to the development of coronary heart disease begins with the development of ‘fatty streaks’. These are yellow patches which appear within the wall of the coronary artery. The streaks are made up of a special type of cell called foam cells, which are rich in fats, plus smooth muscle cells. Over time, streaks can turn into plaques. Plaques, also known as atheroma, are fatty lumps which form within the lining of the arteries. There are various different kinds of plaques. Some are made up of a soft inner core of cholesterol covered by a thin firm outer layer. Others are completely solid and composed of smooth muscle cells and various other strong materials. Calcium may also build up on a plaque making the problem worse.4,7 What is the blockage like? Plaques cause several problems to coronary blood flow. Firstly, a plaque itself can be big enough to narrow the artery and reduce the space available for blood to flow through it. Secondly, as blood is thrust against the side of the plaque with each heart beat, the outer shell of the plaque may crack open exposing the cholesterol core. When the cholesterol core is exposed, blood clotting is triggered within the artery. Clots reduce the blood flow even more. This whole process can happen repeatedly causing the artery to become narrower and narrower and eventually leading to complete blockage.4,7 Overall, the process of plaque formation and associated thickening, loss of elasticity and narrowing of the artery walls is known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the major cause of coronary heart disease however, it is also present to some degree in almost every adult male in Western societies. What causes atherosclerosis to occur is complex and uncertain and there is much still to learn. Current thinking is that atherosclerosis results from some kind of ‘response to injury’ where initial non-specific injury to the lining of the artery wall triggers the whole process to start up.4,7,8 Risk factors Everyone has some chance of experiencing heart disease, however, various factors have been identified which increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease. These include:4,6,7,8 High cholesterol Smoking Lack of exercise Unhealthy diet Obesity Diabetes High blood pressure (hypertension) Mental stress High levels of certain blood clotting factors Family history Alcohol and coffee Male gender Ethnic group (e.g. Southern Asians in the UK are at higher risk) Most of these risk factors increase the risk of coronary heart disease by increasing the likelihood that atherosclerosis will develop within the coronary arteries themselves. Also, these risk factors have been found to ‘interact’. Hence if you have two or more risk factors your overall chance of developing coronary heart disease is proportionally higher than if you just had one risk factor.8 Heredity as a risk factor Coronary heart disease often occurs within several members of the same family, indicating that a genetic link may be involved. However, it is difficult to determine if the link between family members is due to genes or shared environmental factors, such as diet and exposure to smoke. Genetic factors have been shown to influence cholesterol levels and the amount of blood clotting factors a person has in their blood, which in turn has a knock-on effect on the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Overall, it seems that a combination of genetics and the environment would best explain the family link to heart disease. It has been estimated that 40% of the risk is controlled by genes, and 60% is due to environmental factors.4,6 High cholesterol as a risk factor There are two types of cholesterol found in the blood – ‘good’ HDL cholesterol which can protect against the development of heart disease and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol which promotes the development of atherosclerosis. There is lots of evidence to show that unhealthy amounts of these two types of fat in the blood, i.e. high LDL and low HDL levels, can increase the chance of developing coronary heart disease. This is because high levels of cholesterol in the blood encourage the formation of plaques within the artery wall and promote the overall process of atheroschlerosis.4,6 The cause of high LDL levels has not been clearly established but dietary factors are likely to be involved. There is evidence that a diet high in saturated, but lacking in polyunsaturated, fat may contribute to high cholesterol levels. There is relatively little actual cholesterol in the diet, but saturated fat is converted into cholesterol in the liver.4,6 Lack of exercise as a risk factor Lack of exercise is a proven risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease. Overall, the risk is a third less in people who exercise compared to those who don’t.8 It seems that physical exercise has a protective effect on the development of coronary heart disease. The mechanism underlying this has not been fully elucidated but certain hypotheses have been put forward. Exercise may increase levels of good HDL cholesterol and also reduce the blood clotting which occurs within atherosclerotic arteries and causes further blockage. Exercise might also help enlarge the coronary arteries and hence increase blood supply to the heart. In order to gain full health benefits from exercise in the reduction of coronary heart disease risk, five bouts of moderate physical activity per week, each lasting a minimum of 30 minutes, are recommended. Conclusion Coronary heart disease is a serious condition caused by the build-up of fatty deposits within the walls of the vital arteries that supply blood to the heart. Coronary heart disease is the major cause of death in Western societies but to a large extent is preventable. Recognising the key risk factors which contribute to the development of atherosclerosis is an important step towards reducing the overall incidence of coronary heart disease. References Walton J, Beeson PB, Bodley Scott R, 1986. The Oxford Companion to Medicine: Volume I, A-M. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Higgins M, 2001. Patients, families and populations at high risk for coronary heart disease. European Heart Journal, 22: 1682-1690. Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, 2005. Hitting the Target: Medicines and Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke. Available at: http://www.abpi.org.uk/publications/publication_details/hitting_target/section5b.asp [Accessed 14 March 2005]. Julian DG Campbell Cowan J, 1992. Cardiology: Sixth Edition. London: Bailliere Tindal. Vander AJ, Sherman JH, Luciano DS, 1994. Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function. International Edition: McGraw-Hill. Edwards CRW Bouchier IAD (Eds), 1991. Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine: Sixteenth Edition. London: Churchill Livingston. Singh VN, 2005. Coronary Heart Disease. Emedicine. Available from: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/10951-1.asp [Accessed 14 March 2005]. PRODIGY Guidance, 2004. Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke. Patient information leaflet. Available at: http://www.prodigy.nhs.uk/clinicalguidance/releasedguidance/webBrowser/pils/PL82.htm [Accessed 14 March 2005].

