Madonna - Music free essay sample

For the past 17 years the reigning Queen of Pop Music hasbeen none other than Madonna, with 125 million albums sold and over 30 top-tenhits to prove it. Madonnas latest album is Music, the follow-up to1998s smash Ray of Light. This time around, Madonna returnsto her dance roots with a touch of 21st-century electronica. Music isvery funky. The lyrics are more emotional and intimate than before. Its almostas if shes telling you about her special someone in the folky track IDeserve It, a mellow but comforting ballad. The interesting thingabout Madonnas music is that she writes all her own material, which reflects herlife during that particular time. Her chameleon looks and colorful videos back upher music. Whether you adore or despise her, Madonna is a part ofhistory: a legend in her own time.

Social, Physical and Personal Qualities Essays

Social, Physical and Personal Qualities Essays Social, Physical and Personal Qualities Essay Social, Physical and Personal Qualities Essay Definition Many experts, especially in social and human scientists including psychologists and philosophers, believe that a place may not be as objective as people think it is(Rollero De Piccoli, 2010). They believe that a place is more subjective being that it is controlled by the individuals perception and conception (Rollero De Piccoli, 2010). These and many more aspects within and in the individuals environment affect his/her reality in that the person will lack direct access to it. Despite all the factors surrounding the individual and the place, social scientists still believe that there exists an attachment between the person and a place(Anton Lawrence, 2014). The experts believe that the person creates two bonds with the place including place attachment and place identity(Qingjiu Maliki, 2013). Therefore, place attachment is an emotional tie one develops with a particular place. Raymond et al. (2010) identify and integrated model towards addressing place attachment. These include th e natural, personal and community connections. It is a multi-disciplinary field that involves social, physical, and psychological aspects. It is therefore as Casakin, Hernndez, Ruiz (2015) explains psychosocial in nature that has its foundation on positive attitudes and emotional or affective ties towards a given local environment. The process is further characterized by social interactions, which are intense and dynamic. It has a close relation with neighborhood attachment which most studies reveal to be a feeling of satisfaction and belonging for ones residential area whose development is through frequent interactions with neighbors. Lewicka (2008) brings out the place to be an essential component of the environmental branch of psychology. The author believes that there can never be a precise meaning and definition of the place and its differences from space. Despite the lack of a measurement tool for the bonds individuals have towards a place, she believes that there exist these relationships including, place identity, attach ment, dependence and much more. Place attachment is, therefore, the bond a person creates with places (Pretty, Chipuer, Bramston, 2003). There are three components of place attachment including behavioral, cognitive, and affective. However, much emphasis is often on the emotional aspect of the place attachment (Lewicka, 2008). There are numerous studies on place attachment about ages or sex but limited evidence on studies related to gender (Raymond, Brown, Weber, 2010). Therefore, the paper will mainly focus on gender and its relation to place attachment. The importance of place attachment Place attachment dictates an essential part of the individuals well-being. As Joffe Smith (2016) indicate, prosperity will depend on various factors including physical and social aspects, which will determine their place attachment. Through a study they conducted in two major cities in Britain Joffe Smith (2016) identified that these elements are dominant in the views of those who dwell in the towns and what their feelings are of an appropriate city of the future. The responses of participants were also indications of the reasons why people develop attachments to particular places. On the physical aspects, the researchers identified issues such as the appeal of facilities including the municipal, social, retail, and cultural. There was also the aspect of nature where they viewed green and blue to signify health and open spaces and parks to signify places to escape. Transport, well designed and beautiful cities and big vs. small cities were also some of the aspects that came out dur ing the study. On the social side, there was safety and a sense of community (Joffe Smith, 2016). Alarasi et al. (2016) develop a paper in which they aim at the incorporation of children in the development of cities. Various factors within the towns will determine the attachment a child creates with the place, and thus the researchers work on revealing the importance of capturing the perception of children in urban development (Boga, 2009). The needs of children have often been ignored despite the fact that they have the ability to recognize various issues within a place and give suggestions for solutions (Alarasi, Martinez Amer, 2016). The researchers move further to identify that the qualities of any childs environment are often four. They are the physical or social and the positive or negative. Their paper identified various positive social conditions to be secure tenure, cohesive community identity, freedom from social threats and a habit of community self-help. There were positive physical qualities, which included freedom of movement, from physical danger, places for, peer gathering, green area, availability of essential services and a variety of settings for activities (Alarasi, Martinez Amer, 2016). They further identified adverse physical qualities to be litter, heavy traffic, and geographical isolation, lack of basic services, limited gathering places, and limited activity settings (Alarasi, Martinez Amer, 2016). The participants in the study further identified various negative social qualities, which included boredom, fear of crime and harassment, social stigma and exclusion, political powerlessness and racial tensions. von Wirth, Grt-Regamey, Moser, Stauffacher, (2016) identify Place attachment as a concept that has three dimensions including the personal characteristics, place characteristics, and psychological processes. A number of studies including Joffe Smith (2016) and Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) only include the social and physical qualities, which is an indication of the limited literature on personal qualities in relation to place attachment. Therefore, the study will incorporate