5 Easy Summarizing Strategies for Students

The Dragon Class Child Development Center - 1013 Words

My practicum started in the Dragon Class_Child Development Center in Glendale Community College. The class consists of twelve children, twelve teachers and one assistant. My assigned practicum hours were from 3:00-6:00PM. From 2:30-3:30PM is the children’s bathroom and activities time. By the time I entered the classroom, some of kids have been to the bathroom already after naptime, which other may still be asleep. In the meantime, two children are drawing and coloring. It takes more than fifteen minutes to finish their work. Once the teacher said to one of them, â€Å"Thank you for writing you name on the paper†. Although other children were doing different class activities, it caught my attention that those two children were supper†¦show more content†¦He was wearing a soccer sportswear. Then the third child said, â€Å"Haig, I am going to be on your team†. Haig responded, â€Å"I am going to be on mine team, you are going to be on Haig team, you are going to be on my team†. The fourth child said, â€Å"I am going to hot chance to win†. After a while the teacher started to sing songs like â€Å"ABCD† or â€Å"Mary Had a little Lamb†. All of the children were participating and singing with the teacher. Then the teacher asked, â€Å"What was I doing with my fingers?† One of the children replied, â€Å"Sign Language†. The teacher announced,† Do you want to do it†. The children proclaimed, â€Å"Yea†. Then the teacher started to model her finger, saying and pronouncing the letters. She went over all of the alphabetic letters. The children were repeating the letters and modeling their fingers respectively. One of the children said, â€Å"Look teacher I can N and O†. A couple of minutes later the teacher said, â€Å"I think we are ready for mystery box. It is in alphabetic order. I will mic it up†. The children took turns to guess the mystery box contents by ins erting their hands into the box and feeling the objects and then choosing what they thought was in the box. The contents in the box were toy animals, a doll, an eraser, a marker, a triangle magnifying glass, a magnet and socks. Some of them guessed quickly while the others took more time to feel the shape and guess. After the finished the indoor activities, they went toShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of The Tolkien s The Hobbit 2741 Words   |  11 Pagescomfort-loving hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who is suddenly thrust into a world of adventure and danger by a group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield and the somewhat mysterious wizard Gandalf. Their quest is to take back what was once their homeland from the evil dragon Smaug, and they wish to use Bilbo as their burglar. Throughout their journey, Bilbo half-heartedly takes part in the affairs and also battles with trolls, giant spiders, elves, goblins, and is even part of a great war. Since the novels release overRead MoreBtec Pe - Barrier s to Participation3644 Words   |  15 Pageseach of these has its own demands and regulations for participation in sport and so it is the job of different organisations and sporting parties to overcome this, finding ways to include and allow everyone to participate in sport. The sports Development / Performance pyramid is an explanation of how participation and ability can be measured in sport. It helps to highlight the route a performer can take to become an elite performer. It includes four different sections; -The Foundation stage Read MoreBtec Sport Participation Barriers3682 Words   |  15 Pageslevel 3 Unit 6 - Sports Development L.0.2 - Barriers to participation-Mr. Davies.    Introduction. In sport we have to take in a range of different performers, who come from various different backgrounds cultures and beliefs, each of these has its own demands and regulations for participation in sport and so it is the job of different organisations and sporting parties to overcome this, finding ways to include and allow everyone to participate in sport. The sports Development / Performance pyramidRead MoreVietnam And The Vietnam War3709 Words   |  15 Pageshave similar ancient beginnings both based upon a mythical start. This is not very surprising seeing as how they are neighboring countries. According to customary legends, Vietnam was formed when King Lac Long Quan better known as the Dragon Lord of Lac or the Dragon Lord of the Seas married Princess Au Co. She bore him 100 eggs, out of which 100 sons were born. Soon after they established one nation that spanned from southern China to northern Indonesia. Since both the king and queen were immortalsRead MoreAn Awesome Eco Symbiotic Alternative For Traditional Movie Going Patrons2011 Words   |  9 PagesMission Statement To provide an awesome eco-symbiotic alternative to traditional movie going patrons Statement of Intent To contribute to the further enhancement of CDA’s work in the development and management of the North Western peninsula, to provide an awesome alternative to movie going patrons and bring a truly one of a kind attraction to the Chaguaramas Boardwalk in the interest of people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore FA Theatre’s intention is to provide an environmentallyRead MoreAn Exploration Of Assistive Technology And Those Available For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders2961 Words   |  12 Pagesbecause, for some students, without assistive technology they would not have access to or be able to benefit from their educational program as outlined in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Clearly, assistive technology is vital to one’s development of skill and performance. In some cases, assistive technology not only allows for students to be able to transition from one place to another, but there is great academic gain that has the potential to surpass meaningless accommodations, in someRead MoreThe Birth of Civilization18947 Words   |  76 Pagescivilization have on later Indian religious and social practices? EARLY CHINESE CIVILIZATION page 23 WHY DID large territorial states arise in ancient China? THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION IN THE AMERICAS page 27 HOW DID agriculture influence the development of civilizations in Mesoamerica? 1 he earliest humans lived by hunting, fishing, and collecting wild plants. Around 10,000 years ago, they learned to cultivate plants, herd animals, and make airtight pottery for storage. These discoveries transformedRead MoreSummary Article Nikes Dispute with the University of Oregon9247 Words   |  37 PagesUniversity of Oregon University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public, coeducational research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The second oldest public university in the state, UO was founded in 1876, and graduated its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of... track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman Bill Bowerman William J. Bill Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of NikeRead MoreEssay Writing9260 Words   |  38 PagesThe function of the expository essay is to explain, or to acquaint your reader with a body of knowledge. By explaining a topic to the reader, you are demonstrating your own knowledge. For example, if you are asked to write an essay about taming dragons, you decide what you plan to concentrate on, create a paragraph structure, and describe the process step by step. An essay becomes more complicated when a position has to be defended, as in a persuasive essay. The Persuasive Essay The persuasiveRead MoreVictoria’s Secret in China5430 Words   |  22 Pagesby the Open-door policy and taking part in the World Trade Organization, foreign companies are now more easy to enter the China market; nevertheless, there are challenges which make them stop. In dramatics growth of economy stimulate the urban development, the political and legal system and citizen education are far behind. The legal loophole, over control of government, corruption and bribery, and poor protection of property right are the major challenges. The traditional culture would effect the

The World in the Twentieth Century (7th Edition)

Question: World War 1 is said to have been the first 'total' war. What does that mean? And what does it mean for people and nations trying to pick up the pieces and resume normal life? Answer: There had been many wars between the First World War but they were regional in nature and only some nations or kingdoms were involved in such battles. However, in contradiction to the above, the First World War was a total war as it unprecedented in terms of geographical coverage and also the involvement of the nations. In the First World War, all the imperialist nations were involved and through their involvement their colonies were also involved in this gruesome wars which went on for years. Even though the war commenced in Europe and was fought for domination amongst the colonist forces, its spread was essentially global with Asia, Africa and Latin America all part of the war as they were forced to enforce the positions taken by their colonizers (Brower and Sanders, 2013). This meant great misery for the people as earlier the disturbances were essentially restricted to a particular region and hence therefore people could migrate to nearly areas or could get support from neighbouring areas. However, this was not the case here as the war had global implications and hence virtually no place left unaffected (Brower and Sanders, 2013). The misery was particularly worse for the colonies whose economic and human resources were drained in the war their colonizers were fighting to keep them under their control. There was massive shortage of essential goods which fuelled inflation. Also, there was incidence of various diseases and epidemics which resulted in massive causalities. Employment was also adversely impacted as the focus of the colonizers was on producing more guns and ammunitions at the cost of the basic goods (MacMillan, 2014). References Brower, D. R. and Sanders, T. (2013), The World in the Twentieth Century (7th edition), New York: Pearson MacMillan, M. (2014), World War I: The War That Changed Everything, Retrieved on September 1, 2016 from https://www.wsj.com/articles/world-war-i-the-war-that-changed-everything-1403300393

Richard Ii Vs Lear Ii Essays - Shakespearean Histories,

Richard Ii Vs Lear Ii Richard II vs Lear II From the very opening of the play when Richard III enters solus, the protagonist's isolation is made clear. Richard's isolation progresses as he separates himself from the other characters and breaks the natural bonds between Man and nature through his efforts to gain power. The first scene of the play begins with a soliloquy, which emphasizes Richard's physical isolation as he appears alone as he speaks to the audience. This idea of physical isolation is heightened by his references to his deformity, such as rudely stamp'd...Cheated of feature by Dissembling Nature, deformed, unfinished. This deformity would be an outward indication to the audience of the disharmony from Nature and viciousness of his spirit. As he hates the idle pleasures of these days and speaks of his plots to set one brother against another, Richard seems socially apart from the figures around him, and perhaps regarded as an outsider or ostracized because of his deformity. His separation from is family is emphasi zed when he says Dive, thought's down to my soul when he sees his brother approaching. He is unable to share his thought with his own family as he is plotting against them. Thus, we are given hints of his physical, social and spiritual isolation which is developed throughout the play. But despite these hints, he still refers to himself as part of the House of York, shown in the repeated use of Our. The concept of Richard's physical isolation is reinforced in his dealings with Anne in Act I scene ii. She calls him thou lump of foul deformity and fouler toad during their exchange. Despite these insults, she still makes time to talk to Richard, and by the end of their exchange, she has taken his ring and been woo'd by him. After Richard has successfully gained the throne, he isolates himself when he asks the crowd to stand all apart in Act IV scene ii. And later, when Richard dreams, he is completely alone. Physical isolation in Richard's deformity wins sympathy from the audience as we pity his condition. But Richard uses his deformity as a tool against the other characters, to portray them as victimizing Richard. Thus the sense of tragedy is lessened by his own actions, even though his isolation may become greater as the play progresses. Richard's psychological isolation is conveyed through his lack of conscience in his murderous acts. Nowhere does he feel remorse for his murders, until Act V scene iii when he exclaims Have mercy Jesu! and O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!. In this turning point, Richard's division from his own self is made clear from I and I, and Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am! He has conflicting views of himself and realizes that no creature loves him, not even himself. We also never the real mind of Richard, for he is always playing a role, of a loving brother to Clarence, a lover to Anne or a victim to the others. We feel sympathy for Richard as he awakes in a vulnerable position and for the first time acknowledges the evil that he has done. But as he only reveals his feelings of guilt in the last act of the play, we do not see him in internal turmoil and thus the sense of psychological tragedy cannot be built upon. Socially, Richard is isolated from both the upper and lower classes of society. In Act I scene iii, Richard sarcastically calls Elizabeth sister, and she contemptuously calls him Brother of Gloucester making a mockery of familial bonds. Margaret calls him cacodemon and devil, and any unity that the characters have on stage is temporary and superficial. In act III, the citizens are said to be mum and deadly pale, which gives a sense of quiet opposition to Richard's activities. Richard is thus separated from all around him. Temporarily, we see Richard and Buckingham share a kind of bond, as Richard calls him My other self, My Oracle and My prophet. But they part when Buckingham hesitates to kill the young princes when Richard says I wish the bastards dead. This is the only time the

A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay Example

A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay Example A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay A Liturgical Year and the Life and Death of Jesus Essay Christmas Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the son of God. Jesus was born on the 25th of December which is Christmas Day. He may have been born in a cave but this fact is unknown. Jesus was born in a manger because the upper room was full. On Christmas Day most Christians go to church. Before Jesus was born a Angel Gabriel came to Mary to let her know that she was going to have a son, and she was going to call him Jesus. At Jesuss time pregnant women had to be married or there were stoned to death because they brought shame and dishonour to their familys and Mary wasnt married. So Joseph kept Marys pregnancy a secret to protect her and, and he married her before she got pregnant. Luke 1:30-35. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.† 34 â€Å"How will this be,† Mary asked the angel, â€Å"since I am a virgin?† 35 The angel answered, â€Å"The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. When Jesus was born, the three wise King came to visit and worship him. They found where Jess was by following the star that could have been Jupiter. At Jesuss time stars were a symbol that a King was going to be born or was going to die. People may have thought that a Super King was about to be born because of the size of the star. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Christmas is celebrated in the Christian church because its a very important day for Christians as it symbolizes the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a very special day in the Christian world; it is celebrated by Christians with great enthusiasm. It is a day of merrymaking and joy; people decorate thei

