Mexican War

The Mexican War is often regarded as one of the United State’s most controversial wars. The idea of Manifest Destiny was beginning to consume the minds of many Democratic Americans. They wished for the United States to expand their land to possess a continental control; it was believed that more land would mean furthered economical success. Meanwhile, the Whigs felt that the key to expanding the country was embracing the economical endeavors that were already being pursued.In order for the continent to be dominated by Americans, western expansion would need to occur, taking land from Mexico. Mexicans had long threatened that if the United States decided to impose on their territories and annex Texas, they would begin a civil war with the country. When James K. Polk, a Whig president, agreed to declare war on Mexico, turmoil began to arise. Americans were incredibly victorious and undefeated between 1846 and 1848, while the war was occurring, and accumulated extensive amounts o f land that had been under Mexican rule. That is when the true war really began.American citizens in New England, the West, and the South all had very different political motives that greatly challenged the sectional interests regarding state versus federal power, betrayal of political parties, and the ideal plan for incorporating new regions into a very polarized country. When the new land was acquired from Mexico, there was a rather heated argument on whether it should be considered a â€Å"free state† or a â€Å"slave state. † In 1849, Zachary Taylor became the last Whig president and decided in favor of making California and New Mexico automatically admitted â€Å"free states.†Southerners, who were pro-slavery, were primarily Whigs and felt that their president was alienating them. Politicians supposedly standing for southern views were instead collaborating with northern efforts. Some southerners took the idea to such an extreme that they were known as â₠¬Å"fire-eaters† and met to discuss plans for secession at the Nashville Convention. Since politicians were not staying true to their parties, it became much more difficult for American citizens to truly trust their elected officials.The North and South had such different economical priorities regarding slavery that it was hard for a political figure not to need to take a â€Å"side. † No matter which side they would have chosen, half of the country would end up being displeased. The mistrust in political parties began to break-down the two-party system within the United States. New parties such as the Know Nothing Party and the Free Soil Party began to emerge in rebellion. By 1854, the Whig Party has been disassembled entirely, and the Democrats began a split into the two most prominent modern political parties; Democrats and Republicans.The Mexican War really led the beginning of regionalization and political stance interfering with national advancement. Between the No rth and the South, neither side was truly able to settle about having slavery, or not having slavery, within the new states. Each wanted to force their view onto the new western lands. At the time, the federal government felt that during their annexation, they had the ability to choose the status of rights within the states. This brought about the proposal of the Compromise of 1850, by Henry Clay.Basically, the proposal meant that California would be deemed a â€Å"free state† by the federal government, but New Mexico and Utah would be granted the freedom to choose being a â€Å"free state† or a â€Å"slave state† by popular sovereignty. Since most citizens in the western areas were in favor of abolition, the North was generally pleased with this component of the compromise. However, it also worked to suit the South by passing the Fugitive Slave Law, which would allow southerners to pursue the recapturing of their escaped slaves.Abolitionists within the North we re very angered by this idea, causing southerners to be more likely to antagonize northerners by invading the North in search of their African American fugitives. While the compromise was intended to give both the North and the South some benefit that they desired, each side still felt the need to overpower the other. This continued throughout the time period and reignited fiercer in 1854, after the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and again allowed popular sovereignty to decide the fate of slavery within Kansas and Nebraska.This provoked both southerners and northerners to send masses to the territories in order to try to dominate the votes. The New England Emigrant Aid Company was founded in the North to force immigrants that were against slavery into Kansas so that it would be annexed into the United States as a â€Å"free state. † The sectional dividing of the North and the South pushed citizens of each region to attem pt to manipulate politics to allow new regions to reflect corresponding interests. The West was generally very trampled by northerners and southerners.The area was more undeveloped, but truly was the region that the land expansion would affect most. Westerners generally did not have a lot of political power in the mid-1800s, as citizens from the South and from New England felt they could just dominate with their views. The westerners tried not to really interfere with the feuding between the North and the South, though tended to have more similar views with the North. Only a small section of citizens in the West desired slave states, so they were rather agreeable to the Compromise of 1850.By having the compromise initiated, it would give freedom to the new western states, which was much desired. The West was very in favor of self-ruling, so popular sovereignty was greatly desired. The West remained neutral throughout the impacts of the Mexican War, and was greatly against the sectio nalism it had caused. Being caught in the middle put the West in a rough position to get controlled by the other rivaling sections. It was accepted that something needed to develop a form of law and order to unite the United States together.This raised a debating question on how much should the government govern its territory, and how should new land have its fate decided. With the country sectionalized, there would always be a disagreement on which views were right to instill in the new area. Whichever should be chosen would simply further advance the domination of that interest. Henry Thoreau was a very strong anti-slavery leader, who in his essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience† wrote, â€Å"That government is best which governs least.†This stands true yet contradicting for the views of Western citizens, as they wished to be set free from the sectionalized government dictating and fighting over the new region, but also false in the sense that it was apparent that that coul d only truly occur if the country was able to band together as a whole. Differences needed to be overcome, and the debates after the Mexican War only alienated westerners who did not wish to be sectionalized. The Mexican War was a very influential event in American history. The impacts that it made stirred up debate that could not truly reach a true resolution.Each section of the United States had its own idea of how issues should be handled, and the federal government was not able to suit all three sections at once. The sectional interests of the North and South especially reached new extremes as political actions bounced between favoritism. The West, in result, went even more extreme in wanted their independence to choose their political stance on their own rather than get trapped in between the debate over slavery. The Untied States began its whirlwind towards continual splitting and disagreement that would eventual cause the Civil War.Between 1848 and 1855, the sectional interes ts overran any unity that remained in the United States as the debates that occurred eliminated trust within the government and destroyed the party system of the time. The United States was going through a stage of rapid change to find a solution that could suit each region of the country and still maintain a federal level of governing. The quest for compromise met many tedious conflicts, making the Mexican War spark the beginning of one of America’s biggest civil disagreements.

Unit 006 “Roles Responsibilities and Relationships in Lifelong Learning

George Bowskill PAGE 1 15/02/2011 â€Å"Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships as a Tutor in Lifelong Learning† (2:1) The Different types of Boundaries between the Teaching Role and Other Professional roles. The purpose of boundaries are to protect the personal rights of both yourself and the student, they define the acceptable ground rules taking in to account currant legislation.Professional boundaries are important because they define the limits and responsibilities of the people that you interact with in the workplace. When workplace boundaries are clearly defined, the company will work more efficiently because old redundant work assignments are removed and task performance is accountable. When everyone in an company is made aware who is responsible for what? , a healthier workplace environment is created.It then becomes very difficult for someone to blame others for their failed or inadequate performance and good job performance can clearly be identified. the setup of boundaries and priorities go hand in hand because together they help manage interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Together they go a long way toward establishing a productive work environment based on trust. Competent and knowledgeable managers understand these principles and continually model them for their staff.Boundaries within teaching are not easily defined; it can mean different things to different people. Teachers are responsible for recognizing in themselves whether they are â€Å"at risk† of crossing boundaries whether this be legal, moral or ethical boundaries, becoming too personally involved with students, giving one student undue attention, writing or exchanging notes, letters or emails are all forms of boundary abuse The most extreme form of boundary violation is that of sexual abuse..Sexual abuse represents the ultimate breach of the trust in a teacher, the teacher must be able to recognize and rectify this behaviour, before the boundary is over stepp ed. Time restraints are also boundaries, and should be taken into account, we need to ensure what we teach can be done within the time given. The curriculum and the organizational objectives are boundaries to the way and what we teach, the curriculum is specifically what we are asked to teach, hence we have a structure relating to the information we need to ass on to the learners,. We could possibly have organizational objectives also, these are the objectives of the governing body, this could be Government, Exam body, or Professional body, although these should be in line with the curriculum the could possibly add additional boundaries to the way we teach (2:2) Points of Referral to meet the needs of LearnersAs a teacher we have a responsibility to our students to give aid and assistance not only in the academic sense but also with personal and work issues, and in most cases this should be done by referring the student to a professional with a greater and more specific knowledge in these area, these can be both internal and external points of referral, for instance, if the student is homeless or about to become homeless, an accommodation officer would be the direction to point the student, if it is for health reasons we should direct the student to a health professional, ether on campus or at a local surgery.Other points of referral could for example be the students union, a councillor or a careers advisor, a drug and alcohol addiction service, or the citizens’ advice bureau, in other words any internal or external professional that can help the student with any issue they may encounter, we must always remember these people are experts in their given fields, as a teacher we are not. Identify the professional first then note your responsibility, to your student the professional and yourself. (2:3) Responsibilities with regards to other Professionals Page 2 As a teacher we have a responsibility to other professionals and professional bodies.We should res pect their professionalism and maintain constant dialog with other professionals, we should document and record all aspects of our teaching, and make these available to other professionals for various reasons, such as audits and evaluations, other professionals could be Directors, senior management, even internal or external advisors, and exam board personnel, If in doubt it is always advisable to ask assistance from another professional, their experience and knowledge can be far greater than your own. 3:1) Responsibilities for maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment As a teacher it is our responsibility to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all the students in our care, this is done by utilizing the training cycle Firstly we identify the needs of the student, what they need to learn, and how we intend to teach them.A clean, safe and secure room to learn in, with the room layout adequate for the purpose, Welfare facilities, wash rooms toilets a pla ce to eat and drink, the room to maintain a comfortable temperature with good lighting and ventilation, we need also to set down ground rules to safe guard the physical and emotional welfare of the students and oneself. to enable them to feel secure during the learning experience, and to encourage diversity and equality within the learning environment.We then prepare for teaching, ensuring we have the adequate resources available for the lesson . including a structured time table. Lessons should be S. M. A. R. T. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time bound. We then deliver the lesson, or lecture, using suitable diverse systems of delivery, such as Visual aids, written work role play group sessions, ensuring that all students feel involved in the learning experience. and no one feels alienated, my the teacher or their fellow students.The more a student feels involved in a class the better the learning result will be. To quantify the lesson we assess it, by various mea ns, Student feedback, student progression and achievement, at this point we need to evaluate, did the facility lens its self to the needs of the students, where there any deficiencies in the facility’s in your teaching methods, where the students comfortable, did they feel safe , DO I NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES.We should not be afraid to challenge behaviours if we don’t what would be the point of having boundaries as a teacher it is our responsibility to enforce the Page 3 boundaries that we have laid down, encouraging and maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment. 3:2) Ways of Promoting Appropriate Behaviour and Respect for Others Establishing Ground rules and boundaries, encourage the students to have an input in to what the ground rules and boundaries within the class should be, how they wish to be treated, and how you need to be treated, giving mutual respect between teacher and student and student and student, and establish disciplinary action for breac hes of the rules, encourage mutual support within the class both academic and emotional, and encourage he student to help produce a ground rule charter and sign it,. In this way you are allowing them to take ownership of the rules B. F Skinners 1974 (About Behaviourism) is a particularly relevant theory this contends that negative and positive reinforcement will help to direct behaviour, a positive reinforcement will strengthen any behaviour that produces it, . i. e. The carrot and donkey scenario. Where as a negative reinforcement, will initiate the response that the protagonist will want to remove, i. e. f he is removed from the class for a breach of discipline he will not want this to happen again thus removing the negative reinforcement By challenging inappropriate or negative behaviour we are enforcing the boundaries that we have set in essence we are saying these are the rules and they will not be ignored, it also lets anyone who is prepared to breach the boundaries that we as teachers will not allow this to happen, it also conveys the message to compliant students, that we will enforce the boundaries to support, a safe, respectful and supportive learning environment, free from bullying, anti social behaviour, disruptive influences.An environment where all can learn.. Practical Teaching Linda Wilson https://www. professionalboundaries. com/ www. gtcs. org. uk/standards/copac. aspx

What makes you beautiful

You're insecure Don't know what for You're turning heads when you walk through the door Don't need make up To cover up Being the way that you are is enoughEveryone else in the room can see it Everyone else but you[Chorus] Baby you light up my world like nobody else The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell You don't know Oh Oh You don't know you're beautifulIf only you saw what I can see You'll understand why I want you so desperately Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe You don't know Oh oh You don't know you're beautiful Oh oh That what makes you beautifulSo c-come on You got it wrong To prove I'm right I put it in a song I don't know why You're being shy And turn away when I look into your eyesEveryone else in the room can see it Everyone else but you[Chorus] Baby you light up my world like nobody else The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell You don't know Oh oh You don't know you're beautifulIf only you saw what I can see You'll understand why I want you so desperately Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe You don't know Oh oh You don't know you're beautiful Oh oh That's what makes you beautiful[Bridge] Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana NanaBaby you light up my world like nobody else The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell You don't know Oh Oh You don't know you're beautiful[Chorus] Baby you light up my world like nobody else The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell You don't know Oh oh You don't know you're beautifulIf only you saw what I can see You'll understand why I want you so desperately Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe You don't know Oh Oh You don't know you're beautiful Oh oh You don't know you're beautiful Oh oh That's what makes yo u beautifulI like this song because it makes a girl feel special.  It’s one of my favourite songs from One Direction. One of the relations in reality that I could relate to this song to is when girls say they are fat, ugly, not loved, or cared for. It’s basically having a low self-esteem, or feeling insecure. Everyone is beautiful. Maybe not a supermodel body, and a beautiful personality, but everyone has something that makes them, simply them. No matter what you look like, fat, skinny, short, big, small, it doesn’t matter. We all are different, in a good way. We have our own liking and disliking. We have different beliefs, and religious views.We also have different families, and lifestyle. And still, no matter what, we are equally beautiful. I don’t really have any other relations I could make from this song to my life. And the last thing I need to say before I leave is, everyone is beautiful, and don’t think otherwise!