Plato :: essays research papers

Plato (circa 428-c. 347 BC) Plato was born to an aristocratic family in Athens. His father, Ariston, was believed to have descended from the early kings of Athens. Perictione, his mother, was distantly related to the 6th- century BC lawmaker Solon. When Plato was a child, his father died, and his mother married Pyrilampes, who was an associate of the statesman Pericles. As a young man Plato had political ambitions, but he became disillusioned by the political leadership in Athens. He eventually became a disciple of Socrates, accepting his basic philosophy and dialectical style of debate: the pursuit of truth through questions, answers, and additional questions. Plato witnessed the death of Socrates at the hands of the Athenian democracy in 399 BC. Perhaps fearing for his own safety, he left Athens temporarily and traveled to Italy, Sicily, and Egypt. In 387 Plato founded the Academy in Athens, the institution often described as the first European university. It provided a comprehensive curriculum, including such subjects as astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory, and philosophy. Aristotle was the Academy's most prominent student. Pursuing an opportunity to combine philosophy and practical politics, Plato went to Sicily in 367 to tutor the new ruler of Syracuse, Dionysius the Younger, in the art of philosophical rule. The experiment failed. Plato made another trip to Syracuse in 361, but again his engagement in Sicilian affairs met with little success. The concluding years of his life were spent lecturing at the Academy and writing. He died at about the age of 80 in Athens in 348 or 347 BC. Works Plato's writings were in dialogue form; philosophical ideas were advanced, discussed, and criticized in the context of a conversation or debate involving two or more persons. The earliest collection of Plato's work includes 35 dialogues and 13 letters. The authenticity of a few of the dialogues and most of the letters has been disputed. Early Dialogues The dialogues may be divided into early, middle, and later periods of composition. The earliest represent Plato's attempt to communicate the philosophy and dialectical style of Socrates. Several of these dialogues take the same form. Socrates, encountering someone who claims to know much, professes to be ignorant and seeks assistance from the one who knows. As Socrates begins to raise questions, however, it becomes clear that the one reputed to be wise really does not know what he claims to know, and Socrates emerges as the wiser one because he at least knows that he does not know.

Story in the Floor Plan :: The Metamorphosis Architecture Essays

Story in the Floor Plan The firm hand of the architect draws straight lines on translucent paper. The lines intersect into corners—forming rooms. More lines intersect—forming more rooms. The rooms line up, one after another, leaving spaces for doors, naturally. The house is built. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the narrator’s voice shadows this architect’s hand, ingraining the familial relationships and intentions of the Samsa family into the walls. The rooms of the architect are the vessels that the narrator fills with the virtuous and appalling intentions of the members of the Samsa family. In sum, the floor plan of the Samsa apartment and the family’s use of space in the apartment parallel their relationships with each other and intentions towards one other. In particular, the narrator reveals the relationship between Gregor and his parents as well as their intentions towards each other through the layout of the apartment. The order of the rooms in the Samsa apartment demonstrates the relationships within the family. The main rooms are laid out linearly. The living room is the first room beyond the foyer (Kafka 16). Because Mr. Samsa and Mrs. Samsa primarily inhabit the living room, this room may represent them. There is a direct line through the foyer to Gregor’s room, and Grete’s room is exactly behind Gregor’s room (6; 11; 15). The placement of the living room in front of Gregor’s room with respect to the foyer sets up the perception that Mr. and Mrs. Samsa are the dominant characters of the household. The living room leads to the outside room via the foyer, and thus, is the first room viewed by outsiders. This placement gives Mr. and Mrs. Samsa superiority over Gregor and Grete. For example, Gregor’s manager steps into the Samsa living room from the foyer and delivers â€Å"the first word of greeting† (9). This â€Å"first word of greeting† is of course directed at Mr. and Mrs. Samsa because they are the first people that the manager perceives upon entering the apartment. The initial perception of Mr. and Mrs. Samsa gives them dominance over the rest of the household. However, the living room is just a faà §ade on the face of the actual nucleus of the apartment—Gregor’s room. His room is the heart of the apartment while the living room is just the skin. Gregor’s room is physically the center—the nucleus—of the apartment. Gregor himself is also the nucleus of the family because he is the sole provider for his family.