Strategies for Teaching Writing to Elementary Students

Strategies for Teaching Writing to Elementary Students One of our most important tasks has is to introduce their young students to the written language and how to use it creatively and effectively in order to communicate. Whether you teach primary or upper elementary grades, your administrator is counting on you to teach your students to quantifiably improve in writing this school year. Here are a few effective teaching strategies to try out in your classroom implement a few or try them all. 1. Writing Instruction Doesnt Have To Be Intimidating   For You Or The Students Many educators find teaching writing a real challenge. Sure there are all the rules of grammar and punctuation, but outside of those boundaries, there are as many stories to be told as there are people in the world. How do we corral our students enthusiasm and creative minds so that their writing is coherent, engaging, and purposeful? 2. A Strong Beginning Is Crucial Then Move Onto The Basics Start by teaching your students how to write a strong beginning to their stories. With this skill in hand, your students will then be ready to learn about the importance of word choice and avoiding boring, flat, overused words. 3. More Advanced Descriptive Techniques Dont Have To Be Hard To Teach Even the youngest elementary school students will enjoy trying their hand at tongue twisters. And what do tongue twisters have to do with writing? Well, its an easy way to introduce the concept of alliteration. Achoo! Slam! Kaboom! Not only do children love sound effects, but they come to the classroom with a strong familiarity with this subject. Sound effects add power and imagery to writing, and not to mention its easy to teach students how to appropriately use this skill to kick their writing up a notch. 4. Writing Applications You Might Not Have Considered Obviously, writing enters into all aspects of human life, especially nowadays in the age of the Internet and email. Use a pen pal program to teach your students how to effectively communicate with their peers in letter format. Its an invaluable skill and a dying art. Or, try practice letter-writing and compile weekly parent newsletters all in one fell swoop! Thats another time-saver that practices writing skills at the same time. Another important aspect of language arts is oral communication and listening skills. Through this easy and fun impromptu speeches lesson, your students will write a speech, perform it out loud, and practice listening to each other. 5. A Well-Rounded Writing Curriculum Is Within Your Grasp These real life, classroom-tested  writing lessons  are proven, fun, and easy-to-implement. With practice and diligence, you will watch your students writing soar and improve daily. Edited by  Janelle Cox

An essay about busness Strategy from a.Profitability b.Marketing

An about busness Strategy from a.Profitability b.Marketing c.Expected local response - Essay Example Brookside products manufacturers had maintained long working hours developing products that were not going to perceived as good as Fresh Milk Company’s products. Some local consumers thought stopping the manufacturer from developing the products could affect the morale of developing the new product. However, comparing the morale of the product team in relation to the profitability and the market demand, it was not a good idea for introducing the new products that were already inferior to that of the Fresh Milk Company. Brookside wisely stopped working and developing the inferior products and developed new market strategies and the environment to develop new products that outperformed Fresh Milk Company’s products (Caramia & Guerriero, P. 132). The pricing or selling effort strategies would be dealt with effectively when the Brookside company follows an appropriate skimming strategy that seek to be the first company to introduce high quality and good performance products. In addition, the Brookside Company should sell its brands to the market segment innovators that charge a premium price for its products (Tidstrà ¶m & Hagberg-Andersson, P. 340). For this reason, the brand or products would produce as much profit as possible. Nevertheless, the company should move on or change its operative strategies when the competitors arrive since the prices are likely to fall as a result of competition for the available potential and reliable customers. For this regard, the skimming strategy in conjunction with the pricing penetrative strategy would gain a significant market share by undergoing short-term profits in favor of long-term benefits (Thomas & Andrew, P 57). Competitors’ strength and abilities should be dealt with probable response by evaluating and assessing all the competitors influence in the market environment. For the business to succeed effectively, the companies must leverage its mechanisms of producing unique and

The Body Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Body - Assignment Example 571). The notion of being in a pageant is like an obsession in the society, going beyond the bounds of schooling and social ethics, where most of them are geared towards socializing of womens bodies (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 572). The community’s perspective is inclined towards pleasing the tourists and many will do whatever it takes to look good to them by getting thinner bodies. This craze makes even parents encourage their daughters to get thinner and please the many tourists visiting the country (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 579). Further, the strip clubs frequented by tourists prefer thinner women and thus girls are encouraged to eat less to get better pay and recognition to them (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 580). The tourists are a motivation towards getting better body images as a promise of employment and other future career benefits like the threat of Kara. The extent of connectivity in the global scene has indeed influenced the bodily aspects of the people in the country. Most girls who have gone on trips in other countries have been influenced to take up their traits, in the example of the United States (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p. 586). Further, the interconnectivity through media has also influenced the body aspects of the people in the way that outside influences determine their attitudes towards body size (Anderson-Fye, 2004, p.

Should abortions be legal Essay Example for Free

Should abortions be legal Essay Abortion should be legal, because there are too many things that go wrong. A women could be raped and need to get one because she doesn’t want to look at the child and doesn’t want to feel it grow, freedom of choosing what to do and how government involvement in personal decisions such as this could lead to potentially having the government deem how many children you can have or even how many pregnancies you are allowed, medical reasons for abortion, and the ability of a woman to have control of her body is critical to civil rights. There is a freedom of choosing what to do, and how government involvement in personal decisions such as this could lead to potentially having the government deem how many children you can have or even how many pregnancies you are allowed. The numbers of the abortions in China in 1979 spiked to very high numbers. â€Å"According to a government tally, 9. 2 million abortions were performed in 2008, up from 7. 6 million in 2007. But the count only includes hospitals, and state media report the total could be as high as 13 million. If accurate, that would give China among the highest abortion rates in the world. (4) All of these abortions are because of the government taking control and saying that females could only have one child. If something like that happens here in America numbers would spike from the â€Å"2009-2011 estimates of 1,212,400 annually†(5) to around the same as China. â€Å"Medical conditions can arise during pregnancy that may pose a danger to the mothers life. Some of these conditions may result from the pregnancy itself, while others may be medical problems that require immediate treatment that cannot be done while pregnant. For example, if aggressive cancer is discovered during pregnancy, it may be necessary to treat the cancer immediately, posing a danger to the fetus. Some women may opt for abortion in order to receive treatment that could save the womans life. Continuing the pregnancy in some of these instances could result in death, stroke or infertility for the mothers. This is common in cases in which the fetus has already died in-utero. † (3) There are times in a pregnancy when doctors know that a miscarriage is going to happen, this normally happens in the first 16 weeks. They then tell the mother that there is no fetal heartbeat on the monitor or the level of HCG decreases in the blood because the baby is not alive. When some of the women find out they decide to have an abortion because it is less stress and it has less health risk. If the woman has to carry until the miscarriage happens the health risk are very high. The women could hemorrhage, or even greater problems like infertility. When a rape or family pregnancy happens it is a true crime. Making a woman carry the child full term would cause more harm to the woman. There are women out there that are too afraid to go to the police or to a hospital about a rape. Some choose to wait a few weeks after finding out and go in saying they just don’t the child. Some women don’t find out about the pregnancy until it is too late and have to choose abort after 13 weeks or carry to full term. †Only one percent of abortions happen from rape victims. (2) â€Å" â€Å"Control over her body and the freedom to decide the course of her life is critical to a womans civil rights. When a woman is pregnant it is her body that goes through all the stress of pregnancy. If she decides not to have a pregnancy she should be able to do so. Denying her the right to her body is violating her most basic freedom. One of the most pertinent questions regarding abortion is when does life begin. A fetus may be alive but so are sperms and eggs. It is true that life in every form should be respected. However, should the right of a fetus be greater than that of a woman who in majority of the cases would bear the responsibility of the unplanned child? One of the important abortion facts is that most of the abortions take place in the first trimester when the fetus cannot live independent of the mother. It depends on the mother through the placenta and the umbilical cord for nutrition and health and hence should not be considered a separate entity. †(1) In conclusion abortion should be legal in order to help the people who need it. Yes with the good there comes bad. Some people are always going to use the abortion like a morning after pill; there is nothing we can do about it. If it was to be made illegal than what about the women who are going to die giving birth to an already passed child because she was made to carry to term from this? What about that one percent of women that are actually not scared to say something about the rape and get an abortion? Should we deny them their rights? Should abortions be illegal? Abortions should be illegal because abortion should not be used as another form of contraception, those who choose abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to understand fully what they are doing many have lifelong regrets afterwards, and adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result. With 1. million American families wanting to adopt a child, there is no such thing as an unwanted child. (1-1) In the U. S. A. 2 out of 100 women who get pregnant have an abortion which is more than 40 percent. It is like abortions are being used as if they were getting your teeth cleaned 2 times a year. Abortions should not be just a get out of jail free card. When you decide to lay down in the bed with your partner you should be ready for what comes next. Within the first 8 weeks of pregnancy more than 85 percent of the abortions in the U.  S happen. Women should not be a loud to just kill a child like that its old trash. â€Å"Of teenage women who become pregnant, about 35% choose to have an abortion rather than bear a child. One or both parents of 61% of minors know about their daughters abortions. The younger the teen, the higher the likelihood that she has told her mother about the situation. Many states have enacted, or are considering, laws that restrict teenagers access to abortion by requiring parental involvement in the abortion decision. Such laws include: Parental notification laws that require medical personnel to notify a minors parent(s) of her intention to obtain an abortion; Parental consent laws that require medical personnel to obtain written permission from the parent(s) before providing an abortion; Almost all of the parental notification and consent laws have judicial bypass options that allow a teen who feels she cannot involve her parent(s) to get a judges permission to proceed with her abortion. Some states allow a physician to waive parental involvement, and some allow professional counseling instead of parental involvement. â€Å"(1-2) More than 46 states do this so we can stop the use of abortion by kids so their parents will not know. Low-income women (as an example, those earning $17,170 or less in a three-person household) accounted for 514,040 abortions, or 42% of all abortions, in 2008. Is this just because they feel like they can’t afford it? There are so many families that are unable to have children and just to be blessed with one or two of the children that are killed every day would be so great for that family. â€Å"About 30 percent of Americans have considered adopting (Harris, 2007), but as of 2002, only 2. 0 percent have done so (Jones, 2009). Somewhere between those percentages lies the number of people seeking to adopt—that is, those who have taken concrete steps to adopt a child. (1-3) Even though there is over 115,00o children in the public child care waiting to be adopted, most people looking to adopt are looking for younger than 3 kids with† characteristics that are less common in children in the foster care system than other traits. But while high percentages of women would accept a child with other characteristics, they expressed concern about adopting children with health or behavioral problems. †(1-3) So there are more than plenty of people wanting to adopt younger children so abortio n should be made illegal.

Cage in Heaven Essay -- Personal Narrative Descriptive Essays

Cage in Heaven Process writing: This was me when I was growing up in my little world. This was my feeling of pain, sorrow, and joy during my childhood. I felt all these emotions and more growing up in the busy Hong Kong City. Looking back at my childhood, I realized why I came to the United States. I adore my father and siblings for all the hard work they have done for me to come over. I realized the warmest and only love is that of a family. Hong Kong is six million hearts beating in rhythm. This pellet of land bustles with boiling commotion. Sirens scream like tea kettles. It is modern and prosperous, just like a little New York City of the Orient. The majority of people in Hong Kong hanker to live in loft houses of 3,000 square feet facing the fascinating skyline and immense harbor. Dreams of dreamhouses push the people deeper and deeper into their hard work, including my father. But beneath the city’s captivating surface, the noise of automobiles and prosperity overpowers thousands of sorrowful stories. Since poor people cannot afford the high rent prices, they have to jostle in bed-size apartments and partitioned rooms in the cocklofts of aged buildings. As I lived in Hong Kong, I should have been satisfied to have a 500 square foot big home. But, after my father left home, I found neither the eye-catching harbor view nor a vast house to be heavenly. Instead, a bed-size apartment on top of a dilapidate d building was my firmament. I gazed at my father, sister and brother from the corner. My eyes followed their weighty pace until their laden shadows disappeared at the end of the indistinct hallway. I was still very small at that time. I could not even reach the doorknob, so how could I under... ... my father. I didn’t long for life in a big house anymore. The world under the aged building was blossomy for those materialistic people who chased modernization. That world didn’t belong to me. Another world was waiting for me. That world was the cage in heaven where I could have family warmth. Steven made a reckless move for his family. For the same reason, my father went to New York to make a better living for his family. There was no abhorrence in my heart anymore. I felt so sorry for my father, and had to apologize because I had misunderstood him for the past 15 years. I stood near the cage in heaven again, appreciating the melody made by the factories, and I forgot the hullabaloo of the city below. I took out my cell phone and called. When I heard the voice that I wished was more familiar, I shouted out, â€Å"Papa, meet you in New York City soon!†