Airline Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 2

Airline Industry - Essay Example nt situation of fast changing of environment in air transport, the professionals in aviation sector must have access to highly developed and comprehensive knowledge including in-depth understanding of the requirements of the airline industry globally (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2011). The incident of September 11 had certain worst economic effects on the airline industry. This had caused dramatic dropdown in passenger demand as well as high costs to a large extent. However, the industry was facing worst period before as well. Thus, it contributed problem for the industry besides having problems for passengers (FRBSF Economic Letter, 2002) In this paper the functions and principles of management towards airline industry have been explained in brief. The role of human resource manager and major issues of human resource management in air transport industry have been mentioned. The issues related to safety and security in airline industry along with their importance has also been highlighted in the paper. The airline industry is one of the competitive industries because accuracy and safety are required in such area. Thus, the functions of the management are to make the task process efficient and reliable so that it can safeguard the business of airlines as well as the lives of passengers. The various functions and principles of aviation industry are planning, leading or motivating, organising and controlling. The purpose of planning is to create effective strategy that will facilitate to achieve the goals of any industry. The planning process includes scope, goals, objectives and statements of the organisation. It also includes analysis of external environment, threats and opportunities of the industry. Planning and controlling are vital parts of any organisation as both are required for smooth functioning of the management of industry. Strategic planning in airports provides emphasis to safety as well as security of the travelling

Continous personal development in my place of work Essay

Continous personal development in my place of work - Essay Example However, regardless of the personality the prison staff has, they have been subjected, and made to adapt, to changing circumstances in the past few years. From the working role of prison staff as depicted by Woolf to the new role of bringing about a balance and accomplishment of a constructive, aberrant behaviour work with prisoners, prison staff members are facing a dire need for continued professional development (Liebling, Price & Schefer 2011). The changing times have shifted the focus of prison roles from delivery of justice and fairness to better management of the attitude of the prisoners. Better and improved theoretical and practical models have been developed for achieving this managerial role. Power culture, role culture and person culture have all seen significant changes in the past years (Harper 1997). Moreover the advent of new technology and changes in the architectural design of the prisons, coupled with innovations in the operating framework of organizations and grea ter external monitoring of the position and utility of prisons, have widened the scope of the responsibilities prison staff are required to meet (O'Toole & Eyland 2005). This has implications for prison staff. According to Boyatzis, Cowen and Kolb (1995), educators are not in touch with learning anymore. They give out information that they have and which helps to achieve the expected results. Educators today have become intertwined in the business of giving out information rather than being proactive in learning. The changing times have served to highlight this deficiency. This is evidenced by the fact that people working at the prison are now demanding better training programs and greater opportunities to further their skills. This serves to highlight the need for any individual working at the prison to indulge in a continuous process of professional development in order to satisfy the demands of the modern era. Before scrutinizing the professional development I, being an employee at the prison, can undergo, I will revisit the models of professional development. These models will be reviewed and linked to how they apply to my place of work i.e. the prison. Generally speaking, professional development entails to the concept of improving one’s personal self as well as bringing about advancement in one’s career. It encompasses a range of initiatives undertaken by the individual such as diplomas, workshops and conferences, training and other informal means of learning offered at the place of work. One of the essentials of professional development is the evaluation of one’s progress and how aligned the process is to the goals. The programs undertaken can be formal or informal, and group-led or individual. Keeping the need for professional development into consideration, Sparks and Loucks-Horsley (1989) have cited five models for staff development. Often people follow a combination of these models to advance professionally. Before evaluating on eself through these models, one needs to answer the question that what is needed to become a better educator. Analyzing all professional development models keeping this question in context, I believe I can chart out a comprehensive continued professional development process. The first model of professional development pertains to individually guided development. It is a natural phenomenon for a person to be curious. Curiosity is a great teacher and

A Single American Nation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Single American Nation - Assignment Example he failures includes: Failure to achieve a massive federal works program, full and fair employment, decent housing and adequate integration education. Martin Luther King Jr. was a devoted Christian whose mission was to get his accomplishment without aggression or violence whereas Malcom X was a Muslim who wanted there to be a clear segregation of the white and black people in America because he felt that they would never coexist together. Even though King and Malcom differed majorly on racial segregation they both struggled in their own ways to bring about Africa American into a beta position in the society. Many movements had erupted 1960s including civil rights, women movements and environmental movements. These movements had emerged due to several interrelated reasons: Because American people looked upon the federal government to solve their problems, economic disparity, political competition and a moral culture that fostered unity in America. U.S. was more united in the 1970s than in the 1950s because of the remarkable achievements of all the movements especially the civil rights movements in the 1960s. This could be indicated by rights to vote for all people and integration in education and the coexistence of all races

Controversy of Real Name Policy on Facebook Research Paper

Controversy of Real Name Policy on Facebook - Research Paper Example More so, the Real-Name Policy on Facebook is a measure that has been endeavored to ensure that people know for sure whoever it is that they are connecting with, and in so doing, the whole Facebook community then remains safe, through effectively curtailing cyber-bullying (Meganmeierfoundation.org., 2014). In this respect, Real-Name Policy on Facebook requires that several identity measures should be observed. First, individuals should use the real name that they use in real life, when establishing a Facebook account, without adding numbers, unusual capitalization, symbols, punctuations or repeated characters (Facebook.com., 2014). Secondly, individuals establishing a Facebook account should refrain from adding characters from multiple languages, while at the same time refraining from adding any titles such as their profession or religion (Facebook.com., 2014). Finally, the individuals interested in joining Facebook should also ensure to avoid the usage of words, phrases or nicknames that are not part of their real names, while at the same time refraining from using any offensive or suggestive words, titles or phrases as part of their identity on the networking site (Facebook.com., 2014). This way, it will be possible for the Facebook community to remain safe, owing to the fact that p eople will only interact on the basis of knowing each other authentically, thus avoid the incidences of cyber-bullying that has been a characteristic of the social networking (Gà ¶rzig & Frumkin, 2013). Cyber-bullying has been defined as the application of the information technology tools in order to harass or harm others deliberately (Gà ¶rzig & Frumkin, 2013).  

JPMorgan Chase Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

JPMorgan Chase - Research Paper Example 1. Discussion on How Administrative Agencies Like The Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC) Or The Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Take Action In Order To Be effective in preventing high-risk gambles in securities / banking, a foundation of the economy In the modern day context, financial sector forms a major part in the economic system of any country, irrespective of its global positioning. The fact can also be observed evidently even in the case of the US, which faced massive turmoil due to the downfall of JPMorgan Chase, a large financial services firm supposedly considered to a pillar of the US economy. In order to maintain legitimacy in these firms, the US government has been making attempts to regulate the financial dealings and the transparency of these organizations through the imposition of various policy measures. Correspondingly, many governmental bodies have been set-up, which are solely responsible to monitor the activities of the US financial system. For instance, the administrate agency, Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) helps in regulating the trading of options and futures as well as the banking sector. The CFTC, in order to prevent the high risks in securities or banking sectors, has been involved in implementing effective programs to trace and take actions against unethical behavior in the business process. Therefore, it protects the economy from many types of frauds related to commodity market, foreign currency trading, commodity pool participants and brokers activities (U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, n.d). The important elements, which are required to form a valid contract, usually involve an offer with a legal purpose by the offeror, free consent of the offeree, acceptance, consideration, competent parties, mutuality of obligation (Texas.gov, n.d.). Today, in the US, the customers are considered as a valuable asset for the banks

Film as art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film as art - Essay Example The twist in the story comes when Sean realizes that he could not be the reincarnation of Anna’s husband since he had loved another woman while he was in his previous life. Anna and Sean stop seeing each other, though they continued to write letters on occasion. Anna married Joseph, finally obtaining the closure that she desperately needed. The film opens with a black screen and a voice over of adult Sean explaining his disbelief in the concept of reincarnation. Despite this, he makes it known that if Anna died and were to come back as a bird, he would be accepting of it and continue to live with her. The scene that follows is a continuous long shot of Sean running through bleak and wintry Central Park. Sean’s face is never revealed to us, making him an abstract character regardless of his importance to the story. This lack of identity begins the mystery of who Sean really is. Nothing else is revealed about Sean except that he dies from a heart attack while jogging. Imm ediately after Sean’s death, the shot cuts abruptly to a clip of a baby being born, emerging from the water of a birthing tub. The following scene, after script reads Ten years later, Anna is shown standing at the grave of her late husband. The quick scene jumps reveal how all three events - Sean’s death, the baby’s birth, and Anna paying respect to her husband - are closely related to one another (Ebert, 2004). The shots, though clearly different from one another, are shown so quickly that they could have easily been one in the same, revealing the same message -- the never-ending cycle of life and death. Grazer uses only a few different camera angles and shots in the film, but his decision on what angles and shots to use and when helps to show the torment that Anna is experiencing as she continues to suffer from her husband’s death and as she tries to come to terms with the presence of young Sean. For example, the sex scene between Anna and Joseph begins as a medium close-up, but the slowly camera pulls back into a long shot as Anna discusses young Sean’s pleas for Anna not to marry Joseph. This sudden distance shows how far apart from Joseph that Anna is, even though they could not be any closer to one another. The physical distance between the camera and the couple reveals the mental and emotional distance that Anna is from Joseph. Another intense camera shot is the continuous close-up of Anna while she is at the orchestra. The music, similar to what is heard throughout the rest of the movie, picks up with intensity the longer that the camera rests on Anna, displaying the emotional changes that she goes through in the elongated scene. Anna’s features â€Å"run the full gamut of traumatized emotions, from barely suppressed terror, through claustrophobic anxiety, to heartbreaking acceptance (Kermode 45).† This is when Anna fully comes to accept that young Sean is who he claims to be. Grazer also plays on the me aning of color in the movie, implementing green in many scenes. The walls of Anna’s apartment kitchen are green, as are Sean’s sweatshirt, the blanket he uses while staying overnight at Anna’s, and the couch. The color green represents balance, life, and wellbeing (Ascher & Pincus 122), which are three important aspects seen constantly in the film. Green appears with Anna and Sean, separately, but also when they

Conflict in the Central African republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict in the Central African republic - Essay Example The number of people that need humanitarian assistance on immediate basis exceeds 2.5 million (â€Å"United Nations†). Innocent civilians are losing their lives in this conflict. Rather than being collateral damage as a result of rebel groups’ fighting, these civilians are being purposefully killed because of their religious or community associations and for their identities. While the ex-Seleka victimize Christians, people that are the most vulnerable are the Muslims. More than a million people in the country have been displaced and the homes of many of them have been burned to deter them from returning (â€Å"United Nations†). What is setting in is a de facto partition of the CAR between the Muslim and the Christian population. This separation is setting the stage for conflict that might continue for generations. Capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, has a long history of lack of reliability of its public utilities. But since December, the Red Cross has been rendering its services to collect human bodies intact or chopped up. There exists a divide of two neighborhoods in the Avenue de France. Most of the dead bodies belong to people who have strayed too far in the wrong direction. Foot traffic is not allowed on the road so people do not have to bury the dead bodies and instead leave them to rot in the sun. The neighborhood toward the north of the line is occupied almost exclusively by the Christians as a result of massive killing or exile of the Muslims from the region.

