Aboriginal Quality of Life in Canada Essay Example for Free

Aboriginal Quality of Life in Canada Essay The state of health and health care for Canadian Aboriginal people is currently not improving, â€Å"Canadian Aboriginals tend to bear a disproportionate burden of illness; an outcome linked to their economic and social conditions [and] oppression† (Newbold 1998). European contact would forever change the course of life for the Aboriginals and their communities in Canada. It was only after the encounter between the old world and new world that two completely separate ecosystems had interaction between each other. Both worlds changed in radical ways through people, plants, animals, varmints and pathogens, this is known today as the â€Å"Columbian Exchange†. The New pathogens introduced to the Indigenous people who had no immunity, caused major depopulation up to 80 90% during the 1500’s. See more: Recruitment and selection process essay This completely changed the Indigenous people and posed as a massive threat to extinction of their population and culture. Contact between the Canadian Aboriginals and European voyagers brought in a mass amount of deadly and infectious diseases. Some of the diseases included smallpox, typhoid, the bubonic plague, influenza, mumps, measles, whooping cough, and later on cholera, malaria, and scarlet fever. Smallpox was a virgin soil epidemic, meaning that it was the first outbreak ever to the population that has had no previous experience with it. The Aborigines of the new world had no immunity to smallpox and the entire population was in danger of extinction. At around that time smallpox had a very high mortality rate which broke down the Aboriginal communities social mechanisms. This brought forth the break down of social the devices which were built within the Aboriginal culture, because the people were unable to hunt and gather food for the elders. This caused great knowledge loss as the elders in the Aboriginal community would perish from the disease. The greatest example of this is when Spanish explorer Cortez defeated the Moctezuma at Tenochtitlan. Cortez, had only 500 soldiers going up against the Aztec population of 200,000. When the battle began Cortez surely should have been defeated but it was not the strength of his army but the diseases they had brought with them that defeated the Moctezuma. Smallpox and the other various diseases brought over from the old world to the new world contributed to millions of deaths, severely diminishing communities, and it some cases erasing populations and communities completely. The disease was not controlled until the 1870’s when vaccination campaigns were introduced and implemented. After the epidemic of contagious diseases had slowed the Canadian Aboriginals were in the midst of assimilation, residential schools were established in the mid 1850’s to the 1990’s. Residential school were implemented by the Canadian government to assimilate Aboriginal people into the dominant society. The Aboriginal children removed from their communities and placed in the Residential schools. â€Å"Children as young as three to age eighteen were removed from their homes, mostly forcibly, and placed in boarding schools, where they stayed isolated from their family, community, culture, and the rest of Canadian society† (Barton, Sylvia S., Thommasen, Harvey V.,Tallio, Bill ,Zhang, William, Michalos, Alex C. 2001 pg. 295). Residential schools assimilated Aboriginal populations, however in doing so drastically reduced the health of the children being forced to attend these schools. Children were beaten, raped and starved while attending these schools leaving them p hysically and mentally scarred for life. â€Å"Children who attended these schools, in particular, suffered from the loss of culture, identity, and language as residential school life altered the traditional ways of Aboriginal peoples and broke up traditional ways of Aboriginal family life. In addition to physical, sexual, mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse, many children who attended residential schools were exposed to unhealthy environmental conditions, as well as malnutrition. Low self-esteem and self-concept problems emerged as children were taught that their own culture was inferior and uncivilized, and it is believed that as a result, many residential school survivors suffer from low self-respect, and long-term emo- tional and psychological effects† (Barton, Sylvia S., Thommasen, Harvey V.,Tallio, Bill ,Zhang, William, Michalos, Alex C. 2001 pg. 296). The main aspect of the Residential schools was to make the children abandon their heritage and traditions taught to them by their Aboriginal communities. This is the most significant reason why today’s Aboriginal youth is confused about their culture and heritage. If the children were not separated from these traditions the Aboriginal youth may not have been so vulnerable to substance abuse and other from of health constraints. Canada in its present day does not have diseases like smallpox to destroy. Aboriginal populations, also Residential school have been eliminated and no longer assimilate the Aboriginal youth. Still, the deteriorating health conditions for the Aboriginal community are dangerously high. This is mainly because of poor quality of living conditions, very limited access to doctors or healthcare centers, and the major diseases that affect the modern world today. The Aboriginals that live in highly populated urban areas still have poor quality living standards. Nearly two thirds of the Aboriginal population lives in the western part of Canada, the majority being in 4 or 5 cities. The issues that are considered social detriments to Aboriginals in these regions are education, health care, employment, Aboriginal status, social exclusion, unemployment rates and job security. Society’s negative attitude towards Aboriginal people has been a significant link between their living conditions and the overall quality of life. As stated by Hanselmann â€Å"In spite of the size of the urban Aboriginal population†¦[the] discussion about treaties, self-government, finance, housing, and other issues focus exclusively on First Nation communities and rural areas†. This is a problem because the majority of the Aboriginal population is left out of the equation, â€Å"it ignores the urban realities†¦ [and] an acute public policy [should] therefore exist for broadening of perspectives to include not just on-reserve Aboriginal communities but also urban communities† (Hanselmann 2001 pg. 1). The Canadian Aboriginal populations living in urban areas have been exposed to worse living conditions, also â€Å"aboriginal families are over twice as likely to be lone parent families, and more likely to experience domestic violence† (Hanselmann 2001 pg. 4). Lone parents tend to have lower living conditions, therefore lowering the quality of health for Aboriginals. Emotional stress and poverty are common factors among single parent families; these cause children to have lower social capital because they are unable to be active to develop social