Critical Analysis of the India Sri Lanka Fta

INDIA – SRI LANKA BILATERAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENT: Critical Analysis INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW PROJECT REPORT LLB 404 Submitted to: Asst. Professor MANISH SHARMA Submitted by: ADITYA VASHISTH 13510303809 (VIII Semester) May, 2013 Amity Law School, New Delhi TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 2. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 3. CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE ISFTA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 4. CHARACHTERESTICS OF THE ISFTA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 5. ASSESSMENT OF TRADE UNDER THE ISFTA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 6. LOOKING BEYOND FTA: CEPA†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 7. CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 8.BIBLIOGRAPHY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦20 INTRODUCTION The growth of regional trade blocs has been one of the major developments in international relations in recent years. During the 1990s, regionalism was conceived as a developmental option in itself that would promote competitiveness of trade bloc members and help their fast integration into the international economy. As per the World Bank report on Global Economic Prospects (2005) the number of the Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs ) has more than quadrupled since 1990 rising to around 230 by late 2004 and the trade between RTA partners now constitutes nearly 40% of total global trade.Quoting, World Trade Organisation (WTO) this report estimates another 60 agreements at various stages of negotiations. The World Bank report points out that the boom in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) reflects changes in certain countries trade policy objectives, the changing perceptions of the multilateral liberalization process, and the reintegration into the global economy of countries in transition from socialism. Regional agreements vary widely, but all have the objective of reducing barriers to trade between member countries which implies discrimination against trade with other countries.At their simplest, these agreements merely remove tariffs on intra bloc trade in goods, but many go beyond that to cover non-tariff barriers and to extend liberalization to investment and other policies. At their deepest, they have the goa l of economic union and involve the construction of shared executive, judicial, and legislative institutions. [1] Among the seven member countries of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), India and Sri Lanka accounts for the largest bilateral trade flow in the region.Thanks to the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) that was signed between the two countries in December 1998 and operationalized in March 2000. However, almost at the same time in 1993 the agreement on South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed among the seven member countries of SAARC. The objective was to promote and sustain trade and economic cooperation within the SAARC region through the exchange of concessions. This pushed the agenda for promoting bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka to the background.However, the negotiations under SAPTA progressed at a very slow pace and became a time consuming process. The failure of SAPTA brought about the desire for a free trade agreement with India to the forefront from the Sri Lankan side. It was felt that such an agreement would give the much needed market access to the exporters from Sri Lanka. India was also keen to acquire the South Asian markets and expressed its willingness to consider bilateral free trade agreements with its South Asian neighbours.Accordingly, the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) was signed between the two countries on 28 December, 1998 in New Delhi, India and came into operation on 1 March, 2000. India and Sri Lanka look upon regional/bilateral FTAs as a complement to the multilateral trading system by ensuring the compatibility of the FTAs with the rules laid down by the WTO. Also, both countries are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) which envisaged the formation of a South Asian Free Trading Arrangement (SAFTA) through successive rounds of tariff concessions between member countries.However, the efforts of member co untries have not yielded the expected results. [2] A Joint Study Group with representatives from both countries was set up which submitted its report in October 2003 that paved the way for negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). In the present context of Indo-Sri Lanka trade, the services agreement aims to remove/reduce market access and national treatment barriers, and promote co-operation between the services sectors of the two countries. [3] HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Trade relations between Sri Lanka and India date back to pre-colonial times.Under British rule, trade between the two countries was geared to fulfill the needs of the colonial power in the occupying territory, and was dominated by imports and exports in food-related items. After independence in 1947 and 1948 for India