The Last Song Essay Example for Free

The Last Song Essay It has been widely accepted that textbook is an essential component of the classroom. It is the most common teaching device. A textbook is a manual of instruction or a standard book in any branch of study. They are produced according to the demand of educational institution. This paper is a textbook evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the book to the 3rd year high school students in the reading development and if it provides the learning goals of each lesson, classified into listening, speaking, reading, grammar, writing and study skills, and values objectives as a tool for learning and living in the highly competitive world. Education demands a high-quality level of learning device or technology. In fact, the efficiency of the teaching-learning process depends on the authenticity and relevance of the instructional material. One of which is the textbook. One of the skills education demands is the skill on reading. Reading is the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message. According to Timothy Dwight, â€Å"A person who cannot read is something like a blind man walking through a pleasant meadow, where there are flowers and fruit trees; there are many pleasant things and many wise and good things printed in books, but we cannot get them unless we read†. It is the root of all wisdom. So what do you think would be the effect if a student will gather wrong information or inaccurate learning from a book? Textbook is book used in schools or colleges for the formal study of a subject. They play a big role in the learning process of every individual. They can make or break the student’s future. So it is really important to select the best book that you will use in facilitating learning. Well, selecting isn’t enough, there should always be an evaluation; for you to see the efficacy of every components of the book. This paper will present how a specific textbook satisfy the requirements to be considered an efficient book. Each part of the book will be criticized and evaluated whether they work for each other or some should be eliminated. The following parts of the paper are product of close reading of the book â€Å"Public Speaking and Speech Improvement for Filipino Students Fourth Edition† by Arsenia B. Tan. OBJECTIVES 1. To determine the effectiveness of the book to the 3rd year high school students in the reading development. 2. To value the importance of the reading book/s instead of depending everything on the internet. 3. To awaken the students that even in their simple ways, they can be a good public speaker. TEXTBOOK ANALYSIS I. Title of the book: Public Speaking and Speech Improvement for Filipino Students II. Author: Arsenia B. Tan III. Subject Area of Concentration: English IV. Curriculum used: Third Year High School (English III) V. Textbook Analysis: This book offers a practical approach to the fundamentals of speech improvement. Since speech is a communication, there are a number of factors that the reader must consider. If he wishes to be an effective communicator of his thoughts are feelings. The following premises will discuss each part of the book about their content, implication, and efficiency. A. Title Page The book is covered with a yellow- colored skin with the title pointed on it. The design used a picture at a speaker showing his conviction in public speaking. As a reader you will initially figure out that the book indeed offers a great content by simply looking on its cover page. B. Copyright Page The book displays the total information about the book’s publishing company, date, and authors. This would be beneficial to the students who aim to have a research. C. Table of Contents Based on convention, the topics of the book were presented in organized form. Each topic was specified with its page location. Each part of the book was placed on the table of contents. The teacher, student of any reader will have an easy time looking for the topics of the book. D. Preface The most precious gift that God has given to man is the power of speech. It is the power that distinguishes man from animals. Man uses speech to communicate his thoughts, feelings, desires, and aspirations to his fellow beings with to whom he interacts in continual living or in social activities. This is how the authors started her preface. It is indeed encouraging to read the preface. It gives us an efficient birds-eye-view about the goals and content of the book. If you will match it to the curriculum, it is suitable to the demands of the Language subjects of the students. The preface seems to be the author’s journal. You can read how dedicated she is to transmit the wisdom of public speaking to her readers. It is the main objective – to develop not only mastery of the communication skills but also proficiency in the transmission of ideas that this book has been prepared. For this reason, this book will serve as an individual tool to develop one’s communicative power to the outmost if he expects to become a competent and dynamic administrator or leader in his field of endeavour. E. Chapter Analysis A. Part 1: On Public Speaking Chapter 1: What public speaking involves? The chapter deals with the definition of public speaking. It also presents different definition from various authors of public speaking. Since the book is used for language subjects in secondary, the content of chapter one satisfy the demands of a newbie speaker who will read this book. The student will easily understand the ideas of chapter one because the words are clearly defined and the examples given are congruent to the reality of life the book describes. The teacher could also apply the tips presented in the chapter. Most of the explanations can be easily discussed through the use of examples provided. The chapter offers a self- evaluation on its last part. It is an oral examination which asks ‘What can you contribute to make your country a better place to live in as an individual? As a member of the community? As a professional? † See page 12. Basically, the activity is appropriate to test the effect of the tips given on the chapter. The teacher could assess whether learners is effectively learning. B. Chapter 2: Delivery as an effective medium of putting words into action. This particular chapter talks about delivery. Its process, definition, and aspects. The factors affecting delivery were also presented chronologically. The salient factors to underscore in the process of delivery were presented in detail. The student could easily understand the steps because they were narratively presented. And most of the examples are true to life. The student can easily relate with the scenarios of delivery. The teacher is the best demonstrator of the following reminders of delivery. If she will follow the steps given she’ll be effective in her discussion of the chapter. The chapter offers another self- evaluation which asks for application test. The activity can help the teacher to assess the student’s development in his delivery. C. Chapter 3: Developing a pleasing, impressive voice and using gestures effectively. The chapter discussed the definitions of voice and gestures. It also presented different techniques in developing the two. The book gave a lot of standard procedures in performing voice and gestures. The students are subjected to corrections and criticism whenever they attempt to perform such. The chapter could help the teacher in managing the voice quality of the students, even the execution of the gestures. The teacher should master every bits of information of this chapter three. She could effectively demonstrate the standard procedures. The chapter presented a voice drill and gestures drill which serves as an activity to evaluate the students’ mastery of the lesson. D. Chapter 4: Preparing the speech In this chapter the content is all about how will the student prepare a speech. There are factors that the student must consider as a speaker before making a speech. How to become an interesting and effective speaker are being underscore in this chapter. It also includes suggestions in preparing a speech to be a great public speaker. As a good speaker, every individual must know how to make a plan on how to produce or write an interesting beginning and a remarkable ending. The book suggests the ways in choosing a topic or a subject considering the audience, occasion, and the availability of the materials to be used in the speech. The activity given in this chapter assess the capability of the student’s knowledge on a certain topic and how will he react or present in the situation given. Thus, the given topic is somehow difficult for the students for the secondary level. The topic must be appropriate in their level. E. Chapter 5: Tackling the problem of listening. This chapter discussed the problems in listening. Basically, this is a very interesting topic for the readers who are experiencing problems in listening since talking is such a natural and endless activity that we perform in daily. We frequently have conversations without realizing that we are engaged in a public rather than in a private activity. Good thing about this chapter is that, it provides demonstrative examples like dialogues of native speakers as they overcome problems in listening. It also discussed different symptoms and signs about having listening problems. The students could easily relate to the lesson because students nowadays are sometimes experiencing listening problems. The chapter’s topic is a challenge to the teacher because it provides different tips to solve the listening problems. Part of which are the suggested activities see page 52- 53. F. Chapter 6: Variations in the forms of your prepared speeches. This chapter is a performance- based part. The time to speak has come! The students should have to stand before an audience and deliver their speech. This chapter asks for what kind of category of speech will the student perform on a specific purpose. The chapter provided concrete excerpts and sample speeches from different sources (see bibliography) which played a big role in transmitting the skills in speaking. There are also practical speeches to be practiced after every type of speech. A student could also use the examples to compare their speech efficiency to others. The teacher is privilege to have this part of the book because she will not have a hard time looking for resources. She could easily facilitate learning by simply using the given examples of speech on the chapter. Education- wise, the chapter also provided a practical activity on the latter part of it. It requires students to perform different types of speeches see page 66. G. Chapter 7: Speaking with a definite purpose. After discussing how to speak, this chapter aims to illustrate different purposes why we speak. The general purpose of speaking is usually to inform, to inspire, to convince, to entertain, to persuade. The student is lucky to have this part of the book, only limited books presents comprehensive details about different purpose of speeches. They could practice and inculcate in their minds the variation of speeches according to specific purpose. As expected, this chapter provided examples of speeches depending on its specific purpose of such. It presented narrative explanation of each type of purposeful speeches. A teacher can facilitate learning by using different examples given to this chapter. In fact, most activities are already given in the evaluation part of this book. H. Chapter 8: The art of audience psychology. As we observed, the topics are getting deeper and more complex. Since speeches are fundamentally built around people’s lives and are primarily directed to an audiences it is of vital importance to study the audience and to know the art of its psychology if a public speaker wishes to be successful and efficient during the moment of speech communication. This chapter, it was clearly searched that a speaker should master the audience’s psychology. In fact, it provides different factors to remember the audience’s psychology. The teacher is expected to discuss all pointers given in the chapter through the use of practical examples given in the book. In the evaluation part, it can be used in the actual discussion because it is performance- based. See page 85. I. Chapter 9: Can children and teenagers become public speakers and type of audience in a public speaking occasion. In this chapter, children and teenagers as public speakers and as an audience in a public speaking occasion. They will surely gasp with disbelief and prospect of seeing children and teenagers going to podium, standing before a microphone and getting ready to deliver a speech. This chapter deals with the other dimension to consider in public speaking. It focuses on a specific human age. These are children and teenager. Basically, childhood is the beginning of development. This chapter offers different pointers and suggestions on how to develop public speaking skill in special occasion. The teacher can use the given excerpts and literary pieces to facilitate the activities which the chapter demands. It is comprehensive because standard procedures were given to be able to perform a speech. J. Chapter 10: Getting involved with a group discussion. Today, we recognized the value of group discussions. Many changes are brought about in our social, political, and religious conditions. Religious conditions through participation of individuals in group discussions. After learning bout individual’s performances, this chapter moved to the next level which is group discussions. The student is being prepared for social interaction. It also presented the different requirements of group communication. The teacher and student can distinguish how efficient a group can be in accomplishing something that would be impossible or at least improbable for a person will depend on a large degree upon the ability of the group members to communicate effectively when they find themselves in a group situation. This chapter is a great source to read because nowadays we are dealing with a multi- cultural world wherein we are demanded to be socially competent. This chapter gave an activity see page 128. It asked the student’s to perform an activity about group communication. ’ K. Chapter 11: The campaign speech. Since speech is broad, this chapter tackles a specific kind of speech which is the campaign speech. This is beneficial to students or even teachers who are hoping to be efficient in campaign speeches. We live in an era today, where politics, economics and social event dominated and determined the outcome of people’s life and destiny. This chapter discussed the definition, importance, implication, and glamour of campaign speech. It provides different styles and techniques in a good campaign speech. Each part of the speech is discussed on how to create such and how to implement. Each part provided different exercises which can test and practice the student’s efficiency in campaign speech. The attitudes of a campaign speaker cited can be used by the teacher while discussing the topic. It serves as a motivation for them because the exercises were really challenging for the learners. L. Chapter 12: Speeches for special occasion. Public speaking is indeed multi- faceted. It appears In different forms as it evolve out many varied occasions in which a person is asked to speak publicly. There is a variety of occasions that produce special types of public speaking and though brief in nature may still require a professional mode of preparation and delivery of speech in public and may demand guidelines to help the speaker achieve his goals. A student can efficiently master these topics presented simply because life is full of special occasions, wherein these occasions requires a good speaking skills. As a beginner, this is a good source of wisdom to follow. Practical examples and guidelines on making speeches for special occasions were given. Speech for special occasions is done with the use of following steps. So each topic gives procedures on how to perform such. The teacher can use the activities provided on page 49. M. Chapter 13: Some special types of public speaking which arise from occasional, historical, or special events of the time. There are types of speeches evolves only out of the occasional, historical, or special events that happen in a country, region, city or any business on educational institutions wherein buildings are expected to commemorate a special historical events or when important persons who have dedicated their whole life to the source of a country, on a well- known business organization or an outstanding educational institution are accorded full honours for their unstinting and meritorious works or services to humanitarian causes by means of status or other sculptural works in order to perpetuate their names during and specially after their life time. It is a great chapter because the newly- invented types of speeches were presented comprehensively the standard procedures were also presented comprehensively the standard procedures were also presented orderly in detailed- manner. The chapter offers practical activities about the types of speeches presented. The speeches can be read by the students and performed inside the class. The teacher can also make different activities suggested by the book. * Chapter 13’s Appendices This is a special portion of the book because it gives a lot of examples or ifferent genres of public speaking (see page 166-176). Some books don’t offer this portion. These examples can be used and implemented in the different speaking activities the teacher wish to perform. Drills for children on vowel and consonantal sounds through these action nursery rhymes and through varieties of poems. N. Chapter 14: The interview and choral verse recitation. From single performance/ speech this chapter pres ented a more complex speech type. They’re actually considered as special form of public speaking. Why? Because this special speeches requires two or more number of speakers. First on the list is the interview this will be very beneficial to the students because one of these days they will experience an interview. Another is the choral verse this is also known as â€Å"speech choir† the unity of voice and mind here is very important. The teacher can use different sources given for evaluating the acquired knowledge by the students. It provides situational activities wherein the students will be the one to decide on what to do. O. Chapter 15: Dramatic interpretation and play production. This is the last objective chapter of the books and this is another phase of public speaking. This time it tackles about drama and play production. As a public speaker being an actor is a must. The students and teachers shall deal with dramatic interpretation and play production as distinct special forms of public speaking. Principles and factors to consider in Drama were presented comprehensively. It will surely benefit for all the students. B. Part II. On Speech Improvement Students who desire to master the pronunciation of English or American vowels and consonant sounds that give them difficulties in the roduction of these sounds. This is a special part of the book wherein from lesson (1-51) are presented for the enhancement of the student’s proficiency in speaking. The students will be provided guidelines during the production of these sounds such as the position of the tongue, type of the sound, lip formation, etc. Students who wish to be proficient in the pronunciation o f the English or American show some clusters must always bear in mind that these consonant clusters are among difficult sounds for speakers of other language. A. Appendices The sources used were presented in a standard format of bibliography. It is good because the future researchers won’t have difficulty in using the book. The sources are efficient for the reader to use. B. Bibliography It is rare for textbook to have â€Å"appendices†. This part contains different excerpts and masterpieces which can be used by the students in exercising the lesson of public speaking. GENERAL FINDINGS: Fit between Student and Text 1. Content / Explanation Is the content likely to be of interest or use to the students? The book is easy to read and has a refreshing style. It has a â€Å"Speech Improvement Part† that is relevant to the book content and it captured the interest of the students because of its contents that contains oral reading and acting activities that will develop the student’s skills in reading and speaking. And also it helps the teacher to evaluate the individual progress of the students. 2. Examples Are the examples appropriate to the lives and interests of the students? Do the examples fit closely with the concepts they are supposed to be explaining? The examples in the textbook are appropriate and interesting because it helps the pupils to learn more. The textbook also provides an illustration in the example which emphasizes the real life situation where pupils will learn. 3. Exercises / Tasks Do the exercises or tasks provide enough variety to meet the needs of different kinds of learners in the class (es)? Will they be of interest to those students? The exercises or tasks provide enough variety to meet the needs of different kinds of learners in the class by means of providing activities which are systematically organized to develop reading proficiency. It meets the interest of the learners, because it includes enjoyable activities which they can relate and apply the things that they have learned. 4. Presentation / Format Does the book look right for these Students? Are the illustration and other graphical and design elements appropriate for their age and educational level? Is the printed text easy to read and appropriate for their reading level? Is the mix between print and white space balanced so that readability is enhanced and appropriate? Does the book have an index, appendices, or other sections that are usable by students? Is the book well-constructed will it last a term of hard use by students? Yes, because the illustrations, graphical designs elements and all its contents are appropriate for the student’s age and grade level. It is conducive for learning. In fact, the hierarchy of lessons is in the simple to complex form. Which is really good for the readers? ADVANTAGES OF THE TEXTBOOK 1. The reading exercises provide practice in a variety of informational skills and reading comprehension skills. 2. The important words are being emphasized by means of bolding the letters. 3. Concrete how-to procedures are given, based on actual teaching experience. TABLE I. Analysis of Content for implementation of teaching Linguistic Content| The content contributes towards addressing learning objectives of the system. It teaches pupils to be an English-educated person for it helps to develop reading English skills. Concepts and skills are presented in the most logical sequence, from reading readiness level to the highest level, to make it easier for the pupils to learn and for the teacher to teach, and also to help pupils to enhance their creative or logical thinking. Thematic Content| The book contains two (2) that has different topic, and in each unit contains different lessons. Since this is a reading and speaking book, in the first unit the topic is all about â€Å"On Public Speaking†, second unit entitled â€Å"On Speech Improvement†,The topic in each unit makes happen to students that reading is fun and interesting. By this topics It can motivate st udents to read more, since each theme are connected to the lessons to be tackled. | Table II. Analysis of Teaching Activities for Implementation in Teaching Which of the activities provided in this textbook will I do in class? Chapter 7, Activity 2. The re-enactment of a specific scenario is one of the most done in English Classes. | Which activities in the textbook will I assign as homework? | Chapter 4 (Activity 1-4) The student should prepare different tips on how to create a speech by using different sources or speakers. | Which activities in the textbook will I hold back to use for testing? | Unit 2, (Chapter 2) Mastery of the English Sounds. With this type of activities it focuses with one main goal; to evaluate whether the learners understand the topic or not. We can also identify if the information given was acquired by the learners and how long it was retained with their minds. | Which activities in the textbook can be used for review later in the term? | The activities that can be used for review are activities are Chapter 1, Activity 1. With these types of activities teachers can evaluate whether the learners are listening to the stories presented in class and how they will reason-out with the questions being asked. | Which activities in the textbook require longer periods of time to accomplish- special projects? Chapter 6, (Interview and prepare a talk about a famous TV show nowadays, in this activity learners is requiring a lot of self-confidence, Creativeness is one approach that learners could apply with this said activity. | Which activities in the textbook might require special Equipment that was to be ordered ahead of time? | Activities 6(Role playing) are the activities in the textbook that might require special equipment. The reason why it requires special equipment for the learners to see the reality of things. Having props and costumes conveys someone’s curiosity and imagination. With this role playing activities the learners can witness and experienced what’s in the book and how it was being done. | Which activities in the textbook do I not want to do at all? | Chapter 14, Activity 1. Prepare a choral verse presentation. | CONCLUSION The program of activities should follow a predictable format wherein each lesson is covered in one week. Planning that the students will know in advance what areas of development are to be taken up each day. DAY| ACTIVITY| Mondays and Tuesdays| Developmental reading skills with emphasis to comprehension. Wednesdays| Functional skills with emphasis on the materials in science, math, social studies, and other subject areas. | Thursdays| Literary appreciation skills with emphasis on reading for enjoyment and enrichment. | Fridays| Review and testing of the reading skills covered during the week, including unite test. | RECOMMENDATION Since it is for 3rd year high school students, as observed the book doesn’t have a lo t of graphics which the learners like to see and learned, especially for the gestures taught. I recommend that all pictures/illustrations must be in practical and visible design regarding with some activities, I prefer to suggest putting some rubrics for evaluation purposes. With their young age, I think this kind of activities is not truly appropriate. 3rd year high school students are in the stage of reading refinement wherein they can figure out the purpose for reading. Activate background knowledge of the topic in order to predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate reading strategies. Attend to the parts of the text that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity enables students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the amount of information they have to hold in short-term memory. And of course select strategies that are appropriate to the reading task and use them flexibly and interactively. Students comprehension improves and their confidence increases when they use top-down and bottom-up skills simultaneously to construct meaning. Check comprehension while reading and when the reading task is completed. Monitoring comprehension helps students detect inconsistencies and comprehension failures, helping them learn to use alternate and the directions to be followed or if they can’t put a glossary in the back of the book can surely help the learners if they can see the meanings of hard words they have encountered. Another thing is the book must have an index, because an index seeks to direct the reader/s to all names and subjects on which the book has information. Index can set as a guide with the learners if they are in trouble of finding their lessons.

