Waleed Allohaibi Essays (946 words) - Architecture,

Waleed Allohaibi 11 May 2017 Classical Greek Architectures vs. Medieval Gothic Architectures Looking at the design of different structures throughout the world, one may not realize the beauty of the art in each of them or the ideals on which they were constructed. For example the classical Greek era, 480 BCE - 330 BCE that held the ideals of order, balance, and God like perfection. This type of idealist architecture is seen in the Parthenon temple built in 447-432 BCE (Ancient-Greece.org). The temple is built in tribute for the Goddess Athena, Goddess of war and wisdom. It is a post and lintel structure with columns fashioned in Greek Doric style. There are also the beautiful cathedrals built during the Middle Ages in gothic style that give society insight into the culture of that age. The architecture of these times were heavily influenced by religion and Christianity and designed to elevate the spirit of man toward God (Apollo Group, Inc., 2016). One example of this time is the architectural design is the Amiens Cathedral. Originally built in 1152 BCE but was destroyed by fire; reconstruction started in 1220 CE and was completed in 1245 CE (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 2016). In the design of this cathedral it is evident that the architect is influenced by the Christian religion, from the three archways representing the trinity and the middle archway adorned with a statue of Christ, it was built as a place of worship. These remarkable structures, each a piece of art, are both built with divine intentions, stand in stark contrast to each other, influenced by the culture of the age. Although both classic Greek and gothic architectures are built to define the ideals and beliefs of their age and have differences, the classic Greek architecture of order and balance has influenced and are used within the gothic medieval constructions. There are differences between the formal and stylistic characteristics of the classic Greek architecture and the gothic architecture of the medieval age. Classic Greek architecture is mad e of stone resting on stone with nothing but pressure holding them together. This is best exemplified in Greek temples, such as the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a post and lintel structure, built of limestone and marble, which were the common building materials of that age (Sporre, 2015). Using these types of materials limited the architect's use of space. In order for the building to stand without the roof collapsing many columns were needed to hold the roof up. These columns, known as Doric columns because of their style, were made of marble and the pressure of the stone roof resting on them held them together. The Parthenon was with many beautiful states, from the metopes that are a series of carved panels forming the Doric frieze telling stories of the history and battles of the Gods, to the towering statue of the Goddess Athena for which it was built. The Parthenon and other Greek temples were meant to be revered from the outside as a center piece of the city, a monument to the Gods of that age. Gothic architecture, unlike classic Greek, used stone masonry. By using stone masonry they were able to create arches and redistributed the pressure of the stones enabling the structures to be built taller. They also created what is called a buttress and used this to hold up walls and arches as reinforcement. Gothic architecture was considered ethereal and focused on the use of space (Sporre, 2015). A beautiful example of gothic architecture was the Amiens Cathedral. Towering into the heavens, with strong arches, symmetrical lines, and ornate workmanship, this cathedral was a show piece for the city in which it was built and exuded spirituality. These cathedrals were meant to inspire one to look toward the heavens with extremely high ceilings and ornate stain glass window placed strategically toward the roof causes one to look upward. Like classic Greek temple, they were adorned with beautiful statues. However, the states were of the Christian Saints, and other rel igious symbolism. The Amiens Cathedral was meant as place to enter and worship, as were all cathedral of the medieval era. Even though there are differences between these two styles of architecture,

Custom essay writing service Essay Example

Custom essay writing service Essay Example Custom essay writing service Essay Custom essay writing service Essay Custom essay writing service is genre of writing where a company or an organization provides all the written work for people who hire them. These people who run custom essay writing service are professionals and they are trained. These people can write any type of writing style and they can create an essay on any given topic. The need of custom essay writing service is fairly observed nowadays. People who doesn’t excel in the art of writing and tend to make mistakes in their essays opt for the custom essay writing service. People who need essays written with a professional touch also contact these companies. Custom essay writing service is a smart move as well as it is widely available for ease and success. People who are unable to write their essays frequently go for custom essay writing service. It seen and observed that students who are beginners as well who are too lazy to do research on their own give their tasks to these companies. Custom essay writing service is a facility which analyzes, evaluate, summarize, research and create a written piece of assignment for you. There are too many companies like these in the market. Some of the companies are actually good or even some are not up to the mark. But the task of finding an authentic custom essay writing service is not easy, but this is your task. Whenever the question of the most authentic custom writing service pops in your head than you must choose paperap.com to fulfill your task. paperap.com is a custom essay writing service. We at paperap.com work 24/7 for your ease and success. With US working as your writing friends you’ll get best results ever. Our trained writers are trained in any type of writing namely as essays, analytical papers, researched papers, annual reports etc. Our strategy is precise; we at paperap.com write according to your needs and demands. We in collaboration with you tend to produce a master piece which will suit your personality. We work parallel to your needs and demands. You are only advised to hire US and inform us about the topic and we’ll write for you excellently and make your success evident.

Price Ceiling and Price Floor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Price Ceiling and Price Floor - Research Paper Example Defined in the simplest of terms, price controls can be defined as the definition of a certain maximum or minimum level of the prices by the Government at which a good will be available in the market. The two most basic level of price control mechanisms undertaken by the Government are Price Ceiling and Price Floor. The Price Ceiling is the maximum price at which a good can be sold in the market whereas Price Floor is the minimum price at which the good will be sold in the market. While price Ceiling is generally meant to save consumer interest, the price floor is intended towards saving the interest of the supplier. Price Ceilings can be categorized into two types: Binding Price ceilings are the one which is at a level lower than the equilibrium price and hence has a significant impact on the market equilibrium. Non-binding price ceilings are set at a level higher than the equilibrium level. Examples of price ceiling include setting up rent control in New York, while the setting of minimum wages is an example of a price floor. Price floors are often imposed during crises like wars, droughts or natural disasters. Price floors are generally set for agricultural products to save the interest of the farmers. Indonesia, where more than 20% of the population is below the poverty line, Government takes active participation in controlling the prices. In order to curb inflation, the Government of Indonesia has time and again imposed control on the price of rising. The price control is also aimed at helping farmers. Prior to this, the Government had imposed price controls on cement because of the strategic nature of the industry. The Government set a maximum retail price at which cement could be sold and allocated production and distribution quotas amongst all the players.  