skills. Consequently, children with a single parent will likely be subject to psychiatric disorders, social problems, and academic difficulties, which all can lead to further health problems and issues. Another major aspect regarding health and the quality of life of Canadian Aboriginal communities is education. In a study done by Michael Mendelson he states â€Å"The category â€Å"less than high school†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦the Aboriginal population fared much worse than the total population, with at least 54 percent failing to complete high school compared to 35 percent in the population as a whole† (Mendelson 2006 pg. 10). Urban populations of Aboriginals have more individual without the education of grade 12 then the rest of the country. Education is important to the quality of life for Aboriginal communities because â€Å"Aboriginal males and females contingent on whether or not they earn a high school diploma, attend technical school or go to university†¦results show that an Aboriginal male who drops out gives up over $0.5 million†¦[and a] female can earn over $1 million by obtaining a high school diploma† (Mendelson 2006 pg. 8-9). This can better the quality of living for Aboriginals through better health care and living conditions . Living conditions as stated before can severely decrease the health and quality of life of Aboriginal communities, but it is not the only factor. Aboriginal people have a high susceptibility to chronic diseases and HIV/AIDS causing a higher mortality rate, higher suicide rate, and the reason for high alcohol and drug abuse. The Aboriginal people of Canada â€Å"bear a disproportionately larger burden of disease and die a decade earlier than the average population†. This is a shocking reality but not more then knowing the mortality rate for children of Aboriginal decent, â€Å"the infant mortality rate for Aboriginals is double the national average†¦they experience high rates of infections, diabetes, substance abuse, renal disease, mental illness, and suicide† (Sin, D., Wells, H., Svenson, L., Man, P. 2002) . The two leading diseases that are currently affecting the Aboriginal population are cardiovascular disease/tuberculosis and diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases like tuberculosis among Aboriginal people are â€Å"more at risk than other Canadians of getting [a tuberculosis] infection. Some of the root causes are related to poor socio-economic conditions where they live† (Health Canada 2010). This is because Aboriginal people have significantly higher rates of smoking, glucose intolerance and obesity. Type 2 diabetes is a major problem among the Aboriginal youth and is increasing at a rapid rate. Health Canada says, â€Å"First Nations on reserve(s) have a rate of diabetes three to five times higher than that of other Canadians. Rates of diabetes among the Inuit are expected to rise significantly in the future given that risk factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and unhealthy eating patterns are high† (Health Canada 2011). A reason for the high levels of diabetes in Aboriginal communities is because there is low participation in physical activities and traditional food is not consumed as much. Cardiovascular/Tuberculosis disease and diabetes considerably decrease the health and quality of life of the Aboriginal population. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are a very dangerous and major health concern for the Aboriginal population. HIV if left untreated will cause AIDS. HIV attacks the immune system, as the illness progresses it results in chronic and deadly infections. Health Canada states â€Å"HIV severely weakens the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to many different types of infections and diseases. HIV is transmitted through: unprotected sexual intercourse, needle-sharing and pregnancy/delivery through birth† (Health Canada 2010). Due to the lower level living conditions, low grade incomes, and under developed education are more probable to be exposed to HIV/AIDS. Aboriginal women in Canada are at higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS â€Å"Aboriginal women constituted 49.6 percent of newly diagnosed HIV cases among Aboriginal people while Non-Aboriginal women comprise 20 percent of newly diagnosed† (Ship, Norton 2001 pg. 25). Injection of drugs is the major contributor to contracting HIV/AIDS for Aboriginal women, which stages the affects of drug use and disease and how it negatively affects the Aboriginal populations health. Substance abuse, such as drugs and alcohol, has been documented as having harmful affects to the human body. Aboriginal communities have been exposed to the addiction of these substances and have cause significant deterioration of the individual’s health and social attributes, ruining relationships within their families and community. As more and more Canadian Aboriginals become addicted to the substances the more the degradation of the community and weakening of the quality of life within the community. Aboriginals are more exposed to substance abuse then others. This puts them at risk of being introduced at a young age and taught it is a social norm. â€Å"My father was a chronic alcoholic. His parents had seven children and five died of alcoholism, including my father. My mom drank also and I started drinking at age eight. I was in and out of group homes and foster care and by the age of fifteen I was ordered to attend AA. I started on IV drugs at sixteen† (Chansonneuve, Deborah 2007). With the combination of alcohol, drugs, and smoking the Aboriginal population is seemly wasting away. The leading issue occurring today is the age at which Aboriginal youth are beginning to abuse substances. The use of these substances only enhances chance that youth will not complete their high school diploma, will be at greater risk for criminal offences, and will only get lower grade incomes. Aboriginals being highly vulnerable to disease as mention before (Tuberculosis/CVD, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS) add with the substance abuse, the Aboriginal population have greater health care needs then that of the Non-Aboriginal population. Bruce Newbold explains the greater need to access physicians for healthcare and needs for greater funding. â€Å"Analysis reveals that geographic location, as compared with Aboriginal identity, appears to have a large impact with respect to health status and use of physician services. On-reserve Aboriginals, for example, reported a lower likelihood of having seen a physician and were more likely to rank their health as fair or poor. Location also influenced perceived community health problems and solutions. Self-identified problems included drugs, cancer and arthritis, while corresponding solutions included education, counseling and service access. Although the problems and solutions were relatively consistent across space, they too varied in their importance. In general, the results tend to reinforce the determinants of health framework, suggesting that the provision of health services is insufficient to remove health disparities on its own. Instead, broader social-welfare provisions must be considered.