and Sri Lanka respectively, both national governments adopted inward-looking policies centered on the concepts of â€Å"self-reliance† and import substitution industria lization. Consequentially, a very modest level of trading took place between what became two virtually closed economies. In 1977, Sri Lanka became the first South Asian country to liberalize its economy, opening it up to the rest of the world.However, substandard products from India – the result of excessive inward-looking policies were not competitive against the goods from East Asia that flooded the Sri Lankan market. With partial liberalization of the Indian economy during the 1980s and further liberalization in 1991, trade began to pick up, particularly in favour of India. Between 1993 and 1996, there was a doubling of two-way trade, and between 1990 and 1996 imports of Indian goods to Sri Lanka grew by 556 per cent. In 1995, India replaced Japan as the largest source of imports to Sri Lanka, accounting for 8-9 per cent of total imports.For Sri Lanka, it became evident that trade with the SAARC region ultimately amounted to trade with India owing to the sheer size of the latter’s rapidly emerging economy and expanding middle-class population. Hence, the perceived mutual benefits of free trade between the two countries became increasingly clear. Sri Lanka’s private sector – frustrated by the slow progress of the SAPTA[4] to boost regional trade – pressurized the government to enter into a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Indian government that would increase market access for Sri Lankan exporters. [5]Birth of the ISFTA (India – Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement)[6] Politics was ultimately the major player in the move towards free trade. Sri Lanka entertained the hope of clearing away the political tensions of the 1980s and engaging India’s assistance once more in solving the North/East conflict of the country. India was propelled by an immediate need to acquire South Asian markets following economic sanctions imposed on the country for the nuclear tests conducted in May 1998. Among other factors, these politi cal forces led to the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Bilateral Free Trade Agreement (ILBFTA) on December 28, 1998.The Commerce Secretary of India and Finance Secretary of Sri Lanka exchanged letters that operationalise the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) between India and Sri Lanka signed in New Delhi on 28 December 1998 by H. E. the President of Sri Lanka and the Honorable Prime Minister of India with effect from 1st March 2000. [7] The economic objectives of Sri Lanka were to increase Trade ties with South Asia’s dominant economic power, to induce the transformation of Sri Lanka’s exports from low-value added goods to high value-added goods aimed at niche markets, and to provide low-income groups with cheap consumer imports from India.Moreover, Sri Lanka hoped to attract more export-oriented foreign direct investment (FDI) from third countries by promoting itself as an effective entry point into the Indian market. With the Board of Investment (BOI) being made a â€Å"one stop shop† in the early 1990s, Sri Lanka has long been a relatively appealing location for foreign investors compared to its more bureaucratized South Asian neighbours. [8] Thus, the agreement with effect from 1st March 2000, aimed to provide duty free as well as duty preference access for the goods manufactured in the two countries.Both the countries had listed products for immediate duty free entry into each other's territories. India having agreed to phase out its tariffs on a large number of items within a period of three years. Sri Lanka, likewise to do so in eight years. Both the countries had drawn up ‘Negative Lists’ in respect of which no duty concessions will apply. These Lists would include items on which protection to local industry had been considered essential. Both the countries intended to reduce the items in the Negative List through periodic consultations. [9] The Agreement sets out the ‘Rules of Origin’ criteria fo r eligibility for preferential access.Products having domestic value addition of 35% will qualify for preferential market access. Sri Lanka’s exports with a domestic value addition content of 25% will also qualify for entry to the Indian market if they have a minimum of 10% Indian content. [10] CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE ISFTA The conceptualization phase of the ISFTA occurred between December 1998 and March 2000, and was based on several previous studies and recommendations. [11] The agreement was intended to supersede the existing economic partnership under the SAARC, viz. , SAPTA. Bilateral free trade greements are traditionally formulated using the â€Å"positive list† approach, whereby each participating country catalogues the individual commodities for which it would grant preferences to the other. Nonetheless, owing to the time-consuming nature of such a method, the ISFTA was formulated on the â€Å"negative list† approach; each country extending concessions / preferences to all commodities except those indicated in its â€Å"negative† list, namely items of a sensitive nature with regard to protecting national interests. The two countries