Immanuel Kant Essay

Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Natural Rights Theories, and Religious Ethics A â€Å"utilitarian† argument, in the strict sense, is one what alleges that we ought to do something because it will produce more total happiness than doing anything else would. Act utilitarianism (AU) is the moral theory that holds that the morally right action, the act that we have a moral duty to do, is the one that will (probably) maximize â€Å"utility† (happiness, welfare, well-being). AU is not to be confused with egoism. The egoist really only cares about his own happiness. AU says that everyone’s happiness counts equally. Suppose that executing Joseph would in the long run produce more total happiness than letting him live would. Then according to AU, we ought to execute Joseph. Now if Joseph is a convicted serial murderer who would probably escape and commit more murders if we tried to incarcerate him, then it’s reasonable to think that executing him would be the right thing to do. But what if he has committed no crime? What if he is simply an extremely irritating person with no friends or loved ones, and the many people with whom he has contact in his life are very sensitive and dislike him intensely? Since more total happiness is produced if Joseph dies (the increased happiness of the many who no longer have to endure him outweighs his unhappiness about dying) than if he lives, AU says that it’s right to kill him. This example illustrates what is probably the main objection to AU: it tells us to violate rights/commit injustices when doing so is necessary to produce the greatest total amount of happiness. A â€Å"utilitarian† argument in a looser sense is one that alleges that we ought to do something because of its â€Å"good consequences† (or not do something because of its â€Å"bad consequences†), where good/bad consequences needn’t be limited to what increases or decreases happiness, but might include other things that a strict utilitarian theory attaches no positive or negative intrinsic value to. — An example: â€Å"the FDA shouldn’t approve the ‘morning after’ pill, because it will only promote out-of-wedlock sex. † This argument assumes that out-of-wedlock sex is something that is per se bad, and that the risk of unwanted pregnancy and babies will deter at least some, perhaps many, from engaging in it, thereby reducing the total amount of it. The strict utilitarian rejects the idea that such sex is an intrinsic moral evil, holding instead that if such sex is bad, it is bad only insofar as it causes bad consequences like unwanted pregnancy and babies. — This argument for why the FDA shouldn’t approve the ‘morning after’ pill is better described as â€Å"consequentialist† rather than â€Å"utilitarian. † All strictly utilitarian arguments are consequentialist, but not all consequentialist arguments are strictly utilitarian. The important point is that one needn’t believe that utilitarianism is the correct moral theory in order to believe that consequentist arguments of either the strictly utilitarian kind or other kinds provide good reasons. We can admit that the increase in the happiness to others is a good reason to execute Joseph. But we can say that the fact that it would violate his right to life is an even better reason not to do it. Respect for rights â€Å"trumps† maximizing utility. Suppose that we want to build a highway that connects two cities. The shorter route would require destroying some scenic wilderness that is enjoyed by some nature lovers. The longer route avoids that but entails a longer driving time for people who commute between the two cities. Which route should the highway be built on? Here it’s plausible to think that we should make the decision on the basis of utilitarian considerations. We look at all the costs and benefits of both alternatives and pick the one with the most favorable benefit to cost ratio. The other three views—Kantian ethics, natural rights theories, and â€Å"religious ethics†Ã¢â‚¬â€all agree that there are many circumstances when maximizing utility would be wrong. Perhaps the strongest objection to AU comes from the natural rights theory: AU is false, because it tells us to violate people’s rights when that’s necessary to maximize utility. The example of Joseph illustrates it, but here’s another example. A surgeon has I healthy and 5 sick and dying patients. Each of the sick and dying patients needs a new organ— one a new kidney, another a new liver, the third a new heart, etc. —and would fully recover if he received it. It so happens that the 1 healthy patient would be a suitable organ donor for all of them. If the surgeon kills the 1 and redistributes his organs, he saves 5. If he does nothing, then 1 is alive and 5 are dead. On the assumption that all six are equally happy, loved by others, and productive of utility for others in society, then the way to maximize utility is to kill the 1. But if he won’t consent to being killed and having his organs transplanted (he doesn’t believe in utilitarianism), then killing him would violate his right to life. The objection is simply that it would be wrong to violate his right even if it’s the way to maximize utility. Kantian ethics is based on what Immanuel Kant claimed is the supreme principle of morality, the Categorical Imperative. Kant claimed that there were a few different but equivalent ways of stating the Categorical Imperative. The first, the Universal Law Formula, says that we should act only on principles that we can will to be a universal law that applies to everyone. The idea here seems to be that when people act immorally, they want everyone else to obey â€Å"the rules† but want to make an exception for themselves. Another way of stating the Categorical Imperative, the one we’ll focus on, is the Principle of Humanity. It says that whenever we act we must be sure always to treat all â€Å"persons† (both ourselves and others) as â€Å"ends† and never as â€Å"mere means. † â€Å"Persons† in Kantian ethics refers to any being with the capacity to make moral judgments and conform to them (where that often requires that one resist various urges, inclinations, and temptations to act against them). Persons have free will and reason. Babies are not yet persons, and cows and pigs never will be. Kant’s Principle of Humanity implies that it is only persons who possess â€Å"dignity† and must be treated as â€Å"ends. † Animals only have a â€Å"use value† and may be treated as mere means or resources. Animals may be used in experiments to test new drugs, but â€Å"persons† may be used in such experiments only with their â€Å"informed consent. † Kantians agree that killing the 1 healthy person in the above example is wrong, even if it maximizes utility for society as a whole. It is wrong because it treats him as a â€Å"mere means. † Kant held that if one commits suicide because one believes that the remainder of one’s life will be filled with more discomfort than pleasure, then one fails to treat oneself as an â€Å"end. † So long as one retains the capacities that make one a person, then one has dignity and one ought to respect this dignity. To think that life is worth living only if it is pleasant is to fail to respect this dignity. Another objection that Kantians have to AU, especially the hedonistic version, is that it is a degrading to humanity to think and act as though pleasure were the point of life. Kantians think that the point of life is the exercise of one’s personhood capacities in moral deliberation and choice. This does not mean that Kantians must oppose all suicide and euthanasia. They support it in cases where people have permanently lost the capacities for free will and reason (e. g. PVS patients like Terry Schiavo). Euthanasia in these cases provides a dignified death. Of course sometimes when people talk about â€Å"dying with dignity† they’re assuming that it’s the need to be cared for by others (e. g. to wear Depends diapers and have them changed by others) that’s â€Å"undignified. † A Kantian has to say that those people have mistaken views about the basis of human dignity. It’s personhood, not the ability to care for oneself without assistance from others, that gives human beings their dignity. Another implication of the Principle of Humanity is that lying is typically wrong. A woman who persuades me to sell her my new car at a low price by telling me a lie that I believe (â€Å"males who drive your model of car are 20 times more likely to develop testicular cancer than males who don’t†) treats me as a mere means. She manipulates me in a way that I would not consent to if I were aware of what her purposes are. What many people have criticized in Kant is not his claim that lies like this one are wrong, but his view that lying is always wrong. In the case where lying to evil people will help to thwart their evil aims (e. g. someone intent on committing murder asks me the whereabouts of his intended victim) Kant held that lying remains wrong. Instead of lying, I should simply not say anything. The main problem with the Principle of Humanity is that it’s not entirely clear what it means to treat another person as an â€Å"end. † It’s been claimed that it means you must treat others in ways that they would not object to if they were morally reasonable, thinking clearly, and well-informed about relevant factual matters. When society puts a thief in prison, it’s treating him as an end, because even though he might object to being incarcerated, he wouldn’t object if he were morally reasonable; he would admit that thieves deserve to go to jail. One problem with this interpretation of the Principle is that it assumes some other, independent standard of what’s â€Å"morally reasonable. † Wasn’t the Principle of Humanity itself supposed to provide that standard? Another problem is that it probably cannot support Kant’s judgment that lying is always wrong. After all, if the morally reasonable thief must admit that he deserves a loss of liberty as punishment for his crimes, shouldn’t a morally reasonable person agree that lying to him is okay as a means of preventing him from committing murder? The Principle of Humanity is sometimes interpreted as supporting the Principle of Autonomy. The Principle of Autonomy says that everyone has the right to live his/her life in accordance with his/her own views about religion, the meaning of life, the moral virtues, dignity and honor, etc., so long as one doesn’t infringe on the right of others to do the same. (Since this principle asserts the existence of a certain moral right, certain natural rights-based moral theories might also support it). You violate my autonomy if restrict my liberty for my own good on the basis of values that I reject. Consider two examples. First, you knock a cup of coffee out of my hands before I can drink from it. I object, but only because I assume, incorrectly, that there’s nothing wrong with the coffee; in fact, it contains poison. You have not violated my autonomy, because your interference can be justified by an appeal to my own values. Second, a competent, adult Jehovah’s Witness refuses to consent to a blood transfusion because it’s against his religion, but his friends force him to have one anyway, because they are convinced that he has misinterpreted the Biblical passage that forbids the â€Å"eating of blood. † In this case the Principle of Autonomy is violated. I think that the Jehovah’s Witness is better off having the life-saving transfusion. The Principle of Beneficence tells doctors to do what is in their patients’ best interests. Hence, this Principle supports ignoring the JW’s wishes and giving him the transfusion. This is a case in which the Principle of Autonomy conflicts with the Principle of Beneficence. I agree with the AMA that the doctor may not treat the JW without his â€Å"informed consent. † Hence, in this sort of case the value of respecting autonomy trumps the value of doing what’s best for the person. Are there any cases where the two principles conflict but beneficence overrides respect for autonomy? Our textbook correctly mentions libertarianism as one natural rights based moral theory. (Natural rights are supposed to be moral rights that exist whether or not the government recognizes and protects them. They are not to be confused with legal rights). Let me make a two points about libertarianism. It holds that our basic human rights include rights to life, liberty, and private property. The right to life is only a â€Å"negative† right (a right not to be killed by others), not a â€Å"positive† right (a right to be provided by one’s society the minimum nutrition and other goods that one needs to stay alive, if one cannot obtain them oneself). Other natural rights theorists disagree with the libertarian, holding that we have â€Å"positive† as well as â€Å"negative† natural rights. A right to decent, affordable health or to free health care if one is poor is an example of a â€Å"positive† right. Second, in saying that someone has a natural right to do x, we’re not necessarily saying that it’s morally permissible to do x. All we’re saying is that others do not have the right to interfere, to use coercion to prevent him from doing it. Consider a racist giving a public speech in which he advocates denying black people the right to vote. To say that he has a natural right to free speech only means that others (especially the government) are forbidden to step in and prevent him from speaking. It doesn’t mean that there’s nothing morally wrong with his speech. There obviously is—promoting racism is immoral. And in saying that we think his speech is immoral we don’t violate his free speech rights. We exercise our own. There are many different varieties of religious ethics, but we should focus on three religious ethics ideas often introduced into biomedical ethics controversies in this country. They are: i) The â€Å"sanctity of life† doctrine—it is absolutely forbidden either to perform or fail to perform some action with the aim of causing or facilitating the death of any innocent human being (oneself or another), whether or not the person to die consents to the act or omission, and whether or not he is better off with a quick and painless death. Hence, euthanasia (voluntary or not) is forbidden. The taking of innocent human life is God’s prerogative, not man’s. No human being has the right to â€Å"play God. † On the basis of the â€Å"sanctity of life† doctrine many religious people oppose the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. (They usually have other objections to legalization not based on this doctrine). ii) â€Å"Unnatural† acts are wrong. Though in-vetro fertilization and surrogate birthing are both wrong for this reason, the use of fertility drugs by a couple that has had difficulty in conceiving is not. iii) (Roman Catholicism only) The Doctrine of Double Effect– It is permissible to perform an act the evil consequences of which one foresees but does not intend (e. g. the death of an innocent human being), so long as the intended good consequences of the act outweigh or justify the unintended but foreseen bad consequences. It is permissible to perform an act with such consequences, even though it would be impermissible to perform it if the evil were intended as an end or as a means to bringing about some other end. — The â€Å"craniotomy† and â€Å"hysterectomy† examples and RC moral theology’s rejection of consequentialism. The craniotomy is supposed to be wrong, because the baby’s death is intended as a means to saving the mother. (It is supposed to be wrong, even though both mother and baby will die if the craniotomy is not performed). The hysterectomy is supposed to be permissible, because in that case the baby’s death is a foreseen but unintended side-effect of the hysterectomy. The claim that people who condemn homosexuality, masturbation, surrogate motherhood, reproductive cloning, etc. as wrong because â€Å"unnatural† are relying on religious ideas is controversial. Contemporary Roman Catholic philosophers who defend the natural law theory of morality (e. g. John Finnis) deny that their view presupposes a belief in God and God’s purposes (though it is certainly compatible with such a belief). They hold that we can know by means of unaided reason that these things are wrong. The natural law theory, they claim, is different from the â€Å"divine command theory of right and wrong. † According to the latter, what makes an act wrong is that it violates a divine command. So to know that homosexuality, for example, is wrong, we would have to know that the Bible, or Quran, or whatever, is the revealed word of God and read it to see if it includes a prohibition on homosexuality. Since the belief that the Bible or whatever is the revealed word of God rests on religious faith, it follows that a condemnation of homosexuality based on the divine command theory likewise depends on faith.