social, physical, and personal qualities in explaining place attachment to ensure development of an inclusive literature. Emotional ties in place attachment Place attachment has a solid foundation on an individuals emotionality (Raymond et al., 2010). The bonds develop because of the affect one expresses towards various aspects of his/her environment. Raymond et al. (2010) develop an explanation of what place attachment comprises of. They believe that the concept is in two components, which include place identity and place dependence. Place identity as the researchers explain it is a composition of the various dimensions within the self. They include a mixture of feelings and emotions towards different aspects that are physical. They include different symbolic connections that give a precise definition of the person an individual is (Raymond, Brown, Weber, 2010). Emotions are often because of physical stimuli that people experience. An active stimulus will produce emotions like joy or love. Various neurotransmitters experience alterations within the brain leading to a psychological reaction in ones mind a specifically through the expres sion of a particular emotion. The negative stimulus will also result in unpleasant emotions including anger, sadness and much more.; It is, therefore, clear that emotional ties have an influence on place attachment. Initial and frequent interaction with a place affects the worldview the individual creates towards the environment (Raymond et al., 2010). Aspects like security and social acceptance will change the type of attachment one creates and in which case the attachment becomes positive (Rollero ; De Piccoli, 2010). Negative stimuli during the interaction of one with the place like social isolation will lead to the development of negative emotions. In most instances, the type of emotionality one attaches to something will affect the individual;s overall view. Therefore, place attachment is a human process that depends on emotional ties to a given level. The study will therefore also focus on the influence of emotional ties on place attachment.; Place attachment and place identity Evidence indicates that the relationship between place attachment and place identity remains to be fuzzy. Many researchers will even use the two terms interchangeably (Hern;ndez, Carmen Hidalgo, Salazar-Laplace, ; Hess, 2007). However many of these researchers recognize the importance of place identity as much as they do place attachment (Chow ; Healey, 2008). Place identity often stems from the very essence of the place and has an intimate relationship with place attachment. One could say that as an individual develops place attachment, the creation of place identity is inevitable. As Casakin, Hern;ndez, ; Ruiz (2015) explain place identity is a significant part of one;s identity of the self and is evident through individual values, ideas, preferences, and objectives that are always relevant to the place. Place identity also manifests through how the person comprehends and understands the place. Hern;ndez, Carmen Hidalgo, Salazar-Laplace, ; Hess, (2017) find an intrinsic motivation to place attachment and place identity. They explain that place identity forms an essential part of one;s identity and thus affects the type of attachment on develops with a place. Place identity, therefore, becomes the procedure through which an individual describes him/herself as being part of a particular place through a continue interaction with that place (Hern;ndez, Mart;n, Ruiz, ; Hidalgo, 2010). The researchers, however, identify the issue lack of clarity to the relationship that exists between place attachment and place identity (Qingjiu ; Maliki, 2013).; ; The concepts may appear similar, and in some instances, people use them as synonyms. In other cases, the attachment is operationalized regarding identity. Some individuals may view one component as including the other for example place attachment may be recognized as an element of place identity. However, in a broader sense place attachment is regarded as a multidimensional construct that includes dependence on place, place attachment and many social bonds (Rollero ; De Piccoli, 2010). The study therefore, will, work on defining conceptually and critically the relationship that is present between place attachment and place identity. The formation of relationships with the environment Lewicka (2017) recognizes the presence of various aspects within the place an individual is attached to. They include neighborhoods, region, country, continent, open vs. closed, open vs. gated, the type of social place and capital, preferences that are individually differentiated and much more. All these concepts are part of one;s environment, and they often work as determinants of the type of relationship the individual creates with his/her environment. About this, Joffe ; Smith (2016) talk about personal preferences of future cities, and this stems down to the environment. Personal well-being is dependent on the environment, and negative environmental factors like carbon emissions affect the quality of one;s well-being. Therefore, it is safe to say that people will create relationships with the environment; it is the whole essence of place attachment. However, the type and quality of the relationship that develops highly lean on various aspects within and outside the environment.; About the environment, Lewicka (2010) recognizes various factors that surround the formation of bonds with ones environment. These include the scale of the place, the neighborhood, the home, or dwelling and the city or district. They are pillars of an individuals environment and the relationship created is dependent on various factors within these pillars including social ties, family and socio-economic status and much more. Alarasi, Martinez, Amer (2016) take a different look at the issue of relationship formation with the environment. Their focus is on children and the environment not only the physical but the emotional too. They believe that those children from urban areas suffer neglect especially when identifying factors to consider for city construction and development. Their emphasis is more on understanding various behavior settings for children than just a general look at their personal characteristics. It is essential to get a precise picture of the environmental preferences of children to enable them to develop healthy relationships with particular environments they interact with. It calls for the inclusion of what they prefer especially in urban area environments throughout the construction and development process. It will ensure that they do not feel like outsiders but can easily identify with the particular environment. The current study will, therefore, analyze the formation of