† (Newbold 1998 pg. 59) It seems that Aboriginals who consider themselves of good health are considered to be actually of low health by the rest of society. From a Geographically view, Canadian Aboriginals on reserves do not have the same access to physicians as urban communities do. This causes Aboriginals on reserves to travel, which reduces the chance of them using a physician. The quality of proper health care is out of reach for most Aboriginal communities, mostly because of geographical isolation, cultural barriers and jurisdiction disputes by the federal and provincial government. Improving health conditions and the quality of life for Aboriginal people of Canadian current issue that solutions are being reviewed and implemented annually. The task is not easy because of the substance abuse and low education levels of the Aboriginal youth. Government politics play a huge role in the funding and improving the health care system for the Aboriginal communities, but over time the aboriginal people will have to look to themselves to improve their quality of life. Both Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people need to be more educated of the health risks concerning the Canadian Aboriginal population. The health of Aboriginals has not been treated in the proper manner Bruce Newbold explains â€Å"past attempts to improve aboriginal health status have tended to focus upon a narrow definition of health as the absence of disease or illness†¦this focus neglects a much broader range of determinants, including poverty, living conditions and education†. The government needs to put into prospective that â€Å"Improvements in health will likely depend on the improvements in the socioeconomic conditions faced by Aboriginals†¦by the direct participation of Aboriginals in the health reform process† (Newbold 1998 pg. 70). Therefore, to improve health condition in Canada for the Aboriginal population the people and the government cannot be narrow minded, every aspect that being social, financial or physical must be addressed. The major improvement of the Aboriginal financial economy and social conditions is needed to repair the deteriorating health and quality of life of the Aboriginal population. Aboriginal Health in Canada has drastically deteriorated since the first contact with European decedents. The early contagious diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis have threated to destroy Aboriginal populations and now have become chronic diseases like CVD, diabetes and HIV/AIDS for existing Aboriginal communities. Substance abuse among youth and seniors mixed with low level education and poor living conditions are advancing the decline for the quality of life in Aboriginal communities in Canada. The Government and Aboriginal communities must work together and not have a narrow mind when solving these issues and implementing them in society. Improving the socioeconomic conditions in the regions of Aboriginal communities along with health care issues is the start to improve the quality of life for Aboriginals in Canada.

What are the trends and problems of Indias Balance Of Payments

What are the trends and problems of Indias Balance Of Payments Balance of Payments (BOP) of a country shows its economic strengths and weaknesses. Most of the developing countries are deficit in their Balance of Accounts, India being no exception. Since independence, India has been facing this deficit or disequilibrium in terms of BOP, largely observed as a disaster in 1990-91, the year of the severe BOP crisis. At that time, India had foreign exchange reserve of meager 1 billion dollar, hardly sufficient to finance a months import bill. The nation was on the edge of defaulting. This crisis resulted in large scale amendments in the countrys economic policy, particularly known as the Structural Adjustment Program or New Economic Policy (NEP) regime, center of attention being liberalization and globalization of the economy. We opted for a very vigilant approach and at present after having surmounted the initial glitches of a newly liberalized economy, we have a somewhat comfortable BOP condition. Even though we have arrived at a comfortable BOP position showing signs of a strong rising economy, BOP management still remains a tough walk for policy makers for taking any discussion, as now we are uncovered to each and every change in the global economic set-up. Trends problems of Indias BOP 1949-50 to 1999-2000 The disequilibrium in Indias BOP has been accounted to both internal as well as external factors. The requirement for development of such a big nation with a large population is one of the main factors resulting in recurring BOP problem. The BOP is always under some pressure and had large deficits due to high level of imports of food grains and capital goods, the profound external borrowings, their payment and poor exports. After independence, the primary challenge in front of the country was to attain economic growth with social justice. Indias aim after accomplishing independence was to achieve economic self- reliance. For this the country had to strike both the internal as well as the external resources. Not only our technology but our food availability was also on the backward stage. Hefty amounts of food grains had to be imported to supply the demand of such a large population. Protectionist Policies The main intention of the Second Five Year Plan (1956-57 to 1960-61) was to achieve self reliance through industrialization. Self reliance was to be realized through import substitution. For this, essential industries had to be established which required import of capital goods. Exports were anticipated to take-off by own with advent of industrialization. It was felt that with advent of industrialization, there will be an increase in production at home that will be reflected in greater export earnings. The approach for import substitution was based on physical- interventionist, non-price policies like quotas, licensing and other physical ceilings on imports. Heavy capital goods were imported however other imports were relentlessly restricted to shut off competition for promoting domestic industries. Mainly focus was on import substitution, with gross disregard of exports. These inward looking protectionist policies did resulted in some self-reliance in the consumer goods industries, but most of the capital goods industries remained majorly import intensive. The elevated degree of protection to Indian industries resulted in to inefficiency and poor quality products basically due to lack of competition. The high cost of production further wrinkled our competitive strength. Rise in petroleum products demand, harvest failure, two oil shocks, all put acute strain on the economy. The BOP condition remained weak for the period of 1980s, till it arrived at the crisis situation in 1990-91; When India was on the brink of defaulting mainly due to intense debt burden and continually widening trade