Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois

No two persons have had a greater impact on the black person's right movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth cenury American history more than W. E. Burghardt Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Both have gained millions of followers in their quest to elevate the black people's place in society with their show of great intelligence and wisdom. Yet, their philosophies and ideas on how that goal can be achieved were as different as the racial differences that separated the whites and the blacks in their time.According to Ellis Washington, author of The Devil Is In the Details: Essays on Law, Race, politics, and Religion, â€Å"If the philosophy of Du Bois and Washington can be reduced to one word it would be rights vs. duty† (Washington, â€Å"Du Bois vs. Washington†, para. 21). Indeed, while Du Bois was a very vocal advocate on the black man's right to an equal treatment as the white man without reservation or apology, Washington espouses more on the idea of ra cial accomodation and gradual acceptance between the two races.This was nowhere more evident than in their respective speeches, â€Å"The Talented Tenth† and â€Å"The Atlanta Compromise†. In â€Å"The Talented Tenth†, Du Bois asserts that only through the cooperation of the best and the brightest of the black people can the general masses be elevated to the standards that they deserve. He argues that for this to happen, black people needed to also be accorded the elite educational training that is given to the white people, saying that â€Å"The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men† (Du Bois).Washington, on the other hand, appeals to the white Americans in a way that was almost pleading and submissive. In his speech at Atlanta in what came to be known as the â€Å"Atlanta Compromise†, he said: Casting down your bucket among my people, helping and encouraging them as you are doing on these grounds, and to educatio n of head, hand, and heart, you will find that they will buy your surplus land, make blossom the waste places in your fields, and run your factories.While doing this, you can be sure in the future, as in the past, that you and your families will be surrounded by the most patient, faithful, law-abiding, and unresentful people the the world has seen (Harlan, 583-587). Such a difference in ideologies, of course, is bound to elicit a reaction from one or both of the leaders, and indeed, Du Bois was the most influential critic of Washington, saying that Washington had encountered the most criticism from his own people, amounting to bitterness, even though generally held in silence (Du Bois, â€Å"Of Mr.Booker T. Washington and Others†). The contest between the two ideologies has long been debated, but the Du Boisian perspective have gained the upper hand, mainly due to the followers of it's leadership paradigm making major contributions to Black communitarian advancement during th e era between the two World Wars, resulting in the eventual demise of Washington's leadership legacy (Kilson, â€Å"Booker T. vs DuBois†). There is no question, though, that whichever became more influential, both will always be a defining force in Black American history.Works Cited Du Bois, W. E. Burghardt. â€Å"Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others. † The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches. Cambridge: University Press John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, USA, 1903. —. â€Å"The Talented Tenth†. The Negro Problem: A Series of Articles by Representative Negroes of To-day. New York: 1903. Harlan, Louis R. , ed. The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol. 3. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1974. 583-587. Kilson, Martin.â€Å"Booker T. vs DuBois: Retrospective on the Washington/DuBoisian Black Leadership Paradigms: Part II. † The Black Commentator: Think Piece. 2 March 2006. 19 December 2007 Washington, Ellis. â€Å"Du Bois vs. Washington: Old Le ssons Black People Have Not Learned. † Issues & Views. 2001. 19 December 2007