Nursing Portfolio Essay

INTRODUCTION Recently, due to contraception fills, adolescent pregnancy has been decreased, nonetheless, issues of adolescent pregnancy have increased worldwidely, because they are not uncovered superficially. First of all, adolescent pregnancy is an area where intensive nursing care and social and family support are required. In part 1, with regard to teens pregnancy and care, I have collected various artefacts and reviewed them. In this portfolio, I will show how those artifacts help me to learn nursing care with regard to adolescent pregnancy including teenagers, newborn and family. In addition, I will present how I would utilize the artefacts to lead to my future nursing practice successfully. EFFECTS OF ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY FOR AISHA AND JARAD The Victoria government report has helped me to understand the circumstances of teenagers who have experienced pregnancy and the effects relating to their pregnancy. As a future nurse, it is vital to know the social and environmental background of adolescent pregnancy. In terms of circumstances of pregnant adolescents, it has been found that pregnancy rates are higher among teenagers who include those factors as follows (The Victoria government 2014) . family violence, or sexual abuse or conflict often occurs . A teenager who has low self-esteem, low socioeconomic background . An adolescent who has low maternal education . rural or remote or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander residents. As the webpage gives the information about complications with teenage pregnancy, I have known that teenagers have greater risks of medical complications during pregnancy and the reasons. The major reasons for their medical complications are that they find out their pregnancy late or do not  know how to approach healthcare service (The Victoria government 2014). Moreover, their nutrition state during pregnancy is improper and hence, they experience premature labour and deteriorating their health condition such as anaemia and emotional distress. Also, the charts from sccanny organization show children born to teenage mother have low birth weight, under 2.5 Kg (Scanny organization 2014). The information has taught me to be prepared the background knowledge of negative effects of teens pregnancy on both their children and themselves before look after an adolescent mother. PRENATAL, POSTNATAL ISSUES FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENT MOTHER AND THEIR FAMILIES As soon as an adolescent has a baby, it can be a burden to her and her family rather than pleasure in normal pregnancy. Before making a nursing plan for an adolescent mother, it is essential to diagnose their depression and anxiety. The YouTube video shows what is their depression and anxiety precisely and succinctly. I have comprehended that their anxiety and depression come from the problems such as parenting difficulties, continuity of study or not and finance to breed their children (PCA 2014). Nurse Review Organization’s webpage has provided me with disgnosis and intervention with respect to teen pregnancy (Nursereview 2014). In the future practice, I will educate their family to decrease a stereotype in relation to adolescent pregnancy and emphasize the significance of education for an adolescent mother if she is concerned about dropping her school. Besides, I will refer her to organizations to help her financial difficulties in raising her children and also advise her to take counseling programs with regard to her study. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FAMILY SUPPORT DURING PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH The roles of a nurse include not only caring her patient but also talking to the patient’s family and educate them. Above all things, in adolescent pregnancy, family support cannot be overemphasized because a teen mother is not prepared to give birth and breed. This video gives very useful tips to  persuade their family that might be upset or frustrated due to their daugther’s or girl friend’s pregnancy in order to help the teen mother as highlighting how the teen mother feels scared and worried about her pregnancy (999advicechannel 2011). As I learned in the video, I will explain the necessity of family support and ask the family to help their adolescent mother actively in the real practice. The cooperation among the adolescent mother, family and nurse will bring about successful outcomes in the perspective of mental and physical health of the teen mother and her child. Moreover, advocatesforyouth website has offered what organization takes the initiatives and programmes for teens pregnancy in each country and the world (Graczkyk 2008). Therefore, I will recommend the programmes or organisations to a teen mother patient who does not have any family or partner that can support her in the future practice. THE NURSE’S ROLE IN RELATION TO CARING FOR AN ADOLESCENT MOTHER DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTERBIRTH A more anxious and depressed teenager mother than an adult mother needs the delicate and attentive care of a nurse (Graczkyk 2008). Therefore, the role of nurse includes mothering teenagers, educating them and their family as well as conducting professional nursing practice for them (Grazkyk 2008). Essentialbaby.com websites offers Australian vaccination schedule for new born. I will memorize the immunization schedules and also provide them to a teen mother under the hospital regulation (Baby Health 2014). In addition, I will educate adolescent mothers about the significance of immunization so that they cannot miss the proper time for immunization of their children. Also, I will provide holistic education about how to care a new born baby to a teenager mother and father as I have seen the YouTube video. I will be pleased to demonstrate the ways how to feed, bathe and handle a newborn baby, otherwise, I will show the education video for teenage mothers and fathers. Moreover, I will tell them if there is any urgent situation regarding their baby, notify it to me or other nurses (InfirmaryHealth 2013). CONCLUSION Through this activity, I have become more confident and competent with respect to caring an adolescent mother. I have acknowledged that caring a teen mother is required a more considerate, and professional nursing mind that can consider their situation, anxiety and depression since a teen is not expected to be a mother as early as they can. I will facilitate the collaborative atmosphere among a teen mother, her family and me to create better outcomes of care in the health of the teen mother and the baby. Furthermore, I will provide explicit education for an adolescent mother and her family and guide them to appropriate programs and organization to help them. I am sure that I will play a major role as a nurse to care a teenager mother professionally and support them so as to prevent worse outcomes such as deterioration of their health and social problems. REFERENCES 999Advicechannel. (2011). _Teen pregnancy and support_. Retrieved from BabyHealth. (2014). _Australian vaccination schedule_. Retrieved from http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/baby/baby-health/australian-vaccination-schedule-20081110-5l9w.html Graczyk. A. (2008). _Maternal mortality an overlooked crisis_. Retrieved from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/436-adolescent-maternal-mortality-an-overlooked-crisis Infirmary Health. (2013). _Caring for your newborn baby_. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLnVNIx2nkw Nurse Review . (2014_). The pregnant adolescent_. Retrieved from PCA (2014). _The Effects of Teen Pregnancy PSA_. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggSjURqR66I Scanny Organisation (2014). _Teen pregnancy_. Retrieved from http://www.scaany.org/documents/teen_pregnancy_dec08.pdf. The Victoria Government. (2014). _Teenage pregnancy_. Retrieved from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Teenage_pregnancy?open

Free Essays on Osama Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden : America’s #1 Terrorist Why do people resort to such violent acts as bombing, assassinations, and hi-jacking? How do individuals and organizations justify these acts of terror? These acts can be described as terrorist actions. Terrorism is a growing international problem. During the last twenty years, new terrorist groups have sprung up all over the world. Governments have had little success in their attempts to resolve issues in which terrorism is used. A major problem in discussing terrorism is establishing a generally accepted definition. Terrorism can be described as the unlawful use of fear or force to achieve certain political, economical, or social aims (Crenshaw 523). Because it is so hard to define, organizations like the United Nations have had great difficulty drawing up policies against terrorism. Within the recent century, the subject of terrorism has risen as a major problem for all major countries. The United States is a nation that is not exempt from terrorism but actually a key target for many terrorist groups. A single individual, a certain group, or even governments may commit terrorist actions. Most terrorists, unlike criminals, claim to be dedicated to higher causes, and do not believe in personal gain. The methods used in terrorism include threats, bombings, the destruction of property, kidnapping, the taking of hostages, executions, and assassinations (Crenshaw 523). There are many reasons why political groups attempt to bring about radical change through terrorism. People are often frustrated with their position in society. They may in some way feel persecuted or oppressed because or their race, religion, or they feel exploited by a government. Any group that uses terrorist actions have very complex and powerful reasons to engage in those activities. In 1957 a radical Muslim by the name of Osama bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He ... Free Essays on Osama Bin Laden Free Essays on Osama Bin Laden Osama bin Laden : America’s #1 Terrorist Why do people resort to such violent acts as bombing, assassinations, and hi-jacking? How do individuals and organizations justify these acts of terror? These acts can be described as terrorist actions. Terrorism is a growing international problem. During the last twenty years, new terrorist groups have sprung up all over the world. Governments have had little success in their attempts to resolve issues in which terrorism is used. A major problem in discussing terrorism is establishing a generally accepted definition. Terrorism can be described as the unlawful use of fear or force to achieve certain political, economical, or social aims (Crenshaw 523). Because it is so hard to define, organizations like the United Nations have had great difficulty drawing up policies against terrorism. Within the recent century, the subject of terrorism has risen as a major problem for all major countries. The United States is a nation that is not exempt from terrorism but actually a key target for many terrorist groups. A single individual, a certain group, or even governments may commit terrorist actions. Most terrorists, unlike criminals, claim to be dedicated to higher causes, and do not believe in personal gain. The methods used in terrorism include threats, bombings, the destruction of property, kidnapping, the taking of hostages, executions, and assassinations (Crenshaw 523). There are many reasons why political groups attempt to bring about radical change through terrorism. People are often frustrated with their position in society. They may in some way feel persecuted or oppressed because or their race, religion, or they feel exploited by a government. Any group that uses terrorist actions have very complex and powerful reasons to engage in those activities. In 1957 a radical Muslim by the name of Osama bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He ...

Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing

Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing In his final book, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History (2008), Ted Sorensen offered a prediction: I have little doubt that, when my time comes, my obituary in the New York Times (misspelling my last name once again) will be captioned: Theodore Sorenson, Kennedy Speechwriter. On November 1, 2010, the Times got the spelling right: Theodore C. Sorensen, 82, Kennedy Counselor, Dies. And though Sorensen did serve as ​a counselor and alter ego to John F. Kennedy from January 1953 to November 22, 1963, Kennedy Speechwriter was indeed his defining role. A graduate of the University of Nebraskas law school, Sorensen arrived in Washington, D.C. unbelievably green, as he later admitted. I had no legislative experience, no political experience. Id never written a speech. Id hardly been out of Nebraska. Nevertheless, Sorensen was soon called on to help write Senator Kennedys Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles in Courage (1955). He went on to co-author some of the most memorable presidential speeches of the last century, including Kennedys inaugural address, the Ich bin ein Berliner speech, and the American University commencement address on peace. Though most historians agree that Sorensen was the primary author of these eloquent and influential speeches, Sorensen himself maintained that Kennedy was the true author. As he said to Robert Schlesinger, If a man in a high office speaks words which convey his principles and policies and ideas and hes willing to stand behind them and take whatever blame or therefore credit go with them, [the speech is] his (White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters, 2008). In Kennedy, a book published two years after the presidents assassination, Sorensen spelled out some of the distinctive qualities of the Kennedy style of speech-writing. Youd be hard-pressed to find a more sensible list of tips for speakers. While our own orations may not be quite as momentous as a presidents, many of Kennedys rhetorical strategies are worth emulating, regardless of the occasion or the size of the audience. So the next time you address your colleagues or classmates from the front of the room, keep these principles in mind. The Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing The Kennedy style of speech-writingour style, I am not reluctant to say, for he never pretended that he had time to prepare first drafts for all his speechesevolved gradually over the years. . . .We were not conscious of following the elaborate techniques later ascribed to these speeches by literary analysts. Neither of us had any special training in composition, linguistics or semantics. Our chief criterion was always audience comprehension and comfort, and this meant: (1) short speeches, short clauses and short words, wherever possible; (2) a series of points or propositions in numbered or logical sequence wherever appropriate; and (3) the construction of sentences, phrases and paragraphs in such a manner as to simplify, clarify and emphasize.The test of a text was not how it appeared to the eye, but how it sounded to the ear. His best paragraphs, when read aloud, often had a cadence not unlike blank verseindeed at times key words would rhyme. He was fond of alliterative sentences, not solely for reasons of rhetoric but to reinforce the audiences recollection of his reasoning. Sentences began, however incorrect some may have regarded it, with And or But whenever that simplified and shortened the text. His frequent use of dashes was of doubtful grammatical standingbut it simplified the delivery and even the publication of a speech in a manner no comma, parenthesis or semicolon could match.Words were regarded as tools of precision, to be chosen and applied with a craftsmans care to whatever the situation required. He liked to be exact. But if the situation required a certain vagueness, he would deliberately choose a word of varying interpretations rather than bury his imprecision in ponderous prose.For he disliked verbosity and pomposity in his own remarks as much as he disliked them in others. He wanted both his message and his language to be plain and unpretentious, but never patronizing. He wanted his major policy statements to be positive, specific and defi nite, avoiding the use of suggest, perhaps and possible alternatives for consideration. At the same time, his emphasis on a course of reasonrejecting the extremes of either sidehelped produce the parallel construction and use of contrasts with which he later became identified. He had a weakness for one unnecessary phrase: The harsh facts of the matter are . . .but with few other exceptions his sentences were lean and crisp. . . .He used little or no slang, dialect, legalistic terms, contractions, clichà ©s, elaborate metaphors or ornate figures of speech. He refused to be folksy or to include any phrase or image he considered corny, tasteless or trite. He rarely used words he considered hackneyed: humble, dynamic, glorious. He used none of the customary word fillers (e.g., And I say to you that is a legitimate question and here is my answer). And he did not hesitate to depart from strict rules of English usage when he thought adherence to them (e.g., Our agenda are long) would grat e on the listeners ear.No speech was more than 20 to 30 minutes in duration. They were all too short and too crowded with facts to permit any excess of generalities and sentimentalities. His texts wasted no words and his delivery wasted no time.(Theodore C. Sorensen, Kennedy. Harper Row, 1965. Reprinted in 2009 as Kennedy: The Classic Biography) To those who question the value of rhetoric, dismissing all political speeches as mere words or style over substance, Sorensen had an answer. Kennedys rhetoric when he was president turned out to be a key to his success, he told an interviewer in 2008. His mere words about Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba helped resolve the worst crisis the world has ever known without the U.S. having to fire a shot. Similarly, in a New York Times op-ed published two months before his death, Sorensen countered several myths about the Kennedy-Nixon debates, including the view that it was style over substance, with Kennedy winning on delivery and looks. In the first debate, Sorensen argued, there was far more substance and nuance than in what now passes for political debate in our increasingly commercialized, sound-bite Twitter-fied culture, in which extremist rhetoric requires presidents to respond to outrageous claims. To learn more about the rhetoric and oratory of John Kennedy and Ted Sorensen, have a look at Thurston Clarkes Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America, published by Henry Holt in 2004 and now available in a Penguin paperback.