relationships with the environment and put into consideration individuals of all ages and not just adults. Gender differences in cities Gender variations are often strong determinants of various preferences individuals have. Place attachment, especially in the towns, is no different as it also varies according to gender. In a study carried out by Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) on the perception of cities by children, they identified that though not so significant, there existed differences in preferences between boys and girls. One of the major differences was in the language use especially adjectives where male children would use terms like friendly while girls used pretty. Gils also had their opinion that differed with that of the boys concerning the city centre. The found it unfriendly because they were uncomfortable with the unwanted attention that was present in some areas they accessed. It was an indication of the difference in perception of safety between the boys and the girls. The boys had a higher sense of security in general compared to the girls. Generally, women will care more about safety and therefore create a place attachment to areas they feel their security is guaranteed. The social identity theory indicates individual preferences for what members of a similar group prefer. People find motivation in finding self-esteem, which helps in the achievement and maintenance of a social identity that is positive. Gender divides individuals into groups that people identify with. The preferences will differ from one group to the next, and a group will always go for what works on the development of individual self-esteem and what makes them get a sense of belonging not only to the group but also within the environment. It is a social psychology precept that indicates a form of in-group favoritism. Therefore, city identification and evaluation will get a positive relation based on the concept. It is an indication that if individuals from one gender affiliation identify with a given city, their assessment of the city will be active. Gender also determines particular emotionality with female individuals being characterized to more emotionally reactive than males. The characteristic will also trickle down to the preferences the two groups have of the cities they choose. The various gender characteristics also affect the differences within cities. Both males and females will have a town they prefer over another and in an instance where they go for a similar city; there are certain aspects of the city that men would prefer more to women. The significant difference presents a gender impact on personal choices. It is the reason why the study will introduce the issue of gender and various aspects of gender. It will go further to determine its relationship to place attachment and place identity. The study also aims at understanding the perceptions of place attachment within gender. The current study All these factors and much more, necessitate a rise in the need to explore a gender-focused research on place attachment specifically on the social, physical, and personal qualities. The study focuses on identifying the various perceptions of place attachment within gender. Various issues lead to the research including the lack of clear definitions of place attachment. Numerous studies are available on place attachment on neighborhoods. It is the primary unit where researchers deem appropriate to identify place attachment and all its precepts. Up to seventy percent of the current studies focus on neighborhoods (Raymond et al., 2010). On the other hand, research is limited on place attachment within gender of cities. Evidence indicates that studies on cities only total up to ten percent of the papers on this area (Morgan, 2010). The study also aims at taking a focus on gender. There is still limited literature focusing on gender and place attachment. Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) con duct a study on the preferences of children, and their research focuses on the choices the participants make with relation to their gender. Most studies dealing with people demographics often focus only on age and sex. The study concentrates on various qualities including social, physical, and personal while leaning towards gender. It, therefore, adopts the framework of the study carried out by Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) which contains the gender perspective for the study. The study employs the use of the QGIS mixed-method approach, which is appropriate in identifying different aspects of the constructs under study. The current study will, therefore, identify the social and physical qualities using a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. There is also the incorporation of personal qualities within the study. Therefore, the paper aims at also adopting the format by Joffe Smith (2016) who employ the use of the Social Representations Theory (SRT) framework to develop personal qualities in reaction to place attachment. Therefore, the study will integrate both structures to ensure that the results generated are efficient. The study adopts the tripartite theory in its explanation of the available data. The theory proposes three dimensions of place attachment including person, place dimensions and psychological process (Gifford Scannell, 2017). These aspects work together and individual in place attachment. One concept will contribute to the stability of the other. The central research question for the study is what are the perceptions of place attachment within gender? An exploratory study will focus on developing literature on gender about place attachment within cities. It is a new area of research within place attachment, and there is limited evidence to indicate the association between the two concepts. The study, therefore, focuses on exploring the issue of gender to develop new literature. The research adopts the methodology used by Joffe Smith (2016) and Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016) in their studies on place attachment. The study utilizes the data available in these studies, which were acqui red through carrying out interviews with the participants. Gender, age, ethnic groups, and social, economic classes all at an equal level selected the members. The current study adopts and uses social and physical qualities from the coding frameworks developed by Joffe Smith (2016) and Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016). The research goes further to develop and incorporate a third dimension on personal qualities. The study adopts transcription and coding frameworks for both the Joffe Smith study and that by Alarasi, Martinez Amer (2016). Both coding frameworks will ensure that all aspects the study is trying to develop are incorporated including the social, physical, and personal qualities, which are present in both studies. References Alarasi, H., Martinez, J., Amer, S. (2016). Childrens perception of their city centre: A qualitative GIS methodological investigation in a Dutch City. Childrens Geographies, 14(4), 437-452. Anton, C. E., Lawrence, C. (2014). Home is where the heart is: The effect of place of residence on place attachment and community participation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 451461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.10.007 Boga, C. (2009). Place attachment in a foreign settlement. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(2), 267278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.01.001 Casakin, H., Hernndez, B., Ruiz, C. (2015). Place attachment and place identity in Israeli cities: The influence of city size. Cities, 42, 224-230. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2014.07.007 Chow, K., Healey, M. (2008). Place attachment and place identity: First-year undergraduates making the transition from home to university. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(4), 362372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.02.011 Hernndez, B., Carmen Hidalgo, M., Salazar-Laplace, M. E., Hess, S. (2007). Place attachment and place identity in natives and non-natives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(4), 310319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.06.003 Hernndez, B., Martn, A. M., Ruiz, C., Hidalgo, M. del C. (2010). The role of place identity and place attachment in breaking environmental protection laws. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(3), 281288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.01.009 Joffe, H., Smith, N. (2016). City dweller aspirations for cities of the future: How do environmental and personal wellbeing feature?. Cities, 59, 102-112. Lewicka, M. (2008). Place attachment, place identity, and place memory: Restoring the forgotten city past. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(3), 209-231. Lewicka, M. (2010). What makes neighborhood different from home and city? Effects of place scale on place attachment. Journal of environmental psychology, 30(1), 35-51. Lewicka, M. (2017). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years?. Retrieved 8 February 2017 Morgan, P. (2010). Towards a developmental theory of place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 1122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.07.001 Pretty, G. H., Chipuer, H. M., Bramston, P. (2003). Sense of place amongst adolescents and adults in two rural Australian towns: The discriminating features of place attachment, sense of community and place dependence in relation to place identity. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(3), 273287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00079-8 Qingjiu, S., Maliki, N. Z. (2013). Place Attachment and Place Identity: Undergraduate Students Place Bonding on Campus. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 91, 632639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.463 Raymond, C. M., Brown, G., Weber, D. (2010). The measurement of place attachment: Personal, community, and environmental connections. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(4), 422434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.08.002 Rubin, M., Badea, C., Condie, J., Mahfud, Y., Morrison, T., Peker, M. (2017). Individual differences in collectivism predict city identification and city evaluation in Australian, French, and Turkish cities. Journal of Environmental Psychology. Scannell, L. Gifford, R. (2017). Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Retrieved 8 February 2017 Rollero, C., De Piccoli, N. (2010). Place attachment, identification and environment perception: An empirical study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 198205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.12.003 von Wirth, T., Grt-Regamey, A., Moser, C., Stauffacher, M. (2016). Exploring the influence of perceived urban change on residents place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 46, 6782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.001

Energy and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Energy and society - Essay Example Large-scale federal regulation was then enacted which allowed individuals to construct generators and encouraged the power pools into independent system operators whose supply schedule was determined through auction, a move which further complicated the grid system, though no direct regulation of individual operators was put into place. However, following erroneous actions resulting in catastrophic far-flung blackouts in 2003, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission was empowered to impose new rules and regulations on grid management by way of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation which refined the qualification requirements and licenses needed for human operators (Wald, n.p.). b) Though Professionals in energy management are highly paid, complying with federal regulations requires a refined skill set including technical engineering knowledge as well as participation in ongoing education and training while maintaining valid licensing. The strict requirement for grid management work limits the scope of recruitment and there are only currently 6,000 (approx.) qualified professional in the United States. Besides the technical knowledge and skill required, certain personality traits encourage better performance in this work. The ability to function harmoniously with a group and maintain disciplined adherence to alternating 12 hour shifts and training while performing adequately in power distribution. These personality qualities are the same as those present in people who have previous experience in military settings, as they have these attributes innately and/or have already been familiarized with regimented scheduling and team skills (Wald, n.p.). a) Technical advancements coupled with environmental concerns have led to a new area of energy consumption which electricity distribution managers have had to compensate for in the fluctuating

Prepare a SOSE unit of work with rationale Essay