agreed for preferential treatment on 5112 tariff lines (by 6-digit HS Code).An 8-year time table was devised for phasing out tariffs. Non-tariff barriers, such as Indian State taxes and customs- level procedures (e. g. , landing tax), were to be gradually removed as well. [12] Taking into account the asymmetry between the two countries, Sri Lanka was accorded special and differential treatment; the immediate duty- free list (319 items) and 50 per cent preferential duty list (889 items) were considerably smaller than those offered by India (1,351 items and 2,799 items, respectively), while the Sri Lankan negative list (1,180 items) was considerably larger than India’s (196 items).Among others, the agricultural sector of Sri Lanka was not subject to liberalization and was included in the ne gative list. The majority of Indian exports were initially granted only a 35 per cent duty concession with an 8-year tariff reduction period, while Sri Lankan exports were granted a 50 per cent concession with a 3-year tariff reduction period. Moreover, Sri Lanka was granted the freedom to reduce its negative list at her comfort level, instead of a pre-determined formula. Rules of origin (ROO) criteria were also relaxed in Sri Lanka’s favour.Preferential treatment requires a minimum of 35 per cent domestic value addition, or 25 per cent when Indian inputs comprise 10 per cent. In addition, although the agreement does not feature revenue compensation, Sri Lanka maintained that tariff concessions would not be granted for high-duty imports such as automobiles; import duties are an important source of government revenue and comprise 2 per cent of Sri Lankan GDP. Some aspects of the agreement were deferred for subsequent negotiation; these include the number of entry ports, Indian state-level taxes, customs procedures, and the specifics of phasing out non-tariff barriers. 13] The agreement included mechanisms for review and consultation, as well as settlement of disputes above and beyond the protection afforded to both countries under the safeguards clause. CHARACHTERESTICS OF THE ISFTA The ILFTA between India and Sri Lanka is a landmark in the bilateral relations between the two countries. It is expected to bring about enhanced trade between the two countries as well as to expanded and diversified cooperation in a range of economic spheres, including investments. This is the first such Agreement in the South Asian region which could serve as a model for similar bilateral Agreements in the region.It has an institutional framework in the form of the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission, a dispute settlement mechanism, and so forth. Its significance further lies in that it can be implemented more expeditiously and also more flexibly, unlike the protracted nature of neg otiations generally associated with multilateral arrangements. [14] These following features characterize Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement: Elimination of Tariffs: 1. By India †¢ Zero duty on items upon entering into force of the Agreement – the list is to be finalized within 60 days of signing of the Agreement. E): 1351 products. †¢ Concessions on Textile items restricted to 25% on Chapters 51-56, 58-60, & 63. Four Chapters under the Textile sector retained in the negative list (Chapters 50, 57, 61 and 62) (TEX): 528 products. †¢ Garments covering Chapters 61&62 while remaining in the negative list, will be given 50% tariff concessions on a fixed basis, subject to an annual restriction of eight million pieces, of which six million shall be extended the concession only if made of Indian fabric, provided that no category of garments shall exceed one and half million ieces per annum (GAM). †¢ 50% tariff preference on five tea items, subject to a quota of 15 million Kg. Per year (TEA): 5 products. †¢ 50% margin of preference upon coming into force of this Agreement on all items, except for those on the negative list. To be phased out to zero duty in three years (IR): 2799 products. †¢ A negative list of 429 items to be retained (D I): 429 products 2. By Sri Lanka †¢ Zero duty on about 319 items upon entering into force of the Agreement (F I): 319 products. Phasing out of tariffs on items with 50% margin of preference on 889 products upon coming into force of the Agreement, with up to 70% at the end of the 1st year, up to 90% at the end of the 2nd year and 100% at the end of 3rd year (F II): 889 products. †¢ For the remaining items, (except for those on the negative list), which is the Residual List, preference would be not less than 35% before the expiry of three years, 70% before the expiry of six years and 100% before the expiry of eighth year. (SLR): 2724 products. A negative list of 1180 items (DII): 1180 prod ucts. OBJECTIVES: The Objectives adopted are: †¢ Analyze how much of the bilateral trade – both imports and exports are covered under different categories of concessions offered and received by India and Sri Lanka over the past five years, viz. 1996-97 to 2000-01. †¢ To analyze, in terms of 21 HS Sections, the distribution of trade under each category. †¢ To analyze the top products in terms of 8-digit HS Classification for India and 6-digit classification for Sri Lanka under each category to identify the success stories. To