Should the UK join the euro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should the UK join the euro - Essay Example Thus it means giving up the traditional pound for a new European wide single medium of exchange that is already in circulation. Moreover, this would also facilitate the adoption of a common EU monetary policy. That is why the British government too is unhappy with the idea because it entails transferring power and economic decision making to the EU bureaucracy. However, the government is not fundamentally opposed as long as there are demonstrated economic benefits of doing so. Also, if it does decide to join, it is a tough decision to make as to precisely when to join the bandwagon because this could have economic consequences too. Then there is the period of turbulence to endure before things settle. The main benefits of joining are due to the removal of economic barriers that hinder trading. A common currency does away with exchange rate fluctuations and transaction costs. This for example, makes investment more attractive in the UK. So we have the potential to gain in the areas of trade and investment but these benefits must be weighed against the effects of the loss of autonomy over macroeconomic policies and other complications. By not joining though, the UK risks being marginalised within the EU. And, the euro currency is a growing in strength. It is now â€Å"the world’s largest by cash value† (Stevenson, 2009). A successful European wide monetary policy requires that there is economic parity or at least a convergence in the economic circumstances between the euro-adopting states. For instance, if the rest of the EU fares better than the UK during the looming recession, interest rates are likely to be high and this would exasperate the financial difficulties of UK businesses and cause even lower output. On the other hand, low interest rates can cause higher inflation. This shows that the decision of joining and when to join is very much tied to concerns over the level of convergence and interest rates and the impact this could have

Automotive Production Levels Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Automotive Production Levels - Research Paper Example The quantity demanded for Toyota’s automobiles depends firstly on the price, but also on the consumer preferences, prices of other automobiles’ manufacturers, and income (Gravelle & Rees, 2004). As it can be seen from the graph, where the relation between quantity demanded and price is represented, a higher price tends to reduce the quantity people demand, whereas a lower price tends to increase it. In what concerns the quantity produced, it is a function of the price, factors of production, e.g., capital, labor, technology, and number of competitors (Gravelle & Rees, 2004). As the graph presents, there is a direct relation between price and quantity produced so a higher price tends to increase the quantity produced, whereas a lower price tends to decrease it. The equilibrium price and quantity occurs when the quantity demanded and the quantity supplied are equal. On the graph, it is the point of intersection of Qd (quantity demanded) and Qs (quantity supplied). Solving the two equations for Qd and Qs we obtain the following equilibrium point: The equilibrium point is above the current production level and price charged by the company, which are Q= 2236162 units and P=2.43 million yen. Taking into consideration that the level of production has increased compared with the quarter of the previous year (as shown in Fig. 2), the management of Toyota should continue this trend of increasing the number of units produced in order to arrive at the equilibrium point. As it can be seen, this coefficient is higher than one so it can be said that demand for Toyota’s vehicles is elastic. Taking this into account, management of the company should analyze many factors before considering increasing the price of its products because the demand for the automobiles is very sensitive to price changes. Let us assume that the elasticity of demand calculated above