Prepare a SOSE unit of work with rationale - Essay Example In this case, they build up their capacity for participating in the community and provide meaningful rejoinder to environmental and social matters. Through this curriculum, learners get to understand global ideas of Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people with their connectivity to other groups and places. They are able to apply their understanding to their connections to places and people in the world. Students are able to use essential ways of working to create and demonstrate their understanding of knowledge. Inquiry in this process is very important. It offers an opportunity to students to investigate a range issues locally and globally. They converse by use of different kinds of texts for precise purposes and audiences. This makes them participate actively in groups or individually in their villages in making enterprises while responding to issues creatively. Students have the ability to select precise tools and technologies to use which involves ICTs to carry out inquirie s and communicate within environmental and social context (Stage & Quiroz, 2008). There are different methods used in teaching. They are categorized into two groups. Teacher-centred and learner-cantered. Teacher-centred methods take the teacher to be the creator of all learning practices and procedures. An example is the lecture method. On the other hand, learner-centred methods identify the learner as the core creator of the learning process while the instructor or the teacher becomes controller of the learning procedure according to piagates theory of learning (Suai & Homer, 2006). It is the view of this paper that the lessons prepared will guide learners to acquire the desired skills, attitudes and knowledge to exist in the current globe. The methods also provide the chance for the society to learn new ideas from one another. The paper substantiates learner-centred methods through broad examination of environment as a topic in teaching of science. The method applied in this paper is Constructionism. It enables the learners to participate fully in the lessons investigating new ideas while the teacher guides through the process. The paper has singled out environment as a topic to examine different aspects of teaching and learning process. It is an interesting topic in a school setting. This will enable learners to participate fully in their classrooms during the lesson (Siebert, 2005). Some of the skills needed in a science lesson are supposed to help the learner with literally skills for writing reading and communicating orally about science principles and concepts. All these skills are incorporated into the topic â€Å"environment† Reasons for choosing the topic Environment is what surrounds an organism. There are two types of organisms, living and non-living organisms. Learners being one of the organisms in the environment require understanding how to live in it. This is important to help them acquire knowledge and skills to deal with different situ ations in life. Learning about environment is quite interesting and maintains learners’ interest to desire to know more about their surroundings. In this unit, learners undergo different real life experiences. This is important since they can easily relate what they are learning in class to what is happening out of their classrooms. For instance recycling of plastic is carried out by several industries (Siebert, 2005). It is possible for the

Style & Genre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Style & Genre - Essay Example Moreover, it comforts people in rituals and in expressing physical fitness as well. The fact that music is commonly listened does not mean everyone is a fun and for those who listen to it choose according to their tastes. It is also chosen according to age and references of various groups. It makes people relax and reduce unhelpful thoughts in life hence eradicating or reducing stress in day to day life. In addition to that, it enhances mood management and reduces loneliness. It keeps people busy in their workings and reduces idleness thus reducing time wasted in bad things such as involvement in drugs. Duration- this refers to sound length and silences in between music that includes beats and rhythm. This can be seen during silence period, where beats make the music moving, thus enhancing music sweetness. Pitch- this is shown by the highness or lowness in music sound. It is one of the aspects considered when composing a song. If the pitch is too high, sound is heard to be irritating and does not draw listener’s attention. Dynamics- this is characterised by sound volume of the song. It is the softness and loudness of the music and how individual emphasises on sounds. If the volume is too high to listeners, then many will not create interest to it though it is not recommended to be too soft. Tone color- this is what allows the music listener to differentiate or identify sound sources or combination of sound sources. If the individual’s voices are combined with the instrument sounds, the music becomes more interesting hence drawing the attention of many. Formal and technical rules- Johnson, Fulcher and Ertman (2007) emphasise that, these rules are the most considered in music composition. Many may not put into consideration the other rules as such, but these are as a must to be applied in music language. This is because the music should have a well grammar sentences and

WTO in international trade

WTO in international trade International Business Environment: Topic: Role of World Trade Organization in international business and the argument that whether WTO is helpful or a hindrance to international trade. The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization that assists the nations in regulating trade in manufactured goods, services (including banking, insurance, tourism and telecommunications), intellectual property, textiles and clothing and agricultural products (Richard Schaffer, 1996). The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a replacement for GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ) as the worlds global trading body in 1995, and the current set of governing rules resulted from the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, which took place throughout 1986-1994. While WTO is relatively young organization the multilateral trading system was originally set up under GATT about 50 years ago. The GATT preamble (1947) states that trade and economic endeavour should be conducted with a view to raising standards of living, ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income. These basic objectives were reinforced in the Marrakech Agreement, which esta blished the WTO. The WTOs overriding objective is to help trade flow smoothly, freely, fairly and predictably (www.wto.org), its central principle is the dispute settlement mechanism, a system that underscores the rule of law and is based on clearly defined rules and timetables for settling disputes. WTO members agree that they will use the multilateral system to settle their trade disputes instead of taking unilateral action. Reducing the scope for unilateral action is an important guarantee of fair trade for less powerful countries (Yin and McGee, 2001). WTO aims