ascertain the trade potential between the two countries and assess the same in terms of products offered concessions under different categories. This exercise is based on the last year of data availability. The concessions offered by the Contracting States have been at 6-digit HS classification. In order to attain the aforementioned objectives, the bilateral trade data[15] is analyzed at the highest level of desegregation for India, viz. 8- digit HS classification by disaggregating all concessions at 6-digit classification to 8-digit levels. ASSESSMENT OF TRADE UNDER THE ISFTAThe India Sri Lanka FTA was signed in 1998 and became operational in March 2000. Mutual phased tariff concessions on different products on 6 digit Harmonized Classification (HS Code) basis have been granted by both the partners. Each side is having its negative lists[16] (no concessions), positive list (immediate full concessions) and a residual list5 (phased tariff reductions) as per the framework of ISLFTA. The preferential trade under the FTA is governed by Rules of Origin, which specify the criteria for a product to qualify for tariff concessions from the importing member.After signing of ISFTA, trade between India and Sri Lanka has increased manifold. India‘s import from Sri Lanka was US$ 45 million (0. 10% of total imports) in 1999, which increased to US$ 499 million (0. 29%) in 2006; India‘s export to Sri Lanka was US$ 482 milli on (1. 4% of total exports), which became US$ 2110 (1. 74%) in 2006. Similarly, Sri Lanka‘s import form India in 1998 was 538 million (9. 49%), which increased to US$ 1804 million (18. 46% rank 1) in 2006. Sri Lanka‘s exports to India has grown from US$ 35 million (0. 5%) in 1998 to US$ 490 million (7. 26%, rank 3) in the year 2006. In this way India became the major trading partner for Sri Lanka after the signing of the Agreement. The number of Sri Lanka‘s export items to India increased from 505 in 1996 to 1,062 in 2006 items on 6 digits of HS classification. There is a visible shift in Sri Lanka‘s exports from agricultural products to manufacturing goods The major products exported by Sri Lanka to India in 2006 included – Fats and Oils (22. 3%), Copper and Articles of Copper (8. 6%), Electrical Machinery (8. %) and Spices, Coffee, Tea (6. 2%). Similarly, India exported Mineral Fuel, Oil (22. 44%), Vehicles (18. 08%), Iron and Steel (4. 54%), Machine ry, Reactors, Boilers (4. 22%) and Pharmaceutical Products (4. 13%) to Sri Lanka. There has been an increase in total share of import of Sri Lankan goods from 0. 10% in 1999 to 0. 29% in 2006. The import from Sri Lanka has also increased in the items on the residual list from 0. 2% in 1996 to 0. 47% in 2006. It is noteworthy that there has been an increase in the imports even in the negative list items from 0. % in 2001 to 1. 19 % in 2006. This could be mainly due to the increased awareness to partners market, smoothening of customs issues and improved access to ports of entry due to the increased engagement of partner countries on products having preferential tariffs on residual list, the so called border effects. By 2008, the ISFTA entered into full force. Both governments were pleased with the results achieved through the Free Trade Agreement and proclaim that it had facilitated the expansion of two-way trade between India and Sri Lanka.India, which was once the second largest ex porter to Sri Lanka pre-ISLFTA, has now become the island‘s largest source of imports. Meanwhile India has become the third largest export destination for Sri Lankan products (after the United States of America and the European Union). The argument is that, given the asymmetrical proportions of the economies of the two countries, if not for the ISLFTA, Sri Lankan exports would not have been able to achieve their current level of market penetration. The bilateral import-export ratio that had been 10. :1 in 2000 had improved in Sri Lanka‘s favour to 5. 3:1 by 2007. According to the then Indian High Commissioner to Colombo, the ratio may have been as skewed as 40:1 (in India‘s advantage, of course) had the ISLFTA not been in operation. [17] Over the ten years in which the ISLFTA has been in operation, Indian foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka has also expanded exponentially, most recently in telecommunications (Bharti Airtel) and glass-manufacturing (Piramal Glass ), and biscuits and sweets (Britannia).In 2009, India was the island‘s third largest foreign investor (after China and the United Kingdom) with inflows of US$78 million and largely attracted to the telecommunications, energy and power sectors (Central Bank of Sri Lanka 2010: 114). The Institute of Policy Studies (2008: 47-48) has estimated that Indian foreign direct investment has expanded from a cumulative total of LKR165 million in 1998 (1. 3 percent of total FDI) to LKR19. 5 billion in 2005 (8. 