Organization Development- see description for topics Annotated Bibliography

Organization Development- see description for topics - Annotated Bibliography Example Companies must consider their interest, value, to the customer, and geographic scope before formulating their strategies. In his article, Lorenzen argues that with the increased demand for information technology especially during research, academic institutions should adopt strategic planning in their departments including libraries. This article indicates that for any organization to put in place effective strategies, it must undertake an analysis of the environment under which it operates. This can be done by the use of various frameworks such as SWOT, PESTEL, and Porters five among others. In this article, Priyanka Sangani indicates that companies in the modern times should ensure that employees take charge in strategic planning. This is not only a way of creating strong bond within an organization, but it also makes the workers to feel motivated. In this article, Arshdeep Sehgal covers the various strategies that Chief Financial Officers globally have adopted as the result of recent economic downturn worldwide. Notably, most of the CFOs spend most of their time in strategic planning as compared to the past years. This article defines strategic planning by the use of two myths. First myth according to the author is that strategic planning covers issues like SWOT analysis, value chain analysis, and competitive positioning among others. The second myth indicates that it entails making bold and risky bets by the use of available resources and opportunities. This article covers the eight-step change model that John Kotter, a renowned change expert established including creating urgency, forming a powerful coalition, creating a vision for change, communicating the vision, eliminating the obstacles, creation of short term wins, building on the change and adopting the change in the corporate culture. In this article, Kotter indicates that for an organization to experience a

The Professional Engineer and Micro-Electronics Essay

The Professional Engineer and Micro-Electronics - Essay Example This report is a comprehensive assessment of the work of professional engineer, who abides in a challenging work environment and has to incorporate with several legal and ethical obligations. The objective in this report is to investigate that how professional engineers work for sustainability, and what methods and programs they use to address complexity in their work environment. The Professional Engineering Tool Flow and Process Diagrams In the engineering practice, it has been noted that complexity lies in each of the engineering process. It could be a manufacturing process, process of design, or process of inventory that involves complexity. To understand complexity of a particular process, the professional engineer uses the tool of process diagram which is also called as flow diagram or process chart in engineering terms. This tool provides schematic representation of a process. Process diagram actually gives the whole picture of the process (the inside and outside of a process) ongoing in engineering. Mostly, chemical manufacturers, automotive firms, and electrical firms use this apprehensive tool to analyze the critical and problematic areas of a process. To condition a process, this tool is wide in its application. The Case of a Low-Capacity Manufacturer It is a noted fact that manufacturers try their best to improve and condition their manufacturing processes. ... rategic analysis tool such as the process diagram, which highlights the corrupt areas of a process, giving a reason to readjust or remove those areas (Carlo & Arleo, 2013). The literature brings the case of an apparel manufacturer which re-designs its production system and production facility by means of using process diagram tool. The process diagram assists and guides the manufacturer in different stages. It assists first in terms of reflecting on how the process is going and how possibly it can be modified or improved (Carlo & Arleo, 2013). The process diagram labels the schematic flow of the process that involves stages of blowing, basting, steeping, drying, dying and finishing altogether for producing a felt hat. These are stages that require readjustment and reformation as asserted by the manufacturer (Egelston, 2012). Using the process flow diagram, the manufacturer displays the AEIOUX sequence of its process. The areas which are absolutely necessary A, especially important E, important I, ordinary O, unimportant U, and undesirable X are highlighted using the analytical tool of process diagram (Carlo & Arleo, 2013). Using the process flow diagram, the manufacturer is able to take important decisions like which areas can be removed or can be brought to readjustment after the analysis has been made. The manufacturer improves the quality of its process by deploying the comprehensive analysis tool- the process flow diagram. Actually, the diagram has provided the algorithm to the manufacturer to improve and condition its whole production system (Carlo & Arleo, 2013). Process Flow Diagram of Felt Hat Manufacturing (Carlo & Arleo, 2013) The consequences led by the effective analysis tool (the process diagram) is that cost has got reduced and waste which was earlier

China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

China - Research Paper Example Taoism, Confucianism and other traditional beliefs are practiced by a quarter of the population. We can also see a small number of them are Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. It should be noted that since the nineteenth century there has been active catholic and protestant ministries but the progress to convert Chinese people to this religions has not been that effective. China has seven main dialects; these are mandarin, Hakka, Gan, Xiang, Cantonese, Wu, and Min. Mainland China has Putonghua the type of Mandarin that is based on the speech as its official national language. When writing the language in text it is symbol based. Just as geographical aspects and ethnic diversity influence the Chinese life so does it also affect the cuisine aspect. Cantonese way of cooking is among the main styles and comprises of Sezchuan and stir-fried dishes. Sezchuan mostly relies on using peanuts, ginger and sesame paste, it is well known for its spiciness. Fan is the Chinese word referring to rice but it also means meal. Rice is a staple food for the Chinese as well as scallions, bean sprouts and cabbage. Their consumption of meat is little but they occasionally indulge in chicken or pork. Their main source of protein is tofu. The rich mystical and spiritual history surrounding China plays a great role in their art. Many of the artistic pieces such as paintings and sculptures depict spiritual Buddhism figures. Music is also an integral part in their lives and some of the instruments such as the flute-like xun and the guqin are evidence. These instruments are in the Zither family. Musical history of the Chinese culture dates back to the beginning of its existence. Many of the movies we watch in theaters and at times in the comfort of our homes by the Chinese people show the kung-fu form of martial arts which has its birthplace in china. Chinese ancestors from ancient times were philosophers and avid writers especially in the famous Ming and Qing dynasties which is clearly ref lected in the liturgical history of china that is very rich. The beginning of the lunar year is marked by the spring festival which is also the largest festival taking place between mid-January and mid February. This is considered a time to honor the ancestors. The celebration lasts for fifteen days during which the children thoroughly clean their homes signifying a new beginning or a fresh start. Fireworks mark the holiday together with parades of dancers dressed as dragons. A great number of people make pilgrimages to the birthplace of Confucius in the province of Shandong. This is mostly during his birthday on September twenty eighth. People in China also observe the birthday of the goddess of mercy, Guanyin by visiting Taoist temples. It takes place between the months of late March and late April. The goddess of the sea known as Mazu or Tainhou has her birthday being celebrated in the months of May or June. In September or October they celebrate the Moon festival with moon gazin g, paper lanterns and fireworks. Edward L Davis’s book, the encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture has a great deal of historical information that is very educative but on a more important note it enlightens the reader about modern China. This book is a plethora on diverse aspects of culture in regards to the Chinese people and the author also did not forget to put into light the major cities that are present in China such as