Economy Of The Kingdom Of Thailand

Economy Of The Kingdom Of Thailand Chapter 1: Introduction. The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. Thailand is the worlds 50th largest country in terms of total area with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq miters), and the 21st most-populous country, with approximately 64 million people. About 75% of the population is ethnically Thai, 14% is of Chinese origin, and 3% is ethnically Malay; the rest belong to minority groups including Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. There are approximately 2.2 million legal and illegal migrants in Thailand. Thailand has also attracted a small number of expatriates from developed countries. The countrys official language is Thai. As for the Thai economy, it is export-dependent, with exports of goods and services equivalent to over 70% of GDP in 2008. Thailands recovery from the 1997-1998 Asian financial crises (which brought a double-digit drop in GDP) relied largely on external demand from the United States and other foreign markets. From 2001-2006, the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin embraced a dual track economic policy that combined domestic stimulus programs with Thailands traditional promotion of open markets and foreign investment. Real GDP growth strengthened sharply from 2.2% in 2001 to 7.1% in 2003 and 6.3% in 2004. In 2005-2007, economic expansion moderated, averaging 4.5% to 5.0% real GDP growth, due to domestic political uncertainty, rising violence in Thailands four southernmost provinces, and repercussions from the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Thailands economy in 2007 relied heavily on resilient export growth (at a 17.3% annual rate), particularly in the automobile , petrochemicals, and electronics sectors. Persistent political uncertainty and the global financial crisis in 2008 weakened Thailands economic growth by reducing domestic and international demand for both its goods and services (including tourism). Due to minimum exposure to toxic assets, Thai banks have limited direct impact from the global financial crisis. Nonetheless, Thai economic growth slowed to 2.6% in 2008, with fourth quarter growth dropping below zero. In 2009, the contraction continued. First quarter GDP was down by 7.1% year-on-year. To offset weak external demand and to shore up confidence, the Abhisit administration introduced two stimulus packages worth $43.4 billion. The government projected that the Thai economy would be down 3.5% for the year but would see positive growth of 2.5% in 2010. Roughly 40% of Thailands labor force is employed in agriculture (data based on Bank of Thailand.) Rice is the countrys most important crop; Thailand is the largest exporter in the world rice market. Other agricultural commodities produced in significant amounts include fish and fishery products, tapioca, rubber, corn, and sugar. Exports of processed foods such as canned tuna, canned pineapples, and frozen shrimp are also significant. As for the old and familiar neighboring country of Thailand, China is the second largest export market and third-largest supplier after Japan. These two neighboring countries had never been encroached to each other; the very well relationship remained in peace and stable. Two developing countries are rising with the same pace, but also compete economically. China has one of the worlds oldest civilizations and has the oldest continuous civilization. It has archaeological evidence dating back over 5,000 years. China was the largest and most advanced civilization for much of recorded history and is viewed as the source of many major inventions. It has also one of the worlds oldest written language systems. Historically, Chinas cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adapted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The Peoples Republic of China has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km with approximately 1.5 billion population size, and is the third-largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada. Because of Chinas unstable situation in the 70s of last century, since then a lot of Chinese population was flowing to some other countries for a better shelter; and definitely Thailand was a very sweet one. At that time over 30,000 populations crossed the border of Thailand. They are now part of 14% of Chinese origin. At the beginning of 80s, the reform and open-up policy were implemented. Since then, a huge amount of cheap Chinese products were exported to oversea countries. Nowadays, therere still over half of the daily products were made in China. Not only the products were exported, but also labor migrants have left China and settled throughout Southeast Asia, seeking better opportunities in difficult times and creating burgeoning and long-standing communities. Now, China is one of the largest producers and consumers of agricultural products. Over 40% of Chinas labor force is engaged in agriculture, even though only 10% of the land is suitable for cultivation and agriculture contributes only 13% of Chinas GDP. Chinas cropland area is only 75% of the U.S. total, but China still produces about 30% more crops and livestock than the United States because of intensive cultivation, China is among the worlds largest producers of rice, corn, wheat, soybeans, vegetables, tea, and pork. Major non-food crops include cotton, other fibers, and oilseeds. China hopes to further increase agricultural production through improved plant stocks, fertilizers, and technology. Incomes for Chinese farmers are stagnating, leading to an increasing wealth gap between the cities and countryside. Government policies that continue to emphasize grain self-sufficiency and the fact that farmers do not ownand cannot buy or sellthe land they work have contributed to this sit uation. In addition, inadequate port facilities and lack of warehousing and cold storage facilities impede both domestic and international agricultural trade. China is now one of the most important markets for U.S. exports: in 2008, U.S. exports to China totaled $71.5 billion, a 9.5% increase of $16.2 billion from 2007. U.S. agricultural exports have increased dramatically, totaling $12.2 billion in 2009 and thus making China our fourth-largest agricultural export market. Leading categories include: soybeans ($7.3 billion), cotton ($1.6 billion), and hides and skins ($859 million). Export growth continues to be a major driver of Chinas rapid economic growth. Here comes our conflict: As the neighbor of supper sized China, Thailand faced double challenge. First of all, by import cheap but quality Chinese products the lessened GPD is shown and China is recently steadily replacing Thailands first place on exporting rice. Secondly more and more skilled Chinese labor forces are into Thailand, the local unemployment is facing the challenge. What is going to be the aftermath and what we can do about these becomes the very serious problem for Thailand. Chapter 2: Situation of the problem. As we know, Thailand is a very popular country, not only by tourism but also by the minds. Thai people are very conscientious and friendly, may that be the reason why so many western populations would like to move to Thailand for the rest of their lives. Under the capitalism system, Thailand has a GDP worth 8.5 trillion Baht (on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis), or USD 627 billion (PPP). This classifies Thailand as the 2nd largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. Despite this, Thailand ranks midway in the wealth spread in Southeast Asia as it is the 4th richest nation according to GDP per capita, after Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia. Most of Thailands labor force is working in agriculture. However, the relative contribution of agriculture to GDP has declined while exports of goods and services have increased. Tourism revenues are on the rise. With the instability surrounding the recent coup and the military rule, however, the GDP growth of Thailand has settled at arou nd 4-5% from previous highs of 5-7% under the previous civilian administration, as investor and consumer confidence has been degraded somewhat due to political uncertainty. Chinese economic history is quite fancy and interesting. This strong nation had gone through a lot. Even for the modern Chinese economy is still a long story to tell. The economic history of modern China began with the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Following the Qing, China underwent a period of instability and disrupted economic activity. Under the Nanjing decade (1927-1937), China advanced several industries, in particular those related to the military, in an effort to catch up with the west and prepare for war with Japan. The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and the following Chinese civil war caused the collapse of the Republic of China and formation of the Peoples Republic of China. The new ruler of China, Mao Zedong, initially promised to develop a socialist alliance with Petit Bourgeois, workers, and nationalist Bourgeois, but enacted collectivization upon consolidation of this regime. Collectivization resulted in the success of the first five-year plan, but Maos second five-year plan, which included the Great Leap forward, did not meet with the same success. A new party faction who supported private plots eventually challenged Maos economic policy. Unwilling to give up power, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, which led to the collapse of the Chinese economy. Following Maos death, one of the most senior officials who had advocated private plots in the early 1960s, Deng Xiaoping initiated gradual market reforms that abolished the communes and collectivized industries of Mao, replacing them with the free-market system. Dengs reforms vastly improved the standard of living of the Chinese people, the competitiveness of the Chinese economy, and caused China to become one of the fastest growing and most important economies in the world. It also led to one of the most rapid industrializations in world history. For this achievement he is sometimes known as The Venerated Deng. As a result of Dengs reforms, China is widely regarded as a returning superpower. 1992 Deng Xiaopings Southern Tour at the beginning of the year massively boosted foreign direct investment inflows into coastal areas and started a wave of government investment in Shanghai. Record trade and GDP growth and inflation followed. 