3 percent of total FDI). However, the causal connection between the commencement of the ISLFTA and the spiral in inward foreign direct nvestment from India is asserted rather than demonstrated, and may have more to do with aggressive Indian investment strategies since that country‘s economic boom, than the existence of the Free Trade Agreement. [18] IMPACT OF THE FTA Despite its importance in the South Asian region, not many empirical studies have been conducted to access the i mpact of ISFTA. One study that attempted to analyze the impact of this FTA was conducted by Kelegema and Mukherjee in February 2007[19]. Their study is based on the bilateral trade flows under different categories of products.Sector wise imports and exports figures are compared before and after the FTA. They have concluded that the two countries have displayed political will to forge ahead towards economic integration and the considerable size disparity between the two economies does not hinder bilateral free trade when appropriate special and differential treatment is accorded to the smaller country. Some new goods from Sri Lanka have found entry into the Indian market following the exchange of preferences.Finally, they have concluded that the economic benefits of free trade can and do override political problems. [20] Another report on evaluating economic performance of the FTA is ? Joint Study Group on India –Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement constitut ed by the partner Governments (JSG report, 2003)[21]. JSG (2003) has concluded that ISLFTA promoted a 48% increase in bilateral trade between 2001 and 2002, and at present India is the largest source of imports into Sri Lanka, accounting for 14% of Sri Lanka‘s global imports.India is the fifth largest export destination for Sri Lankan goods accounting for 3. 6% of Sri Lanka‘s global exports. [22] Based on the success of ISFTA, the JSG has recommended that the two countries enter into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) covering trade in services and investment and to build upon the ISLFTA by deepening and widening the coverage and binding of trade in goods. LOOKING BEYOND FTA: CEPA The decision to work towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was taken in June 2002.During the visit of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister to India in June 2002, the Prime Ministers of India and Sri Lanka discussed the profound changes in the international ec onomic and political arena that have been generated by the process of globalization, on the one hand, and emergence of closer regional economic associations, on the other. They agreed on the need to widen the ambit of the ISLFTA to go beyond trade in goods to include services and to facilitate greater investment flow between the two countries.Accordingly, a Joint Study Group (JSG) was set up to make recommendations on how to take the two economies beyond trade towards greater integration and to impart renewed impetus and synergy to the bilateral economic interaction, through the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). [23] Both sides have committed to an agreement consistent with the rules of the WTO. While the numerous shortcomings of the existing FTA must be remedied, its evident achievements can be built upon with relative ease to formulate the new agreement.The required institutional support is already in place with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Ceylon Chamber Commerce, which function as the focal points for economic cooperation, as well as the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission and the FTA’s Working Group on Customs. The first round of technical-level negotiations (TLNs) on the CEPA commenced in February 2005, somewhat delayed after changes in government in both countries. Seven rounds of negotiations have been completed by 2006. The CEPA is to cover trade in goods and services, investment liberalization, and economic cooperation.The negotiations on goods focus primarily on reducing the ISFTA’s negative lists, relaxing ROO criteria, signing mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) on product standards and certification procedures, and concluding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on consumer protection and legal metrology. Particular attention will be given to developing the supply side of the Sri Lankan economy. The CEPA will be notified under the GATT’s Article XXIV[2 4], which covers substantial trade instead of under the â€Å"Enabling Clause† which provides more flexibility to etermine the trade coverage between developing countries. In a nutshell, the main objectives of the CEPA are to: 1. Deepen existing preferential trade between the two countries 2. Reduce the negative lists of the ILBFTA 3. Relax ROO criteria 4. Liberalize the services sector beyond the coverage of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) 5. Liberalize investment 6. Facilitate economic cooperation as an impetus for liberalization of the services and investment sectors, with the Indian Line of Credit to play a crucial role. [25] CONCLUSIONThe operationalisation of the ISFTA in 2000 was an important step taken by the two countries to harness the economic complementarities between them. As expected, post  ­ISFTA bilateral trade performance between India and Sri Lanka indicates that exports and imports have grown considerably, accompanied by significant prod uct diversification. Despite the fact that the ISFTA was confined to trade in goods, increases in trade links between India and Sri Lanka have been further triggered by large investment flows as well as services integration between two countries over