History and Influences on South East Asia

History and Influences on South East Asia CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION If there were only two men in the world, how would they get on? They would help one another, harm one another, flatter one another, slander one another, fight one another, make it up, they could neither live together nor do without one another Philosophical Dictionary, 1764 Increasing role of China in South Asia has attracted the attention of the policy framers as well as scholars. Its foreign policy towards Southeast Asia has varied from indifference to hostility, but Chinese interest in the region has persisted since 1949. While India occupies a vital position in the Chinese calculation, there are discernible variations in Chinese policy towards other states in the region. The behaviour of Southeast Asian states towards China has also varied. Notwithstanding the persistence of the Indian factor in their perceptions, we observe different response to Chinese behaviour and policy in these states. Chinese foreign policy is undergoing a metamorphosis never seen in the history of the Peoples Republic (PRC). The country has enjoyed a more secure place in the world than before, yet it has remained dissatisfied with its international status. Chinas quest for international legitimacy and a positive image is tested by its pursuit of security interests and the power politics logic of its own and other states. Chinese foreign policy strategy has equally stressed the need to protect its national interest in a threatening world and the struggle to remold the international environment in line with its preferences. Clearly PRC foreign policy is complicated, dynamic, and consequential. China has managed to become a rising star in the international arena, both politically and economically. The bipolar world order lasting for nearly half a century came eventually to an abrupt end in the closing months of the 1980s as a result of dramatic changes in Eastern Europe and the so-called post cold w ar era began in the final decade of this century. China has some motivations in the Southeast Asia one of these is China is in pursuit of hegemony[1] in the region, another possibility is primarily defensive an attempt to neutralize the region while China focuses on internal priorities and the third possibility is to have a cooperative structure. India is seeking an expanded role in the international Geo-political arena which includes Asia and Southeast Asia. Indias growing economy ,common energy security interests, national interest, and power projection makes India China a Peer competitor. Beijings current goal in southeast Asia is to maintain a stable environment around its periphery to assure others that China is not threat, and to encourage economic ties that contribute to Chinas economic modernization and thus regime stability. The foreign policy instruments that Beijing has employed to secure its goals are constituent throughout most of Southeast Asia, but the priorities assigned to different strategic goals vary depending on Chinas interest in different part of the region. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM To examine the current politico-economic influences in South east Asia and recommend measures for India to significantly expand its politico-economic strategic influence in the South East Asian region with a view to counterbalance the overwhelming Chinese politico – economic dominance in the South East Asian Region.. Justification of the Study The most significant strategic development after the Cold War, is probably the sudden growth in Chinas economic potential and consequent national power. A rapid rise in power of a major country in the past has usually led to tension in the region, conflict with the neighbours and eventually a war. To make an assessment of Chinas posture well into the future is fraught with number of uncertainties. Equally, a projection of that role in the next century would, of necessity, demand an intimate acquaintance with how the Chinese have been involved in their dealings with this part of the world in the past. Above all, how that relationship has evolved, to the present day environment. Idea shall be to restrict the paper and sketch out important events in the near past, which have shaped the present and loom larger than the hoary past on the future that is yet in the limbo. The basic intention in writing this dissertation is To examine the current politico-economic influences in South east As ia and recommend measures for India to significantly expand its politico-economic strategic influence in the South East Asian region with a view to counterbalance the overwhelming Chinese politico – economic dominance in the South East Asian . A direct question has been addressed whether or not China restricts India from emerging as a global player. Scope Axiomatically any meaningful discussion of Chinas role in Southeast Asia would imply an understanding of its relations with the Indian subcontinent as a whole. Of the worlds great powers, China is geographically the closest to the Southeast Asian countries. It has common borders with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Caombodia. There is significant cultural similarities far reaching political and strategic repercussions over the past couple of centuries, and has propelled the worlds most populous regions into interaction in a wide variety of ways. From a simple geographical perspective, qualitative changes in the Chinas foreign policy should be expected if China grows from a medium-sized power to superpower. At its present rate of economic growth, Chinas productive capabilities and total wealth will soon outstrip those of the other Asian powers. As a weaker power, Chinas dependence on the favour of its neighbours has been comparatively high. But increased relative capabilities make i t feasible for a rising great power to exert greater control over its surroundings. If the opportunity arises to establish a dominant role in the region, China can be expected to seize it. Thus the scope of this paper has been restricted to Chinese dominance in the Southeast Asian region, which will pose vexing problems for India . An attempt has been made to analyse, how India can focus and counterbalance the overwhelming Chinese politico – economic dominance in the South East Asian. Organisation of Dissertation. The study is proposed to be dealt in the following sequence: Modern History strat influences in South East Asia. Political Economy of South East Asia. Chinese political and economical strategy in South East Asia. Indian political and economical strategy in South East Asia. Comparative Analysis of Indian Chinese politico-economic strategies in SE Asia. Recommended response of India to expand its influence in the region. CHAPTER III MODERN HISTORY AND STRATEGIC INFLUENCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA The post-Cold War world is seeing in some areas a resurgence of nationalism and in others a greater emphasis on regionalism. These two tendencies will overlap. In Southeast Asia national and ethnic differences were significantly blunted by European colonialism and in some cases have been further submerged in the post-colonial period of new nation states. But what is new in Southeast Asia is the development of voluntary (as distinct from externally mandated) cooperation on a sub-regional or regional level. Most recently there is the assertion of an Asian identity, shared by Southeast Asians, which is sharply distinguished from Western value systems, social norms and economic models. It is too early to say how far that will be taken or how much it will influence the political and social development of Southeast Asia. The very important differences between and indeed even within the Southeast Asian countries induces some skepticism in academic circles about the existence of Asian values [2] etc. But there is no doubt that there is a perception in the region of some essential shared values or priorities, and a rejection of what are seen as Western individualistic and libertarian values. An embryonic sense of shared interests transcending ethnic or national groups emerged in colonial times between independence movements, student movements and other groups, including notably the various Marxist-inspired or communist movements in the region. But until after the Pacific War there was little connection across the region. The colonial empires were very separate and governed on different principles. It is a common observation nowadays that Australia, on the fringe of the region, only recently and belatedly become aware of and involved with its Southeast Asian neighbors. That is true, though with some qualifications. There was peripheral contact in the north even before the Europeans colonized Australia. But in the colonial era there was no steady development of contact or interest. The shifting patterns of alliance politics in Europe affected such contacts as there were between the colonial administrations in Southeast Asia and Australia, and indeed between the Southeast A sian colonial administrations themselves. Australia was not unique, or even unusual, in having little contact with its neighbors and in having its external links directed principally along the lines laid down by the metropolitan power. What are now the independent nations of Southeast Asia also had little contact with each other during the European colonial period. Just as the lines of communication and trade ran from Melbourne and Sydney to London, so did those between the French, Dutch, and other British colonies and the respective metropolitan powers in Europe. Right up to the Pacific War there was little or no communication between, for example, what are now Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The links ran from Manila to the United States, from Batavia to the Netherlands, from Hanoi to France, and so on. It was the remarkable Japanese campaign which began at the end of 1941 which precipitated or accelerated the radical changes which took place between 1945 and the end of the Vietnam war. The sheer speed and success of the Japanese successes against numerically superior defending forces in Southeast Asia made a strong impression on opinion in the erstwhile colonies. The Japanese failed to capitalize on that in the sense that after early political successes in encouraging nationalist and pro-Japanese movements the appeal to shared Asian interests lost plausibility in the face of Japanese policies and actions which were exploitative or worse. Although Japan lost the war and left wounds in the region which are still not healed, the war precipitated the end of the moribund European colonial era, and accelerated the creation of independent states largely within borders established by the colonial empires. For some years trade and other economic links remained predominantly in the old colon ial grooves but with the economic supremacy of the United States and then with Japan embarked on decades of the highest rates of economic growth the world had yet seen, those patterns diversified. In the region the United States and Japan became the two most important outside powers and that was reflected inter alia by their leading roles in the setting up of the Asian Development Bank in 1966. By that time Australia[3] too had perforce diversified its trade away from Britain which had made it clear that it would seek its future economic arrangements in Europe and the Commonwealth arrangements which had supported much of Australias traditional export industry were phased out. Australia turned to Japan and others for new markets (a trade agreement with Japan had already been made in 1957). Australias development assistance programme had from the beginning concentrated on Southeast Asia and become and increasingly important instrument for involving this country with the region, especially as significant numbers of students from the region came to our universities and other institutions under the Colombo Plan and successor programmes.The failure of the attempted coup in Indonesia, the Gestapu of 30 September 1965, and the subsequent establishment of the New Order government there opened the way to overcome the regional or sub-regional strains produced by President Sukarnos eff orts to crush the newly-constructed Malaysia, as well as other tensions created or exacerbated by the Sukarno policies. In this climate ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, was established in 1967 and set out on its long and successful course of gradually building a sense of common interest and regional association among the six (originally five) members. ASEAN recently embarked on the development of AFTA, the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. ASEAN has become the key institution in Southeast Asia not only because of its success in developing a sense of community among its very disparate members, and in finding a road for them to closer economic cooperation. It has also become the forum for discussion with the main world powers on a wide range of matters. This has come about through an annual mechanism of post-Ministerial consultations held after ASEANs own internal consultations through which ASEAN member governments, at Foreign Minister level, meet with their counterparts. These counterparts, termed dialogue partners, currently are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United States. In 1994 discussions on regional security were further developed with the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which groups ASEAN and its dialogue partners with Russia, China, Vietnam, Laos and Papua New Guinea. Looking at the recent evolution of Southeast Asia perhaps the most sig nificant thing has been the change that has occurred since the ending of the Cold War and the collapse of communism. Until relatively recently the centrally planned economy model had much attraction for many developing countries and there was up to the beginning of the eighties quite widespread aversion to capitalism and to the liberal market model as exemplified by the Western industrialized countries. Now virtually all of Southeast Asia is committed to market economics, albeit with more governmental political control than in the Western countries. There is a virtual unanimity about the commitment to economic development based on relatively open markets, private ownership and competition. With that has come a period of unprecedented economic growth. The major economies of Southeast Asia are all growing at rates previously thought unattainable for a sustained period. There are of course some uncertainties about the future; but there are few who doubt that Southeast Asia will early i n the twenty-first century be a major centre of economic power and influence. Southeast Asia has traditionally been a site of great power competition for regional dominance, due to its strategic location as a bridge between continental and maritime East Asia. To manage this competition and to enhance their own sub regional autonomy, the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) engaged in a number of regional institution building initiatives during the early 1990s. This institutionalism agenda led to speculation that ASEAN could become the hub of a nascent regional security community following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, however, the prospect that ASEAN could act as an autonomous entity to mitigate Sino-U.S. geopolitical pressures seemed increasingly tenuous. Weakened by political and economic instability, intra-regional disputes and a simultaneous expansion of its membership, ASEAN has come to question its own identity. This has only further undermined ASEAN-led regional security initiatives such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF ). More frequently, Southeast Asian states have favored bilateralism and have looked to external powers to realize their security interests. These changing sub regional dynamics have, in turn, prompted renewed efforts by China and the United States to cultivate influence within Southeast Asia. Chinas attempts to gain support for its new security concept and US efforts to secure additional access and infrastructure agreements along the East Asian littoral are illustrative. To some extent, Sino-U.S. geopolitical competition has been modified by strategic cooperation resulting from the war on terror. China still remains wary of U.S. attempts to engage Southeast Asia in countering global terrorism. These trends have, in turn, compelled analysts to reconceptualize the Southeast Asian security landscape in a balance of power context. It is clear continental Southeast Asian states have aligned with China and maritime Southeast Asian states have aligned with the United States. The geographi c position of China and the United States, and the evolution of their interests and military capabilities accordingly, make it unlikely that either country would seek to project power into the others respective sphere. Southeast Asian states maintain a position of equidistance between the great powers. She attributes this to the ASEAN states general distrust of great powers and their desire to maintain the delicate Sino-U.S. regional balance. CHAPTER IV POLITICAL ECONOMY OF SOUTH EAST ASIA China sleeps, when she wakes, the World will tremble Napoleon The South east Asian countries over the past four decades has transformed itself from a region with enormous economic and political problems to one blessed with relative peace and prosperity. In particular the five ASEAN economies, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand , grew strongly in the 1960s with an average rate of 6 percent. This buoyant economic performance continued in the 1970s with 7.3 percent as they benefited from the massive inflows of the foreign exchange earnings due to sharp increase in the world price of primary commodities, including two oil shocks which benefited some of the members the same period. In the 1980s the region slowed down to an average growth rate of 6.1 percent. Regional economies experienced recessionary conditions due to high interest rate policy of the US Federal Reserve Bank, the consequent debt crisis in the region, the recession in the ASEANs major trading and investment partners, and the fall in the world prices of the primary commodities. But there was also a positive trend of influx of export- oriented foreign direct investment from Japan and the NIEs following the strong appreciation of their currencies. The recovery from 1991 to 1996 was followed by an economic contraction in 1997-98 due to the crisis which began in Thailand in July 1997 and spread to other parts of the region. In 1999-2000, the ASEAN economies staged a dramatic recovery with Singapore and Malaysia leading, things again turned sour with the September 11 attacks and the lackluster performance of the export sector. There was again a decrease in the economic growth due to the SARS, Iraq cri sis and terrorist related attacks, slump in the electronic market and collapse of the WTO talks in Cancun. The global economy is most rapid in emerging Asia where GDP accelerated to 7.2 percent in 2003, accounting for about 50 per cent of world growth. Looking forward, growth is projected to remain high at 7.4 per cent in 2004 and 7.0 per cent in 2005. The IMF stated that while domestic demand growth has increased significantly in emerging Asia, the regional current account surpluses remain very large, with exports supported by the rebound in the information technology (IT) sector as well as depreciating exchange rates. In the ASEAN-4, Thailand has shown the strongest expansion at 6.7 per cent in 2003, and is expected to remain high at 7 per cent in 2004 and 6.7 per cent in 2005. Cyclical considerations and high levels of public debt necessitate fiscal prudence for Thai authorities. The Malaysian economy is also recovering strongly and is expected to continue with inflation and unemployment remaining at low levels. However, the main policy priorities are the implementation of the announced fiscal consolidation to achieve a balanced budget by the year 2006 and greater exchange rate flexibility accompanied with suitable macroeconomic policies. Indonesias modest growth continues to be driven by private consumption, and has been accompanied with lower inflation. The Indonesian government should continue to implement its planned fiscal consolidation. Moreover, it needs to sustain banking, legal and judicial reforms in order to provide a better investment climate conducive to higher growth. As for the Philippines, uncertainties remain high even after the May 2, 2004 presidential elections. The main concerns of the Philippine government include increasing the tax revenues, restructuring the power sector, strengthening the banking sector, and improving the business system. Following the SARS crisis, the Singapore economy recovered in 2003 with supportive macroeconomic policies. To enhance its medium-term competitiveness and growth prospects, the IMF recommends a deepening and acceleration of reforms including further divestment of government  ­linked companies Issues and Challenges for Southeast Asian/ASEAN Domestic policy issues and challenges. On the domestic front, the growth prospects