to achieve its goals by, * Administering trade agreements * Acting as a forum for trade negotiations * Settling trade disputes * Reviewing national trade policies * Assisting developing countries in trade policy issues, through technical assistance and training programmes * Cooperating with other international organizations The role of WTO is to facilitate international cooperation to open markets, provide a forum for future trade negotiations between members, and provide a forum for the settlement of trade disputes. The WTO has a stature equal to that of the International Monetary Fund or World Bank and will cooperate with those agencies on economic matters. The WTOs membership includes those countries that previously belonged to GATT and is now open to other countries, if their membership is accepted by two-thirds majority votes of the members. The WTO has 153 members representing 95% of the total world trade and the observers are seeking membership. WTOs operating system is the best in settling disputes. Trade disputes are brought before the WTO at approximately three times the rate that had been handled by the GATT typically all throughout its existence. Recently, the United States has been the greatest proponent of this system. Many cases have been brought by the United States seeking fulfilment wi th trade agreements and market access. The United States has had a good deal of success in this forum, winning majority of its cases. U.S. trade advocates have achieved market access in areas ranging from agriculture to information technologies. In contrast, the WTOs predecessor, the GATT, often disdained as the ‘‘Gentlemans Agreement to Talk and Talk, failed to resolve many disputes and lacked credibility as a mechanism for resolving trade disputes. Parties to a GATT dispute could simply reject and block acceptance of the panel report. The case could be reargued numerous times until the parties tired of it and an agreement was reached. The WTO is built on the GATT principles of open trades which include trade without discrimination, gradual transition through negotiations, predictability through transparency and binding agreements, promotion of fair competition and encouraging development and economic reform. The GATT reduces the propensity of national governments to put tariffs on physical goods to protect domestic companies, and other institutions are furthering this opening process. Thus, the Uruguay trade agreement was reached by 68 countries committing themselves to liberalising markets in telecommunications. The WTO is negotiating for the removal of tariffs on other barriers on wide range of goods and services. It is also seeking a world agreement on rules governing foreign investment both to encourage it and, where thought necessary, to control it. Regional groupings have grown in economic importance in recent years like the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN being examples. An alternative to seeking trade liberalisation through the WTO is for countries to enter into trade agreements within the regional grouping. However, regional trade groupings must be notified to the WTO. Trade agreements within regional groupings are by nature discriminatory. Countries may decide to make reciprocal tariff reductions in their trade with each other, with these concessions not necessarily being extended through other countries. In this context regional groupings can be classified as Free Trade Area, Custom Unions, Common Market, Economic Union and Political Union. It should also be noted that regional groupings are strengthening relations with each other (e.g. ASEAN Latin American) and are signing inter-regional cooperation agreements. Thus, although the WTO has its goal of liberalising trade between all nations, today the majority of trade agreements are bi-l ateral. WTO claims that its predecessor GATT and the WTO itself have helped to create a strong and prosperous trading system contributing to unprecedented growth. According to WTO data, the world trade has experienced an exceptional growth during the past 50 years. Merchandise exports grew on average by 6% annually and total trade in 2000 was 22-times the level of 1950. Nevertheless, while the WTO role in world trade is obviously important, its contribution to world trade growth might be questioned. Particularly there is enormous controversy over the effectiveness and side effects of WTO regulations. Firstly, since the establishment of the WTO in 1995 the average annual number of international trade disputes has raised by more than 700 percent (Yin and McGee, 2001). Secondly, there is growing evidence that WTO has a limited ability to deal with rising conflict with developing economies and offer effective solutions to these disagreements. For example Kwa (2001) and Mattoo Subramanian (2003) provide an extensive discussion of this issue. Finally, Rose (2003) undertook a comprehensive empirical study employing gravity models and came to conclusion that there is no strong empirical evidence that GATT/WTO has systematically played a strong role in encouraging trade. The next section discusses the mentioned above issues in detail. It seems that majority of economists recognize GATTs/WTOs contribution to liberalization and promotion of trade between countries. For instance, Bagwell and Staiger (1999) noted that the central role played by the GATT in shaping postwar trade policy is widely accepted. Krueger (1998) writes: â€Å"†¦the growth and liberalization of the international trading system has been the most prominent success of the postwar period †¦ the great liberalization of tariffs and trade in the post-war period was achieved under the auspices of the GATT †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Furthermore, according to Bagwell and Staiger (1999) GATT has strong theoretical underpinnings for success in promotion of trade. Bagwell and Staiger (1999) employed general equilibrium trade model and came to conclusion that GATTs principle of reciprocity can be viewed as an effective mechanism for promoting trade. One of the underlying principles of WTO policy is agreement that WTO members will use the multilateral system to settle their trade disputes instead of taking unilateral action. Multilateral negotiations reduce the scope for unilateral action, which is an important guarantee of fair trade for less powerful countries. Nevertheless, Bagwell and Staiger (1999) stress that countries can implement efficient trade agreements only if they also abide the principle of non-discrimination. The recent developments show that there is growing number of disputes between the countries; majority of them directly concerned with polices that considered to give advantage to one country at the expense of the others. Yin and McGee (2001) notes