Role of Business Economic Development

Chapter – 1 Introduction Page 1. 1 Background03 1. 2 Financial economic sector04 1. 3 Microfinance04 1. 4 Economy of Bangladesh05 1. 5 Objectives of the term paper06 Chapter- 2 Conceptual issues 2. 1 The Garment Industry of Bangladesh 06 2. 2 Agriculture07 2. 3 Textile Sector08 2. 4 Manufacturing and Industry09 2. 5 Banking and Finance10 2. 6 Statistical Position of Economy in Bangladesh 10 Chapter-3 Database 3. 1 Economic Transformation11 3. 2 Economic performance12 Chapter 4 Finding of The Study Page 4. 1 Garments & Textiles 12 4. 2 Spinning 16 4. 3 Frozen Foods 18 . 4 Leather 19 4. 5 Electronics 20 4. 6 Agriculture 21 4. 7 Information Technology 24 4. 8 Pharmaceuticals 25 Chapter-5 Conclusion 5. 1 Summary of Major Findings 27 5. 2 Economic Performance 28 5. 3 Policy Recommendation 28 Chapter – 1 Introduction There is no denying the fact that the economical business sector plays a significant role in the economic development of a country. The importance of an efficien t economic sector lies in the fact that, it ensures domestic resources mobilization, generation of savings, and investments in productive sectors.In fact, it is the system by which a country’s most profitable and efficient projects are systematically and continuously directed to the most productive sources of future growth. The financial system not only transfers funds from savers to investors: it must be able to select projects which will yield the highest returns, accumulate sufficient quantities of capital to fund the range of investment projects across economic activities, account for price risks across assets, monitor performance, and enforce contracts.The larger the business sector in the context of the overall economy, the greater the share of lending by depository rather than central banks, and the greater the share of credit to private sector rather than public sector, the greater is the rate of economic growth. The country's economy is based on agriculture. Rice, ju te, tea, sugarcane, tobacco, and wheat are the major crops. Bangladesh is the world's largest producer of jute. Fishing is also an important economic activity, and beef, dairy products, and poultry are also produced. . 1-Background Bangladesh, since its independence in 1971, had to experience several military rules besides democratically elected government associated with major political assassinations. Regardless of all the aroused disputes, the country constantly pushed to achieve economic, social and developmental success through introduction and implementation of different policies during the ruling period of different elected governments as well as at the time when the country was declared to be under the emergency rule.Bangladesh, named in the list of the developing nations, is blessed with several natural advantages over developed countries. Examples of such are huge reserves of oil, natural gas, coal, timber and the only natural port of the world that connects SAARC and ASEA N business hub together. The utilization of such natural assets are closed to zero. Foreign donors are granting financial aids for reformation and infrastructure development of the country. Loans are being taken on heavy interest, by GOB, from World Bank and Asian Development Bank for developmental purposes. 1. -Financial economic sector The financial sector consists of the central bank, Bangladesh Bank, 4 state owned commercial banks, 5 government-owned specialized (development) banks, 30 domestic private commercial banks, 9 foreign-owned commercial banks, and 29 NBFIs. In terms of both industry assets and deposits, private commercial banks command the greatest market share. Additionally, 298 micro credit organizations are licensed by the Micro credit Regulatory Authority (MRA). Insurance companies, stock exchanges, and cooperative banks comprise a smaller part of the financial system.As of August 2008 the net domestic assets of the country’s banking system were valued at BD T 1. 9 trillion ($28 billion). 1. 3- Microfinance The average annual growth rate in the microfinance sector in Bangladesh over the five years 2003–2008 was 23 percent. It is expected to reach 25 percent annually over the next three years (2009–2012) as a result of growing demand for larger loan sizes. Despite its significant outreach—estimated at 60 percent of all Bangladeshi households—microfinance assets remain less than 2 percent of GDP, having increased only marginally relative to GDP since 2001.The total loan portfolio of the microfinance sector is estimated to exceed BDT 135 billion and total borrowers, to exceed 30 million. Although it is difficult to estimate the unique number of microfinance borrowers, taking into account their cross-indebtedness to different microfinance providers, they likely number 18 million. It is estimated that just over 60 percent of them have income below the poverty line. The Micro credit Regulatory Authority Act of 2006 limits two important potential MFI funding sources: equity investments and deposits.Foreign currency financing is also effectively prohibited. MFIs in general have access funding for most MFIs. These sources seem adequate to cover current funding needs. 1. 4- Economy of Bangladesh Bangladesh is an agriculture driven economy. Total of 54% of the population of the nation is directly and indirectly involved in farming and lives in rural areas (World Bank, 2011). Due to soil fertility and ample supply of water, having the blessing of thousands of rivers and its branches zigzagging nationwide.Bangladesh can harvest three crops every year. Apart from the fact that cyclones and floods damage crops every year, the production of crops meets substantial local consumption demand but are not grown sufficiently enough for export purposes. Where both men and women are engaged in generating foreign revenue and contributing to the GDP. The third sector which contributes greatly to the economy of t he nation is the export of manpower which brings remittances by Bangladeshi workers working abroad, such as in Middle-East Singapore, Malaysia, etc.Due to cultural and religious norms, women previously stayed within the compound of their houses and were liable to take care of the house-hold activities, whereas men were regarded as the only earner and head of the family. CIA World Fact-Book, published in 2010, economy structure of Bangladesh is as follows:- GDP(PPP) $259. 30 Billion GDP Growth 6. 00% GDP(Per Capita) $1,700 Public Debt / National Budget 39. 30% / $11. 43 Billion Inflation Rate 8. 10% Exports $16. 24 Billion Imports $21. 34 Billion External Debts $24. 6 Billion Table-1 Economics Of Bangladesh (Source: CIA World Factbook,2010) Released beat-up report of World Bank, in 2007, estimated Bangladesh of becoming a Middle income country. It has been suggested, to reach the goal, Bangladesh should emphasize to deepen its industrial base, integrate more into global markets and p rioritize urban economic development. The country has large reserves of natural gas, petroleum deposits and low-grade coal. All these minerals are rare and demanding in the global market, specially for industrial and Energy-generation purposes.Cheap labor-force advantages make the local manufactured Products highly competitive in global markets through FDI, introduced and encouraged Firstly by the government formed in 1991. The major source of foreign earnings is being Transacted from garments and textiles export and remittances sent home by Bangladeshi workers living abroad. 1. 5-Objectives of the term paper The broad objective of the study is to examine the reforms that took place in Bangladesh and to explore the financial implications of the reforms.Followings are the specific objectives of the study:  · To review the economic sector reform programs;  · To compare the financial performance of the economic system in Bangladesh before and after implementation of the economic se ctor reforms;  · To identify different problem areas of the economic sector of Bangladesh, which still needed careful restructuring for better performance; and  · To suggest some policy measures for strengthening the restructuring mechanism. Chapter- 2 Conceptual issues 2. 1 The garment industry of BangladeshThe garment industry has played a pioneering role in the development of industrial sector of Bangladesh. Though it took a rather late start i. e. , in 1976 but it soon established its reputation in the world market within a short span of time. Resultantly garment is now one of the main export items of the country. Besides, enriching the country's economy it has played a very important role in alleviating unemployment. At present there are more than two thousand one hundred garment factories in the country employing more than 12 lack labors. 85 percent of the labor force is women. . 2 Agriculture Most Bangladeshis earn their living from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the primary crops, maize and vegetables are assuming greater importance. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas. Population pressure continues to place a severe burden on productive capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of wheat. Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap, but seasonal hunger remains a problem.Underemployment remains a serious problem, and a growing concern for Bangladesh's agricultural sector will be its ability to absorb additional manpower. Finding alternative sources of employment will continue to be a daunting problem Most Bangladeshis earn their living from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the primary crops, maize and vegetables are assuming greater importance. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a ye ar in many areas.Due to a number of factors, These include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of fertilizers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. Population pressure continues to place a severe burden on productive capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of wheat. Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap, but seasonal hunger remains a problem. Underemployment remains a serious problem, and a growing concern for Bangladesh's agricultural sector will be its ability to absorb additional manpower. [pic] Map showing the growing areas of major agricultural products.Main article: Agriculture of Bangladesh 2. 3 Textile sector Bangladesh's textile industry, which includes knitwear and ready-made garments along with specialized textile products, is the nation's number onexport earner, accounting for 80% of Bangladesh's exports of $15. 56 billion in 2009. Bangladesh is 2nd in world textile exports, and Chi na which exported $120. 1 billion worth of textiles in 2009. The industry employs nearly 3. 5 million workers. Current exports have doubled since 2004. Wages in Bangladesh's textile industry were the lowest in the world as of 2010. [pic]The country was considered the most formidable rival to China where wages were rapidly rising and currency was appreciating. As of 2011 wages remained low for the 3 million people employed in the industry, but labor unrest was increasing despite vigorous government action to enforce labor peace. Owners of textile firms and their political allies were a powerful political influence in Bangladesh. 2. 4 Manufacturing and industry Many new jobs – mostly for women – have been created by the country's dynamic private ready-made garment industry. Eastern Bengal was known for its fine muslin and silk fabric before the British period.The dyes, yarn, and cloth were the envy of much of the pre-modern world. Bengali muslin, silk, and brocade were w orn by the aristocracy of Asia and Europe. The introduction of machine-made textiles from England in the late eighteenth century spelled doom for the costly and time-consuming hand loom process. Cotton growing died out in East Bengal, and the textile industry became dependent on imported yarn. Those who had earned their living in the textile industry were forced to rely more completely on farming. Only the smallest vestiges of a once-thriving cottage industry survived. 2. 5 Banking & Finance The banking system dominates the financial sector accounting for about 97% of the market in terms of assets. * Government has undertaken major reform initiatives to improve the regulatory and legal environments for banks. * Several specialist development financial institutions have been providing long-term debt, equity financing and leasing. [pic] 2. 6- Statistical Position of Economy in Bangladesh |The Economy in 2009-2010 | |Currency | Taka (Tk. | |GDP at current price | Tk. 6,149,432 millio n | |Annual per Capita GDP | Tk. 42,638 | |GDP growth rate at constant price | 5. 88 percent | |Industrial growth rate at constant price | 8. 05 percent | |Inflation rate | 5. 4 percent | |Investment rate | 25. 6 percent of GDP | |National savings rate | 30 percent of GDP | |Exports (US$) | US$ 12,816. 11 million | |Foreign Reserve | US$ 6,562. 0 million (up to May 2008-2009 financial year) | | | |Import and Export | |Principal Industries |Jute, tea, textiles, garments, paper, newsprint, fertilizer, leather and | | |leather gods, sugar, cement, fish processing, pharmaceuticals, chemical | | |industries, etc. |Traditional Export Items |Raw jute, jute manufactures (hessian sacking, carpet backing, carpets), jute | | |products, tea, leather, leather products etc. | |Non-traditional Export Items |Garments, frozen shrimps, other fish products, newsprint, paper, naphtha, | | |furnace oil, urea, ceramic products, light engineering items etc. |Principal Imports |Wheat, oil, seeds, crude pe troleum, raw cotton, edible oil, petroleum products,| | |fertilizer, cement, staple fibers, Raw Cotton, iron & steel, capital goods, | | |pharmaceuticals raw materials etc. | Chapter-3 Database 3. 1- Economic Transformation The Bangladeshi economy has shown great resilience in the face of the recent global economic crisis and recession and has continued to grow at a healthy rate. Since 1996, the economy has grown 5% – 6% per year.Political instability, poor infrastructure, corruption, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms have not slowed down growth. Economists agree that the country has the potential to achieve a higher growth rate if these roadblocks are adequately addressed. More than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, but nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector. The share of agriculture in the labor force is 45%, in industry 30% and in services 25%. The share of the service sector in GDP is 52. 6% while industry’s share is 28. % and agriculture’s 18. 7%. In 2009, garment exports, totaling $12. 3 billion and remittances from overseas Bangladeshis totaling $9. 7 billion accounted for almost 25% of GDP. The country was not completely immune from the global economic downturn; the principal adverse effect of the recession was a reduction in export revenue in 2009. It came on the back of a very high growth of 23% in 2008. However, overall exports declined by only 2. 0%. Despite recent high growth rates, socioeconomic development is still not favorable for the majority of the population. 3. -Economic performance Bangladeshis have access to a water point. However, due to the discovery of arsenic in the ground water, only 76% of these can now be considered safe. In 2006, the Joint Monitoring Program by WHO and UNICEF reported that 51% of urban areas had improved sanitation facilities and only 7% of urban areas had sewerage connection. In addition, only 32% of the rural population was using improved sanitation in 2006. Female economic activity accounts for 52. 7% of the economy, but females earn less than half the income of their male counterparts.The number of poor women is higher than their male counterparts and the extremely poor is largely women, while there is a higher proportion of a female-headed household than male-headed ones among the ultra-poor. However, the country has made significant progress in achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education. Rural areas still lack basic health care facilities and educational institutions. The number of health care facilities in rural areas has not grown as quickly as the number of education institutions, thanks to the NGOs working in the education sector.Child underweight rates have hovered at about 46% since 2000. The total number of undernourished people in Bangladesh is approximately 41 million. Overall, according to the 2010 data, the HDI for Bangladesh was 0. 469 with a ran k of 129 out of 168 countries. The 2005 data shows that the Gini index is 31. 0. |Economic indicators | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |2010 | | | GDP | $ mm | 68415. 4 | 79554. 4 | 89359. 8 |100357. 0 | | | GDP growth | % | 6. | 6. 2 | 5. 7 |6. 1 | | | Inflation (CPI) | % | 9. 1 | 8. 9 | 5. 4 |8. 1 | | | Unemployment | % | – | – | – |- | | | Foreign direct | % of GDP | 1. 0 | 1. 3 | 0. 8 |1. 0 | | |investment | | | | | | | | Export growth | % | 13. | 7. 0 | 0. 0 |0. 9 | | | Import growth | % | 16. 0 | -2. 1 | -2. 6 |0. 7 | | | Current account | $ mm | 856. 9 | 926. 2 | 3556. 1 |2502. 4 | | |bance | | | | | | | Chapter 4 Finding of The Study 4. 1 GARMENT AND TEXTILES :The garments and textiles industry sector is the biggest export earner sector of Bangladesh with value of over US$12. 347 billion of exports in 2008-2009. Our factories design and produce for the world’s leading brands and retailers, like: Reebok, GAP, Wal-Mart, Hudson Bay, Puma, etc. This rapidly growi ng sector of the Bangladeshi economy offers a unique competitive edge that supports profitable expansion into new strategic markets. |Year |No. of garment |Employment (in |Export of RMG |Total export of |% of RMG to total | | |factories million workers) |(in million US$)|Bangladesh (in million|export | | | | | |US$) | | |2005-06 |4,220 |2. 2 |7,900. 80 |10,526. 16 |75. 08 | |2006-07 |4,490 |2. 4 |9,211. 23 |12,177. 86 |75. 64 | |2007-08 |4,743 |2. 8 |10,699. 80 |14,110. 80 |75. 83 | |2008-09 |4,825 |3. 1 |12,347. 7 |15,565. 19 |79. 33 | Source:  Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Industry Background and Status The phenomenal growth in RMG was experienced in the last decade. In 1984-85, no of Garment factories was 800 RMG jointly with knitwear accounted for more than 70% of total investments in the manufacturing sector during the first half of the 1990’s. At present with about 4,000 factories and a workforce of two million, 80% of which are wo men, employing over 50% of the industrial workforce and having 75% of the total exports earning of the country.Exhibit 6. 1 shows the growth of RMG exports from Bangladesh since 1981-82. Main apparel items exported from Bangladesh (in million US$) |Year |Shirt |Trouser |Jacket |T-shirt |Sweater | |2005-06 |1,056. 69 |2,165. 25 |389. 52 |1,781. 51 |1,044. 01 | |2006-07 |943. 44 |2,201. 32 |1,005. 06 |2,208. 90 |1,248. 09 | |2007-08 |915. 6 |2,512. 74 |1,181. 52 |2,765. 56 |1,474. 09 | |2008-09 |1000. 16 |3,007. 29 |1,299. 74 |3,065. 86 |1,858. 2 | Source:  Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Industry Outlook Multi-Fiber Agreement (MFA) and Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) of the EU are the main factors behind acquainting Bangladesh RMG products to global market ensuring assured market access. Bangladesh is now a significant RMG supplier to North America and Europe. Due to phasing out of MFA, many are doubtful about Bangladesh’s ability t o maintain the fast growth of the recent years in this sector but Bangladesh has taken a better position in the U. S. A market through competition.However, on a more positive note, Bangladesh is expected to maintain its tariff-free access to EU under the European GSP, since the GSP is not covered by the Uruguay Round Agreement. Recently, Canada has also provided tariff-free access of all the items from Bangladesh. Marketing network has been spread over the economies of the continents. End users could well recognize and differentiate the products confidently. Bangladesh RMG industry largely depends on the imported yarns and fabrics. Bangladesh produces only 10% of export-quality cloth used by the garments industry.The need for establishment of backward-linkage industry has become an immediate concern to the government and the exporters. There are enormous opportunities in setting up composite textiles industry combining textile, yarn and garments. Investment Opportunities and governm ent support RMG and textile sectors have enormous investment opportunities. The government of Bangladesh has created a highly favorable policy framework for investment in these sectors offering investors the following choices: 1)    Establishment of new textile / RMG mill in the private sector. 2)  Ã‚   Joint ventures with the existing textile / RMG mill. )  Ã‚   Acquisition of public sector textile mills that are being privatized. 