for ASEAN are very much dependent on various factors including the ability of their respective governments to provide economic, political and social stability, implement economic reforms, and diversify their economies. ASEAN policy makers thus face the following challenges: Sound macroeconomic environment. Following the 1997/98 economic crisis, government budget deficits relative to GDP have broadly increased and this is of serious concern for ASEAN governments, particularly for Malaysia and the Philippines. Price instability has become a serious concern for Indonesia and the Philippines. Exchange rates in Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar have weakened significantly. Moreover, the rising levels of foreign debt in the Philippines and Indonesia could create additional uncertainties. In terms of the current account surplus as a proportion of GDP, the six older ASEAN members have broadly shown higher levels relative to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV countries). Thus, in order to achieve a sound macroeconomic environment, ASEAN economies need to adopt a prudent fiscal policy, low inflation rates, stable exchange rates, and manageable levels of external debt and current account balance. Stable political and business environment. The political environment in some countries has been affected by military uprisings, kidnappings, bombings and other terrorist-related activities, peoples demonstrations, and elections. A 1997 survey of Japanese firms conducted by JETRO indicated that political stability is considered as the most significant determinant of Japanese investments in ASEAN. Thus Southeast Asian governments need to find ways and means towards achieving and maintaining a politically stable environment in order to encourage domestic and foreign investments. Social Harmony. ASEAN countries need to address issues such as conflicts between racial groups (e.g. the Chinese and pribumis in Indonesia, and the Chinese and bumiputras in Malaysia), between religious groups (e.g. the Muslims and Christians in Southern Philippines) and between the poor and rich. Despite all the policies and resources spent on alleviating poverty and reducing income inequality, unemployment, poverty and income inequality continue to be the major policy concerns of ASEAN governments. In reality, it is very difficult to reduce poverty and narrow the income gap given the interplay of politics, economics and industry, and the conflicting goals of the various interest groups in the economy like businesses, religious groups, the elite, farmers, small and medium entrepreneurs, etc. Thailands income gap between the rich and the poor was the widest in the world (Bangkok Post, 2S Aug 2003). In the Philippines, Gerard Clark and Marites Sison (2003) in their study titled liDo t he well-off really care about the plight of the poor? revealed that majority of the respondents suggested that some elite people cared while others did not; and those who did care did too little or acted primarily out of self-interest. In fact, there are some people in the superior group like the elite who wish the poor to remain poor because of the benefits that can be derived from their poverty. For instance, politicians often depend on the poor at elections time for support that propels them to political office. Economic Reforms. Southeast Asian governments need to continue implementing economic reforms that include market opening, trade, investment and financial liberalization. These reforms are particularly crucial for the CLMV countries as they undergo transition from centrally planned to market  ­oriented economies and for the crisis-hit countries especially Indonesia and Thailand. In the case of Indonesia, there was a lack of seriousness on the part of the political leadership to undertake economic reforms. For example, there were delays in the removal of tariff control and the privatization of state assets and enterprises, so that the process of reforms is reverting to protectionism. Furthermore, a delay in the IMFs financial assistance added to the ineffectiveness of Indonesias recovery programme. Thailand completed its 34-month Stand-By Arrangement from the IMF that formed part of an international financial package worth US$17.2 billion from multilateral and bilateral lenders. Outs tanding obligations at end-June 2002 amounted to US$6.4 billion and repayment was finally completed on July 31,2003, some two years ahead of schedule a significant achievement on the part of the Thai government. Economic Diversion. Various factors impel ASEAN economies to continue to diversify their economies: volatile and broadly declining primary commodity prices, depletion of non-renewable primary resources such as oil and gas, and the high costs of production. Following the decline in crude oil prices in the 1980s, Brunei and Indonesia have begun to diversify their economies from oil towards non-oil products and services (finance, tourism). Because of the high costs of production (e.g. high labour costs), Singapores economy has emphasised the significant contribution of the services sector (IT, education, tourism, finance). The services sector has accounted for about 60-70 per cent of Singapores GDP. Moreover, to improve the competitiveness of Singapores manufactured products and services, several cost-cutting measures have been implemented, namely, cuts in contribution rates for mandatory saving, reduction in corporate taxes, and reduction in utility charges. Long-run policies include t raining and re-training programmes for workers and greater focus on RD activities for innovations and improvement in technology. In Singapore, there are more than 600,000 workers with secondary education or lower. As such, it is extremely important that these workers upgrade their skills and learn new tasks to be more productive and to be more employable in the future. There are also other schemes such as the job re-design programmes implemented by the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board which involves changing both job content and arrangement to encourage workers to become more productive. Other ASEAN countries can learn from Singapores experiences with regard to cost-cutting measures, training and re-training programmes, and RD activities to improve productivity and competitiveness. Multi-Ethnic States. Multi-ethnicity is a dominant feature of the region and therefore stable inter-state ties and intra-state ethnic stability are closely intertwined. The region has to work toward the stability and security of strong, secular, federal multi- ethnic states if it is to remain secure and stable in the coming years. The Challenge of Democratisaton. The other key political challenge that confronts South East Asian nations is how to build stable, democratic state structures in condition of a rising tide of expectations for better life and greater liberty. Through much of Asia, the struggle between pressures for democratization against existing authoritarian state structures or oppressive socio-political conditions is a reality. Human rights abuses are common in many of the states. In Myanmar and Indonesia there is a rising pressure for political change and expansion of political rights. Militancy, insurgency and terrorism have wracked many parts of ASEAN region in the past and continue to do so even now. Only through steady democratization, decentralization and provision of caring and efficient governance can the integrity of state structures and stability be preserved. CHAPTER V Chinese political and economical strategy in South East Asia. China perceives itself as a central power on Earth. The rest of the World is an array of greater and lesser powers which neither have unified structure nor a single head Macnall Mark[4] Chinas political and economic strategy are interlinked with the security relation that China shares with the Southeast Asia as a region. China embraced the Southeast Asian regionalism and of multilateralism with Southeast Asia is part of broader decision to jettison Chinas old confrontational policy and style. Chinese leaders officials turned this approach to South east Asia on its head replacing the assertiveness that characterized pre 1997 Chinese policy with accommodation. This concerted campaign assuaged South east Asian fears but also paved the way for South east Asian and Chinese to participate in and profit from this rapidly expanding economic ties. Chinese leaders and officials smoothly employed diplomacy in innumerable meeting with South east Asian counterparts to slowly and carefully win greater influence in south east Asia. The Chinese foreign policy community made a concerted effort to represent Chinas reemergence as a regional power. It portrayed recent trends as aligne d with the economic and security interests of its southern neighbors. China convinced the neighbors that it is not a threat. China employed the same set of instruments of Chinese national security policy at both multilateral level with ASEAN and bilateral level with individual ASEAN states albeit with differing effects in the countries concerned depending on their individual circumstances. It places contentious issues temporarily to the side, places processes before product and welcomes efforts to build EAST ASIAN community. Beijing binds the South East Asean countries with a spectrum of economic, political and cultural and security proposals. As Beijing courted its southern neighbors, it supplemented diplomacy with economic ties in terms of trade and economic investment. China opened China to overseas ethnic Chinese and invited ethnic Chinese Southeast Asians to invest in China and subsequently invited Southeast Asians. Rapid increases in the Southeast Asian- China trade led to ove rcome the financial crisis. Chinas economic success has been as impressive as its diplomatic campaign, because china and Southeast Asian countries have been competitors both FDI and for developed markets in Japan,Europe and the United States. Beijing has worked assiduously tp provide Southeast Asian economies with a stake in Chinas economic expansion thus stabilizing Chinas periphery and contributing to Chinas own economic growth. Chinas turn to multilateralism diplomacy was to compliment its intense bilateral diplomacy was timely. ASEAN grew during the 1990 and accommodated new countries and also in the due course of time it had not been able to respond to the financial crisis and also the turmoil in East Timor. Chinas help to ASEAN gave a new appearance to ASEAN. Multilateral diplomacy provided a two way street for ASEAN countries and China and provided measures to forge new bonds. ASEAN also History and Influences on South East Asia History and Influences on South East Asia CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION If there were only two men in the world, how would they get on? They would help one another, harm one another, flatter one another, slander one another, fight one another, make it up, they could neither live together nor do without one another Philosophical Dictionary, 1764 Increasing role of China in South Asia has attracted the attention of the policy framers as well as scholars. Its foreign policy towards Southeast Asia has varied from indifference to hostility, but Chinese interest in the region has persisted since 1949. While India occupies a vital position in the Chinese calculation, there are discernible variations in Chinese policy towards other states in the region. The behaviour of Southeast Asian states towards China has also varied. Notwithstanding the persistence of the Indian factor in their perceptions, we observe different response to Chinese behaviour and policy in these states. Chinese foreign policy is undergoing a metamorphosis never seen in the history of the Peoples Republic (PRC). The country has enjoyed a more secure place in the world than before, yet it has remained dissatisfied with its international status. Chinas quest for international legitimacy and a positive image is tested by its pursuit of security interests and the power politics logic of its own and other states. Chinese foreign policy strategy has equally stressed the need to protect its national interest in a threatening world and the struggle to remold the international environment in line with its preferences. Clearly PRC foreign policy is complicated, dynamic, and consequential. China has managed to become a rising star in the international arena, both politically and economically. The bipolar world order lasting for nearly half a century came eventually to an abrupt end in the closing months of the 1980s as a result of dramatic changes in Eastern Europe and the so-called post cold w ar era began in the final decade of this century. China has some motivations in the Southeast Asia one of these is China is in pursuit of hegemony[1] in the region, another possibility is primarily defensive an attempt to neutralize the region while China focuses on internal priorities and the third possibility is to have a cooperative structure. India is seeking an expanded role in the international Geo-political arena which includes Asia and Southeast Asia. Indias growing economy ,common energy security interests, national interest, and power projection makes India China a Peer competitor. Beijings current goal in southeast Asia is to maintain a stable environment around its periphery to assure others that China is not threat, and to encourage economic ties that contribute to Chinas economic modernization and thus regime stability. The foreign policy instruments that Beijing has employed to secure its goals are constituent throughout most of Southeast Asia, but the priorities assigned to different strategic goals vary depending on Chinas interest in different part of the region. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM To examine the current politico-economic influences in South east Asia and recommend measures for India to significantly expand its politico-economic strategic influence in the South East Asian region with a view to counterbalance the overwhelming Chinese politico – economic dominance in the South East Asian Region.. Justification of the Study The most significant strategic development after the Cold War, is probably the sudden growth in Chinas economic potential and consequent national power. A rapid rise in power of a major country in the past has usually led to tension in the region, conflict with the neighbours and eventually a war. To make an assessment of Chinas posture well into the future is fraught with number of uncertainties. Equally, a projection of that role in the next century would, of necessity, demand an intimate acquaintance with how the Chinese have been involved in their dealings with this part of the world in the past. Above all, how that relationship has evolved, to the present day environment. Idea shall be to restrict the paper and sketch out important events in the near past, which have shaped the present and loom larger than the hoary past on the future that is yet in the limbo. The basic intention in writing this dissertation is To examine the current politico-economic influences in South east As ia and recommend measures for India to significantly expand its politico-economic strategic influence in the South East Asian region with a view to counterbalance the overwhelming Chinese politico – economic dominance in the South East Asian . A direct question has been addressed whether or not China restricts India from emerging as a global player. Scope Axiomatically any meaningful discussion of Chinas role in Southeast Asia would imply an understanding of its relations with the Indian subcontinent as a whole. Of the worlds great powers, China is geographically the closest to the Southeast Asian countries. It has common borders with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Caombodia. There is significant cultural similarities far reaching political and strategic repercussions over the past couple of centuries, and has propelled the worlds most populous regions into interaction in a wide variety of ways. From a simple geographical perspective, qualitative changes in the Chinas foreign policy should be expected if China grows from a medium-sized power to superpower. At its present rate of economic growth, Chinas productive capabilities and total wealth will soon outstrip those of the other Asian powers. As a weaker power, Chinas dependence on the favour of its neighbours has been comparatively high. But increased relative capabilities make i t feasible for a rising great power to exert greater control over its surroundings. If the opportunity arises to establish a dominant role in the region, China can be expected to seize it. Thus the scope of this paper has been restricted to Chinese dominance in the Southeast Asian region, which will pose vexing problems for India . An attempt has been made to analyse, how India can focus and counterbalance the overwhelming Chinese politico – economic dominance in the South East Asian. Organisation of Dissertation. The study is proposed to be dealt in the following sequence: Modern History strat influences in South East Asia. Political Economy of South East Asia. Chinese political and economical strategy in South East Asia. Indian political and economical strategy in South East Asia. Comparative Analysis of Indian Chinese politico-economic strategies in SE Asia. Recommended response of India to expand its influence in the region. CHAPTER III MODERN HISTORY AND STRATEGIC INFLUENCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA The post-Cold War world is seeing in some areas a resurgence of nationalism and in others a greater emphasis on regionalism. These two tendencies will overlap. In Southeast Asia national and ethnic differences were significantly blunted by European colonialism and in some cases have been further submerged in the post-colonial period of new nation states. But what is new in Southeast Asia is the development of voluntary (as distinct from externally mandated) cooperation on a sub-regional or regional level. Most recently there is the assertion of an Asian identity, shared by Southeast Asians, which is sharply distinguished from Western value systems, social norms and economic models. It is too early to say how far that will be taken or how much it will influence the political and social development of Southeast Asia. The very important differences between and indeed even within the Southeast Asian countries induces some skepticism in academic circles about the existence of Asian values [2] etc. But there is no doubt that there is a perception in the region of some essential shared values or priorities, and a rejection of what are seen as Western individualistic and libertarian values. An embryonic sense of shared interests transcending ethnic or national groups emerged in colonial times between independence movements, student movements and other groups, including notably the various Marxist-inspired or communist movements in the region. But until after the Pacific War there was little connection across the region. The colonial empires were very separate and governed on different principles. It is a common observation nowadays that Australia, on the fringe of the region, only recently and belatedly become aware of and involved with its Southeast Asian neighbors. That is true, though with some qualifications. There was peripheral contact in the north even before the Europeans colonized Australia. But in the colonial era there was no steady development of contact or interest. The shifting patterns of alliance politics in Europe affected such contacts as there were between the colonial administrations in Southeast Asia and Australia, and indeed between the Southeast A sian colonial administrations themselves. Australia was not unique, or even unusual, in having little contact with its neighbors and in having its external links directed principally along the lines laid down by the metropolitan power. What are now the independent nations of Southeast Asia also had little contact with each other during the European colonial period. Just as the lines of communication and trade ran from Melbourne and Sydney to London, so did those between the French, Dutch, and other British colonies and the respective metropolitan powers in Europe. Right up to the Pacific War there was little or no communication between, for example, what are now Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The links ran from Manila to the United States, from Batavia to the Netherlands, from Hanoi to France, and so on. It was the remarkable Japanese campaign which began at the end of 1941 which precipitated or accelerated the radical changes which took place between 1945 and the end of the Vietnam war. The sheer speed and success of the Japanese successes against numerically superior defending forces in Southeast Asia made a strong impression on opinion in the erstwhile colonies. The Japanese failed to capitalize on that in the sense that after early political successes in encouraging nationalist and pro-Japanese movements the appeal to shared Asian interests lost plausibility in the face of Japanese policies and actions which were exploitative or worse. Although Japan lost the war and left wounds in the region which are still not