Legal vs Illegal Drugs Essay Example for Free

Legal vs Illegal Drugs Essay Drugs are a common part of everyday life. In fact, it is highly likely that there are drugs of some sort in your cupboard. They are classified into two categories: legal and illegal. Legal drugs include alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical drugs, while illegal drugs include marijuana, amphetamines and heroin. The media often portrays a biased, negative view on illegal drugs, however legal drugs often have the same effects as illegal drugs, if not worse. Illegal drugs can cause severe damage to the body, especially those of a teenager, whose bodies are still growing. The brain, heart, and other important organs are all affected by drugs. . For example, cocaine can cause heart attacks and in severe cases, deaths may occur. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as well as other published literature, researchers estimate that between 149 and 271 million people worldwide use illegal drugs, and data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that a quarter of a million people die from this drug use in 2004. This amount is relatively small compared with the 2. 25 million deaths caused by alcohol, and the 5. 1 million deaths caused by tobacco, which are both legal drugs. However, it cannot be denied that illegal drugs can lead to harsh physical health problems, and are a serious problem. Although illegal drugs may provide a short-lived burst of pleasure, longer-lasting harmful effects are often experienced afterwards, leading to long-term mental health problems. They affect the mood, behaviour and perspective of an individual, and often cause serious misjudgements. In severe cases, this may lead to death. LSD is one hallucinogenic drug that can cause serious mental health problems. After taking LSD, flashbacks may occur, days or even moths afterwards. The sudden appearance of these flashbacks result in disorientation, anxiety and distress. In fact, the experience of hallucinating may cause paranoia, phobia and ideation, which all may last for long periods of time, if not permanently. Often, a growing tolerance to illegal drugs may occur, leading to users being forced to take higher dosages in order to achieve the same result. This is extremely dangerous. Long lasting psychoses such as schizophrenia or severe depression may manifest as a result of a discontinuation of a drug, as well as prolonged anxiety and depression. The mental state of an individual will almost indefinitely deteriorate trough the use of illegal drugs. The use of illegal drugs can have devastating effects on your life. Due to the difficulty in obtaining these drugs, the street prices are much higher. Cannabis, for instance, costs $30/gram. Therefore, to support an illegal drug habit, you may have to be involved in criminal activity, such as theft. This will indefinitely have legal consequences. Just this month, in Malaysia, police have uncovered a new trend where youngsters are stealing motorcycles in order to trade them for drugs. Twenty -three motorcycle thieves were arrested, aged between 17 and 38. In addition to the illegal behaviour itself, the use of illegal drugs may make you less likely to keep appointments or engage with health services, making it much harder to seek help. Illegal drugs can cause vast disruption and destruction to your life, and is extremely hard to seek support for. On the other hand, in Australia, there are far more health problems and drug-related deaths from legal drugs. Legal drugs are approved after testing on limited populations. Everybody reacts differently, and there is a chance that you may be the person with the genetic predisposition that reacts differently than any other person who had previously been tested. These side effects can damage serious organs, and possibly be fatal. In June 2012, one such instance occurred. Nineteen-year-old Alex Heriot died after taking Benzo Fury at a Scottish music festival, which is a legal substance with a similar effect to ecstasy. Benzo Fury is one of the cheap new legal highs developed to bypass the banning of similar, illegal drugs. In the US, at least 106,000 people die each year even from properly prescribed drugs, with more than two million suffering serious side effects, which is an extremely high amount compared to the 10,000-20,000 deaths per year in America due to illegal drugs. Although pharmaceuticals may be prescribed by a doctor, there may still be serious side effects, and pose a high risk to your health. The false sense of security provided by pharmaceutical companies feeds into dependency and outright addiction more than illegal drugs. Although they were created to help individuals cope with the effects of illness and injury, many prescriptions drugs have become the â€Å"substance of choice† for the addicts who use them illicitly. The most commonly abused prescription drugs fall into three categories: Opiods, which produce a euphoric effect due to their pain killing abilities for short-term or chronic pain, Central Nervous system depressants, which have a calming, relaxing effect on the brain, and Stimulants, which increase brain energy for alertness and energy, and they are often abused for these effects. Xanax, for example, is a highly addictive benzodiazepine. Usually used to treat panic disorder and serious anxiety, many people have become addicted to it due to its fast acting sedation and relaxation effects. In Victoria alone, Benzodiazepines were responsible for 3, 135 deaths in 2010 and 2011, and in terms of drug related deaths, they were the second highest to alcohol. A 2012 Victorian report found that 65% of all forged Benzodiazepine prescriptions were for Xanax. Pharmacists have also reported that it is not uncommon for them to see prescriptions for 100 or 200 tablets, which is extremely worrying for a product that has no proven benefit beyond short-term use. Legal drugs are highly addictive and commonly abused. Alcohol and tobacco are one of the leading contributors to drug –related deaths. There are many effects of alcohol, including cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, obesity, physiological disturbances, and many more. Similarly, tobacco and smoking also lead to many adverse physical health effects, such as various forms of cancer (predominately lung cancer), infertility, and cardiovascular disease. According to the Government of South Australia, alcohol is a leading contributor to 30% of road accidents, 12% of suicides, 44% of fire injuries, and 34% of falls and drownings. There are roughly 3000 deaths and 65,000 hospitalisations from alcohol, each year, costing a community a sum of around $15 billion, according to the Australian Government, whilst an illegal substance such as cocaine is the cause of only 15-25 Australian deaths every year according to the ABS. In Australia, smoking is the largest preventable cause of death and disease, and around every 28 minutes, an Australian dies from tobacco-related diseases. In fact, more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. From a survey conducted in 2002, by the age of 14, around 90% of children have tried alcohol some time in their lives. These two drugs are one of the most dangerous drugs, and the increasing number of people abusing them is highly worrying. In conclusion, both legal and illegal drugs pose a great danger. Illegal drugs are prohibited due to their strength and addictive qualities, however many legal drugs replace the illegal ones, and cause thousands of deaths and millions of diseases every year. I believe that legal drugs are worse than illegal drugs, as they are both cheap and easy to abuse due to their availability. However, with the right prescriptions and control, I believe that legal drugs could become less of a problem.