that during the 47-year existence of the GATT, there were altogether 236 dispute cases reported to GATT an average of 5 cases per year. In contrast, there were 220 cases filed during the first six years of the WTO seven times the annual average reported to GATT. It is reasonably to expect, that growing number of conflicts will eventually result in decrease of WTO operation efficiency, since it becomes increasingly more difficult to find a solution that meets requirements of all parties. Therefore, the surge in trade disputes raises concerns about the WTOs ability to police world trade and to settle down conflicts. Nevertheless, Yin and Mc Gee (2001) argue that trade volumes, trade imbalances, trade dependence, and tariffs and non-tariff b arriers are the main factors in disputes. In addition, countries with large trade volume, large trade imbalances, high trade dependence, or that have more measures protecting their market are more likely to be embattled in trade disputes than other countries. Consequently, growing conflicts between the countries might be naturally related to increase in trade activities. While USA is accounted to be involved into majority of conflicts, role of the developing countered in WTO becomes increasingly important. According to Mattoo and Subramanian (2004) there are several challenges in accommodating developing countries in WTO. First small countries do not have much to offer to as trading partners; their opportunities to benefit from engagement into WTO the operations are quite limited. Second, the interests of these countries are only imperfectly aligned with liberalization of the multilateral trading system. Since, developing preferential access to the markets of the industrial countries, further liberalization of the trade and reduction of tariffs and barriers does not necessary increase access to these markets. The developing countries disputes are complicated by several factors. First of all, it is very difficult to measure effects the trade policies. Rose (2002) employed over sixty measures of trade policy and has been unable to find convincing evide nce that membership in the multilateral trade system is associated with more liberal trade policy. While he acknowledges that that members of the system usually enjoy slightly more economic freedom using the Heritage Foundations index. Secondly, there is ongoing debate among academics on the effect of free trade on economy growth. Easterly (2002) provides an extensive overview of this topic, he presents theoretical argumentations on both sides of free trade debate. According to Easterly(2002), those opposed to free trade argue that since the price of primary commodities tends to decrease over the long run, countries should put up barriers to manufactured imports and thus stimulate the development of their own industries. Free trade opponents believe in the â€Å"infant industry† argumentation, which stresses that there is a learning curve to developing industry and allowing manufactured imports would decrease chances of domestic industry to compete fairly. Supporters of free trade believe that economies should focus on the specialization of their production. It allows countries to export products, which can produce more efficiently and import other products they are not good at producing. Finally, trade barriers distort prices which lead to inefficient allocation of the resources. While there are several empirical studies that support the link between openness and economic growth, a comprehensive study by Rodriguez and Rodrik (2000) discredits majority of them. Rodriguez and Rodrik (2000) show that â€Å"the indicators of ‘openness used by researchers are poor measures of trade barriers or are highly correlated with other sources of bad economic performance† and often, â€Å"the methods used to ascertain the link between trade policy and growth have serious shortcomings.† Furthermore Rodriguez et al (2000) argued that authors in this literature have used inappropriate indicators of trade policy, the selection of indicators was biased , and therefore the results tent to show statistically significant relationship between trade liberalization and growth. Another controversial argument is historical evidence. Rosenberg (2002) notes that United States, Germany, France, and Japan all became wealthy and powerful nations behind the barriers of protectionism, while South Korea and other East Asian countries successfully used trade barriers to create export industries and built local know-how. Furthermore, Weisbrot, Naiman, and Kim (2000) show that â€Å"eighty-nine countries experienced decrease in per capita rate of growth by at least five percentage points from the period 1960-1980 to the period 1980-2000, the latter period is widely referred as the area of globalization. For example, Dollar and Kraay (2002), argue that globalization which started in 1980 has helped to promote economic equality and reduced poverty. Considering complexity of the problem, it is reasonable to conclude that free trade does not necessary lead to economical growth and countries are not likely to benefit equally from reduction of the trade barriers. Supporters of more liberal world trade argue that it brings access to markets and cheaper goods and services. The growth in trade that follows benefits both consumers and workers by encouraging innovation and investment. Others take much more critical view, pointing out that move towards liberalization through bodies such as WTO is driven by rich countries. They believe the agreements reached serve the interest of multinational businesses and richer economies rather than indigenous producers in local economies. Therefore, further globalization of trade is likely to bring up new conflicts, as the trade volumes grow regulation of disputes becomes increasingly complicated, which is reflected in the collapse of the negotiations in Cancun 2003 and tense negotiations in Hong Kong 2005. Finally, one of the most important questions is whether WTO is actually somehow related to the increase in the world trade. Rose (2003) stressed that GATT/WTO is not associated with substantially enhanced trade, once standard factors have been taken into account. Rose (2003) conclusion is based on analysis of gravity model, which is recognized by many practitioners as a useful tool for analysis of international trade. Rose (2003) give two possible explanations for GATT/WTO failure to promote trade. First is that GATT/WTO has not typically forced most countries to lower trade barriers, especially developing countries that have received â€Å"special and differential treatment. The second reason is that members of the WTO seem to extend most favored nation status unilaterally to countries outside the system, even though they did not have formal