deficit. External Debt India had been an exercising choice to large scale foreign borrowings for its developmental activities in the field of fundamental social and industrial infrastructure. The countrys reserves were very much restricted due to low level of per capita income and savings. The situation aggravated because Government of India resorted to large amounts of foreign borrowings to rectify the BOP situation in the short run out of frightening condition. With Seventh Five Year Plan, the debt service obligations increased sharply due to stiffer average provisions of external debt, including repayments to the IMF, commercial borrowing, and a drop in concessional aid flow. Export Promotion Even though by the Sixth Five Year Plan we had overcome the need of food grain imports and some crude oil was also produced domestically, BOP position was still not at ease attributed to low exports. The essential need for promoting export was realized during the 1960s. The Third Five Year Plan commenced certain promotion policies pertaining to export like tax exemptions, duty drawbacks, cash compensatory schemes, Rupee devaluation etc. However it didnt showed significant improvements in exports. Indian exports depended largely on situation of world trade. We were chiefly primary product exporters, for which fluctuations in prices are very high in entire world market demand. Primary products exporting countries generally have unfavorable term of trade. The incomes from primary product exports were unstable and low. Secondly, the Indian products were not up to the mark in terms of quality and standard to sustain in world market. Third, mainly residue products were exported. The fact that export earnings contribute significantly to economic development was disregarded. Cumbersome procedures, rules and regulations for license etc served as disincentives for exporters. Domestic inflation further diminished the competitiveness of Indias export. Exchange Rate The fluctuation in the exchange value of the rupee was another posing problem. The steady devaluations (to promote exports) enhanced the amount of external debt. The value of rupee was administered by the central bank (fixed exchange rate). The considerable gap between official and market exchange rate generated difficulties for the exporters and importers. The stringent foreign exchange controls also persuaded Hawala trade. Trends in Indias BOP (2000-2010) The benefits of foreign trade were overlooked year after year. Indian entrepreneurs were withdrawing with low-priced, outdated technology and demolishing subsidies, generating a heavy national burden of large ailing public sector undertakings. Despite acting through an incentive based approach, government protection in fact damaged our industrial growth. The New Economic Policy of the nineties targeted for opening up of the economy, to permit free trade and competition and condense the role of government considerably in foreign trade issues. Restrictions on international trade were detached, foreign investments were allowed and a completely new Liberalized Exchange Management System was brought in to garner the benefits of competition and offset the drawbacks of a closed, inward looking trade policy. The alterations towards liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy were conceded out very vigilantly in phases. Foreign Investment India effectively attracted Foreign investors to the country with its earnest positive economic transforms like reduced cumbersome formalities and other paperwork. From a scanty US$103 million   net foreign investment in the year 1990-91, it has grown to us$ 8669 million   in 2008-09. Foreign investments kept the country buoyant during the recent global meltdown period. Because the consequences of recession were worst in the developed countries, the investors turned to the less affected rising economies like China and India. While initially foreign investment in the country did slow down significantly due to risk repugnance in the phase of the recession, but it picked up over again because rising economies like India and China were quick to execute corrective procedures to fight recession, showing creditable elasticity to the recession which badly affected the much developed economies. There was massive turn down in net capital flows from US $ 106.6 billion in 2007-2008 (8% of GDP) to US $ 7.2 billion (0.6 % of GDP) IN 2008-09. The turn down was mainly due to net outflows under portfolio investment. Despite this, the FDI inflow remained floating at US $ 21.0 billion during Apr Sept. 2009 as against US $ 20.7 billion in Apr.-Sept. 2008. FDI inflow has been primarily in communication services, manufacturing, and real estate sector. Current Account of BOP The current account of BOP consists of the merchandise trade (export and import) and the invisibles (services, transfers etc.). The liberalized policy and reasonably hassle free formalities for export and imports have provided a push to our export industries as well as industries catering to domestic demands. Exports and imports both witnessed double digit growth rate. India is now a principally manufactured goods and services exporter deriving benefits from a better term of trade, as compared to what it was earlier, primary goods exporter, prior to 1991. The contribution of Indias exports in world trade has increased from 0.7 % in 2000 to 1.2 % in 2008. Services too have extended to various fields catering to both domestic and international consumers. The current account balance broadened in 2008-09 (-2.4 % of GDP) compared to that of 2007-08 (-1.3% of GDP) attributed to recession, but it was sustainable. The external demand shock resulted in to the decline of export growth from 57 % in April-June08 to (-) 8.4 % in Oct- Dec08 and further to (-) 20 % in January-March09, a decline for the first time since 2001-02. Imports too turn downed similarly due to domestic industrial demand and sharp fall in international crude oil and some other primary commodity prices. Indias net invisibles rose by 18.7% in 2008-09. With the economy (domestic as well as global) getting its pace of momentum once again, there is hope of glare once again in the trade and financial world. India having cruised reasonably successful through the uneven scrap of recession can look further to garnering greater profit from world market, at least till the time the developed economies which were poorly affected by recession, revitalize fully. In short, the situation of BOP is quite well administered and contented. However, lessons from the occurrences of the financial crises taking place in various parts of the world from time to time, we are required to continue our vigilant approach towards BOP management. The country cannot meet the expense of a setback to its economic growth attained through large scale changes in national economic policies. India indeed has arrived a long way from the time of the days of the protectionist policies, but there is a lot to be accomplished yet, particularly in the sector of infrastructure, in order to become a strong economy.