Visual Effects Development in Early Days

Visual Effects Development in Early Days Before the arrival of Cinema, there were some forms of visual entertainments in Europe. The first one was Chinese Shadow Puppetry. It was introduced in Europe in late 17 century from Far East. This type of light show is the one of the popular performances in shadow theatre. The second one was Panorama. It was started by a Scottish artist Robert Baker. Panorama is a simple illuminated view which tells the story from circular paintings. Another popular visual entertainment was the Camera Obsura. The inverted image of the outside world appears on the wall of a dark room through the small hole. This process was later adapted for the pinhole camera and magic lantern. Magic Lantern was like a today projector. The light source inside the room was used to project images through lens into the darken room. The stories were painted on large glasses. The illusions of Magic Lantern such as beheading and beatings were much more improved by making dissolve and using multiple layers. An optical toy called Zoetrope plays the animated sequences to be viewed through slits in a rotating drum.   {{Rickitt, Richard 2006}} Figure 1; Chinese Shadow Theatre Figures Figure 2; Illustration of the Camera Obscura Principle Figure 3; Illustration from Kircher, Projection of Death Figure 4; a modern replica of a Victorian zoetrope Kinetograph By late 1890, Edison and his assistant Dickson developed a device called the Kinetograph. A single viewer needs to bend down to watch the moving images through the keyhole. That is why the nickname was given as What the Butler Saw. Kinetograph can take rapid sequential images and displays images using the loops of 35mm film. But Kinetograph cannot project the moving images on the screen as the viewers demanded. {{Rickitt, Richard 2006}} Figure 5; 1895 Version of Kinetophone in use Cinematographe Lumiere Brothers developed a Cinematographe that is improved on Edisons Kinetograph. Cinematographe was an all in one device. It can be used as camera, film printer and projector. The device was lighter than Kinetograph because the film needs to be hand cranked rather than relying on electric motor. Lumiere Brothers used Cinematographe to show the short clip in the basement of Grand Cafà ©, in Paris. They charged one franc for a twelve strips. It was last for one minute. Since then, the world first cinema market had begun. Arrival at a station (1895) made by Lumieres Brothers shook the audiences. In that film, the viewers thought that train would burst through the screen as train was approaching the station. {{Pinteau, Pascal 2004; Rickitt, Richard 2006}} Figure 6; Auguste (1862 1954) and Louis Lumiere (1864 1948) Father of Special Effects Figure 7; Georges Melies (1861 1938) A pioneer who discovered many special effects and influenced the visual effects world till today was Georges Melies. He was a magician and a youngest son of a French shoemaker. He used to work in family shoes business until his father retired. He then bought a theatre to make his dreams come true. He designed the innovative stage illusions and performed in his way of comic style. Magic lantern show was one of his great attractions. George Melies realized the benefits of Lumiere Brothers Cinematographe device that brings together the theatrical projection and technology. Therefore, George attempted to buy the Cinematographe device from father of Lumiere brothers. But he was refused to own the device as Lumiere Family wanted to ensure the exclusivity of film production. {{Pinteau, Pascal 2004; Rickitt, Richard 2006}} George did not give up easily. He went to London and purchased a device developed by Robert William Paul to work together with Edisons Kinetograph. George then hired two e ngineers to build a new version of camera. The First Special Effect Trick George discovered his first camera trick by accident. When he was recording the traffic, the camera was jammed. After one minute later, he continued to record the traffic. When he joined the break, he suddenly saw the bus changed into a hearse and men changed into women. Since then, he realised the importance of effect by substitution called Stop Action Trick. Stop Action Trick was already used in the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1893) produced by Edison before his discovery. But this one became the first trick of his incoming special effects discovery. {{Pinteau, Pascal 2004; Rickitt, Richard 2006}} Georges produced many genres. Among them his fairy tales and fantasies films were more famous e.g. Cinderella. In Cinderella film, his stop action tricks attracted the audiences by turning pumpkin into horse cart and rags into Cinderellas dress. Figure 8; a scene from Cinderella (1889) Figure 9; stop action trick used in Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1895) The Worlds First Special Effects Facility The Black Maria was the Edisons world first film studio constructed on the train rotating turntable so that studio can be oriented to face the sun like sunflowers. {{Ezra, Elizabeth 2000}} In 1896, Georges Melies also made a first special effect film called The Varnishing Lady in his first special effects glass studio in order to avoid the ruin of illusions by the weather. The studio was constructed by iron structure, glass wall and wooden floor. It was designed by Georges with trapdoors, winches, pulleys, mirrors and flying rigs. The studio was a most sophisticated one at that time. {{Pinteau, Pascal 2004; Rickitt, Richard 2006}} Figure 10; Edisons The Black Maria Film Studio Figure 11; Georges Melies glass studio Georges Split Screen Process Indian Rubber Head (1902) made by Georges Melies was used a split screen process. In order to create the illusion of an expanding head, Georges zoomed in on his head and superimposed this onto the film. Some areas of films were masked off to isolate the certain part of the picture to split the screen. {{VisualFx Hub 2017}} Figure 12; a scene from the man with the rubber head The First Science Fiction Film A trip to the moon was an earliest science fiction film made by Georges. The two minutes story is about a group of Victorian explorers visiting to the moon. In which film, Georges created the three dimensional depth illusion by painting. This is a very innovative film that covered a lot of Georges camera tricks such as superimpositions, double exposures, dissolves, stop-motion, matte paintings and miniatures. He even introduced the colour to the screen through hand painting and tinting. {{VisualFx Hub 2017}} Figure 13; the iconic image of the Man in the Moon Georges last days The masterpieces created by Georges were self-explanatory and visually stunning to be enjoyed by all audiences from all over the world without subtitling. But Georges films had been pirated and distributed illegally in United States and other countries. In 1913, Georges abandoned the filming after his wife death. In 1914, George was bankrupted and sold his all properties including his masterpieces to creditor. He spent the rest of his life just by running the toy shop at the train station in Paris. Nevertheless, his visual styles and special effects will never be forgotten. {{Pinteau, Pascal 2004; Rickitt, Richard 2006}} Other contributors in early days of Visual Effects There were many other innovators as well who had been developing the techniques for visual entertainments at the same time with Georges Melies. Robert William Paul was a scientific instrument maker from London. Robert built his own camera and projection for his production after he was refused by Edison to duplicate the Kinetograph. Although Robert was not a film maker, he produced a number of special effects featured films. E.g. The Motorist (1906) was the one of his remarkable films which is equally visual stunning as Georges Melies Masterpiece. The film was decorated with all available special effects to depict the story of a couple driving the car on the rings of Saturn in the space. In 1910, Robert abandoned film production and destroyed all his films. Another pioneer called Georges Albert Smith was an English photographer who built his own cameras and produced many trick films. Santa Claus (1898) was a notable film made by Georges A Smith. He created the earliest opening title s equence in Santa Clause film. He used the techniques of multiple exposures, stop action tricks and image within image in this film with the help of Georges Melies. {{Rickitt, Richard 2006; American Movie Classic Company 2017}}

Essay --

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disorder that causes blindness in the people that are affected by it. I chose retinitis pigmentosa because my grandmother has this genetic disorder. The disorder is very costly on those who have it. The disorder has robbed my grandmother of the life she wanted. She is no longer able to do the things she once was. She is legally blind, cannot drive, and has trouble getting around crowded areas. Retinitis pigmentosa was discovered by Doctor Donders in 1857. Retinitis pigmentosa is a very serious disorder in how it occurs, its signs and symptoms, its prevalence, and how its treated. Retinitis pigmentosa is caused by damage to the retina of the eye. The retina is the light sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye. The retina focuses images in the brain and then sends them via electrical signals up to the brain. The retina is a very important part of the eye to help a person see. What is affected in the retina from this disorder are the rods in the eye. The rods allow a person to see in the dark. Retinitis pigmentosa slowly causes the rods in the eye to deteriorate over time. Retinitis pigmentosa also can cause the cones in people’s eyes to deteriorate. If a person’s cones deteriorate first, then the person first develops blindness in the center of their eye and they lose some of their color vision. This form of retinitis pigmentosa is much rarer than the form that deteriorates the rods in the eyes. Retinitis pigmentosa can be caused in a person in numerous ways. It normally runs in families, however, it can also be caused from a mutation. We believe my grandmother developed the disorder from a genetic mutation, as no one else in my family has ever had the disorder or has developed it as of... ...al health. Wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes also slows the affects, as sunglasses put less strain on the retinas. Quitting smoking at any point in life can help preserve retinal health. Smoking has been linked to retinal damage. The prognosis for those with retinitis pigmentosa is they will live just as long as a normal person. Early death is not linked to retinitis pigmentosa. The only problems that the person will have are vision problems. Each person has a different experience with retinitis pigmentosa. No one case is like another. The genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa is very serious. It is very complex, as it has multiple ways to be inherited. The symptoms are serious and handicap the victims for life. It is very prevalent in society, and there is no treatment. Future research into this debilitating disorder will offer hope to those affected by it.

Clapham Junction By Paul Theroux :: essays research papers

*Meaning of the title: A junction is a place where roads come together or such as in this story break up in different directions. This regers to the end, where Mrs. Etterick asks for 'one single and one return to Sunbury, please'. Mrs. Etterick is going to drop her retarded daughter, Gina, at a special institution in Sunbury for Christmas. She doesn't want her daughter around: their ways are separated in the station (although Mrs. Etterick travels with Gina to Sunbury). 'Clapham' is a word that is often used by Theroux (the writer) in his other short stories (not in this book). Narrator: The narrator is an omniscient and unintrusive narrator: he knows everything but he doesn't give a comment. Hints in the story: * In the beginning they are talking about Gina and Mrs. Etterick says that 'hers is not the sort of affliction that can be cured in a place like Sunbury'. We don't know what's in Sunbury but we know that there's something with Gina that cannot be cured there; she has a disease. * Cox asks Mrs. Etterick 'Are you going away for Christmas?' and a bit further he asks 'So you might be alone?' and she answers 'I'm not sure'. * p.111 They hear Gina's present: a transistor. Mrs. Etterick explains it 'I decided to give Gina her present early' characters: All the characters (4-Mrs.Etterick/Rudge/Cox/Gina) are telling stories but the important thing is that they don't listen to each other, they constantly interrupt each other; they 're very selfish in a certain way but they apparently work in the same company/building: Cox says that 'When I didn't see you in your office (p.111) ...' And Rudge said that is was 'a party with all the secretaries'. Another similarity is that they sill don't know what they're going to do with Christmas (where/with who?). Mrs. Diana Etterick: She has a daughter, Gina who is nearly thirty but she's retarded. She lost her husband Richard (who works at the university) in Thailand (while they were living there) to a twenty-one year old Chinese girl, who was determined to leave China. They're both now in Australia while she's alone (except for now). She's very cynic avout that - p.112 Rudge asks 'Was it a tropical disease?' 'Yes', replies Diana 'she was about 21...' She hates Christmas: she didn't went to the par ty at work and on p.112 she says 'In Bangkok, you never know it was Christmas' and 'I'd like to spend the next eight days in bed,watching rubbish television.