time.Nevertheless, investment flows have been mostly one sided as would be expected, flowing from India to Sri Lanka, where the bulk of Indian investment in manufacturing in the post  ­ ISFTA phase has come from Indian investors keen to take advantage of preferential duty access to the Indian market in key sectors such as Vanaspathi and copper. Nevertheless, the potential for greater linkages in investment and services has been fairly obvious based on recent performance, and in part has encouraged both countries to further deepen integration in these areas under the CEPA framework.It is evident from detailed analysis of post ­ISFTA trade flows that Sri Lanka’s exports to India have expanded significantly. However, it is also clear that the overwhelming share of the increase has originated in a few commodities, raising concerns about the sustainability of the growth momentum in the long term. The bulk of the exports have been concentrated in two items, namely the vegetable fats and oils and copper and articles of copper, which are not considered to be sustainable in the long run.It is by resolving these issues that the movement towards CEPA could be put on fast track to make it a reality. CEPA has the potential to break new ground in South Asia’s forward movement towards economic prosperity. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Mukherjee, I. N. , T. Jayawardena and S. Kelegama (2002), ‘India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement: An Assessment of Potential and Impact’, SANEI completed study (www. saneinetwork. net ). 2. The Graduate Institute Geneva, HEID Working Paper No: 04/2010: An Econometric Analysis of the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. 3. Kelegama, S. nd Mukherji I. N. (2007), India-Sri Lanka Bilat eral Free Trade Agreement: Six Years Performance and Beyond, RIS DP# 119, February 2007, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, New Delhi. 4. JSG (2003), India-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Joint Study Group, October 2003, http://www. ips. lk/publications/etc/cepa_reprot/islcepa. pdf 5. Jayawardena, L. et al. (1993), Indo-Sri Lanka Economic Cooperation: Facilitating Trade Expansion through a Reciprocal Preference Scheme, The United Nations University, WIDER, Helsinki. 6. An Act of Faith? † ten years of the India-Sri Lanka FTA, Law & Society Trust, Sri Lanka, March 2010 (PDF File) 7. â€Å"India – Sri Lanka FTA: Lessons for SAFTA†, CUTS International, Dushni Weerakoon, Jayanthi Thennakoon. (PDF File) 8. Panchamukhi, V. R. et al. (1992), Indo-Sri Lanka Economic Cooperation: An Operational Programme, the United Nations University, WIDER, Helsinki. 9. Taneja, N. , A. Mukherjee, S. Jayanetti, and T. Jayawardena (2004), â₠¬ËœIndo-Sri Lanka Trade in Services: FTA II and Beyond’, SANEI completed study (www. saneinetwork. net ). ———————– 1] An Econometric Analysis of India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement, HEID Working Paper No: 04/2010 [2] See Shome (2001); Harilal and Joseph (1999); Taneja (2001). [3] Several Free Trade Agreements related to goods trade are more of Preferential Trade Agreements rather than Free Trade Agreements. In the case of Indo-Sri Lanka, the terms CEPA and FTA are interchangeable. [4] The SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA) was signed in April 1993 and came into operation in December 1995. [5] RIS-DP # 119: India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Free trade Agreement, Saman Kelegama & Indra Nath Mukherjee. 6] Available on the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka website, http://www. boi. lk [7] Supra, note 5. [8] Supra note 5. [9] Indo-Sri Lanka FTA: An Assessment of Potential and Impact, Saman Kelegama & Indra Nath Mukherjee. [ 10] Supra note 9. [11] See Jayawardena, L. et al. (1993) and Panchamukhi, V. R. et al. (1992). [12] Supra note 5. [13] India had committed to the WTO that it would remove non-tariff barriers by 2004. [14] Supra note 9. [15] The data has been obtained from the Ministry of Commerce (India) electronic database over the period of 1996-97 to 2000-01. 16] Items, which are considered sensitive to the domestic industry by each partner to FTA, are included in the respective negative list. The items in negative list of Sri Lanka are not entitled for any duty concessions for imports from India. The same rule applies in case of India‘s negative list for Sri Lan kan products. [17] â€Å"An Act of Faith? † ten years of the India-Sri Lanka FTA, Law & Society Trust, Sri Lanka, March 2010. [18] Supra note 17. [19] Supra note 9. [20] Supra note 1. [21] Joint Study Group Report on India-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (JSG, 2003), can be found at : http://www. ps. l k/news/newsarchive/2003/20102003_islcepa_final/islcepa. pdf#search='India%20Sri%20Lanka%20Trade%20Study' [22] Supra note 1. [23] Supra note 21. [24] GATT– General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. [25] The Indian Line of Credit is a credit facility granted by India to other developing countries to purchase goods and services from India, usually with a long re-payment period. Since January 2001, Sri Lanka has borrowed a total of US $281 million for the purchase of food, petroleum, buses, roofing sheets, and consulting services.