A Critical Analysis Of Deterrence Theory Philosophy Essay

A Critical Analysis Of Deterrence Theory Philosophy Essay This paper will analyze literature related to theories of nuclear deterrence and will seek to examine (1) historical application, (2) scientific and logical validity, and (3) the relevance of deterrence theories for international relations. I hypothesize that while deterrence theory has been widely used and relied upon, particularly in the context of relationships between modern nuclear powers, there are serious scientific and logical concerns as to the true validity of deterrence theories. These include problems with (1) circular logic; (2) bias; (3) difficulty in isolating the independent variables; (4) validation and falsification; and (5) misapplication or misinterpretation in scenarios where disparity exists between levels of risk aversion among actors. HISTORICAL APPLICATION OF DETERRANCE THEORY In his chapter entitled The Anatomy of Deterrence, Bernard Brodie reflects on the romantic notion that peace can be achieved through a negotiated peace as a result of military action on the part of strong and decisive leaders. (Brodie, 266). However, he makes the argument that in an environment where nuclear weapons of mass destruction exist, such military actions could (and most likely would) lead to a level of military conflict that would prove cataclysmic to human civilization as we know it. Therefore, a different understanding and explanation of international relations is called for. In his writings, Brodie advocates the strategies of deterrence and limited war which would, in theory, lead to levels of power parity between nuclear parties on the international stage. Therefore, an emphasis is placed on creating a scenario whereby any actor with the technology, ability, and will to launch a first-strike offensive attack on another nuclear nation would be met with the sure and certain fact that the other nation would, without restraint, launch a full-scale second-strike attack, leading to the destruction of both nations and, most likely, a large portion of human civilization as we know it. The premise of deterrence theory, then, is similar to that of a grand-scale game of chicken whereby each party desires to convince the other that they will not back down from a straight-on attack and are willing to destroy the other party and themselves in the process. Building upon the realist and neo-realist assumptions of unitary state actors, rationality and/or bounded rationality, and the idea that balances in power lead to a lower probability of conflict, this theory calls for the one for one buildup of nuclear arms with any nation capable of launching a first-strike attack, in order to openly demonstrate a nations willingness and capability to launch a second-strike retaliatory action against any first-strike attack. While this theory would appear, on its face, to be a natural extension of neo-realism and its theories, it would also appear to differ in some of its logic. For instance, in this case, a nation is hedging its future on the belief that it can convince the other nuclear power(s) that it is willing to guarantee not only vast losses but also utter defeat (Brodie, 276) at its own expense, if necessary. So, unlike traditional neo-realism, the idea of deterrence doesnt simply rely on the underlying assumption that nations seek to maximize power, but also assumes that nations seek to defend themselves through a tit for tat approach to the buildup of power and capability that they actually hope never to use. ASSESSING THE VALIDITY OF THE DETERRENCE THEORY A major criticism of traditional deterrence theory must be that it seeks to openly convince another nation that it will do something it clearly would not rationally choose to do, that is destroy itself in order to counter an offensive attack from the other side. The logic in this theory becomes almost circular in its approach. A nation is assumed to build-up power in order to defend itself from another nation that is building up power in order to defend itself from the first nations buildup of power à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and on it will go. So, it would appear through the logic of deterrence that there is actually an incentive to buildup power on both sides in a way that actually leads to their possible demise. This is best explained by way of the security dilemma which would say that as each side seeks to build-up its nuclear capabilities in response to the other, both sides actually increase the probability that a conflict will occur. When viewing the buildup of nuclear capabilities, this should be seen from the outside observer as an irrational act, yet each side, seeking to maximize its power and military capability, sees the buildup as a rational act. However, one must question not only the logic of this theory but also the entire premise that a theory such as this can attempt to explain a non-event. In other words, this theory really depends upon events not occurring in order to demonstrate its reliability. If something must not occur in order for a theory to be reliable, how can that theory be tested or falsified? As Jervis (P. 293) observes, explaining basic changes in the relationship between states is beyond the boundaries of the theory à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ thus diminishing its validity. In other words, we only can see something that didnt happen empirically, but we really dont know what might have happened if the scenario had been different; and, as we discussed in last weeks lecture, there most likely would be no one around to report the results of an actual event or falsified observation which would lead us to empirically say that the theory is invalid. Therefore, we must rely on assumption and generalization to say that deterr ence is the true reason that a nuclear confrontation between superpowers never occurred. In addition to examining the circular logic of deterrence theory, one must also consider the presence of intervening variables, which might spuriously impact the outcome of a diplomatic or international event. For instance, in the obvious example of the Cuban Missile Crisis, was it deterrence that led the Soviets to back down from their decision to implement strategic missiles in Cuba or was it a combination of diplomatic channels, internal domestic differences between decision makers, military strategic decisions, or just pure luck? One could argue that any one of these variables may have been the deciding factor in the end result of the conflict. In other words, we dont know exactly what effect deterrence had on the outcome because it would be difficult, if not impossible, to control for it and/or falsify the outcome. Another observation, made by Jervis (P. 297) is that deterrence theory is biased in favor of status-quo powers. In other words, the status-quo powers may have the desire and/or ability to coerce others to behave in a manner that favors the status quo power. Jervis and others