4)  Ã‚   Indirect investment through financial services and / or leasing. To meet up the local demands, backward linkage is a significant trading opportunity and is supported by a government backed incentive: 15% cash subsidy of the fabric cost to exporters sourcing fabrics locally. * SPINNING : Value Addition to the Fibrous Substances Spinning is the first step in textile value chain that adds value to the fibrous substances by converting them into yarn or thread through the processes of drawing, twisting and winding (Exhibit 1).Characteristics o f the yarn vary based on the materials used, fiber length and alignment, quantity of fiber used and degree of twist. The earliest spinning probably involved simply twisting the fibers in the hand. Later, the use of a stick to help twist the fiber was introduced. Drop spinning involves the use of a stick with a whorl or weight to stabilize the spinning of the stick (called a spindle). The spindle is spun, and hangs supported by the yarn as more fiber is introduced. This introduced fiber picks up the twist and becomes yarn. However, the development of spinning wheel allowed a continuous and faster yarn production.Spinning wheels are either foot or hand powered. Modern powered spinning, originally done by water or steam power but now done by electricity, is vastly faster than hand spinning. Materials that can be used to create yarn fall into three broad classes: plant, animal, and synthetic. 1)    Plant materials: cotton, flax (to produce linen), hemp, raffia, yucca, coconut husk, 2)    Animal materials: wool, goat (angora or Cashmere goat), rabbit (angora), llama, alpaca, dog, camel, silk, 3)    Synthetic materials: polyester, nylon, rayon, acetate, Mylar†¦ 4)  Ã‚   Apart from the above, mineral materials like asbestos are also used, but not very often. Spinning Industry in Bangladesh Development of spinning industry in Bangladesh is closely associated with the development of Textile and Clothing (T&C) sector as a whole. Power-driven modern textiles in Bengal were traced back to early twentieth century. Before 1947, modern textiles were only the composite textile mills having spinning and weaving facilities. Later, activities like specialized textile weaving, knitting and hosiery and dyeing-printing-finishing were added.During 1947, there were about 11 composite textile mills in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) with 1. 1 million spindles and 2. 7 thousand looms. Spindles grew to 3. 2 million in 1956 but declined to 0. 8 million in 1972 as worn-out ob solete spindles went out of operation. In 1972, large-scale manufacturing units including textile mills were nationalized. After 1982, state-owned spinning mills were gradually denationalized. By 1999, spindles installed were 2. 8 million (2. 4 million in the private sector and 0. 4 million in the public sector) with an annual production capacity of 200 million kg.BOI sector Survey found that in 2004, about 3. 44 million spindles are producing 382 million kg of yarn for the textile industry (Exhibit 2). [pic] Challenges of and Supports to the Spinners The success of a robust textile sector largely depends upon an improved and reliable spinning sub-sector. If spinning sub-sector produces substandard / inferior yarn, its adverse effect persists right across the entire value chain. Availability of raw materials, transportation, port facilities and tariff rationalization are the key challenges to the spinners.The Government has been supporting the spinners providing lower tariff for mac hinery spares and raw materials, cash incentives, reduced tax rate, and low-cost funding etc. Investment Outlook Textile & Clothing is the largest manufacturing sector of Bangladesh providing over 4 million jobs, accounting for 5% of GDP, 40% of manufacturing value addition and 75% of total foreign exchange earnings. The growing demands for yarn in the local market, comparatively low cost of doing business, lucrative incentive package, favorable investment policy regime etc are the main reasons for investment in this sustainable sector.Spinning could be chosen. 4. 3 FROZEN FOODS The frozen foods export is the second largest export sector of the country. After some initial difficulties in terms of quality achievement, exporters have earned credibility and trustworthiness in the global market. Assurance of reliable and continued product quality is a major challenge in this sector. Technology orientation, marketing perceptions, and quality improvement aspects invite foreign investment in this sector. The current challenges of international trading are largely dictated by price, quality, time and service.Industry Situation Exporters have earned credibility and trustworthiness in the global market and are committed to maintaining a competitive advantage in product quality. Continuing investment in technology, marketing and quality remain at the forefront of the industries' strategy to meet the challenges of international trade in price, quality, time and service. Industry Outlook Frozen food sub-sector has credible opportunities in Middle East, EU and North American countries and Far Eastern countries. In 2004-05, total fish production was 2. 216 million metric tons of which 8. 2 metric . tons were shrimp. At present, there are 868 fish hatcheries and farm of which 218,000 hectors of shrimp farm. This export-oriented industry includes the following sub-sectors, which need proper attention for augmentation of production, attain international standard quality and exp ort earnings. 1)  Ã‚   Hatcheries,   Sustainable aqua-culture technology. 2)  Ã‚   Feed-meals plants, Processing unit for value-added products. 3)  Ã‚   Investment in frozen food sector with new technology and equipment has a vast potential for growth. * LEATHER Industry SituationBangladesh leather industry is dominated substantially by the domestic investment which is mostly export-oriented. The leather includes some ready-made garments, although that aspect is continued mainly to a small export-trade in â€Å"Italian-make† garments for the US market. Footwear is more important in terms of value addition. This is the fast growing sector for leather products. Presently Bangladesh produces between 2 and 3 percent of the world’s leather market. Most of the livestock base for this production is domestic which is estimated as comprising 1. 8 percent of the world’s cattle stock and 3. percent of the goat stock. The hides andskins (average annual output is 150 million sq. ft. ) have a good international reputation. Foreign direct investment in this sector along with the production of tanning chemicals appears to be highly rewarding. Having the basic raw materials for leather goods as well as for the production of leather shoe, a large pool of low cost but trainable labor force together with tariff concession facility to major importing countries under GSP coverage, Bangladesh can be a potential off shore location for leather and leather products manufacturing with low cost but high quality.In 2004-05 total export of leather goods was 220. 93 million US$ on the other hand it is 257. 27 million US$ during 2005-06 FY. Industry Outlook Provision of newly announced infrastructural facilities through establishment of an integrated Leather Park and simultaneously, growth in the global demand, opportunities for investing in and setting up export-oriented leather industry in Bangladesh is definitely attractive. Foreign investors are welcome to ca pitalize on this opportunity. 4. 5 ELECTRONICS Industry Background The electronics industry in Bangladesh mostly produces consumer items.Home appliances like television, radio, VCD and CD players, refrigerator, air conditioners, oven, electronic fan, blenders etc. are being assembled to a large extent. To ensure the performance reliability, the key challenges in this sector are technical assistance and proper technology orientation of the industry. Developing the significant capacity and skill in assembly and manufacture of a wide range of electronic components and parts is curacies. As yet, Bangladesh does not have any telecommunication equipment industry in the private sector.However, an urgent need for diversification and modernization is felt among the existing entrepreneurs, government and professionals. Government is keen to provide and ensure enabling assistance to the development of this sector. Industry Outlook and Opportunities Skilled, easily trainable and low-cost human resources are the main cost advantage of setting up electronic industry in Bangladesh. Growing domestic demand and international market access are some key attractive issues to the investors. In the economies like Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Thailand, electronics contribute a major portion in the GDP.They are encouraging electronic industry to shift from low-end assembly operations with high import content of inputs to upstream higher- value-added activities. In this context, relocation, outward investment and joint venture with Bangladeshi companies could be gainful strategies. To capitalize on the comparative advantages, substantial foreign investment from those countries is highly encouraged. * AGRICULTURE Sector Highlights Bangladesh has a tropical climate, a lot of fresh water, indeed a land interspersed with numerous rivers, fertile soil and possibility to cultivate crops round the year.So it is unique to supply raw materials for the agro-based industry. The abundance of na tural resources available in Bangladesh supports a range of highly profitable investment opportunities in agribusiness. Over 90 varieties of vegetable are grown in Bangladesh, yet in this fertile land there is underutilization of the country’s agricultural capacity. This presents many opportunities for investors seeking to export agricultural products, or to meet the rapidly growing local demand. Thriving in this sector are  canned juices,  fruits, vegetables,  dairy and poultry.The country offers: 1)  Ã‚   Huge supply of raw materials exists for the agribusiness industry. 2)  Ã‚   A tropical climate for all year growing, a lot of fresh water, indeed a land interspersed with numerous rivers, available land with fertile soil. 3)  Ã‚   Government and NGOs have been conducting regular training programs to develop skilled manpower for agro-based industry. 4)  Ã‚   Wide range of biodiversity exists for different crops. 5)  Ã‚   Agricultural commodities have a compa ratively higher value added than non-agricultural commodities.Investment opportunities There is a wide variety of investment opportunities including: *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cold storage facilities serving the supply chain, especially fresh produce for export. *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fresh produce production for local and export markets. *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Production of fertilizers and cultivation of seeds. *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eco-friendly jute production, supported by jute technology development institutes. *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shrimp farming, Halal  foods, Milk and dairy products. *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   High value-added foods for export, including herbs, spices, nuts and pulses.Industry Incentives The government encourages development of the agricultural sector through measures to increase crop sector productivity and production of non-crop agriculture. To achieve this, the government provides increased credit, and facilitates greater access to inputs and modern technology. Sector Background Being an agrarian economy, agriculture has dominated in the economy for years. It has fulfilled the preconditions of access to input and raw materials in setting up successful agro-based industries.Alluvial soil, a year-round frost-free environment, adequate water supply and abundance of cheap labor are available in Bangladesh. Increased cultivation of vegetables, spices and tropical fruits now grown in Bangladesh could supply raw materials to local agro-processing industries for both domestic and export markets. In 2005-06, Export of agricultural products accounted for about 1% of total export amounting US$ 76. 24 million. Industry Outlook To avail the competitive and comparative advantages, Bangladesh invites progressive agricultural-practices, improved marketing technique and modern processing facilities.The government emphasizes development of the agricultural sector through appropriate measures to increase crop sector productivity and production of non-crop agriculture by providing incr eased credit, and facilitating greater access to inputs and modern technology. Investment interests in setting up agro-based industries in Bangladesh are highly encouraged. To promote agro-based industries and attract investment in this sector, Board of Investment organized Agri-Invest 2003 Bangladesh in December 2003.This first ever exposition created huge interest among the foreign and local investors. 4. 7 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Sector Highlights 1) To investigate the IT industry robustly, deregulation of the telephone has been decided and executed by mid-2003. 2) The extensive growth of mobile telephony resulted in significant opportunities. 3) The industry is at its introductory stage and has opportunity of capitalizing the potential. 4) Bangladesh has a well-educated, skilled, dedicated and growing IT workforce. 5) There is a fast growing domestic market and export demand. ) Strong research assistance from the universities and research institutions are available. Industry Back ground Compared to the neighboring India, Pakistan and other South and South East Asian nations, Bangladesh is lagging behind in IT Sector. But it is true that the sector has vast potentiality to develop. Availability of substantial number of qualified and experienced young people in various branches of engineering, science and technologies have opened up the scope of profitable investment in these sectors.Existing investment in IT sector is mainly small-scale and domestic in nature. Collaboration in the IT sector is mainly based on licensing agreements and representation. A growing number of computer training schools and institutes are being opened. Management of most of the IT firms is professionally strengthened with the Bangladeshis who have studied and worked in both North America and Europe, and returned home. The annual market size for IT including computer hardware, peripherals and software was estimated to be worth approximately US$ 20 million.The market is fast growing at an annual rate of about 25%. The country has over 400,000 PCs Submarine Cable Bangladesh has joined the consortium of SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable, which starts its commercial activities from 21st may, 2006. This will especially help prosperous data entry and software sectors. The landing station of this cable is situated at Jhelong in Cox’s bazaar. There are 14 countries of this consortium the countries are Singapore, Thailand, UAE, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, KSA, Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Algeria and France.It has connected 16 telecommunication organizations of 14 countries. With the direct help from submarine cable Bangladesh can earn more foreign currency by increasing international voice circuit (e. g. submarine cable will give support to establish 100,000 voice circuits. Voice and data communication will be faster. Consortium has created capacity pool, which we can sell also can manage IRV. Broad band service, data transmission, call centre, software export wil l be cheaper. Unemployed youths can easily engage themselves in those services by taking short term training.Bangladesh has right to land 15 landing station without charge. It will help smoother operation of E-commerce, E-governance, E-education, Telemedicine etc. So, there are huge chances of development of ICT sector and finally government will be financially benefited. 4. 8 PHERMACEUTICALS 1)   Pharmaceutical products have huge demand both in local and overseas market. 2)   There are huge demand-supply gap in pharmaceutical products. 3) Bangladesh offers a good number of qualified, skilled pharmacists, bio-chemists, micro-biologists, and chemists for pharmaceutical industries. )   Government offers support for importing raw materials for production. 5) Present Government has taken initiatives to modernize, expand and attract foreign investment in pharmaceutical industries, and for this adopted national medicine policy (revised) 2005, which will help to adapt with the changi ng world under WTO/TRIPS. [pic] Outlook Considering the overall demand, pharmaceuticals is one of the emerging sectors in Bangladesh. Government offers different incentives for importing raw materials pharmaceutical industries. This particular sector has huge potential of growth in the future.For sustainable return, pharmaceutical sector could be a rational choice. Chapter-5 Conclusion 5. 1 Summary of Major Findings The economic sector has tremendous impact on socio-economic structure of the country. It also brings economic prosperity for the any country. We believe that there must be a saturation point for any industry. But for our economic sector, still we are away from it. The economy is likely to grow at a similar pace as experienced over the last ten years — of around 6. 2 percent — in fiscal 2009-10, despite the continued global economic slowdown, Bangladesh Bank said . Most indicators in the first quarter of fiscal 2009-10 point to a more moderate level of econo mic expansion,† the BB said in its latest quarterly review. The BB projection means that the growth is likely to fall short of the government's original target of 7. 2 percent GDP growth for the current fiscal year. â€Å"Bangladesh Bank will produce forecasts for economic growth on a regular basis, in line with the common practice in other central banks across the world â€Å"The significant remittance growth is likely to have positive consequences for both domestic consumption and investment .The third development centres around the healthy growth in private sector credit, which during the first quarter this year grew by 19. 9 percent against a target of 18. 4 percent. This suggests that the credit envelope will â€Å"not be a constraint towards achieving the overall economic growth targets†. Gross domestic agricultural production is expected to be 2. 2 percent higher than that of the previous year, of 65. 6 million tones, on the back of government incentives and hi gher agricultural credit disbursement. The industrial sector is projected to grow between 7. percent and 7. 75 percent in fiscal 2009-10, down from the 9. 47 percent seen last fiscal year, but in line with the average industry sector growth rate over the last ten years Economic growth was also steady in the outgoing year despite some clouds over export earning. The GDP (gross domestic product) growth was 6. 32 percent in FY 2009-10, which was marginally lower than the 6. 71 percent of the previous FY 2008-09, but higher than many other neighboring countries. The GDP for the current FY 2010-11 has been targeted at 7. 2 percent. 5. 2 Economic Performance A steady average annual GDP growth of 5% over the last decade. * Inflation has been kept in single-digit. * Exports have been gradually shifted from traditional goods to more value added items. * Emphasis has been put on manufacturing of backward linkage of Readymade Garments, Pharmaceuticals Industries and IT sector. * The private se ctor is playing an increasingly active role in the economic life of the country, while the public sector concentrates more on the physical, social infrastructure and policy making. 5. 3 Policy RecommendationThe restructuring measures taken so far are definitely not sufficient considering the gravity of the situation. Based on the above discussion the following steps may need to be taken as reform or restructuring measures to speed up the progress  · The problem of excess liquid asset of the banks should be handled with due attention. In order to utilize the excess liquidity  · A number of measures were taken to strengthen the legal framework. However, in order to attain the benefit of improved legal framework, enforcement of legislations should be ensured.Legal procedures should be uncomplicated and disposal of case should be speedier.  · Government interference, political involvement, pressure from the trade unions has to be reduced for the smooth function.  · For developin g the asset utilization ratio, portfolio of asset structure should be rearranged by removing the non-earning assets or transforming the non-earning assets into earning one.  · Technological up-gradation of the banking system is needed equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and logistics. Lastly, the problem of Bangladesh financial system is widespread and not related to banking system only. Therefore the scope of the reform measures should also be applied to the non-bank financial institutions. Reference list * Released beat-up report of World Bank, in 2007, estimated Bangladesh. * Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) * Bangladesh Export statistics 2009-10, Dhaka, Bangladesh. * A report of Garments published in the magazine, April 2008. * Economic Review – 2010 * Review of Bangladesh Development – 2009 * A report of economics published in the magazine, April 2011