1993 Zhu Rongji appointed to rein in the overheating economy, this time more selectively than in 1989-91. Growth rates subsided gradually in subsequent years, producing a so-called soft landing. During the 1990s, living standards continued to rise, as evidenced by the proliferation of consumer durables, especially among the urban population. Continuing FDI inflows helped boost foreign exchange reserves to record heights in the late 1990s. Especially after the publication of the 1998 GDP figures, economists, both in China and abroad, have raised serious doubts about the quality of Chinas national accounts, which appeared in the late 1990s to overstate economic growth and are now suspected of understating growth. This may be because the statistical system tends to overestimate output at the trough of the cycle and underestimate output at the peak. However, the countrys first production census discovered at the end of 2005 that GDP has recently been grossly underestimated as a result of a failure to take into account the rapid growth of the services sector. As a result, growth rates for 2003-2005 are now recorded at around 10% per year in real terms. Despite efforts to cool the overheating economy, the officially recorded GDP growth rate was 11.4% in 2007. In 2008 the global economic crisis began to reduce Chinas growth rate. In the face of forecasts that this might drop below the rate at which school leavers can be absorbed by the growing economy (7%-8%) the government decided to pump RMB 4 trillion into the economy in the form of an economic stimulus package consisting largely of investment in fixed infrastructure and human capital. In 2009 Chinas GDP growth rate, though lower than the double-digit average of recent years, has held up well, rising from 6.1% year-on-year in the first quarter to 7.7% in the first three quarters of the year. This means that year-on-year GDP growth was around 9% in the second quarter. A similar rate of growth (9%) is expected in the final quarter, ensuring a rate of over 8% for 2009 as a whole. In Chinese GDP, more than 40% are expected from the export of products; there are over 50% daily products all over the world are MADE IN CHINA. The reason why Chinese products are so competitive is because they are very cheap and quality. How come the Chinese products are so cheap? Compare with the GDP chinas API (annual premium income) is very low, because 1/5 worlds population is in China, and this is also the reason why the Chinese products are so cheap; labor force are paid only a little bit of money. In the contrast, Thailand may not have an impressive GDP, but the API is much higher than China. In the structure of Thailands GDP over 70% are exporting, but its not only products also services; which means tourism is still the major income for Thailand. However the amount of products exporting in Thailand is steadily deteriorated. Former merit of Thai export; Rubber and Rice is now slowly losing its first place. As for human resource exporting; in China therere more than two million graduates will be unemployed every year. Most of them are staying home and doing job hunting, some may find-out a better way by crossing the border to oversea countries. These graduates are fully skilled and they are eager for job, so they may take some unwanted jobs in oversea countries. Nonetheless, potentially they are increasing the unemployment rate in Thailand as well. Chapter 3: Thailand Economical Crises. Thailand is a member of AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area), which is purpose of Increase ASEANs competitive edge as a production base in the world market through the elimination, within ASEAN, of tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Unlike the EU, AFTA does not apply a common external tariff on imported goods. Each ASEAN member may impose tariffs on goods entering from outside ASEAN based on its national schedules. However, for goods originating within ASEAN, ASEAN members are to apply a tariff rate of 0 to 5 percent (the more recent members of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, aka. CMLV countries, were given additional time to implement the reduced tariff rates). This is known as the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme. ASEAN members have the option of excluding products from the CEPT in three cases: 1.) Temporary exclusions; 2.) Sensitive agricultural products; 3.) General exceptions. Temporary exclusions refer to products for which tariffs will ultimately be lowered to 0-5%, but which are being protected temporarily by a delay in tariff reductions. Sensitive agricultural products include commodities such as rice. ASEAN members have until 2010 to reduce the tariff levels to 0-5%. The AFTA was formed in 1992, after that Thailand economy was increasing rapidly, but in 1997 Thailand suffered the Dom Yam Goon crisis. It was beginning in July 1997, and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. The crisis started in Thailand with the financial collapse of the Thai baht caused by the decision of the Thai government to float the baht, cutting its peg to the USD, after exhaustive efforts to support it in the face of a severe financial overextension that was in part real estate driven. At the time, Thailand had acquired a burden of foreign debt that made the country effectively bankrupt even before the collapse of its currency. As the crisis spread, most of Southeast Asia and Japan saw slumping currencies, devalued stock markets and other asset prices, and a precipitous rise in private debt. Such was the scope and the severity of the collapses involved that outside intervention, considered by many as a new kind of colonialism, and became urgently needed. Since the countries melting down were among not only the richest in their region, but in the world, and since hundreds of billions of dollars were at stake, any response to the crisis had to be cooperative and international, in this case through the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF created a series of bailouts (rescue packages) for the most affected economies to enable affected nations to avoid default, tying the packages to reforms that were intended to make the restored Asian currency, banking, and financial systems as much like those of the United States and Europe as possible. In other words, the IMFs support was conditional on a series of drastic economic reforms influenced by neoliberal economic principles called a structural adjustment package (SAP). The SAPs called on crisis-struck nations to cut back o n government spending to reduce deficits, allow insolvent banks and financial institutions to fail, and aggressively raise interest rates. The reasoning was that these steps would restore confidence in the nations fiscal solvency, penalize insolvent companies, and protect currency values. Above all, it was stipulated that IMF-funded capital had to be administered rationally in the future, with no favored parties receiving funds by preference. There were to be adequate government controls set up to supervise all financial activities, ones that were to be independent, in theory, of private interest. Insolvent institutions had to be closed, and insolvency itself had to be clearly defined. In short, exactly the same kinds of financial institutions found in the United States and Europe had to be created in Asia, as a condition for IMF support. In addition, financial systems had to become transparent, that is, provide the kind of reliable financial information used in the West to make sou nd financial decisions. However, the greatest criticism of the IMFs role in the crisis was targeted towards its response. As country after country fell into crisis, many local businesses and governments that had taken out loans in US dollars, which suddenly became much more expensive relative to the local currency which formed their earned income, found themselves unable to pay their creditors. The dynamics of the situation were closely similar to that of the Latin American debt crisis. The effects of the SAPs were mixed and their impact controversial. Critics, however, noted the contractionary nature of these policies, arguing that in a recession, the traditional Keynesian response was to increase government spending, prop up major companies, and lower interest rates. The reasoning was that by stimulating the economy and staving off recession, governments could restore confidence while preventing economic loss. They pointed out that the U.S. government had pursued expansionary policies, such as lowering in terest rates, increasing government spending, and cutting taxes, when the United States itself entered a recession in 2001, and arguably the same in the fiscal and monetary policies during the 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis. Although such reforms were, in most cases, long needed, the countries most involved ended up undergoing an almost complete political and financial restructuring. They suffered permanent currency devaluations, massive numbers of bankruptcies, and collapses of whole sectors of once-booming economies, real estate busts, high unemployment, and social unrest. For most of the countries involved, IMF intervention has been roundly criticized. The role of the International Monetary Fund was so controversial during the crisis that many locals called the financial crisis the IMF crisis. Many commentators in retrospect criticized the IMF for encouraging the developing economies of Asia down the path of fast track capitalism, meaning liberalization of the financial sector (elimination of restrictions on capital flows); maintenance of high domestic interest rates to attract portfolio investment and bank capital; and pegging of the national currency to the dollar to reassure foreign investors again st currency risk. Unfortunately, 2008 is another hard year, but its not only for Thailand or Asia, its the global economic crisis. The Global Financial Crisis has been called by leading economists the worst financial crisis since the one related to the Great Depression of the 1930s. It contributed to the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth estimated in the trillions of U.S. dollars, substantial financial commitments incurred by governments, and a significant decline in economic activity. Many causes have been proposed, with varying weight assigned by experts. Both market-based and regulatory solutions have been implemented or are under consideration, while significant risks remain for the world economy. The collapse of a global housing bubble, which peaked in the U.S. in 2006, caused the values of securities tied to housing prices to plummet thereafter, damaging financial institutions globally. Questions regarding bank solvency, declines in credit availability, and damaged investor confidence had an impact on global stock markets, which suffered large losses during 2008. Economies worldwide slowed in late 2008 and early 2009 as credit tightened and international trade declined. Critics argued that credit rating agencies and investors failed to accurately price the risk involved with mortgage-related financial products, and that governments did not adjust their regulatory practices to address 21st century financial markets. Governments and central banks responded with unprecedented fiscal stimulus, monetary policy expansion, and institutional bailouts. 