healed, the war precipitated the end of the moribund European colonial era, and accelerated the creation of independent states largely within borders established by the colonial empires. For some years trade and other economic links remained predominantly in the old colon ial grooves but with the economic supremacy of the United States and then with Japan embarked on decades of the highest rates of economic growth the world had yet seen, those patterns diversified. In the region the United States and Japan became the two most important outside powers and that was reflected inter alia by their leading roles in the setting up of the Asian Development Bank in 1966. By that time Australia[3] too had perforce diversified its trade away from Britain which had made it clear that it would seek its future economic arrangements in Europe and the Commonwealth arrangements which had supported much of Australias traditional export industry were phased out. Australia turned to Japan and others for new markets (a trade agreement with Japan had already been made in 1957). Australias development assistance programme had from the beginning concentrated on Southeast Asia and become and increasingly important instrument for involving this country with the region, especially as significant numbers of students from the region came to our universities and other institutions under the Colombo Plan and successor programmes.The failure of the attempted coup in Indonesia, the Gestapu of 30 September 1965, and the subsequent establishment of the New Order government there opened the way to overcome the regional or sub-regional strains produced by President Sukarnos eff orts to crush the newly-constructed Malaysia, as well as other tensions created or exacerbated by the Sukarno policies. In this climate ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, was established in 1967 and set out on its long and successful course of gradually building a sense of common interest and regional association among the six (originally five) members. ASEAN recently embarked on the development of AFTA, the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. ASEAN has become the key institution in Southeast Asia not only because of its success in developing a sense of community among its very disparate members, and in finding a road for them to closer economic cooperation. It has also become the forum for discussion with the main world powers on a wide range of matters. This has come about through an annual mechanism of post-Ministerial consultations held after ASEANs own internal consultations through which ASEAN member governments, at Foreign Minister level, meet with their counterparts. These counterparts, termed dialogue partners, currently are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United States. In 1994 discussions on regional security were further developed with the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which groups ASEAN and its dialogue partners with Russia, China, Vietnam, Laos and Papua New Guinea. Looking at the recent evolution of Southeast Asia perhaps the most sig nificant thing has been the change that has occurred since the ending of the Cold War and the collapse of communism. Until relatively recently the centrally planned economy model had much attraction for many developing countries and there was up to the beginning of the eighties quite widespread aversion to capitalism and to the liberal market model as exemplified by the Western industrialized countries. Now virtually all of Southeast Asia is committed to market economics, albeit with more governmental political control than in the Western countries. There is a virtual unanimity about the commitment to economic development based on relatively open markets, private ownership and competition. With that has come a period of unprecedented economic growth. The major economies of Southeast Asia are all growing at rates previously thought unattainable for a sustained period. There are of course some uncertainties about the future; but there are few who doubt that Southeast Asia will early i n the twenty-first century be a major centre of economic power and influence. Southeast Asia has traditionally been a site of great power competition for regional dominance, due to its strategic location as a bridge between continental and maritime East Asia. To manage this competition and to enhance their own sub regional autonomy, the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) engaged in a number of regional institution building initiatives during the early 1990s. This institutionalism agenda led to speculation that ASEAN could become the hub of a nascent regional security community following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, however, the prospect that ASEAN could act as an autonomous entity to mitigate Sino-U.S. geopolitical pressures seemed increasingly tenuous. Weakened by political and economic instability, intra-regional disputes and a simultaneous expansion of its membership, ASEAN has come to question its own identity. This has only further undermined ASEAN-led regional security initiatives such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF ). More frequently, Southeast Asian states have favored bilateralism and have looked to external powers to realize their security interests. These changing sub regional dynamics have, in turn, prompted renewed efforts by China and the United States to cultivate influence within Southeast Asia. Chinas attempts to gain support for its new security concept and US efforts to secure additional access and infrastructure agreements along the East Asian littoral are illustrative. To some extent, Sino-U.S. geopolitical competition has been modified by strategic cooperation resulting from the war on terror. China still remains wary of U.S. attempts to engage Southeast Asia in countering global terrorism. These trends have, in turn, compelled analysts to reconceptualize the Southeast Asian security landscape in a balance of power context. It is clear continental Southeast Asian states have aligned with China and maritime Southeast Asian states have aligned with the United States. The geographi c position of China and the United States, and the evolution of their interests and military capabilities accordingly, make it unlikely that either country would seek to project power into the others respective sphere. Southeast Asian states maintain a position of equidistance between the great powers. She attributes this to the ASEAN states general distrust of great powers and their desire to maintain the delicate Sino-U.S. regional balance. CHAPTER IV POLITICAL ECONOMY OF SOUTH EAST ASIA China sleeps, when she wakes, the World will tremble Napoleon The South east Asian countries over the past four decades has transformed itself from a region with enormous economic and political problems to one blessed with relative peace and prosperity. In particular the five ASEAN economies, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand , grew strongly in the 1960s with an average rate of 6 percent. This buoyant economic performance continued in the 1970s with 7.3 percent as they benefited from the massive inflows of the foreign exchange earnings due to sharp increase in the world price of primary commodities, including two oil shocks which benefited some of the members the same period. In the 1980s the region slowed down to an average growth rate of 6.1 percent. Regional economies experienced recessionary conditions due to high interest rate policy of the US Federal Reserve Bank, the consequent debt crisis in the region, the recession in the ASEANs major trading and investment partners, and the fall in the world prices of the primary commodities. But there was also a positive trend of influx of export- oriented foreign direct investment from Japan and the NIEs following the strong appreciation of their currencies. The recovery from 1991 to 1996 was followed by an economic contraction in 1997-98 due to the crisis which began in Thailand in July 1997 and spread to other parts of the region. In 1999-2000, the ASEAN economies staged a dramatic recovery with Singapore and Malaysia leading, things again turned sour with the September 11 attacks and the lackluster performance of the export sector. There was again a decrease in the economic growth due to the SARS, Iraq cri sis and terrorist related attacks, slump in the electronic market and collapse of the WTO talks in Cancun. The global economy is most rapid in emerging Asia where GDP accelerated to 7.2 percent in 2003, accounting for about 50 per cent of world growth. Looking forward, growth is projected to remain high at 7.4 per cent in 2004 and 7.0 per cent in 2005. The IMF stated that while domestic demand growth has increased significantly in emerging Asia, the regional current account surpluses remain very large, with exports supported by the rebound in the information technology (IT) sector as well as depreciating exchange rates. In the ASEAN-4, Thailand has shown the strongest expansion at 6.7 per cent in 2003, and is expected to remain high at 7 per cent in 2004 and 6.7 per cent in 2005. Cyclical considerations and high levels of public debt necessitate fiscal prudence for Thai authorities. The Malaysian economy is also recovering strongly and is expected to continue with inflation and unemployment remaining at low levels. However, the main policy priorities are the implementation of the announced fiscal consolidation to achieve a balanced budget by the year 2006 and greater exchange rate flexibility accompanied with suitable macroeconomic policies. Indonesias modest growth continues to be driven by private consumption, and has been accompanied with lower inflation. The Indonesian government should continue to implement its planned fiscal consolidation. Moreover, it needs to sustain banking, legal and judicial reforms in order to provide a better investment climate conducive to higher growth. As for the Philippines, uncertainties remain high even after the May 2, 2004 presidential elections. The main concerns of the Philippine government include increasing the tax revenues, restructuring the power sector, strengthening the banking sector, and improving the business system. Following the SARS crisis, the Singapore economy recovered in 2003 with supportive macroeconomic policies. To enhance its medium-term competitiveness and growth prospects, the IMF recommends a deepening and acceleration of reforms including further divestment of government  ­linked companies Issues and Challenges for Southeast Asian/ASEAN Domestic policy issues and challenges. On the domestic front, the growth prospects for ASEAN are very much dependent on various factors including the ability of their respective governments to provide economic, political and social stability, implement economic reforms, and diversify their economies. ASEAN policy makers thus face the following challenges: Sound macroeconomic environment. Following the 1997/98 economic crisis, government budget deficits relative to GDP have broadly increased and this is of serious concern for ASEAN governments, particularly for Malaysia and the Philippines. Price instability has become a serious concern for Indonesia and the Philippines. Exchange rates in Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar have weakened significantly. Moreover, the rising levels of foreign debt in the Philippines and Indonesia could create additional uncertainties. In terms of the current account surplus as a proportion of GDP, the six older ASEAN members have broadly shown higher levels relative to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV countries). Thus, in order to achieve a sound macroeconomic environment, ASEAN economies need to adopt a prudent fiscal policy, low inflation rates, stable exchange rates, and manageable levels of external debt and current account balance. Stable political and business environment. The political environment in some countries has been affected by military uprisings, kidnappings, bombings and other terrorist-related activities, peoples demonstrations, and elections. A 1997 survey of Japanese firms conducted by JETRO indicated that political stability is considered as the most significant determinant of Japanese investments in ASEAN. Thus Southeast Asian governments need to find ways and means towards achieving and maintaining a politically stable environment in order to encourage domestic and foreign investments. Social Harmony. ASEAN countries need to address issues such as conflicts between racial groups (e.g. the Chinese and pribumis in Indonesia, and the Chinese and bumiputras in Malaysia), between religious groups (e.g. the Muslims and Christians in Southern Philippines) and between the poor and rich. Despite all the policies and resources spent on alleviating poverty and reducing income inequality, unemployment, poverty and income inequality continue to be the major policy concerns of ASEAN governments. In reality, it is very difficult to reduce poverty and narrow the income gap given the interplay of politics, economics and industry, and the conflicting goals of the various interest groups in the economy like businesses, religious groups, the elite, farmers, small and medium entrepreneurs, etc. Thailands income gap between the rich and the poor was the widest in the world (Bangkok Post, 2S Aug 2003). In the Philippines, Gerard Clark and Marites Sison (2003) in their study titled liDo t he well-off really care about the plight of the poor? revealed that majority of the respondents suggested that some elite people cared while others did not; and those who did care did too little or acted primarily out of self-interest. In fact, there are some people in the superior group like the elite who wish the poor to remain poor because of the benefits that can be derived from their poverty. For instance, politicians often depend on the poor at elections time for support that propels them to political office. Economic Reforms. Southeast Asian governments need to continue implementing economic reforms that include market opening, trade, investment and financial liberalization. These reforms are particularly crucial for the CLMV countries as they undergo transition from centrally planned to market  ­oriented economies and for the crisis-hit countries especially Indonesia and Thailand. In the case of Indonesia, there was a lack of seriousness on the part of the political leadership to undertake economic reforms. For example, there were delays in the removal of tariff control and the privatization of state assets and enterprises, so that the process of reforms is reverting to protectionism. Furthermore, a delay in the IMFs financial assistance added to the ineffectiveness of Indonesias recovery programme. Thailand completed its 34-month Stand-By Arrangement from the IMF that formed part of an international financial package worth US$17.2 billion from multilateral and bilateral lenders. Outs tanding obligations at end-June 2002 amounted to US$6.4 billion and repayment was finally completed on July 31,2003, some two years ahead of schedule a significant achievement on the part of the Thai government. Economic Diversion. Various factors impel ASEAN economies to continue to diversify their economies: volatile and broadly declining primary commodity prices, depletion of non-renewable primary resources such as oil and gas, and the high costs of production. Following the decline in crude oil prices in the 1980s, Brunei and Indonesia have begun to diversify their economies from oil towards non-oil products and services (finance, tourism). Because of the high costs of production (e.g. high labour costs), Singapores economy has emphasised the significant contribution of the services sector (IT, education, tourism, finance). The services sector has accounted for about 60-70 per cent of Singapores GDP. Moreover, to improve the competitiveness of Singapores manufactured products and services, several cost-cutting measures have been implemented, namely, cuts in contribution rates for mandatory saving, reduction in corporate taxes, and reduction in utility charges. Long-run policies include t raining and re-training programmes for workers and greater focus on RD activities for innovations and improvement in technology. In Singapore, there are more than 600,000 workers with secondary education or lower. As such, it is extremely important that these workers upgrade their skills and learn new tasks to be more productive and to be more employable in the future. There are also other schemes such as the job re-design programmes implemented by the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board which involves changing both job content and arrangement to encourage workers to become more productive. Other ASEAN countries can learn from Singapores experiences with regard to cost-cutting measures, training and re-training programmes, and RD activities to improve productivity and competitiveness. Multi-Ethnic States. Multi-ethnicity is a dominant feature of the region and therefore stable inter-state ties and intra-state ethnic stability are closely intertwined. The region has to work toward the stability and security of strong, secular, federal multi- ethnic states if it is to remain secure and stable in the coming years. The Challenge of Democratisaton. The other key political challenge that confronts South East Asian nations is how to build stable, democratic state structures in condition of a rising tide of expectations for better life and greater liberty. Through much of Asia, the struggle between pressures for democratization against existing authoritarian state structures or oppressive socio-political conditions is a reality. Human rights abuses are common in many of the states. In Myanmar and Indonesia there is a rising pressure for political change and expansion of political rights. Militancy, insurgency and terrorism have wracked many parts of ASEAN region in the past and continue to do so even now. Only through steady democratization, decentralization and provision of caring and efficient governance can the integrity of state structures and stability be preserved. CHAPTER V Chinese political and economical strategy in South East Asia. China perceives itself as a central power on Earth. The rest of the World is an array of greater and lesser powers which neither have unified structure nor a single head Macnall Mark[4] Chinas political and economic strategy are interlinked with the security relation that China shares with the Southeast Asia as a region. China embraced the Southeast Asian regionalism and of multilateralism with Southeast Asia is part of broader decision to jettison Chinas old confrontational policy and style. Chinese leaders officials turned this approach to South east Asia on its head replacing the assertiveness that characterized pre 1997 Chinese policy with accommodation. This concerted campaign assuaged South east Asian fears but also paved the way for South east Asian and Chinese to participate in and profit from this rapidly expanding economic ties. Chinese leaders and officials smoothly employed diplomacy in innumerable meeting with South east Asian counterparts to slowly and carefully win greater influence in south east Asia. The Chinese foreign policy community made a concerted effort to represent Chinas reemergence as a regional power. It portrayed recent trends as aligne d with the economic and security interests of its southern neighbors. China convinced the neighbors that it is not a threat. China employed the same set of instruments of Chinese national security policy at both multilateral level with ASEAN and bilateral level with individual ASEAN states albeit with differing effects in the countries concerned depending on their individual circumstances. It places contentious issues temporarily to the side, places processes before product and welcomes efforts to build EAST ASIAN community. Beijing binds the South East Asean countries with a spectrum of economic, political and cultural and security proposals. As Beijing courted its southern neighbors, it supplemented diplomacy with economic ties in terms of trade and economic investment. China opened China to overseas ethnic Chinese and invited ethnic Chinese Southeast Asians to invest in China and subsequently invited Southeast Asians. Rapid increases in the Southeast Asian- China trade led to ove rcome the financial crisis. Chinas economic success has been as impressive as its diplomatic campaign, because china and Southeast Asian countries have been competitors both FDI and for developed markets in Japan,Europe and the United States. Beijing has worked assiduously tp provide Southeast Asian economies with a stake in Chinas economic expansion thus stabilizing Chinas periphery and contributing to Chinas own economic growth. Chinas turn to multilateralism diplomacy was to compliment its intense bilateral diplomacy was timely. ASEAN grew during the 1990 and accommodated new countries and also in the due course of time it had not been able to respond to the financial crisis and also the turmoil in East Timor. Chinas help to ASEAN gave a new appearance to ASEAN. Multilateral diplomacy provided a two way street for ASEAN countries and China and provided measures to forge new bonds. ASEAN also