argue that the game of chicken is not an appropriate explanation of nuclear deterrence in that it assumes that both cars are in motion at the start. However, if we assume that one car got a head start on the other, the other car is more apt to make a strategic mistake that can lead to devastating results. If the two powers are not equally risk averse, and if the power that is not satisfied with the status-quo is the party that is less risk averse, a higher probability of nuclear exchange would be the result. This scenario would critically harm the validity of deterrence theory. And, as was stated earlier, if the probability exists that deterrence theory is, in any way, possibly invalid, it would be illogical and possibly disastrous to depend upon it when making decisions in the international arena. The discussions contained within this paper lead to an even more important criticism. What exactly is rational behavior? It would appear, as in the criticism of circular logic, that the rational decision made by a unitary actor desiring to maximize power would most likely be seen from the outside as an irrational decision, as it has a high probability of harming the very nation that is attempting to preserve itself. Therefore, a serious criticism of traditional deterrence theory, as outlined by Jerves (P. 299), is that a well stated and objectively measured operational definition of rational behavior does not exist within the literature. Is it rational to make a decision that would lead to the demise of ones own civilization? Or is it more rational to assume that if a first strike is launched against a nation, and the nations destruction is inevitable, then actions that will lead to the destruction of the other civilization are the logical choice? In this case, rationality is relative to perceived risk and to the risk-aversive behavior of both parties. However, if either partys level of risk aversion is below some unpredictable point, the assumption of rationality becomes invalid, as would the entire theory. In defense of Jervis work in addressing long-term stability under the deterrence model, Kugler and Zagare (1990) attempt to extend the traditional model by combining it with the model of power transitions, and make the observation that parity between nuclear parties is not stable, but rather is a critical point where conflict and/or nuclear exchange can occur. Again, since no specific exchange of nuclear weapons has taken place under these circumstances to date, this theory is far from verified and is definitely not in a position that can be defended through experimentation or falsification. Therefore, one must criticize their work as broad-based assumptions made by applying the work of other authors within the field. However, it would seem logical, and somewhat practical to believe that there is some glimmer of truth in the arguments made within Kuglar and Zagares paper. Therefore, while their work is not at a position that could be called scientifically progressive under the standa rds established by Lakatos, it can also be said that their theories are not degenerative to the previous models as they do not alter the hard-core assumptions of unitary actors and rational decision making. Therefore, my criticism of this work is far less negative than my criticism of the traditional model of deterrence outlined by Brodie. An additional observation is that Kuglar and Zagares work adds to the second wave models described by Jerves in that it examines the phenomenon of risk aversive actors and uses game theory to further determine the possible probabilistic outcomes of confrontational scenarios. But, as with the other explanations, we must depend upon the probability of predicting a non-event (long-term stability measured by the absence of a nuclear exchange) versus a catastrophic event (nuclear exchange). Either way the model is un-testable and unverifiable. It is more of an explanation than a true scientific model or theory. Thus, we are relying on assumptions and generalizations. In the works of Signorino and Tarar (2006) and Zagre (1990), we again see the application of game theory as a way of empirically explaining and/or predicting the possible outcomes of nuclear buildups by examining risk and uncertainty on the part of defenders and attackers. Again, we can see that if the attacker is the party that is less risk-averse, the probability of war should, theoretically, increase, thus explaining that there is really no such thing as long-term stability when evaluating nuclear deterrence. While the application of probit analysis to the model does add an elegant mathematical presentation, it is still not a progressive model that can be verified experimentally or falsified scientifically, as the results of such experimentation would more than likely prove disastrous to the entire world. Therefore, the criticism of these models remains that they cannot be empirically analyzed in a way that would satisfy the requirements of even the loosest constraints placed by t he Lakatosian system of evaluation. While Signorino and Tarar (p. 592) claim that their model explains 96% of the attackers actions and over 93% of outcomes using an analysis of the POLITY III data set from 1800-1994, the problem still remains that they are trying to empirically predict a nuclear exchange using non-nuclear conflicts and therefore are not addressing some very important elements. For instance, they are not really analyzing the willingness of either party to truly use nuclear weapons in a first or second-strike position. And, given that the United States is the only nation to ever definitively make the decision to use a nuclear weapon in a conflict, we must also critically examine their application of democratic peace theory to the analysis of deterrence theory. Thus, even the most contemporary of the papers reviewed for this analysis do not truly bring us to a model of deterrence that can effectively be used to explain or predict the actions of nuclear parties. One additional criticism which must be cons idered is that none of the literature assigned for this class addresses non-state actors. Given our post 9-11 war on terror, it is vital that we examine our current geopolitical environment in future research. CONCLUSIONS A review of literature assigned for our study of deterrence theory and a critical analysis of their findings leads me to believe that, while deterrence theory has a logical basis for explanation, it lacks a level of scientific validity which would allow us to depend entirely on its hypotheses and hard core assumptions. Therefore, reliance upon this theory as the sole explanation for the behavior of nuclear states and for the buildup of nuclear weapons in response to the actions of other states is not scientifically supported. Other methods such as negotiation, arms limitations, treaties, and efforts to promote sustainable economic growth among nations are also required for any nation that wishes to contribute to long-term stability in the modern nuclear age.