rights to do it. At the same time, Rose (2003) acknowledges that his analysis is based on assessment of GATT policies, and since WTO has more wide-reaching framework to resolve disputes about trade in goods, services, and intellectual property its impact on trade will be more substantial. Nevertheless, the recent research on the topic by Subramanian and Wei (2003) brings up new perspective on the subjects, according to their findings Rose (2003) analysis is incomplete and can be misread seriously. This conclusion was based on two grounds first of all Subramanian and Wei (2003) stress that econometric methodology should be refined to incorporate the country fixed effects identified by Anderson and Wincoop (2003). Secondly the non tariff barriers such as quantitative restrictions for the balance of payments should be taken into the account. Subramanian and Wei (2003) conclude that GATT/WTO has done a splendid job of promoting trade; membership in GATT/WTO is associated with 40% increase in imports for industrial countries. Nevertheless it is obvious that developing countries benefited to the far less extend. Developing countries in the context of trade are at the bottom of the value chain. Perhaps an exception being the recent developments in service industries particularly concerning I.T. In general they export low-value, primary products (e.g. metals, agricultural produce), whilst the developed economies trade in high-value products. Although, the WTO promotes the ideal of a level playing field in trade, developing countries make the case that the world trade system is stacked against them. They make the point that GATT barely touched barriers to developed countries markets in textiles and agricultural products, and challenge the WTO on protectionism. Developing countries make up more than 75% of the WTO membership, but the real muscle, as evident in many WTO adjudications, is exerted by the main trading nations/groupings (U.S., E.U., Japan). Discussion made above in context to issues with WTO is of prime importance but there could be few more issues in this context which cannot be neglected. Such as the issue of labor standards is one of the most controversial issues. The WTO is accused of casting blind eye exploitation of labor and of undermining efforts to protect the health and safety of the workers. Human Rights group and International Labor Organization (ILO) are pressing for action in form of multilateral agreements on labor standards. The debate at WTO is whether WTO is the right vehicle for enforcing labor standards, and what effect such action would have on the competitive advantage of labor-intensive industries. The WTO is now in discussions with ILO on enforcing the core labor standards. Another contentious issue for the WTO is that of environmental protection and trade policy. Several high profile cases on import bans for environmental reasons have been lost recently. The view held by many countries is that the WTO is not sufficiently sympathetic to the environmental issues. Those in favor of trade liberalization argue that environmental issues should be dealt with by proper labeling giving consumer the choice. As it follows from the above discussion, GATT/WTO played an important role in the world trade. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to evaluate the contribution of GATT/WTO to promotion of free trade in real numbers. Furthermore, it is important to stress that free trade does not ultimately leads to economical growth or creates value itself. Therefore, WTO attempts to manage highly sensitive issue, since countries are likely to promote free trade when they can somehow benefit from it and negotiate on tariffs and barriers whenever they aim to protect their own markets. Finding the right balance while accommodating WTO members requests becomes increasingly difficult as the number of disputes continues to grow. Therefore, WTO success will largely depend on the ability to offer a flexible framework, which would be able to consider positions of different parties involved into negotiations.

Mending the Relationship of Two Brothers in James Baldwins Sonnys Blu

Mending the Relationship of Two Brothers in James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues According to Liukkonen, James Baldwin is well known for his "novels on sexual and personal identity, and sharp essays on civil-rights struggle in the United States." "Sonny's Blues" is no exception to this. The story takes place in Harlem, New York in the 1950's and tells of the relationship between two brothers. The older brother, who is the narrator and a participant in the novel, remains unnamed throughout the story. The novel is about the struggles, failures and successes of these two African American brothers growing up in the intercity as a minority. The encounters that the narrator and his brother, Sonny, have throughout the story exemplify Baldwin's theme of personal accountability and ethical criticism. The older brother, the narrator, finds himself struggling at the beginning of the story. While riding the subway, he reads in the paper that Sonny has been arrested for possession of drugs. During his day of teaching, he reflects on prior years with Sonny and their past adventures as young boys. He remembers Sonny's "wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness and privacy." The narrator sees his brother as a good boy, not "hard or evil or disrespectful." He wonders how many of his algebra students are similar to Sonny in appearance and personality along with his drug habits. This comparison allows the older brother to conclude that Sonny was probably not arrested on his initial use of drugs. It also allows the narrator is see that Sonny may be like most of the other young boys in Harlem. As the narrator makes his way to the courtyard heading home from school, a "friend" of Sonny's, another drug-user, approaches him. The narrator ... ...the narrator and all people a way of finding meaning in their pains and joys. The two brothers again can live in brotherhood and harmony. Works Cited Finnessy, Patrick. James Baldwin. 2004. Biographies. University of Illinois at Chicago: Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Heterosexual Concerns (OGLBTC). 26 Apr 2004. James Baldwin. 2004. American Masters. PBS. 23 Apr 2004. Liukkonen, Petri. James (Arthur) Baldwin Books and Authors. 2002. Amazon.com. 20 April 2004. Magill, Frank N. ed. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Vol 5 Pru-Ter. California: Salem Press, Inc. 1986. Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing about Literature. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2002. Wilson, Kathleen, ed. Short Stories for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories. Vol 2. Michigan: Gale Research, 1997.