Micro and Macro - What Happened to Price, Quality and Choice in the UK Essay

Micro and Macro - What Happened to Price, Quality and Choice in the UK Spectacles Market after Deregulation - Essay Example Deregulation: There were number of regulations and deregulations that happened in the United Kingdom in the market for spectacles. In the country, more than 70 percent of the total market for spectacles is concentrated among the four big sellers or producers. In the United Kingdom, those who produce and sell spectacles and/or contact lenses are called Opticians (Davies et al., 2004, p.4). These deregulations started in the 1900s and happened in 1948, 1958, in early part of 1960s or 1970s and in 1979. Various changes have been made during implementation of these deregulations in the country. For instance, in 1900s the demand of the Opticians regarding legal recognition of status of these opticians has been met. In 1948, provision of spectacles has been incorporated in the NHS. In 1958, â€Å"The Opticians Act established a legal monopoly for sight tests and the dispensing of spectacles, and prohibited most forms of advertising†. In 1960s and 1970s, trade restrictions have been removed by the Restrictive Practices Legislation Act in many industries across the country along with this spectacle industry. During this time this removal of restriction raised the question that whether professional service industries will be allowed to enjoy these facilities or not. The most important deregulation occurred in the 1970s when The Monopolies Commission (MC) opined after investigating the Restrictive Practices in mainly in professional service industries that advertising will be prohibited in the market for spectacles. During this time, the Monopolies Commission also concluded that this reduction in advertising of spectacles will increase the prices of spectacles and will increase the level of competition among firms in the market for these products by encouraging new entrants to enter into the industry (Advertising Association (Great Britain), 2002, pp.512-517). Finally, in the 1976 and in 1979, the final deregulations were set in the market for spectacles in the co untry. During these times reports of two Price Commissions (PCs) revealed that there exists lack of competition in the market for spectacles in the country and suggested that all restrictions on advertising of spectacles have to be removed. These Price Commissions also suggested that provisions for ‘sight tests and prescriptions from the retailing of spectacles’ have to be separated in the market for spectacles in the country. In 1982, further investigation by the comprehensive Office of Fair Trading (OFT) came up with the suggestion that unregistered retailers are needed to be encouraged to enter into the market and thus to help to reduce the price level. The OFT also suggested to remove restrictions on advertising for encouraging new entry, stimulating innovation in the product and also for increasing the level of choice of consumers (Davies et al., 2004, p.9). Effects of deregulation in Price, quantity and consumers’ choice: These deregulations affect prices, quantities as well as choices of consumers of spectacles in the UK market for this product. With the introduction of the deregulation in the market for spectacles new entrants entered into the market. With the help of this new entry, competition in the market was increased and hence, companies which were selling spectacles