2008 is a very tough year for Thailand. Not only is the Global Economic Crisis threatening Thai economy, but also the 2008 flu. The flu directly affected Thai tourism, which is the backbone of Thai economy. However, even the crises are monsters; Thailand is still standing in a very firm place of exporting rice, rubber and tourism. Not only today, but also after decades. Chapter 4: Compete from China. Not only Chinese daily products the only stuff competitive from China, but also foods, heavy industry, mineral materials and so on. In Thailand, Chinese food is one kind of high class treat. Its quite expensive and health. The most famous one could be the Chinese vegetarian. Vegetarianism is only practiced by a relatively small fraction of the population. Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists, following the Buddhist teachings about minimizing suffering. This is also one major reason why the Chinese vegetarian food is quite popular in Thailand. Chinese vegetarian dishes often contain large varieties of vegetables (e.g. Bok Choy, shiitake mushroom, sprouts, corn) and some imitation meat. Such imitation meat is created mostly with soy protein and/or wheat gluten to imitate the texture, taste, and appearance of duck, chicken, or pork. Imitation seafood items, made from other vegetable substances such as konjac, are also available. As for the Chinese industry export, Chinas machinery manufacturing industry can provide complete sets of large advanced equipment, including large gas turbines, large pump storage groups, and nuclear power sets, ultra-high voltage direct-current transmission and transformer equipment, complete sets of large metallurgical, fertilizer and petro-chemical equipment, urban light rail transport equipment, and new papermaking and textile machinery. Machinery and transportation equipment have been the mainstay products of Chinese exports, as Chinas leading export sector for successive 11 years from 1996 to 2006. In 2006, the export value of machinery and transportation equipments reached 425 billion US dollars, 28.3 percent more than 2005. Thermal, hydro and nuclear power industries are the fastest growing of all industrial sectors. At the end of 2004, the installed capacity of generators totaled 440 million kW, and the total generated electricity came to 2,187 billion kwh, ranking second in the world. Power grid construction has entered its fastest ever development; main power grids now cover all the cities and most rural areas, with 501-kv grids beginning to replace 220-kv grids for inter-province and inter-region transmission and exchange operations. An international advanced control automation system with computers as the mainstay has been universally adopted, and has proved practical. Now Chinas power industry has entered a new era featuring large generating units, large power plants, large power grids, ultra-high voltage and automation. There are several countries such as Thailand requesting Chinas help and investment for the industrial sector. China is the third largest country all over the world, and so as the Chinese mineral resource. China is rich in mineral resources, and all the worlds known minerals can be found here. To date, geologists have confirmed reserves of 153 different minerals, putting China third in the world in total reserves. The reserves of the major mineral resources, such as coal, iron, copper, aluminum, stibium, molybdenum, managese, tin, lead, zinc and mercury, are in the worlds front rank. Chinas coal reserves total 1,007.1 billion tons, mainly distributed in north China, with Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region taking the lead. Chinas 46.35 billion tons of iron ore are mainly distributed in northeast, north and southwest China. The country also abounds in petroleum, natural gas, oil shale, phosphorus and sulphur. Petroleum reserves are mainly found in the northwest, northeast and north China, as well as in the continental shelves of east China. The national reserves of rare ea rth metals far exceed the combined total for the rest of the world. Rubber and rice used to be Thailands advantaged exports. However for the last 10 years, China is chasing Thailands heel. Rubber is an important industry for economy all around the world. Its price is usually influenced by the worlds oil price which is feature in changing in rubber price. China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia (rubber garden about 200 hectares, output about 3 million tons) are the most importance producer and exporter for rubber market of the world. The amount of rubber they have produced account for 70%-80% of total world amount on average. Because the rubber is an important industrial crop in these countries, the rubber price has been going up due to increasing in demand for the rubber. These result in an expansion in production area which produces effect on the higher level of rubber output. The information released by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, the output of crude rubber is about 3.2 to 3.3 million tons in 2007 more than previous year and the annual growth is about 5%. This satisfying outcome was caused by the assistance of Chinese government in giving the better breed to the farmer. Most of rubber outputs are profuse in the second and the third quarter in each year, particularly in the southern part of China which is the largest source of domestic rubber production, because that period is humid season in Southern China. There might be a little decreasing in rubber price in that period because of the increasing in supply of rubber. Since the Chinese currency continued appreciation and the demand for rubber was increase, the export price was going up to 2.10 U.S. dollar per kilogram in March on 2007. Why does the price increase in international rubber market? There are two possible reasons. The first one is because some of the primary countries (Thailand and Indonesia) in producing rubber were affected by unfavorable weather, so the output was negatively affected. The second explanation is derived from the increasing demand for rubber in American and China itself, because the price of rubber was going up for a while, so the price was not expected to increase so much in the near future. On October 2008, the domestic price of rubber was going down so rapidly. It decreased to 8 RMB per kilogram in 20 days time. However before that, the purchasing price of fresh rubber is around 15RMB per kilogram and the cost of production is about 5 RMB per kilogram. The loss of the rubber profit is about 100% at that time. The cooperative of Chinese rubber farmers express that Thailand is the foremast partner of commerce in China because of the economic crisis from the U.S, so the exporter was very careful in it. Chinese Ministry of Agriculture adopts the countermeasures which analyze the tendency of international market in the future and establish the solving measures. It has made a commitment with financial institutions to extend the loan repayment period for rubber farmers. This hopefully enables the farmers could reduce their burden associated with rubber production. In addition, the Rubber Association of Asia wants to resolve the problem of lower the price of rubber. They decid ed to stop the production for six month so as to reduce the amount of rubber output and this enhanced the price level. They also suggested Chinese government to add the financial aid but dont interpose the price of rubber. If the price continue going down, the farmer may choose chopping the rubber trees to replant other crops and many farmers had already started to chop the rubber tree and sealing it. Furthermore, the farmers confronted with immense pressure from synthetic rubber, many rubber gardens change to replant other crops. Many other Chinese resources and products are also very much competitive, especially for Thailand. Thailand doesnt have many resources to use, thus if Thailand still want to improve the GDP they will have to import goods from China. Why China? The reason is not only the cheap price, but also the very convenient geographical location. Chapter 5: Solution of Thai-na Intersect. There are several solutions for avoid the incoming challenge and further crises. One of the most important progresses for the Thai-na trading is the China-Thailand FTA. The China-Thailand FTA was signed in June 2003 and came into effect four months later in October 2003. It is an early harvest agreement on farm trade alone, whereby both countries opened their agricultural markets before the broader China-ASEAN FTA comes into force in 2010. Under the deal, tariffs for 188 types of fruits and vegetables were cut to zero overnight. The China-Thailand FTA has had very strong impacts in Thailand, amply documented by NGOs, farmers groups, academics and the press. Many Thai garlic, longan and other fruit and vegetable producers, especially in the North, lost their livelihoods because they could not compete against the cheap flood of Chinese imports. In fact, despite government reassurances, only Thai cassava exports went up. Investigations showed that Thai produce entering China was left to rot at point of entry, by local warehouse operators, so that it could not actually be commercialized. Cheap Chinese fruits and vegetables, in the meanwhile, were criticized by Thai people for their high pesticide residue levels. But this actually led the two governments to adopt joint private food safety standards (Thai-China GAP), providing yet another boost to corporate farming and further concentration. In all, the China-Thailand FTA has not benefited small farmers on either side of the border. It has only been favorable for businessmen who control the trade and are able to use it to expand their contract farming operations, such as Thailands (ethnic Chinese-owned) Charoen Pokphand Group. After the formation of the FTA, Thailands exports to China are likely to continue to grow over the remainder as massive stimulus spending by Beijing is showing clear signs of