Urban Public Space Essay -- Public and Private Properties

Le Corbusier was serious when he suggested that a â€Å"truly modern street will be as well equipped as a factory. In this street, the best equipped model is the most thoroughly automised with no people except for those operating machines. In the city of the future, cafes and places of recreation [public space] will no longer be the fungus that eats up the pavements of [the city] the macadam will belong to the traffic alone† (See Figure 1). This comment seems drastic, though as the modern world develops into a society that is more introverted and private, these spaces of public display and freedom, one day may turn into those envisioned. Throughout history, public space has formed the backdrop to public life, accessible for all, for both commercial and social exchange. While public spaces can take many forms, the common grounds on which they stand is general. It’s where people have gathered for centuries through the presence of music, art, food, discussion and festive c elebrations or simply a place for a person to purely exist. Whether the public space comes in a form of streets, squares, parks or public buildings, it is in these places where the drama of communal life & human social exchange unfolds (Slessor 2001, Perrem, 2011 & Carr, 1992). Needs of these types of spaces have been displayed throughout history and their existence has defined and shaped the cities at the centre of their social organization (Cuthbert 2003 & Slessor, 2001). Today, the private places of work, domestic life and technology advances in movement and communication are consuming the essential counterpart of private existence (Cuthbert, 2003) Society lives in a very nine-to-five characterization which has created a large separation of public and private spher... ... onto the whole of society. When public space for public life is neglected, people become isolated, eroding any sense of communal sprit and cohesion in a community (Slessor 2001). Excessive neglect may create this vision. Although, as our cities and lifestyles change so do our definitions of public space. Original concepts of form and function are being replaces as we claw back every available corner into the public realm, is it possible to find new ways to spend our leisure time in the public urban environment? (Gaventa 2003). It is evident with further research that the recent attitude towards public space is beginning to alter. Expressed by A.E.J Morris â€Å"In terms of town planning the [public space] represents the purest and most immediate expression of man’s fight against being lost in a gelatinous world, in a disorderly mass of urban dwellings’’(Perrem 2011).

California Missions †Monuments or Tombstones? Essay -- Exploratory Es

California Missions – Monuments or Tombstones? Most Californians are introduced to the California Mission system in one of two ways: in their early education, or when they first visit a mission. Unfortunately, both methods are prone to simplification or bias in conveying the history of the missions. What this has led to is Californians who are ignorant of the history of the land they walk on. Consequently, visitors to the missions treat them as mere tourist attractions, instead of trying to embrace and understand the complex issues the missions represent. The issue was brought sharply into focus for me recently, when I was in the cemetery of Mission Santa Barbara. It was a sunny afternoon and the tiny graveyard was crowded with people. I stood there and took in the scene around me. I saw children eating candy bars and dropping the wrappers on the ground. A group of people were shouting across the cemetery to their companions, something about a tour bus. I could hear the humming of the soda machines on the other side of the wall. A woman was having a loud conversation on a cell-phone about her lunch. A man knocked me aside in his rush to get a photo of himself standing next to a statue of St. Francis. And there I stood, in the middle of it all, with the bodies of nearly four thousand Chumash beneath my feet. I didn't know whether to scream or cry. Don't you people know what you are walking on? Don't you know there are no grave markers because people were dying too fast for individual graves? I could almost feel the souls of the Chumash and the padres crying out. Don't these people know what this place is? The sad truth is, they don't know. And how could they? Californian kids usually study the missions in the third or... ...the soldiers and rancheros who lived there as well. The missions aren't just sugar cube churches. They are the place where one people had a sincere, yet terribly misguided goal of helping and integrating another people. Instead of helping and including them, they dominated and destroyed them. It is crucial for us to treat the missions as more than buildings to visit. We must envision the inhabitants' thoughts, feelings and lives. We do this not just because it is history, but because it is our history. This is what happened on the land we walk on when we visit the Missions. We shouldn't keep walking in ignorance. Elementary schools and the missions themselves need to present more of the actual history to people. It is only with that knowledge that visitors will truly appreciate and respect the missions for the valuable lessons and grave costs they represent.

Man’s Nature is Evil †Hsun Tzuu Essay

Man’s basis need is to survive and thrive. This is such because he loves himself. This love for himself is makes him selfish and selfishness makes him evil. There is no one in this world that doesn’t love himself. This love for himself makes him put his needs over everything else. Putting one’s needs over other and not being considerate towards others and harming them for own advantage is evil. There was millions of ways to show how men are evil. To begin with there are numerous accounts where men led wars against other countries, destroyed property. In the name of conquering their land they have taken innocent lives all for their own interest. They try to justify the wars by saying it’s to solve a certain issue but there’s no way war is a solution to any problem. Men have cheated and robbed others in the name of trade and commerce. The biggest example is â€Å"Capitalism† which makes rich people richer and poor people constantly poorer. Gove rnments all around the world have invented laws and regulations to subjugate people. It is invented to protect the rich and powerful from the poor and unfortunate people so that they can’t come back and reclaim their stolen rights. The rich and powerful are always going to look down upon the poor people. If the poor people are given a chance they’ll surely rob the rich people of their assets and do exactly what the rich people did to them. There’s no mercy no forgiveness neither there is any love and spirit of brotherhood among men. All these injustice, fighting, wars, deception and lies everything proves that man’s basic nature is evil. Hsun Tzu says man’s true nature is evil and goodness comes out as a result of his conscience activity, which is absolutely true. There are practical and true arguments that he made in his essay where he depicts his man’s true form of wickedness. First of all if a man is not evil then he wouldn’t need any teacher or guidance to be a good person or to do good things yet he needs to be constantly guided by principles and instructions to become better. If a man is originally good in his true nature then there is no way that he can get derailed from his true nature. But as soon as his born he is more driven towards all the wrongdoings so his nature can be originally pure and good. Being respectful towards their elders and being careful towards  their children is what a man is supposed to do. They are not going to eat until the elders have eaten or not going to rest until they will demand rest until they have provided for their elders and children but all these go ag ainst their true emotions. If they were originally good in nature then man would have been naturally respectful to others therefore his nature is what we call the opposite of good . A man is fond of beautiful sights, sound and taste. Seeking the beauty to please him is his true nature. He admires the outer beauty rather than the beauty hidden inside. He loves the beautiful exterior rather than looking deep inside somebody. He will never like person with an ugly face; will never chose something with a bad taste and smell even if it’s a medicine. This exemplifies his evil and vague nature. If a man’s nature was originally good then the sage kings who invented ritual principles out of their conscience activity would have never had to make them. Man would do good things and make just decisions without the sage king’s inventing the ritual principles. All the arguments that Hsun Tzu makes here have supported my views about man’s nature being evil. He has reassured my understandings about man’s true nature. If mankind is left free to indulge in his true passion this world will soon fall into chaos and turmoil. There will be no peace no concord no harmony no amity. We will die of injustice and our own passion of wickedness. This is why we need the precious ritual principles so that we can survive and let other live. With the above being discussed it is appropriate to say that man’s true nature is evil.