Film Theory Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Theory - Research Proposal Example Bazin regards cinema as an idealistic phenomenon with technical features resting only in the background. As a humanist, he thrives on the view that the idea is precedent to the invention and is therefore superior to the technical means used in achieving it. In his book The Evolution of the language of Cinema,2 he asserts that the necessity for an idea towards technical means is one that requires new form or style. Bazin states that the cinema is much elevated as compared to photography because of its ability to record the event in time and posits that filmmakers must refrain from false subjective manipulation owing to the complexity of reality which the cinema characteristically pursues. There has been confusion in the domain of film theory concerning Bazin's writings, which can be traced down to the image being filmed and its life counterpart, in which he says that the photographic image is one that may be described as a kind of transfer. It is the object itself which is freed from the conditions of time and space governing it. There is a commonality in the photograph and the object itself whose sameness is pursued by a fashion of the fingerprint.3 (Referring to Andre Bazin's essay, "The Evolution of Film Language", analyze the ways in which William Wyler explores the moral and emotional conflicts experienced by... The film is considered a masterpiece of cinematic craftsmanship in which first-rate support actors gave life to their roles.4 Wyler's film shows details that depict Bazin's ideas in The Evolution of Film Language. Cinema as an idealistic phenomenon5 which Bazin explores in his essay is embodied in The Little Foxes with the film's portrayal of greed and avarice having the real message it wants to convey - that of the consequences of evil acts which men must avoid. As Bazin generally describes a film as a medium of duplicating reality, Wyler was able to successfully convey this duplication in real-life experiences of wealth and greed in the Hubbard and Giddens family, in which surefire downfall awaits people of extreme greed. Wyler explores the moral conflicts experienced by his heroine Regina Giddens with the use of depth-of-field photography through the captured emotions needed to surface from a villainous character. How other characters were portrayed, such as that of being kind (Ho race and Alexandra Giddens) reinforced the evilness of the heroine through implied comparison. The moral conflicts are tackled in the story with wealth and money as the groundwork of the exhibited behavior of the characters, whether acting upon it or away from its influences and corruption. Regina Giddens is in a situation which might be considered a maze in which she was to succumb to social norms of this time where a woman does not bring money with her when she gets married regardless of the family's wealth. Hence, she must rely financially on her husband. The social norms had placed her in a stringent situation totally not giving her a space to express her fondness for money. An attempt to put her daughter Alexandra in marriage to Leo, Alexandra's

Coconut Oil, although a saturated fat, is good for you Essay

Coconut Oil, although a saturated fat, is good for you - Essay Example For that matter, different data and information regarding the use of coconut oil for different applications can be found in abundance. The study conducted is related to the said accumulation of data and information that can present the benefits and useful applications of coconut oil in different field and aspects of the human subsistence. In addition, one of the important objectives is to be able to state the different nutritional and health benefits of coconut oil. The determination of the composition of coconut oil is one of the primary aspects that are needed to be studied to be able to present the reasons behind the benefits of the said oil. Coconut oil is composed of saturated fat (90%). Although this is the case, the said fats are primarily medium chain triglycerides that are considered less harmful that other types of saturated fats that are generally considered harmful. Specifically it is composed if saturated fatty acids (92%), monounsaturated fatty acids (6%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (2%) (Fife, 2004; 2006; Holzapfel and Holzapfel, 2004). The kinds of fatty acid composition are presented in Table 1. The fat content of coconut oil can be considered to bring about false impression that it is bad for the health due to the word fat itself. On the other hand, the main compositions of coconut oil which are medium chain triglycerides are different from the saturated fat that can harm a person upon high intake. On the contrary, the components of coconut oil with the unique saturated fat composition had been proven for its positive effects (Fife, 2004). Based on different studies and researches coconut oil can be used for both the nutritional and health benefits. For that matter it had been described as â€Å"nutraceutical† due to the capability to cure ailments and help in the nourishment of the body (Holzapfel and

The EU Single Market Programme and Monetary Union Essay

The EU Single Market Programme and Monetary Union - Essay Example This case has been of much interest in economics and one of the concepts that were studied is the hold-up problem. In more precise terms, the hold up problem is a term used in economics to describe a situation where two parties (such as a supplier and a manufacturer) may be able to work most efficiently by cooperating, but refrain from doing so due to concerns that they may give the other party increased bargaining power, and thereby reduce their own profits1. In the case of the European Union (EU), it was previously expected that the regional integration would be beset by problems with regards to policy formulation and implementation. The EU is composed of countries that have been in constant race towards domination in economic and military terms. Germany and France, for example, have been known to apply stringent protectionist policies with regards to their industries to ensure that their economy will be robust and competitive. If only to emphasize the point that there are conflicting interests among the EU member states, it will be mentioned that both of the world wars started in the European theatre. However, the implementation of Single Market Programme and the Monetary Union seems to defy our idea that it is inevitable that hold up problems occur in the European Union policies except in the case of UK opting out of the single currency. The Single Market Programme ... was based on the following premises: 1) the increase in the size of the market due to regional integration results to larger scale investment that would not have been profitable in member states' national markets and 2) regional integration is can lead to an increased economic growth rate and foreign direct investment2. The EU monetary union is an agreement of its member countries to share a single currency among them - the Euro. This currency is currently used by Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican City are licensed to issue and use the euro3. With such diversity and differing interests of the member nations, how did such a venture succeeded in achieving its goals In the first place, how did it become possible that such an agreement was made What are the factors that held stalemates/hold up problems from occurring These questions must be answered as this paper is interested in determining if holdup problems are indeed inevitable in negotiations. Chapter 1: Benefits and Concessions The key to a successful negotiation is that all stakeholders benefit from the agreement without too many concessions. That is, the number of benefits that the stakeholder is entitled to generally determines the willingness of the stakeholder to come to terms. As Putnam puts it, 'the larger the win sets, the greater will the probability that an agreement will be reached'4. Note that number of benefits is a function of the number of concessions made. In the Single Market Programme and Monetary union, what was offered as benefits for all the member state was the increase in foreign direct investment and other improvements in the economy. Mechanisms were placed such that

Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, how does the theme Thesis

Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, how does the theme of politics function in the novel - Thesis Example The direct mentioning of politics is first found in the beginning of the novel, when Tomas and Tereza discuss the possibility of immigrating to Switzerland after the entry of Soviet army to Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Tomas is seen to have received an offer for a job from the Swiss hospital, and Tereza urges him to leave Czechoslovakia, despite his initial misgivings about the feasibility of such a step (Kundera 26-28). The novel’s depiction of the character’s reaction to Soviet occupation is telling; Tereza spends a lot of time in the street, filming possible abuses of Soviet troops on camera, and even getting arrested by the Soviet officer, while Tomas contemplates the emigration to Switzerland. It is inferred that Czechs received the news of Soviet troops’ entry to their country with both fear and ridicule: while the citizens of Prague clearly felt indignation over the effective arrest of Dubcek and other reformist leaders of Czechoslovak CP, they are at th e same time fearful of the possible consequences of rebellious attitude. Even while the streets are decorated with â€Å"thousands of hand-painted bearing ironic texts† sharply critical of Brezhnev and Soviet army (Kundera 28), and Kundera remarks that the atmosphere in the city was that of â€Å"a drunken carnival of hate† (28). ... e is described in the symbolic tones: he is portrayed as a â€Å"devastated† man, â€Å"stuttering and gasping for breath†, and Kundera compares his state of mind to that of Czechoslovakia in general, observing that henceforth, the country would â€Å"gasp for air like Alexander Dubcek† (Kundera 28). This might indicate that Kundera and his characters viewed the defeat of the Prague Spring as a beginning of the â€Å"workaday humiliation† (28) for their country. Nonetheless, Tomas and Tereza did not live for too much time in Zurich. Tereza’s inability to live through the life abroad and her feeling of the burden she was for Tomas in the new circumstances made her decide to return to Prague, despite the continuing presence of foreign troops there (Kundera 31). This event shook Tomas greatly. He found out that he missed Tereza and, despite his reluctance, Tomas decided to follow her and return to Prague. His dialogue with Genevan doctor reveals that T omas believed that, even though this decision is a hard one, given the political circumstances, he should make it (Kundera 35). While Tomas returns to Czechoslovakia, he sees â€Å"columns of Russian tanks† (Kundera 36), and actually hesitates, mulling over whether his decision to return to Prague is totally justified. However, he still feels compassion for Tereza and cannot bear that she should live in Prague alone, while he resides in Zurich, and so he returns and meets Tereza in their flat, while seemingly losing all enthusiasm about his return (Kundera 36). The second important allusion to political problems in the novel is found in the beginning of Part 2 (â€Å"Soul and Body†), when the author presents an account of early life of Tereza. He mentions that Tereza’s father, â€Å"the most manly of men† (Kundera 45), was

Growing of the Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Growing of the Business - Essay Example You should then summarise, in a short paragraph, which parts of the business you need to strengthen. Madhu’s, an Indian restaurant, as well as the catering and ready meal businesses owned by Sanjay Anand, is a relatively successful organization that makes ?5m sales. However, as the external environment of the company is changing, it is facing some challenges. In particular, while the sales are stable, the profit has decreased to ?300,000, down from ?500,000 in the previous year. Therefore, it is necessary to determine which aspects of organizational functioning can be improved in order to improve performance. A SWOT analysis of the human resource management, accounting and finance, and marketing functions of the company should be conducted for this purpose. Human resource management Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Most of Madhu’s chefs are professionals in cooking traditional Indian meals. They are brought from India and taught additional skills, such as, for instance, hygiene standards. New British immigration laws do not allow Sanjay to hire people from India. There is no strategy for finding non-Indian chefs. It is possible to hire Europeans and then teach them. This requires organizing special courses. It might be problematic to find people willing to train new employees. In addition, training unskilled people will call for additional expenditures. Other aspects of business operations may suffer. So, it is clearly seen that the hiring strategy of the company is not efficient under the new conditions of the external environment. The new legislation requires Madhu’s to introduce new strategies and tactics for finding, recruiting and training employees. The company should reconsider its whole mode of operations in order to determine how to implement new strategies at the lowest cost and with the greatest advantage. Accounting and finance Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Much attention is devoted to financial position o f the company, performance is evaluated regularly. The owner is not willing to risk and increase prices as the external conditions change. Financial resources are limited. Cut spending for some aspects of operations in order to finance new activities. Reduced financing of some company’s functions may negatively impact the overall performance. Since Madhu’s has limited financial resources to be invested into business development, it might be reasonable to consider some alternative sources of financing. Additional capital can be received from banks or external investors, for instance. Marketing Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats The company has a number of loyal and returning customers, as well as good reputation in the market. The products are well-positioned and reasonably priced. Promotional campaigns for catering services target mostly weddings, thus not covering other groups of potential customers. As an option, distributing Madhu’s ready meals in sup ermarkets will allow to strengthen the brand and make it more recognizable by the clients. If not designed correctly, marketing programs for the new services will, while call for expenditures, bring low results, forcing the company to withdraw the promoted service or product from the market. Though the brand is well-established and quite recognizable, it is possible to increase sales by means of providing alternative services and products to other customer groups. Diversification might be a good alternative that will help to cover wider audience and strengthen the brand, thus making even corporate clients, such as supermarkets, for instance, willing to cooperate with Madhu’