Signs That You’ve Arrived :: essays papers

Signs That You’ve Arrived Oprah recently bought the most expensive house in California for $50 million. That barely put a dent in her pocket. How would you like to receive the respect and treatment of royalty? How about being given anything you desire, and more? Celebrity is the ultimate asset. In this frantic age of nanosecond attention spans, fame is fortune. Hollywood stars and athletes dominate the rankings of the richest, but celebrity enriches other individuals as well: successful CEO’s, chefs, models, authors, and even the newest arrival, the non-celebrity celebrity, courtesy of reality television. In a society where entertainment and the celebrity status fascinate us, it is no wonder why these people receive so much attention and define the word â€Å"famous†. A celebrity is an unique individual, set apart from the majority by an excess of sex appeal, or wealth, or talent, or impact. Many celebrities have more than one of these characteristics, but it is one of these traits that mo st identifies a person’s celebrity status. One of the most powerful characteristics a person can own is one’s sex appeal. In a society ruled by gratification, sex and the appeal one may offer fascinates and perplexes an audience. Britney Spears is the epitome of sex appeal, obvious through the celebrity status she has reached. This is her strongest attribute, winning out over talent, wealth, and positive impact. Her immense appeal receives more attention than her talent and is definitely exaggerated through her performances and her presentation. She knows she is sexy and uses it to the fullest extent in order to better herself and her celebrity status. This is the most superficial of the celebrity traits and is followed by wealth. Often times, in today’s society, wealth defines a person and their level of success. Take Bill Gates for example. As the richest man in the world, valued at over $52 billion, he is also labeled as one of the most successful. Mr. Gates is known world-wide for what is in his wallet, making him a celebrity, or as Webster defines it: famous. Gates has also had a huge impact on the advances in technology, but is more widely identified by his immense amount of â€Å"dough†. Gates has definitely reached celebrity status mainly by knowing how to rake in the dollars. Even though he is very intelligently talented, talent is not what made him a celebrity.