Beyond the Burning Time :: Essays Papers

Beyond the Burning Time Mary’s Struggle Maturation is the emergence of personal and behavioral characteristics through growth process. In the novel Beyond the Burning Time, by Kathryn Lasky, Mary Chase goes through these growth processes. In the end Mary goes through many changes and becomes a very mature person. Mary will change in the concept that she will become more aggressive and motivated in making her own decisions. She also becomes more vigorous as well as courageous in a sense that she takes the initiative to save her mother when everyone loses faith. Plus she becomes bolder in addition to more demanding due to having to sneak around and do things she never would have thought of before. She is no longer the quiet little girl that she was. When her mother is taken Mary makes it her obligation to save Mrs. Chase. Mary’s aggression and motivation is what drives her to get her mother. When her mother was arrested she was alone. Mary loved her mother so much that she had to free her. When Mary couldn’t find her mother she became angry because Caleb seemed to give up hope. â€Å"Well, we must find out,† Mary said firmly. â€Å"Somehow, we must find out† (240). This motivation that she has helps her and Caleb to find their mother. Mary was also the one who came up with the plan to save Virginia Chase. If she would have PAGE 2 given so would everyone else. It was because of Mary that no one gave up or lost hope in their cause. During the course of the novel Mary becomes more vigorous and courageous. She is the one who takes the initiative to save her mother when Caleb loses hope. As the novel progresses she becomes more and more courageous. To sneak around and attack who used to be your best friends and defile the law takes a lot of courage. One of the greatest examples is that she will do anything to save her mother. This is shown when Mary and Caleb kill a lamb to scare Constable Dewart, â€Å"A hooded figure jumped out from behind the boulder, but instead of a human face, the head of a sheep stared at constable Dewart† (257).

Boys Will Be Boys

September 8th, 2015. It was the first day of high school, and my hands trembled as I rushed up the stairs to my biology class. As I settled in, the teacher collected the summer homework, only to realize that two nameless assignments had been handed to her. She walked around the room again, questioning only the girls if the homeworks belonged to them. It was after one of the students claimed her homework that I suddenly realized; I had also probably forgotten to write my name.â€Å"Excuse me, miss. I think that last homework without a name may be mine.†She walked over to my desk–row four, seat five– asking for my verification.â€Å"Yes, this is mine. I'm so sorry.†For a few seconds, the teacher observed me skeptically, unable to believe that the gentleman in front of her could have such neat, curly handwriting. Thinking back, I've always found myself to be quite different from others. Unlike most boys I knew, I enjoyed drawing Disney characters and going to Operas. I even joined my school band and learned to play the piano, flute, and clarinet. I never considered my interests as masculine or feminine, they simply made up who I was. Yet, when I shared my hobbies and interests, my friends would always be shocked to learn that I enjoyed many of the things they considered â€Å"feminine.† Growing up, I've always played with toys of medical equipment, hoping that one day I would actually use them as a nurse or pediatrician. Upon telling my friends, they would laugh and say â€Å"You†¦ a nurse or pediatrician? But you're a man, and that's such a lady's job. You should be a surgeon or something.† This stumped me. Maybe they're right, I supposed. I was led to believe that men and women should each commit to doing what they are respectively fit to do. The ridicule of my femininity followed me into high school, forcing me to confront my comfort zone and adapt to a new environment. Thus, as I came home from school, I browsed through the internet, searching for â€Å"how to write like a man†, and attempting to emulate standard â€Å"male† writing. Writing in this messy manner was difficult; it certainly wasn't something I felt accustomed to. Incidentally, as my mother walked in and witnessed the unusual scribbles on my homework, she was bemused to what she had seen.â€Å"Oh gosh, Zhen! Whose homework is that?† â€Å"Mom, calm down. It's mine. I'm just trying to write like other guys.† â€Å"Jeez no! Why are you doing this? You don't have to be like everyone else. You are your own person.†Though I struggled to understand her, I learned that my mother was right. My handwriting, despite it being viewed as ladylike, made me no less of a man. I decided that my handwriting would no longer be a tool of embarrassment, and I made it my goal to embrace my qualities and use them to exceed others' expectations. My feminine traits contribute to my strength and individuality. Even with these traits, I am capable of performing the so called â€Å"masculine† tasks. Whether it be building a desk from raw wood, or repairing mechanical appliances, I am capable, even if I also enjoy shopping, dancing, and keeping up with fashion. In being able to accomplish both the delicate and crude tasks, I am at an advantage. My feminine traits are neither problematic nor burdensome- instead, they reward me with a vast range of interests and skills that turned into my passions and a more diverse group of friends. I have learned to grow out of stereotypes dictated by society and be comfortable with my own character. To date, though my views of myself have changed for the better, my handwriting and passion to pursue my medical studies have stayed the same.