Math Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Math - Essay Example Sensitive Periods are durations of time during which the intensity of interest in specific objects in the environment is at its peak. The sensitivity and responsiveness to a particular stimuli declines with time. These periods indicate the opening of increased developmental opportunity. Arithmetic is the knowledge of numbers and associated processes such as addition and subtraction, which is intuitively learned at early stages of childhood and developed gradually, through repetitive exercises, observation and experience. It helps the mind to distinguish and relate objects by means of symbols and ideas such as shape, space, identity, difference and quantity. For example, a child learns gradation in numbers, such as 1,2,3,4, and recognizes them as distinctive entities by adding or subtracting identical units. In contrast to the older teaching systems, The Teacher describes a new method or system of teaching, which values teacher as a guide or connecting link between objects and the student. This system does not rely on objects as a help to teacher, but as a help to student himself with assistance of the teacher. The role of teacher has been modified from an active corrector of mistakes to a more rigorous but patient guide, who acquaints herself with knowledge of objects and then guides students in using those objects on their own, while prefecting learning and maintaining order in the environment. The teacher should be prudent enough to facilitate needs of both the more and less developed minds at the same time. Development of Mind describes the psychological self-construction in children while interacting with their environment. It is a continuous process which begins when new sensitivities appear and gradually fade until new ones emerge, and helps in orderly intellectual development through time. For example, the ability to of mind to choose without conscious intent indicates development. Normalization

IAS 36 and the Framework for the preperation and presentation of Essay

IAS 36 and the Framework for the preperation and presentation of financial statements - Essay Example The carrying amount can be defined as the amount at which an asset is recognized in the balance sheet less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. The recovery amount can be defined as the higher of an assets fair value less costs to sell (usually called net sales) and its value in use (homepage)2. The International Accounting Standards Board has prescribed the identification and conditions for assets to be impaired. Every reporting date at the end of an accounting period every organisation applying the rules of the IFRS should test if any asset is impaired. If any such asset shows that it is impaired then the organisation shall estimate the recovery amount of such asset. Other conditions attach to this test includes the test of for ``an intangible asset with an indefinite useful life or an intangible asset not yet available for use for impairment annually by comparing its carrying amount with its recoverable amount. This impairment test may be performed at any ti me during an annual period, provided it is performed at the same time every year. Different intangible assets may be tested for impairment at different times. However, if such an intangible asset was initially recognized during the current annual period, that intangible asset shall be tested for impairment before the end of the current annual period, test goodwill acquired in a business combination for impairment annually in accordance with paragraphs 80-99 ´Ã‚ ´3 (though the guidance on how to measure goodwill impairment should be included in Section 27, rather than referring to paragraphs 80-99 of IAS 36 Impairment of Assets)4. The IASB also add to the above rule that if an asset may be impaired by its recoverable amount should be estimated for the individual asset otherwise an organisation should determine the recoverable amount of the cash generating unit to the group where the asset belongs (the asset’s cash-generating unit)5. The measurement of the asset’s recovery amount

Education and School Uniform Essay Example for Free

Education and School Uniform Essay Pupils all around the world have worn school uniform for many years. Many schools in Japan, France, USA and Israel, oblige pupils to come to school with a uniform. Wearing school uniform has advantages and disadvantages which I will present in my composition. On the one hand, the school uniform is very important. It is imporatant because it shows that a student belongs to a certain school. When a student wears a shirt with the schools symbol, everyone knows where the student studies, a thing which may help to create a feeling of belonging and school pride. Moreover, the school uniform saves money. Students sometimes judge other students by their outward look. Therefore, many students spend much money on clothes in order to be more popular. When everyone wears the same uniform, the students dont need to spend much money to buy expensive brand names. In addition, school uniform saves time in the mornings because you dont have to think much about what to wear. In addition, schools claim that school uniform is important for good education because pupils need to obey a certain dress code, a thing that helps the students be prepared for the army and any other framework. On the other hand, some pupils claim that wearing a school uniform hurts their individuality and self-expression. They claim it deprives them of the right to wear whatever they want. After all, they are still children and at this age there should be more room for self expression. As far as saving money, some pupils claim that the school uniform doesnt save money because they need to buy additional clothes to what they already have. Therefore, they think it is not necessary and should be cancelled. To conclude, in the light of the above, school uniform has advantages and disadvantages. I strongly believe that the school uniform is necessary and has benefits. However, I think that each school should design its school uniform from time to time and let pupils and teachers decide on it.

50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified (Gm) Foods Essay Example for Free