How to survive in a jungle Essay

About 300 instances of disappearings in the jungles of South America were recorded in 2012. and more than half of the people are still non found today. Geting lost in a jungle is non a rare juncture! Due to corner canopies darkness falls rapidly in a jungle. which might do you to happen yourself in the thick of jungle in pitch dark. Therefore you have to be cognizant of the dangers and cognize how to protect yourself. To last in a jungle. you need to cognize your waies. necessitate a shelter that will protect you from wildlife. and the hope to last no affair what. By maintaining these in head. you will decidedly happen your manner out without a abrasion. The first thing that you have to worry approximately is make up one's minding where to travel. In a jungle you must cognize that a incorrect bend will take you traveling in circles and can be irreversible. Fortunately. there are different ways to hold a changeless way. A compass is a necessity that will decidedly increase your opportunity of lasting as you can take a way and stick to it irrespective of the state of affairs. Almost no 1 keeps a compass in his/her pocket but fortunately there is another method! Detecting the Sun right can let you to utilize it as your ain personal compass. If you don`t cognize. the Sun rises at the E and sets at the West. by following the motion you will find where E and West are at all times. Knowing where your E and West are will extinguish the hazard of acquiring lost as you can merely maintain on walking to one way. To be cognizant of your way is a big portion of the program. but you will surely necessitate more to last such as a shelter. Second. constructing a shelter is decidedly a must. A good shelter will conceal you from wildlife interlopers. mentally comfort you and do you remain unagitated and in control. Do non bury to do usage of the things that you already have with you. For illustration. a poncho. ripped fictile sheeting or a length of rope can be a superb usage in a jungle. The simplest manner to organize a canopy is binding the poncho or plastic between four trees. If you don`t hold anything with you will hold to utilize your creativeness and utilize the nature to your benefit. like the forests for case. Furthermore. attempt to remain near a beginning of H2O and avert natural jeopardies like drops. The jungle is home to many different wild animate beings and you can be certain that you will non be welcomed. In this instance your shelter will play a major function of being your lone personal infinite. It will be the topographic point that you will safely rest and kip in order to maintain your strength. Sle ep is besides required to keep stable mental wellness and in the jungle. Other than shelter. there is one more factor that will find whether you will or will non last. Last but non least. no affair what happens you must hold religion and maintain combat for endurance. Besides physical strength. you besides need the emotional strength. Everything might non travel how you imagined it would but you must remain positive. As you are unfamiliar to the environment there will be some failures. You will perfectly stop up disbursement hours trying to catch a fish for a nice repast. but end up neglecting. Remember that the lone individual who can let you to give up is yourself. so do non lose hope and be strong. If you start to lose hope after some failures. conceive of your household and your friends that makes life deserving life for. There is nil you can carry through if you are determined to last and be reunited with the 1s you love most. If you keep these methods in head you can even acquire through the worst scenario that can go on in a jungle and reunite with the people that makes life deserving life for. There is no populating thing that is capable of making assorted things like worlds. so at the terminal it will all boil down to how bad you truly want to last. You might be a alien in their environment but don`t forget that you are the smartest of them. You will be the one to find your ain destiny! If you believe yourself. there isn`t any ground for non to emerge winning against all the dangers that nature has in shop for you.

Theories of Inequality essays

Theories of Inequality essays In briefly evaluating the classical and modern explanations of social inequality, it is essential that we step outside the realm of our own lives, class position, and discard any assumptions we might have about the nature of inequality. This process of critical pedagogy allows us to view our world, not from our perspective, but from a wider, more critical analysis of inequalitys nature. Also, it should be considered within this wider perspective that all theories of inequality have a class perspective, where the theorist, based on the position their theory takes, is making claims from (or for) a particular class (whether they want to or not). With this in mind, it seems that most of these theories come from fairly elite class perspectives and, in turn, tend to be more pessimistic about bringing change to the inequalities they are evaluating. Of the classical (elite) explanations of inequality, Max Webers seemed to be most accepted within the domain of sociology and other social sciences dealing with modes of inequality. Weber, who believes that we are living within a sort of iron cage which cannot allow us to look beyond the rules and regulations of our capitalist system, emphasizes the importance of power relationships in society. Those who are in class positions at the top of the apex (of power distribution) are the people who, one, hold most of the power in society, and two, make the choices for the direction and reproduction of society. The majorities at the bottom of the apex, with very limited power, are unable to make choices that would bring them to their ends. The core attributes of the economic system are alienation and the bureaucracy, which create a dehumanizing effect on the characters within the system. The bureaucracy, with its rational legal authority, clear division of labor, career systems, and impersonality, is technologically more perfect than any other system (according to Web...