Economic Analysis of Anthem and Kaiser Permanente

Economic Analysis of Anthem and Kaiser Permanente Abstract This paper is an economic analysis of healthcare providers Anthem and Kaiser Permanente. Included will be information on competition, pricing and the effects of elasticity of demand has on both companies. Introduction One of the major concerns facing Americans today is the discussion of healthcare and how employers can afford to purchase healthcare for their employees. With the recent approval of President Barack Obama’s Healthcare Reform Bill, it has placed added pressure on both small and large business owners to provide insurance for their employees or be faced with tax penalties.The healthcare industry is an oligopoly meaning that there are few firms involved in the marketplace and they hold a substantial portion of the marketplace. They understand that their industry is interdependent and every decision or action made will have rippling affects on the other firms. They too will choose to make changes to keep their standing in the marketplace. In the healthcare industry, the two major companies are Anthem and Kaiser Permanente (Thomas & Maurice, 2011). Pricing & CompetitionWhen looking at companies that do business in oligopoly, there are many traits that they resemble. Their prices will remain relatively the same as their competitors, and lower then those companies that deal in a monopoly (www. yourdictionary. com). Both Anthem and Kaiser Permanente are highly competitive in their standings in the marketplace. Everything from their marketing efforts to their pricing is geared toward gaining a bigger share of the marketplace. Prices are one of the major differences between both companies.Prices for both companies are generated through underwriting and governed by community ratings. These ratings are surveys are conducted in the community where the companies serve to help determine the general health of their customers and potential risks. Premiums will be adjusted yearly based on the number o f claims filed and funds needed to continue the coverage of their customers (www. alliedquotes. com 2008). Although prices for treatments are generally the same, savings can be found through Kaiser Permanente because most of their services are done in one of their medical facilities.Game Theory & Elasticity of Demand The new mandate passed through congress requires employers and American citizens to have healthcare, the demand of elasticity has little play. Everyone has to have healthcare and therefore the demand will remain constant. The prices for specific plans may vary slightly causing customers to select Kaiser over Anthem so with healthcare it will show inelasticity because it is considered a necessity. In order for both firms to gain an edge in the marketplace and in their prices they will use game theory.Game theory is a tool used in decision making in which both firms or â€Å"players† try to win the biggest payoff, in this case more customers. Game theory used by Ka iser is ensuring they have more doctors in one location that can perform more services for their customers. By allowing their customers to save money from going to outside firms to perform additional test and to receive treatment, Kaiser offers all of its services in one location at a lower rate (Thomas & Maurice, 2011).For Anthem, they have many different locations and a customer will have to go to different doctors, make appointments, and wait to get scheduled before they are seen. This major difference is what makes Kaiser popular, the ease in which a customer can receive treatment. Profit The original concern from the public as it comes to healthcare is the cost of obtaining and sustaining healthcare. Many found that when faced with a major illness, they were either under-insured or simply could not afford the treatment. With the current healthcare changes, the prices will be lowered and more affordable.This makes the profits generated from selling healthcare plans less about ma ximizing profits for the industry and more towards suboptimal equilibrium with everyone generally making the same profit except for larger firms who can afford to spend more to generate interest in their firm. With suboptimal equilibrium all firms in the healthcare industry will generally choose to stay on a similar path as far as prices and profits. Firms will differ in profits, however, based off other factors like size of the firm and marketing efforts (Thomas & Maurice, 2011). Competition and the ConsumerWith every business, there will always be competition. Competition is great for customers because they will be the benefactors of the competing firms. Firms in the industry compete over coverage instead of price. Competition between firms will take place in advertisements on television and in the print media. Doctors will refer certain providers to their customers or they will choose to opt in to certain HMOs or choose to stay outside the network. Also firms that offer plans tha t cover more of the customers’ needs at the lowest rates will generally gain and retain more customers.Yet with a large firm like Anthem, their firm is widely known and they have larger budgets to continue their company’s growth in customers. Conclusion Americans are just now starting to understand the new implications of the Healthcare Reform. Addressing the needs of the American people and reducing the costs of healthcare and making sure all pay their share so the burden does not fall on the government is intended to help reduce the strain on the economy and make being healthy more affordable for the citizens of the United States.References: Oligopoly Examples. (n. d. ). In YourDictionary. com. Retrieved August 5, 2012, from http://examples. yourdictionary. com/oligopoly-examples. html Thomas, C. R. , & Maurice, S. C. (2011). Managerial economics (10th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Calculating Group Health Insurance. (2008, October). In Allied Quotes. com. Retrieved August 4, 2012, from http://www. alliedquotes. com/Resources/Group-Health- Insurance-Rates. html