50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified (Gm) Foods Essay Introduction What is called biotechnology is a vital issue that impacts all of us. Largely between 1997 and 1999, genetically modified (GM) food ingredients suddenly appeared in 2/3rds of all US processed foods. This food alteration was fueled by a single Supreme Court ruling. It allowed, for the first time, the patenting of life forms for commercialization. Since then thousands of applications for experimental genetically-modified (GM) organisms, including quite bizarre GMOs, have been filed with the US Patent Office alone, and many more abroad. Furthermore an economic war broke out to own equity in firms that legally claimed such patent rights or the means to control not only genetically modified organisms but vast reaches of human food supplies. This has been the behind-the-scenes and key factor for some of the largest and rapid agri-chemical firm mergers in history. The merger of Pioneer Hi-Bed and Dupont (1997), Novartis AG and AstraZeneca PLC (2000), plus Dows merger with Rohm and Haas (2001) are three prominent examples, Few consumers are aware this has been going on and is ever continuing. Yet if you recently ate soya sauce in a Chinese restaurant, munched popcorn in a movie theatre, or indulged in an occasional candy bar youve undoubtedly ingested this new type of food. You may have, at the time, known exactly how much salt, fat and carbohydrates were in each of these foods because regulations mandate their labeling for dietary purposes. But you would not know if the bulk of these foods, and literally every cell had been genetically altered! In just those three years, as much as 1/4th of all American agricultural lands or 70-80 million acres were quickly converted to raise genetically-modified (GM) food and crops. See more: Unemployment problems and solutions essay And in the race to increase GM crop production verses organics, the former is winning. For details, see our article Who is Winning The Race Between GM Global and Organic Crop Production? Core Philosophical Issues When Gandhi confronted British rule and Martin Luther King addressed those who disenfranchised Afro-Americans, each brought forth issues of morality and spirituality. They both challenged others to live up to the highest principles of humanity. With the issue of GM food technology, we should naturally do the same, and with great respect for both sides. It is not enough to list fifty or more harmful effects but we need to also address moral, spiritual and especially worldview issues. Here the stakes are incredibly huge. For an introductory discussion of the philosophical issues involving GMOs, why this technology represents the impregnation of a mechanical worldview, a death-centered vision of nature that is greatlyt accelerating the death of species on earth, see our article GMOs Philosophical Issues of a Thanoptic (Death-Delivering) Technology. FROM HYBRIDIZATION TO GMOs Another challenging phenomenon to face in our modern world is that of hybridization. It seems to have worked so very successfully in some commercial realms, and as a major application of Gregor Mendels revolutionary Gene Theory. Mendel offered a logical extension of the larger mechanical worldview. Just as we create factory assembly lines for manufacturing inanimate products, why cant we also manufacture living organisms, and using the same or similar principles? Why not take this assembly-line process to the next logical and progressive level? Whats wrong then with the advance of genetic engineering? No doubt, with hybridizations conscious life is manipulated. But living organisms continue to make some primary genetic decisions amid limited selections. We can understand this with an analogy. There is an immense difference between being a matchmaker and inviting two people to a dinner party, to meet and see if they are compatible. This differs essentially from forcing their meeting and union or a violent date rape. The former act may be divine, and the latter considered criminal. The implication is that biotechnology involves vital moral issues in regard to the whole of life in nature. With biotechnology, roses are no longer crossed with just roses. They are mated with pigs, tomatoes with oak trees, fish with asses, butterflies with worms, orchids with snakes. The technology that makes this all possible is called biolistics a gunshot-like violence that pierces the nuclear membrane of cells. This essentially violates not just the core chambers of life (physically crossing nuclear membranes) but the conscious-choice principle that is part of living natures essence. Some also compare it to the violent crossing of territorial borders of countries, subduing inhabitants against their will. What will happen if this technology is allowed to spread? Fifty years ago few predicted that chemical pollution would cause so much vast environmental harm. Now nearly 1/3rd of all species are threatened with extinction (and up to half of all plant species and half of all mammals). Few also knew that cancer rates would skyrocket during this same period. Nowadays approximately 41% on average of Americans can expect cancer in their lifetime. ALARM SIGNALS No one has a crystal ball to see future consequences of the overall GMO technology. Nevertheless, there are silent alarm signals like the early death of canaries in a mine shaft. There is, for example, growing evidence that the wholesale disappearance of bees relates directly to the appearance of ever more GM pollen. If we understand certain philosophical issues about the 17th centurys worldview, the potential harm of GMOs actually can potentially far outweigh that of chemical pollution. This is because chemistry deals mostly with things altered by fire (and then no longer alive, isolated in laboratories and not infecting living terrains in self-reproducible ways). Thus a farmer may use a chemical for many decades, and then let the land lie fallow to convert it back to organic farming. This is because the chemicals tend to break down into natural substances over time, Genetic pollution, however, can alter the oils life forever! Farmers who view their land as their primary financial asset have reason to heed this warning. They need to be alarmed by evidence that genetically-modified soil bacteria contamination can arise. This is more than just possible, given the numerous (1600 or more) distinct microorganisms that can be found in a single teaspoon of soil. If that soil contamination remains permanently, the consequences can be catastrophic. Someday the public may blacklist precisely those farms that have once planted GM crops. No one has put up any warning signs on product packaging for farmers, including those who now own 1/4 of all agricultural tracks in the US. Furthermore, the spreading potential impact on all ecosystems is profound. Writes Jeremy Rifkin, in The Biotech Century, Our way of life is likely to be more fundamentally transformed in the next several decades than in the previous one thousand years Tens of thousands of novel transgenic bacteria, viruses, plants and animals could be released into the Earths ecosystems Some of those releases, however, could wreak havoc with the planets biospheres. In short these processes involve unparalleled risks. Voices from many sides echo this view. Contradicting safety claims, no major insurance company has been willing to limit risks, or insure bio-engineered agricultural products. The reason given is the high level of unpredictable consequences. Over eight hundred scientists from 84 countries have signed The World Scientist open letter to all governments calling for a ban on the patenting of life-forms and emphasizing the very grave hazards of GMOs, genetically-modified seeds and GM foods. This was submitted to the UN, World Trade Organization and US Congress. The Union of Concerned Scientists (a 1000 plus member organization with many Nobel Laureates) has similarly expressed its scientific reservations. The prestigious medical journal, Lancet, published an article on the research of Arpad Pusztai showing potentially significant harms, and to instill debate. Britains Medical Association (the equivalent of the AMA and with over a 100,000 physicians) called for an outright banning of genetically-modified foods and labeling the same in countries where they still exist. In a gathering of political representatives from over 130 nations, drafting the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, approximately 95% insisted on new precautionary approaches. The National Academy of Science report on genetically-modified products urged greater scrutiny and assessments. Prominent FDA scientists have repeatedly expressed profound fears and reservations but their voices were muted not due to cogent scientific reasons but intense political pressure from the Bush administration in its efforts to buttress and promote the profit-potentials of a nascent biotech industry. To counterbalance this, industry-employed scientists have signed a statement in favor of genetically-modified foods. But are any of these scientists impartial? Writes the New York Times (Feb 20, 2000) (about a similar crisis involving genetic engineering and medical applications). Academic scientists who lack industry ties have become as rare as giant pandas in the wild lawmakers, bioethics experts and federal regulators are troubled that so many researchers have a financial stake [via stock options or patent participation] The fear is that the lure of profit could color scientific integrity, promoting researchers to withhold information about potentially dangerous side-effects. Looked at from outside of commercial interests, perils of genetically modified foods and organisms are multi-dimensional. They include the creation of new transgenic life forms organisms that cross unnatural gene lines (such as tomato seed genes crossed with fish genes) and that have unpredictable behavior or replicate themselves out of control in the wild. This can happen, without warning, inside of our bodies creating an unpredictable chain reaction. A four-year study at the University of Jena in Germany conducted by Hans-Hinrich Kaatz revealed that bees ingesting pollen from transgenic rapeseed had bacteria in their gut with modified genes. This is called a horizontal gene transfer. Commonly found bacteria and microorganisms in the human gut help maintain a healthy intestinal flora. These, however, can be mutated. Mutations may also be able to travel internally to other cells, tissue systems and organs throughout the human body. Not to be underestimated, the potential domino effect of internal and external genetic pollution can make the substance of science-fiction horror movies become terrible realities in the future. The same is true for the bacteria that maintain the health of our soil and are vitally necessary for all forms of farming in fact for human sustenance and survival. Without factoring in biotechnology, milder forms of controlling nature have gravitated toward restrictive monocropping. In the past 50 years, this underlies the disappearance of approximately 95% of many native grains, beans, nuts, fruits, and vegetable varieties in the United States, India, and Argentina among other nations (and on average 75% worldwide). Genetically-modified monoculture, however, can lead to yet greater harm. Monsanto, for example, had set a goal of converting 100% of all US soy crops to Roundup Ready strains by the year 2000. If this plan were effected, it would have threatened the biodiversity and resilience of all future soy farming practices. Monsanto laid out similar strategies for corn, cotton, wheat and rice. This represents a deepest misunderstanding of how seeds interact, adapt and change with the living world of nature. One need only look at agricultural history at the havoc created by the Irish potato blight, the Mediterranean fruit fly epidemic in California, the regional citrus canker attacks in the Southeast, and the 1970s US corn leaf blight. In the latter case, 15% of US corn production was quickly destroyed. Had weather changes not quickly ensued, most all crops would have been laid waste because a fungus attached their cytoplasm universally. The deeper reason this happened was that approximately 80% of US corn had been standardized (devitalized/mechanized) to help farmers crossbreed and by a method akin to those used in current genetic engineering. The uniformity of plants then allowed a single fungus to spread, and within four months to destroy crops in 581 counties and 28 states in the US. According to J. Browning of Iowa State University: Such an extensive, homogeneous acreage of plants is like a tinder-dry prairie waiting for a spark to ignite it. The homogeneity is unnatural, a byproduct again of deadening natures creativity in the attempt to mechanize, to grasp absolute control, and of what ultimately yields not control but wholesale disaster. Europeans seem more sensitive than Americans to such approaches, given the analogous metaphor of German eugenics. HISTORICAL SYNOPSIS Overall the biotech revolution that is presently trying to overturn 12,000 years of traditional and sustainable agriculture was launched in the summer of 1980 in the US. This was the result of a little-known US Supreme Court decision Diamond vs. Chakrabarty where the highest court decided that biological life could be legally patentable. Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty, a microbiologist and employee of General Electric (GE), developed at the time a type of bacteria that could ingest oil. GE rushed to apply for a patent in 1971. After several years of review, the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) turned down the request under the traditional doctrine that life forms are not patentable. Jeremy Rifkins organization, the Peoples Business Commission, filed the only brief in support of the ruling. GE later sued and won an overturning of the PTO ruling. This gave the go ahead to further bacterial gmo research throughout the 1970s. Then in 1983 the first genetically-modified plant, an anti-biotic resistant tobacco was introduced. Field trials then began in 1985, and the EPA approved the very first release of a GMO crop in 1986. This was a herbicide-resistant tobacco. All of this went forward due to a regulatory green light as in 1985 the PTO also decided the Chakrabarty ruling could be further extended to all plants and seeds, or the entire plant kingdom. It then took another decade before the first genetically-altered crop was commercially introduced. This was the famous delayed-ripening Flavr-savr tomato approved by the FDA on May 18, 1994. The tomato was fed in laboratory trials to mice who, normally relishing tomatoes, refused to eat these lab-creations and had to be force-fed by tubes. Several developed stomach lesions and seven of the forty mice died within two weeks. Without further safety testing the tomato was FDA approved for commercialization. Fortunately, it ended up as a production and commercial failure, and was ultimately abandoned in 1996. This was the same year Calgene, the producer, began to be bought out by Monsanto. During this period also, and scouring the world for valuable genetic materials, W. R. Grace applied for and was granted fifty US patents on the neem tree in India. It even patented the indigenous knowledge of how to medicinally use the tree f(what has since been called biopiracy). Also by the close of the 20th century, about a dozen of the major US crops including corn, soy, potato, beets, papaya, squash, tomato and cotton were approved for genetic modification. Going a step further, on April 12, 1988, PTO issued its first patent on animal life forms (known as oncomice) to Harvard Professor Philip Leder and Timothy A. Stewart. This involved the creation of a transgenic mouse containing chicken and human genes. Since 1991 the PTO has controversially granted other patent rights involving human stem cells, and later human genes. A United States company, Biocyte was awarded a European patent on all umbilical cord cells from fetuses and newborn babies. The patent extended exclusive rights to use the cells without the permission of the donors. Finally the European Patent Office (EPO) received applications