India vs China Essay

To compete in the global market, the Government of India (GoI) has liberalized export policies & licensing of technology and implemented tax reforms providing various incentives. Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy is also one of the steps India has taken to boost economic growth through outward looking approach. Special economic zone is a specifically duty fee enclave and shall be deemed to be foreign territory for the purpose of trade operations and duties and tariffs. When SEZ policy was introduced in the country, it made headlines and people started considering it as a policy to create a hassle free and investment friendly environment. The main objective of this research paper is to analyze SEZ policy in terms of export performance, FDI inflow, employment generation and overall physical and financial infrastructure building. This research paper tries to investigate whether having these policies are good for the country or not. SEZs are a larger variant of Export Processing Zone (EPZ), thus performance of EPZ has also been discussed briefly. It has been five years now since all then existing EPZs have been converted into SEZs. Section –II has been devoted to performance analysis of these zones. After the failure of EPZs, a significant change has been made in the rules/regulations and a new package of fiscal and non- fiscal incentives is also being offered to developers and units. According to Finance Msinistry, the government has to forego about Rs. 90,000 crore in direct and indirect taxes over the next four years on account of SEZs. Despite so many incentives, performance of these privileged enclaves over the last five years indicates the failure of this scheme. For instance, the share of exports from SEZs in the total exports of the country has only increased from 4. 2% in 2000-01 to 5. 1% in 2004-05. Some economic experts are also seeing it as a corporate welfare scheme and the possibility of a sharp decline in investments in SEZs can’t be ruled out as tax benefits are only for 10 years. Other issues of concern like the heavy economic cost, real estate scam and labour policies are also discussed in the last section of the paper. Data are mostly secondary but the opinion of different economists and the Development Commissioners (SEZ) has also been taken into account. The zones cannot be insulated from the broader institutional and economic context of the country and be treated as an economy within the economy. Zones are a part of the economy and require overall improvement in the investment climate to ensure success in the long run. They should not, therefore, be viewed as an alternative to the overall development model. This is perhaps the reason why SEZs failed to fulfill the role of engines of economic growth in most countries on a sustainable basis. 3 Major Findings †¢ The union Govt has foregone a whopping Rs 39,704 crore of duty under export promotion schemes during 2003-2004 accounting for 82% of customs duty collected in that year. †¢ The foreign exchange earned by all the 811 units in the 8 zones put together came to only Rs. 8,309 crores, a mere 5% of India’s exports during the fiscal year 2004-05. †¢ During 1966-1980 average annual export growth rates of EPZs was over 77%, whereas during the post 2000 period (2001-03) it came down to 7%. †¢ Total share of FDI investment in Noida SEZ in 1997 was 12. 3% and it went up by a mere 0. 4% in the six years. To tal FDI share in 2003 was 12. 7%. †¢ A slew of tax exemption planned for SEZ to boost exports will erode Rs. 93,900 ($ 20. 62 billion) in government revenue over the next four years. †¢ Haryana Govt has offered over 1700 acres of land near Gurgaon to RIL (Reliance) for about Rs. 60 crore while it is estimated that the land was worth 5000 crore and HSIDC had acquired this land by paying Rs. 300 crore in compensation to the farmers. 4 Section – 1 SEZ Policy: An Overview 5 1. 1 Introduction A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is defined as a deemed foreign territory within a country with special rules for facilitating FDI for export-oriented production, and for purposes of trade and customs duties. These Zones (SEZs) are geographical region that have economic laws different from a country’s typical economic laws. Different economic institution and government departments have defined it in different ways. As per Ministry of Commerce and Industry they are defined as: Special economic zone is a specifically duty fee enclave and shall be deemed to be foreign territory for the purpose of trade operations and duties and tariffs. SEZs have been established in several countries, including the People’s Republic of China, India, Jordan, Poland, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Russia. The concept of having free trade zones, export oriented zones and SEZs dates back to 1970. In 1979-80, China opened up its economy to foreign investment with the establishment of Shenzhen SEZ. Situated close to the Hong Kong port, this small fishing hamlet has today acquired the distinction of being the manufacturing hub of the world with a GDP of $20 billion and an annual foreign trade of nearly $50 billion. Inspired by the success of Chinese SEZs our policy makers also tried to experiment with SEZs in India. Despite the failure of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) Murasoli Maran after visiting China in the year 2000 introduced the SEZ policy very same year considering the need to enhance foreign investment and promote exports from the country. The SEZ bill was passed by parliament in 2005 and the Commerce Ministry notified the Special Economic Zones law on February 9, 2006 and the rule came into effect from February 10, 2006 but the rush of proposals for setting up SEZs had begun much earlier and by November 2005 some 61 SEZs were already approved. According to reports, so far, the Government has cleared around 150 SEZ proposals out of around 200 received. The policy provides for setting up of SEZs in the public, private, joint sector or by State Governments. It was also envisaged that some of the existing EPZs would be converted 6 into SEZ. Accordingly, the Government has converted all eight EPZs into SEZs. Table 1. 1. 1 below shows all the EPZs which has been coveted to SEZs with their size Table 1. 1. 1 List of all the EPZs converted into SEZs with their size Location Kandla (Gujarat) SEEPZ (Mumbai) Cochin (Kerala) Surat (Gujarat) NOIDA (UP) Chennai (TN) Vizag (AP) Falta (WB) Size (Sq. KM) 2. 99 0. 38 0. 40 NA 1. 22 1. 04 1. 43 1. 12 Source: Export Promotion Council. Ministry of Commerce, Government of India 1. Evolution of EPZs/SEZs in India The economic policy of 1960’s which were geared towards selective import liberalization and export promotion, marked the development of EPZ’s in the country. The first EPZ in India which was also the first in Asia was set up at Kandla in 1965. The proposal for setting up the Kandla free trade zone was mooted in 1961, with the objective of facilitating the development of the Kutch reg ion, to ensure greater utilization of Kandla port and to create employment opportunities in the Kandla. The second EPZ in the country, the Santa Cruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ), was set up at Mumbai in 1974. This EPZ was developed specifically for processing electronics goods and was expected to generate employment opportunities and facilitate the technology transfer. SEEPZ was initially planed as single product zone for processing electronics goods but by 1986 it was made a two product zone providing for gems and jewellery complex as well. 7 Four more zones were set up in the mid-eighties at Noida (NEPZ), Chennai (MEPZ), Cochin (CEPZ, Kerala), and Falta (FEPZ, West Bengal) and the seventh EPZ in the country was commissioned at Vishakhapatnam (VEPZ, Andhra Pradesh) in 1994. Initially the Central Government was solely responsible for establishing EPZ, but this policy was amended in 1994 to enable state governments, autonomous agencies and the private sectors to participate in the development agencies and operation of EPZs. Following the implementation of this policy, one EPZ was developed by private sector in Surat. A joint sector EPZ (now SEZ) has been approved for Greater Noida (UP). In terms of export performance, employment generation and FDI inflow EPZs failed in India but considering the need of better export performance and infrastructure building, central government came up with SEZ policy in 2000. Section II of this research paper has been devoted to analysis of the failure of EPZs in India. Without understanding the key difference between these two similar policies it would not be fair to comment upon the future of SEZ scheme. 1. 3 How SEZs are different from EPZs ? SEZs are a larger variant of EPZs. Both have a delineated area and permit duty free import of capital goods and raw materials; both aim to attract foreign investment for setting up export-oriented units by providing developed infrastructure, conducive operating environment and a package of fiscal incentives. However, the objective of SEZs is much larger than mere promotion of export processing activities. While EPZs are industrial estates, SEZs are virtually industrial townships that provide supportive infrastructure such as housing, roads, ports and telecommunications hospitals, hotels, educational institutions, leisure and entertainment units, residential/industrial/commercial complexes, water supply sanitation and sewerage system and any other facility required for development of the zone. The scope of activities that can be undertaken in the SEZs is much wider and their linkages with the domestic economy are stronger. Resultantly they have a diversified industrial base. Their role is not transient like the EPZs, as they are intended to be instruments of regional development as well as export promotion. Although the objectives 8 of SEZ policy are quite similar to the objectives envisaged by central government through EPZ policy in early eighties but there is significant difference between these two policies in terms of tax benefits and rules and regulations. The table 1. 3. 1 below summarizes the difference between these two: Table 1. 3. 1 Comparison between SEZ and EPZ India’s SEZ Restriction sectors on Open manufacturing, services trading activities India’s EPZ to Open manufacturing and trading considered SEZ vs. EPZ to While SEZs are and generally open to activities. all activities, EPZs more manufacturing and trading on Services may also be appear to focus Tax exemption Companies in Companies in EPZs SEZs offer more tax than SEZs enjoy a 5 were exempted from attractive year corporate tax corporate tax for a benefits holiday, by more years followed block of 5 years in EPZs 50% first 8 years of exemption for 2 operations. However, under section 10a of the income tax act, the concession was to be Retention foreign exchange earnings of Retain earnings Exchange phased out by in control foreign 2009 100% Retain 70% foreign Companies in Exchange Earner Foreign Earner better Currency over foreign exchange exchange earnings in SEZs would have 9 Foreign Currency Account (EEFC). urrency relation purchase in to of Account (EEFC). imported inputs. Export performance (EP) Foreign Exchange exports (NFEP) & No minimum EP Minimum required. Positive NFEP Net NFEP (varies industries required (varies and EP and Companies in SEZ more across leeway in meeting export performance requirements. required. enjoy across industries and states) Earning as % of states) requirements Duty recovery in Duty recovery is Full duty recovery is Lesser penalty for case of failure to in proportion to imposed achieve positive shortfall NFEP DTA* sales Unlimited sales on full duty Duty imported material free Allowed. raw duty qualify for DTA sales but SEZs achieve NFEP DTA Only 50% of exports SEZs enjoy greater access to domestic market These Allowed, duty More flexibility in and for in 1 inventory planning companies SEZs. Certifications of Imports on self- Imports imports certification basis attestation Development Commissioner require Simplified of customs procedures facilitate movement of 10 free free materials are to production utilized over failing to positive materials are to be years be utilized over 5 year. mports into SEZs Customs inspection No routine Routine of inspections import/export cargo FDI Foreign promotion customs Expedited of movement SEZs investment Easier SEZs and for board quicker FDI flows manufacturing companies. of goods in an out of examination import/export cargo by Cusoms FDI process approval 100% investment through automatic approval is required into route available for for FDI manufacturing companies Source: SEZ Authority, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India Available at sezindia. nic. in. Accessed on June 5, 2006 1. Objectives of SEZ envisaged by the Government of India The main objective of the SEZ scheme according to the finance and commerce ministries is to create delineated, duty –free zones with world class infrastructure, internationally competitive production environment and fast track clearance system for attracting private investments, especially foreign direct investment (FDI) for setting up export oriented unit. The broad objectives of the SEZ policy are: Attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Earn foreign exchange and contribute to exchange rate stability Boost the export sector, particularly on traditional exports Create jobs and raise standard of living Transfer new skills and expertise to local human resources Create backward & forward linkages to increase the output and raise the standard of local enterprise that supply good s and services to the zone Introduce new technology 11 Develop backward regions by locating such zones in these areas and attracting industries Provide a stimulus to the economy Test key policy reforms in these ‘pilot areas’ According to the Commerce Ministry, investment of the order of Rs. 00,000 crore over the next 3 years with an employment potential of over 5 lakh is expected from the new SEZs apart from indirect employment during the construction period of the SEZs. Heavy investments are expected in sectors like IT, pharma, bio-technology, textiles, petrochemicals, auto-components etc. With the Act and Rules in place, it is expected that many large format, multi-product SEZs that have so far been unable to achieve financial closure will now quickly move towards such closure. It is anticipated that this will trigger a large flow of foreign and domestic investment in SEZs, in infrastructure and productive capacity, leading to generation of additional economic activity and creation of employment opportunities. Fiscal and other incentives are being offered to woo investors and SEZ developers. Incentives like tax benefits, single window clearance, flexibility in export and import rules and regulations has made SEZs an important and most sought after destination for setting up the business empire. Unlike most of the international instances where zones are primarily developed by Governments, the Indian SEZ policy provides for development of these zones by the government, private or joint sector. 1. 5 Establishing SEZs : Procedures and Requirements According to Commerce Ministry and SEZ authority SEZs may be developed and managed in the private sector or jointly by state government and a private agency or exclusively by the State Government or their agencies. In the case of privately developed zones, the investors could be either Indian individuals, NRIs, Indian or foreign companies. New infrastructural development works such as construction of Standard Design Factory Building, operation and maintenance of infrastructure in the Zones may also be undertaken through private/joint/state sector in the Export Processing Zones, now converted into Special Economic Zones. Any person, who intends to set up a SEZ, may, 12 fter identifying the area can make a proposal to the Board of Approval (BOA) but will also have to obtain the concurrence of the State Government. SEZ developer will have to get a no-dispute certificate for that area where he wants to establish SEZ from the Chief Secretary of that state. After getting clearance from the state government BOA considers that proposal and if the proposal is within the purview of SEZ act BOA can approve the proposal. However if a state government wants to set up a special economic zone, after identifyi ng the area can make a proposal directly to the board. The central government has prescribed the minimum area requirement for setting up SEZs. Table 1. 5. 1 shows the minimum requirement of area for various sectors. Table 1. 5. 1 Minimum area requirement for various sectors Sector Multi Product Green field Service sector Bio-Technology InformationTechnology Gems & Jewellery All other sectors 10 100 Minimum area required (in hectare) 1000 1000 100 10 10 Source: SEZ authority, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Government of India. Available at sezindia. nic. in. Accessed on June 15, 2006 The area requirement for multi-product SEZs has been relaxed to 200 hectares and for sector specific SEZs to 50 hectares, for certain States (Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa) and Union Territories, keeping in view the difficulty in finding large tracts of contiguous land in such states/union territories. According to the SEZ Act at 13 east 25 % area of the SEZ shall be used for developing industrial area for setting up of such units and the remaining 75% can be used for building infrastructures like roads, hotels, power generation station, educational institution and other facilities. 1. 6 Setting up Units Any person who wants to set up a unit for operating in a SEZ will have to submit a proposal to the development commissioner of that SEZ. Development commissioner submits the application to the Approval Committee and the Appro val Committee may, either approve the proposal without modification, or approve the proposal with modification. A modification suggested by Approval Committee will be well within the purview of SEZ Act. 1. 7 Important Features of SEZ Policy and Incentives given to SEZ In India SEZs are deemed foreign territory within the country with special rules for facilitating FDI for export-oriented production, and for purposes of trade and customs duties. The key implication of being a deemed foreign territory is that individual units within the SEZ are allowed operational freedom in routine activities and not supervised by the customs authorities. Units may be set up in SEZ for manufacture of goods and rendering of services. To woo the investors to the zones, the Central Government has been offering a number of fiscal incentives and concessions. For instance, the zones are deemed as foreign territories as far as trade operation, duties and tariffs are concerned. The units (100% export oriented) also have full flexibility in operations. They are exempt from all direct and indirect taxes. No export and import duties, no excise duties, no central or state sales tax and no service tax. The units don’t require license for importing capital goods and raw material. According to SEZ Act 2005, the firms are eligible for getting an extended Income Tax holiday for 15 years. Income tax exemption for 15 years is available for SEZ units as detailed below:- 14 a) 100% of profits and gains from exports for the first 5 years b) 50% of profits and gains from exports for the next 5 years c) Amount not exceeding 50% which is credited to a reserve account ‘Special Economic Zone Re-investment Reserve Account’ and utilized for business for the next 5 years. The only condition imposed on the firms is that they must have positive net foreign earning (NFE). The important fiscal and non-fiscal incentives given to SEZ developers and firms are as follows: †¢ 100% FDI in the manufacturing sector permitted through automatic route1 except arms and ammunition, explosives, atomic substance, narcotics and hazardous chemicals, distillation and brewing of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes, cigars and manufactured tobacco substitutes. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ External commercial borrowings by SEZ units upto US$500 million in a year without any maturity restrictions through recognized banking channels. Facility to retain 100% foreign exchange receipts in Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account. Exemption from Central Sales Tax and Service Tax Facilities to set up off-shore banking units in SEZs. Exemption from duties on import /procurement of goods for the development, operation and maintenance of SEZ. FDI to develop townships within SEZs with residential, educational, health care and recreational facilities permitted on a case-to-case basis. The full list of all the fiscal and non-fiscal incentives being offered to SEZ developers and units has been given in the (appendix-i). Apart from getting tax benefits from central government these zones are also getting tax benefits from state governments. TABLE 1. 