Free Essays on Bon-Odori

Bon-Odori Bon-Odori is the annual memorial dance to commemorate the lives of loved ones who have passed away during the previous 12 months. Over a two-day period in August many Buddhists celebrate the Bon Odori Festival. Bon Odori originates from the story of a Buddhist disciple, Moggallana, who envisioned his deceased mother in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts where she was suffering for her selfishness. Greatly disturbed, he went to Buddha to ask how he could release her from this upside down world. The Buddha advised his disciple to perform some charitable act in memory of his mother. The disciple did this and, thus, secured her release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple was so happy for his mother’s release and grateful for her kindness he couldn’t help but to dance with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori (Memorial Dance), a time when our ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated. Today, Bon Odori Festival participants continue this custom as they dance in traditional Japanese dress such as kimono, yukata, and hapi. The dances, usually performed in a circle, may include the use of round or folding fans, castanets, sticks or cotton towels and recall both daily life in Japan and remembrance of ancestors. The music is usually a simple rhythm with or without vocals. This celebration helps Buddhist come to terms with the passing of loved ones. It is a time to celebrate and appreciate the lives of the friends and family they have lost.... Free Essays on Bon-Odori Free Essays on Bon-Odori Bon-Odori Bon-Odori is the annual memorial dance to commemorate the lives of loved ones who have passed away during the previous 12 months. Over a two-day period in August many Buddhists celebrate the Bon Odori Festival. Bon Odori originates from the story of a Buddhist disciple, Moggallana, who envisioned his deceased mother in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts where she was suffering for her selfishness. Greatly disturbed, he went to Buddha to ask how he could release her from this upside down world. The Buddha advised his disciple to perform some charitable act in memory of his mother. The disciple did this and, thus, secured her release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple was so happy for his mother’s release and grateful for her kindness he couldn’t help but to dance with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori (Memorial Dance), a time when our ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated. Today, Bon Odori Festival participants continue this custom as they dance in traditional Japanese dress such as kimono, yukata, and hapi. The dances, usually performed in a circle, may include the use of round or folding fans, castanets, sticks or cotton towels and recall both daily life in Japan and remembrance of ancestors. The music is usually a simple rhythm with or without vocals. This celebration helps Buddhist come to terms with the passing of loved ones. It is a time to celebrate and appreciate the lives of the friends and family they have lost....

Uniquely Feminine Action Scenes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Uniquely Feminine Action Scenes - Research Paper Example When she was attacked, she held her leg up to the throat of her opponent while the camera was positioned on the floor looking up. Her crotch was right on the center and it made her legs look even longer. Barb Wire and Sucker Punch follow the model of Charlie’s Angels. These movies emphasize the curves instead of the muscles. In Sucker Punch, one of the most popular fight scene is the Samurai Battle. Babydoll (Browning) was dressed as a female sailor with a hemline that barely covers her butt. In more than one occasion, she slid through the air. Her body was parallel to the floor and the camera was just several inches away from body, locked in one position. It created an illusion that her body was sliding through the camera which put the audience in the closest possible proximity with her breasts, abs, crotch and legs. There are those who criticize Snyder for this, calling it a failed interpretation of feminism (Mencimer 4). Her argument is that the critics on the feminist fron t are correct. There are still specified parameters wherein violence for women is allowed and these parameters are generally set according to what men are able to put up with. Gina Arnold’s (3) view is very different and subscribes to the idea that the evolving female character is an inspiration and is a positive influence on women. According to Arnold, if we look at the elated reception received by Charlie’s Angels in shopping centres all over America, we can rightly assume that the viewing public are overjoyed to see women attaining a physically superior position when it comes to men. Also according to Arnold, a number of these movies present a more elegant approach when it comes to violence. She also writes that, without the... You will find that the way that Ripley in Alien has been portrayed affected how women are portrayed in general in action movies. Ever since the release of the first movie in 1979, there have been a strong wave of strong female heroines – â€Å"Terminator 1’s† – Linda Hamilton; â€Å"China O’Brien’s, Lady Dragon’s† Cynthia Rothrock; â€Å"Resident Evil’s† MillaJovovich; â€Å"Kill Bill’s Uma Thurman† are just a sampling of some of these. Unfortunately, Weaver’s talent is often eclipsed by her onscreen image. A number of websites take more notice of what she looks like than how she acts. It is not surprising for producers to use the beauty of women to in action movies. In Charlie’s Angels, there is the undeniable concentration to shoot from a lower angle, possibly to show that the women are superior to the scene and audience but, and this is more likely, to put emphasis on their breasts. There are a number of gratuitous shots of the women’s body and tight shots on their abs, legs, and lips. The fight scene has a high sexual element to it. They roll across the floor with open legs a number of times. In another shot, they are on their back struggling with their legs open. You could compare this shot to a rape scene. Even their exaggerated grunts, screams and moans are louder than any non-diagetic music in the scene.

Sex, love and romance research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sex, love and romance research paper - Essay Example LeAnn Rimes makes her first assertion here. In the slew of â€Å"unsuitable† dates who turn up - the â€Å"cell-phone junkie†; the Emo youth, complete with black flowers; an impressionable-looking, eager young man – Rimes shows her viewers, her fans the implausibility of finding true love by searching for it in such an obvious manner. Online dating is most definitely not the way to go, according to the song, if you are looking for the â€Å"butterflies†. One might as well dream about dating their teddy bears. The teddy bear also assumes a symbolic role here. To the archetypal lonely girl and/or woman, her teddy bear becomes a symbol of the security and warmth of a relationship. She wants her man to be as considerate, gentle, funny and thoughtful as her teddy bear would be, were he a real man. This video shows this quite plainly in the form of the girl’s dream of her date with the bear who makes her laugh, makes her feel desired, who is in short, The Perfect Gentleman. Research on romantic love and its construction reveals that heterosexual love, which is the only mode of sexuality touched upon in this song, is heavily â€Å"scripted†. Romance novels go a long way in strengthening these already established theories about love: According to publishers surveys, romance novels are read by almost 40 million American women. They account for 56 percent of mass-market paperback sales in the United States. More than 2,200 new titles are published every year. Romance novels aimed specifically at adolescents have been sold through school book clubs since about 1980, gaining in popularity every year. Although most romance novels are published in the United States, England and Canada, their readership is global (Puri, 1997). (Sex, Love and Romance, p. 265) The basic moral that runs through a typical romance novel is no matter how hard a man is from the outside, inside