from Baylor University for the patenting of women who had been genetically altered to produce proteins in their mammary glands. Baylor essentially sought monopoly rights over the use of human mammary glands to manufacture pharmaceuticals. Other attempts have been made to patent cells of indigenous peoples in Panama, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, among others. Thus the groundbreaking Chakrabarty ruling evolved, and within little more than two decades from the patenting of tiny, almost invisible microbes, to allow the genetic modification of virtually all terrains of life on Earth. Certain biotech companies then quickly, again with lightening speed, moved to utilize such patenting for the control of first and primarily seed stock, including buying up small seed companies and destroying their non-patented seeds. In the past few years, this has led to a near monopoly control of certain genetically modified commodities, especially soy, corn, and cotton (the latter used in processed foods when making cottonseed oil). As a result, between 70-75% of processed grocery products, as estimated by the Grocery Manufacturers of America, soon showed genetically-modified ingredients. Yet again without labeling, few consumers in the US were aware that any of this was pervasively occurring. Industry marketers found out that the more the public knew, the less they wanted to purchase GM foods. Thus a concerted effort was organized to convince regulators (or bribe them with revolving-door employment arrangements) not to require such labeling. About the 50 Harmful Effects of GM Foods This article does more than dispute the industry and certain government officials claims that genetically-modified (GM) foods are the equivalent of ordinary foods not requiring labeling. It offers an informative list of the vast number of alarm signals, at least fifty hazards, problems, and dangers. also interspersed are deeper philosophical discussion of how the good science of biotechnology can turn against us as a thano-technology, grounded in a worldview that most seriously needs to be revisied. When pesticides were first introduced, they also were heralded as absolutely safe and as a miracle cure for farmers. Only decades later the technology revealed its truer lethal implications. Here the potentially lethal implications are much broader. The following list of harms is also divided into several easily referred-to sections, namely on health, environment, farming practices, economic/political/social implications, and issues of freedom of choice. There is a concluding review of means of inner activism philosophical, spiritual, worldview changing. Next there is a list of action-oriented, practical ideas and resources for personal, political and consumer action on this vital issue. Finally, I want the reader to know that this article is a living document, subject to change whenever new and important information becomes available. The reader is thus encouraged to return to this article as a resource, explore other parts of our site, and otherwise keep in touch with us and the Websites we link to. Most importantly please sign up for our newsletter so we can exchange vital information with you. Sign up now for our Newsletter to get invaluable updates and more HEALTH Recombinant DNA technology faces our society with problems unprecedented not only in the history of science, but of life on Earth. It places in human hands the capacity to redesign living organisms, the products of three billion years of evolution. Such intervention must not be confused with previous intrusions upon the natural order of living organisms: animal and plant breeding All the earlier procedures worked within single or closely related species Our morality up to now has been to go ahead without restriction to learn all that we can about nature. Restructuring nature was not part of the bargain this direction may be not only unwise, but dangerous. Potentially, it could breed new animal and plant diseases, new sources of cancer, novel epidemics. Deaths and Near-Deaths 1. Recorded Deaths from GM: In 1989, dozens of Americans died and several thousands were afflicted and impaired by a genetically modified version of the food supplement L-tryptophan creating a debilitating ailment known as Eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS) . Released without safety tests, there were 37 deaths reported and approximately 1500 more were disabled. A settlement of $2 billion dollars was paid by the manufacturer, Showa Denko, Japans third largest chemical company destroyed evidence preventing a further investigation and made a 2 billion dollar settlement. Since the very first commercially sold GM product was lab tested (Flavr Savr) animals used in such tests have prematurely died. 2. Near-deaths and Food Allergy Reactions: In 1996, Brazil nut genes were spliced into soybeans to provide the added protein methionine and by a company called Pioneer Hi-Bred. Some individuals, however, are so allergic to this nut, they can go into anaphylactic shock (similar to a severe bee sting reaction) which can cause death. Using genetic engineering, the allergens from one food can thus be transferred to another, thought to be safe to eat, and unknowingly. Animal and human tests confirmed the peril and fortunately the product was removed from the market before any fatalities occurred. The animal tests conducted, however, were insufficient by themselves to show this. Had they alone been relied upon, a disaster would have followed. The next case could be less than ideal and the public less fortunate, writes Marion Nestle author of Food Politics and Safe Food, and head of the Nutrition Department of NYU in an editorial to the New England Journal of Medicine. It has been estimated that 25% of Americans have mild adverse reactions to foods (such as itching and rashes), while at least 4% or 12 million Americans have provably more serious food allergies as objectively shown by blood iImmunoglobulin E or IgE levels. In other words, there is a significant number of highly food-sensitive individuals in our general population. The percentage of young children who are seriously food-allergenic is yet higher, namely 6-8% of all children under the age of three. In addition, the incidence rates for these children has been decidedly rising. Writes Dr. Jacqueline Pongracic, head of the allergy department at Childrens Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ive been treating children in the field of allergy immunology for 15 years, and in recent years Ive really seen the rates of food allergy skyrocket. The Center for Disease Control confirmed the spike on a US national level. Given the increased adulteration of our diets, it is no wonder at all that this is happening. Yet the FDA officials who are sacredly entrusted to safeguard the health of the general public, and especially of children, declared in 1992, under intense industry-lobbying pressure, that genetically-modified (GM) foods were essentially equivalent to regular foods. The truth is that genetically modified foods cannot ever be equivalent. They involve the most novel and technologically-violent alterations of our foods, the most uniquely different foods ever introduced in the history of modern agriculture (and in the history of biological evolution). To say otherwise affronts the intelligence of the public and safeguarding public officials. It is a bold, if not criminal deception to but appease greed-motivated corporate parties and at the direct expense and risk of the publics health. The FDA even decided against the advice of its own scientists that there was no need at all for FDA allergy or safety testing of these most novel of all foods. This hands-off climate (as promoted by the Bush Administration and similar to what was done with the mortgage and financial industry) is a recipe for widespread social health disasters. When elements of nature that have never before been present in the human diet are suddenly introduced, and without any public safety testing or labeling notice, such as petunia flower elements in soybeans and fish genes in tomatoes (as developed by DNA Plant Technology Corporation in the 1990s), it obviously risks allergic reactions among the most highly sensitive segments of our general population. It is a well-know fact that fish proteins happen to be among the most hyper-allergenic, while tomatoes are not. Thus not labeling such genetically modified tomatoes, with hidden alien or allergenic ingredients, is completely unconscionable. The same applies to the typical GMO that has novel bacterial and viral DNA artificially inserted. Many research studies have definitively confirmed this kind of overall risk for genetically modified foods: CORN- Two research studies independently show evidence of allergenic reactions to GM Bt corn, Farm workers exposed to genetically-modified Bt sprays exhibited extensive allergic reactions. POTATOES A study showed genetically-modified potatoes expressing cod genes were allergenic. PEAS A decade-long study of GM peas was abandoned when it was discovered that they caused allergic lung damage in mice. SOY In March 1999, researchers at the York Laboratory discovered that reactions to soy had skyrocketed by 50% over the year before, which corresponded with the introduction of genetically-modified soy from the US. It was the first time in 17 years that soy was tested in the lab among the top ten allergenic foods. Cancer and Degenerative Diseases 3. Direct Cancer and Degenerative Disease Links: GH is a protein hormone which, when injected into cows stimulates the pituitary gland in a way that the produces more milk, thus making milk production more profitable for the large dairy corporations. In 1993, FDA approved Monsantos genetically-modified rBGH, a genetically-altered growth hormone that could be then injected into dairy cows to enhance this feature, and even though scientists warned that this resulted in an increase of IGF-1 (from (70%-1000%). IGF-1 is a very potent chemical hormone that has been linked to a 2 1/2 to 4 times higher risk of human colorectal and breast cancer. Prostate cancer risk is considered equally serious in the 2,8. to 4 times range. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein of the University of Chicago and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, this induces the malignant transformation of human breast epithelial cells. Canadian studies confirmed such a suspicion and showed active IGF-1 absorption, thyroid cysts and internal organ damage in rats. Yet the FDA denied the significance of these findings. When two award-winning journalists, Steve Wilson and Jane Akre, tried to expose these deceptions, they were fired by Fox Network under intense pressure from Monsanto. The FDAs own experiments indicated a spleen mass increase of 40-46%- a sign of developing leukemia. The contention by Monsanto that the hormone was killed by pasteurization or rendered inactive was fallacious. In research conducted by two of Monsantos own scientists, Ted Elasser and Brian McBride, only 19% of the hormone was destroyed despite boiling milk for 30 minutes when normal pasteurization is 15 seconds. Canada, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand have banned rBGR. The UNs Codex Alimentarius, an international health standards setting body, refused to certify rBGH as safe. Yet Monsanto continued to market this product in the US until 2008 when it finally divested under public pressure. This policy in the FDA was initiated by Margaret Miller, Deputy Director of Human Safety and Consultative Services, New Animal Drug Evaluation Office, Center for Veterinary Medicine and former chemical laboratory supervisor for Monsanto. This is part of a larger revolving door between Monsanto and the Bush Administration. She spearheaded the increase in the amount of antibiotics farmers were allowed to have in their milk and by a factor of 100 or 10,000 percent. Also Michael Taylor, Esq. became the executive assistant to the director of the FDA and deputy Commissioner of Policy filling a position created in 1991 to promote the biotech industry and squelch internal dissent. There Taylor drafted a new law to undermine the 1958 enacted Delaney Amendment that so importantly outlawed pesticides and food additives known to cause cancer. In other words carcinogens could now legally be reintroduced into our food chain. Taylor was later hired as legal counsel to Monsanto, and subsequently became Deputy Commissioner of Policy at the FDA once again. On another front, GM-approved products have been developed with resistance to herbicides that are commonly-known carcinogens. Bromoxynil is used on transgenic bromoxynmil-resistant or BXN cotton. It is known to cause very serious birth defects and brain damage in rats. Glyphosate and POEA, the main ingredients in Roundup, Monsantos lead product are suspected carcinogens. As to other degenerative disease links, according to a study by researcher Dr. Sharyn Martin, a number of autoimmune diseases are enhanced by foreign DNA fragments that are not fully digested in the human stomach and intestines. DNA fragments are absorbed into the bloodstream, potentially mixing with normal DNA. The genetic consequences are unpredictable and unexpected gene fragments have shown up in GM soy crops. A similar view is echoed by Dr. Joe Cummins, Professor of Genetics at the University of Western Ontario, noting that animal experiments have demonstrated how exposure to such genetic elements may lead to inflammation, arthritis and lymphoma (a malignant blood disease). 4. Indirect, Non-traceable Effects on Cancer Rates: The twentieth century saw an incremental lowering of infectious disease rates, especially where a single bacteria was overcome by an antibiotic, but a simultaneous rise in systemic, whole body or immune system breakdowns. The epidemic of cancer is a major example and is affected by the overall polluted state of our environment, including in the pollution of the air, water, and food we take in. There are zillions of potential combinations for the 100,000 commonly thrust upon our environment. The real impact cannot be revealed by experiments that look at just a few controlled factors or chemicals isolates. Rather all of nature is a testing ground. Scientists a few years ago were startled that combining chemical food additives into chemical cocktails caused many times more toxic effects than the sum of the individual chemicals. More startling was the fact that some chemicals were thought to be harmless by themselves but not in such combinations. For example, two simple chemicals found in soft drinks, ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate, together form benzene, an immensely potent carcinogen. Similarly, there is the potential, with entirely new ways of rearranging the natural order with genetic mutations and that similar non-traceable influences can likewise cause cancer. We definitively know X-rays and chemicals cause genetic mutations, and mutagenic changes are behind many higher cancer rates or where cells duplicate out of control. In the US in the year 1900, cancer affected only about 1 out 11 individuals. It now inflicts 1 out of 2 men and 1 out of 3 women in their lifetime. Cancer mortality rates rose relentlessly throughout the 20th century to more than triple overall. Viral and Bacterial Illness 5. Superviruses: Viruses can mix with genes of other viruses and retroviruses such as HIV. This can give rise to more deadly viruses and at rates higher than previously thought. One study showed that gene mixing occurred in viruses in just 8 weeks (Kleiner, 1997). This kind of scenario applies to the cauliflower mosaic virus CaMV, the most common virus used in genetic engineering in Round Up ready soy of Monsanto, Bt-maise of Novaris, and GM cotton and canola. It is a kind of pararetrovirus or what multiplies by making DNA from RNA. It is somewhat similar to Hepatitis B and HIV viruses and can pose immense dangers. In a Canadian study, a plant was infected with a crippled cucumber mosaic virus that lacked a gene needed for movement between plant cells. Within less than two weeks, the crippled plant found what it needed from neighboring genes as evidence of gene mixing or horizontal transfer.