7. 1 shows the list of tax benefits given by state governments to all the EPZs which has been converted into SEZs. Table: 1. 7. 1 Exemption From The State Level Taxes By Zone Falta Cochin Chennai Noida Vizag Kandla 15 Sales tax Contract tax Purchase tax VAT State entry tax Octroi tax CESS Luxury tax Entertainment tax Stamp duty and registration chages on land transfers Stamp duty and registration charges on loan agreements/credit deeds Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No No No No Yes n. a. n. a. n. a. Yes n. a. No n. a. n. a. Yes Yes n. a. n. a. n. a. n. . n. a. n. a. No No No Yes No Yes n. a. Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes n. a. Yes n. a. No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes Source: Agrawal,2004 Units within the SEZ and EPZ also get subsidies sometimes on land rents and built up areas are also provided on lower rental rate. In some countries utility services such as electricity, water, and telecommunication are also subsidized. Table 1. 7. 2 shows the list of subsidies being given to zone units in six EPZs (now SEZs): Table: 1. 7. 2 Provision of subsidies by Zone Falta On land rent Factory rent On purchase on capital goods On capital investments Interest rate subsidies Concessional finance Any other Cochin Chennai Noida Vizag Kandla Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No No No Yes Yes No No No No No Yes Yes No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes No No No No No Source: Agrawal,2004 In terms of fiscal and other benefits we are ahead of China but the record of the Indian EPZs stands in contrast even to the performance of the general economy. Unlike other countries, in India, SEZs are being developed by the private sectors as well and to attract 16 he private and foreign investment a package of incentives is being offered by both state as well as central government. Later in the research paper an investigation has also been made to analyse the worth of these benefits. Section – II Performance Analysis of EPZs & SEZs 17 Introduction What is a successful SEZ? Is it the one that contributes to the host economy, one that generates prof it for its own owners/managers? SEZs are extensions of EPZs and taking this into consideration, an attempt has been made to analyze the success of both EPZs and SEZs in India. It has been just five years since the introduction of the SEZ policy in India. Some economists believe that it’s too early to comment upon its potential or chances of its failure. A significant change has been made in the rules and regulations but by and large the objectives of SEZs and EPZs are similar. Taking this into account this section has been devoted to explain the experience India had with EPZ policy in terms of export performance, employment generation, FDI inflow and infrastructure development. SEZs have been viewed as a tool to attract FDI and boost the export sector, which will 8 further create employment. It might be argued that policies like SEZ which has been introduced very recently can not be categorized as a good or a bad policy by looking at the performance analysis of five years but it definitely gives an insight into its potential success or failure. 2. 1 Share in Total Exports: Aggregate Analysis Exports from SEZs grew by 16. 4% from 2000-01 to 2004-05. In the same period, total exports in India grew by 12. 1%. This clearly indicates that despite getting special treatment, performance of SEZs in India is not satisfactory. Even, the share of exports from SEZs in the total exports of the country has only increased from 4. 2% in 2000-01 to 5. 1% in 2004-05. It’s quite apparent from the diagram that Domestic Tariff Area is also more or less witnessing the same rate of growth. Exports from SEZ touched the figure of 18,309 crore in 2004-2005 which is just a mere 5% of the total exports from India. Figure: 2. 1. 1 Trend in export performance of SEZs Exports from SEZs (Rs. in Crores) 20000 Rs (in Crores) 15000 10000 (4) 5000 0 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Year 11) (8) (4) (8) Source: Export Promotion Council, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India Note: figures in parenthesis shows the No. of functional SEZs 19 Figure: 2. 1. 2 Contribution of SEZs in country’s total Export SEZ’s contribution in country’s total export Contribution in percentage 6. 00% 5. 00% 4. 00% 3. 00% 2. 00% 1. 00% 0. 00% 4. 20% 4. 40% 4. 70% 5. 10% 3. 90% 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Year Source: CII report, 2005 Study shows that initially EPZs also witnessed high growth but gradually it started declining. In the early seventies, the growth rate of EPZs touched 77% but gradually it started coming down (Agrawal, 2004) and declined to 7% in 1999-00. Figure 2. 1. 3 indicates that the SEZs are failing to induce dynamism in the overall export performance of the economy. As the figure shows, despite a high growth of overall exports, SEZ contribution has remained constant over the years despite various other benefits. However, this may be counter argued by saying that apart from exports government has other objectives like employment generation and attracting FDI but our analysis shows that SEZ scheme is also failing like EPZs in attracting FDI. Figure: 2. 1. 3 Growth Trend of SEZ and Country Export 20 2000000 1800000 1600000 1400000 1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 Rs. in Crores SEZs export Country export Source: sezindia. nic. in, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Government of India 2. 2 FDI inflow and Employment India had a very slow expansion in the initial phases of EPZ policy. Expansion in the zones started picking up in the 1980s in terms of employment but total investment remained abysmally low till the late 1980s8. In the 1990s, investment also started increasing. Growth rates in employment slowed down considerably in the late 1990s but in terms of investment EPZs in India continue to be dominated by domestic investment. This was despite its edge in terms of labour costs, availability of trained manpower and a stable macroeconomic environment. The share of FDI in total investment increased slowly from 12% in 1989 to slightly over 18% in 2000 ( Agrawal, 2004). During 2000-03, however, FDI inflows increased faster. Table 2. 2. 1 below shows the share of FDI in EPZ/SEZ investment. In 2000, all the EPZs were converted into SEZs, and with new rules and incentives it was expected that FDI will pour in but a more detailed study of Noida SEZ shows a mere 0. 4% growth in FDI investment in six years while in Chennai it just went up by 2. 3%. Despite this, new SEZs are becoming the most sought after destinations for foreign investors, however the chances of decline in FDI in SEZs can’t be ruled out as once the tax benefit period gets over and there would not be much incentives for investors to invest in SEZs. 21 TABLE: 2. 2. Share of FDI in total EPZ/SEZ investment (%) Zone Kandla Santacruz Noida Chennai Cochin Falta Vizag 1997 1. 3 8. 4 12. 3 28. 4 9. 6 3. 1 2003 4. 9 9. 2 12. 7 30. 7 13. 7 4 38. 8 Source: Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Government of India Unlike other countries, in India SEZs are being developed largely by private sectors and to avail the tax and other benefits private players are rushing in but it would be interesting to see if Govt doesnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t extend the benefits again once the period gets over , will they be still interested in investing and building infrastructure. Employment creation is one of the important goals which Indian government wants to achieve through SEZs but previous experiences with EPZ and other free trade zones doesn’t give us any rosy picture. EPZ had a share of near about 1% in organized employment (Agrawal, 2004) and till now all eight functional SEZs has created 1 lac employment and it is being expected that in next five years it will cross the figure of 5 lac. Table 2. 2. 2 shows the employment generated by different zones and the amount of Government and private investment in these zones. Table: 2. 2. 2 Zone wise employment and Investment upto 31. 3. 2005 Private No of Zone units Employment as on 31. 03. 2005 Govt investment upto 31. 03. 2005 investment upto 31. 03. 2005 KSEZ SEEPZ NSEZ MSEZ CSEZ 123 176 151 105 74 9821 42150 19857 16107 4712 26. 93 57. 39 78. 04 74. 83 87. 53 134 279. 49 650 223. 96 92. 79 22 FSEZ VSEZ Surat Manikan chan 83 28 62 5 2 2 2753 2500 2250 300 50 150 82. 83 39. 3 32. 46 263. 85 311. 58 5 . 07 4 1 3 Jaipur Indore Source: Export Promotion Council, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Government of India SEZ or any other free trade zone should not be viewed as a tool to generate employment. Studies show that even small countries like Philippines has created 1. 1 million jobs through these economic zones (KPMG Report, 2004) but despite being the first country to have EPZ in Asia, India failed to achieve a high employment rate. Dysfunctional policies, regulations, lack of single window clearance facilities, poor attitude of the officials, centralized governance, stringent labour laws, poor physical and financial infrastructure, all accounted for an undesirable investment climate and thus EPZ failed to create employment. SEZ should have witnessed much higher growth in exports and employment but it is not happening either. If SEZ policy is really an example of decentralized governance, is it capable to strengthen our physical and financial infrastructure and if single window clearance facilities are no longer a dream, all these issues and concerns have been emphasized in the last section. Generally, it is argued that the SEZ concept is attractive because it is much easier to resolve the problems of infrastructure and governance on a limited geographical area than it is to resolve them countrywide. On the contrary, the performance over the last five years of these privileged enclaves indicates the failure of this scheme. The zones cannot be insulated from the broader institutional and economic context of the country and be treated as an economy within the economy. Zones are a part of the economy and require overall improvement in the investment climate to ensure success in the long run. They should not, therefore, be viewed as an alternative to the overall development model. This is perhaps the reason why SEZs failed to fulfill the role of engines of economic growth in most countries on a sustainable basis. 23 Section – III A comparative study of Chinese SEZ policy 24 3. SEZs in China The development of Special Economic Zones is one of the highlights of remarkable Chinese economic achievements. The Development of Chinese Special Economic Zones dates back to 1980’s. It is different from Indian practice: SEZ in China is classified in two levels by their scales. SEZ is the whole city even whole province opened to special financial, investment and trade policy, while Economic and Technologi cal Development Zones (ETDZ) is a relatively small piece of land earmarked in coastal and other open cities for industry and trade development. As early as 1980, under the opening-up and reform policy, the Chinese Government set up the first group of Special Economic Zones in Shen Zhen, Zhu Hai, Shan Tou and Xia Men, 25 all of which are located in costal areas of Southeast China, followed by other 10 costal cities, Hai Nan Province and Pu Dong area in Shanghai as the second group. To further open to the outside world and to spread successful experiences of SEZs, at the beginning of 1984, the government decided to establish ETDZs along coastal line on the basis of successful experiences of and favorable policies granted to the SEZs in the previous period. Consequently, China’s first group of 14 National Economic and Technological Development Zones (NETDZ) were established from 1984 to 1988 successively. The distinguishing features of Chinese SEZs are their large size, investment friendly customs regime, flexible labour laws, liberal policy for DTA access, attractive package of incentives and delegation of powers in favour of provinces and local authorities for managing the zones. 3. Comparing Chinese SEZ policy with India In spite of the fact that India was a pioneer in creating one of the worlds’s first export processing zones at Kandla in 1965, EPZs have never had much impact on India’s export performance. Tariff exemption schemes have tended to be excessively complex and encourage a ‘licence raj’ mentality at the operational level. Both economies are large emerging markets that had rather similar profiles in 1978. Today, China ranks number one as the world’s preferred foreign investment dest ination. Closer examination of the FDI statistics suggests that India’s performance has been abysmal in comparison to China. India lags behind for a number of reasons. These include a high tariff regime, poor infrastructure (power, ports, roads and railways), and a regulatory system that is too often not business-friendly and inflexible labour laws. In this section a comparison has been done between Chinese and Indian SEZ policy on different parameters like tax incentives, labor laws, FDI inflow, employment and export performance. First, consider the size of the proposed SEZs. Chinese SEZs are like townships. India has not gone that far, but according to the SEZ guidelines, the area of an SEZ should be 1000 hectares. It is being argued that large sized SEZs can perform better as they will have a larger scale of economy but on contrary to that the best performing SEZ in Mumbai has an 26 area of 93 acres only. It is being considered that one of the china’s success factors was large size of SEZs. For instance, entire Hai Nan Island has been declared as SEZ with an area of 34,000 Sq. km. Table 3. 2. 1 below shows the size of all five existing SEZs in china. Table: 3. 2. 1 Size of Chinese SEZs SEZ 1) Shenzhen 2) Zhuhai 3) Xiamen 4) Hainan 5) Shantou Area (Sq. KM) 327 121 131 34000 234 Source: Kumar, 2003 There is no doubt that SEZs have an edge over rest of the economy in terms of investment friendly environment and it’s quite obvious that if we have an investment friendly environment in a larger area, economy would do well. Rather than applying the theory of having larger scale of economy we should focus on an overall hassle free environment for export and this can be done only by extending the SEZ policy to whole country where every small and big export oriented manufacturers will have the access to business friendly environment. One counter argument to this proposal might be that SEZ policy in India is being implemented on a pilot basis, and government can extend this policy to whole country if SEZ works as a tool to bring economic reform. But unfortunately SEZ policy nowhere talks about extending the same hassle free system to rest of the country. It means that carrying out businesses in hassle free environment would still be a dream for rest of the country, so infrastructure else where in the country would not improve. The performance of SEZ also depends on the inner infrastructure and how can we think of a great performance from SEZs when rest of the economy still suffers from the same unfriendly environment. 27 SEZ’s were established by the China to encourage foreign investment, bringing jobs, technical knowledge, and future tax revenues in return for significant tax concessions at start-up of the operations and over a number of years. The biggest benefit to the investor is significant tax concessions early in the project. Tax concessions offered to a manufacturing startup in Chinese SEZ are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ No tax during start-up years before making a profit The first year that any company makes a profit starts the â€Å"Tax Clock† and is year one The first and second year after the tax clock starts, there is no tax. For years three and four, there is 1/2 of the normal tax rate. In the fifth year, the company pays the full normal tax rate In terms of tax benefits we are ahead of china. In SEZ policy tax benefits has been increased in comparison to EPZ but the failure of EPZs indicates that tax benefits can’t alone boost the FDI and export performance. Table 3. . 2 below compares the performance of these two countries. Table 3. 2. 2: Comparison of SEZ performance China Share of SEZs in total export Employmnet(Direct) generated through SEZs FDI inflow through SEZs India 5% 0. 1 million US $ 2 billion 23% 2 million US $ 60 billion Source: KPMG report, ministry of commerce and industry (GoI) The contribution of Chinese SEZs to the country exports is in the range of 15-23%. Acc ording to available statistics, the share of SEZ exports to country exports in 1997 was 23% (i. e. approximately US $ 42 billion). Overall, all the zones put together have played an important role in the overall growth of the Chinese economy. These zones taken together employ more than two million people directly and approximately 16 million overall (both direct and indirect). Cumulatively, 20% of the total foreign direct investments 28 into China have made its way into SEZs (i. e. approximately US $ 60 billion till date). Performance of SEZs in these two countries should not be compared just on the basis of export and other figures because size wise Chinese SEZs are much larger than Indian SEZs. But even in performance (export, employment) per Sq. KM China witnessed higher rate of growth and it was possible because of their liberal framework of SEZ policy. As regards labour laws, it is difficult to imagine that a communist country like China has relaxed these laws by allowing a hire and fire policy for the SEZs. This single measure went a long way in attracting foreign investment to these zones. After investors gained confidence in the productivity of Chinese workforce, the hire and fire policy was substituted by the contract system. There is ample justification for adopting in India a flexible labour policy in India, not just for these exporting enclaves but also for rest of the country. Rigid and outdated labour laws hinder the economic development and it sets the rationale for having a labour reform. According to section 5B of the labour code any registered firm, that is employing more than 100 people, is required to seek permission from the state government to retrench its workforce. The country budget of March 2002 promised a change in the legislation to raise the level to 300 but due to coalition government it never happened. The result is that formal-sector firms (those that are registered and that pay their taxes) loath to take on new employment, and the vast majority of India’s employment is informal, in small, tax-evading, inefficient enterprises. The policy in India on these critical issues is lukewarm. It just mentions that the laws of the land will apply and that the zones can be declared as public utilities under the Industrial Disputes Act. Merely declaring SEZs as public utilities will, however, not serve much purpose as seen in the EPZ experience. The radical difference in the attitude of the Indian and Chinese governments on this matter is reflected n the recently published investors guide for Special Economic Zones in India. It states ‘the labour laws of the land will apply to all units inside the Zone. However, the respective State Governments may declare units within the SEZ as public utilities and may delegate powers of the Labour Commissioner to the Development Commissioner o f 29 the SEZ’ (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, 2002, p. 15). In China, the right to hire and fire has been enshrined in SEZ regulations since 1982. Moreover, in India there are strict regulations stipulating that contract labour is only allowed work of a temporary nature. By contrast, the World Bank survey (2002b), estimates that in Guangzhou firms employ more than 20 per cent of the labour force as non-permanent workers. Of course many Indian employers find ways round the regulations through outsourcing and less formal means but the current system undoubtedly reduces flexibility. China made the provincial and local authorities act as partners and stakeholders by delegating them powers for approving foreign investment. The SEZ authorities in China can approve investment proposals up to $30 million. This has been a significant feature of the Chinese policy and a key contributor to the success of SEZs. The Indian policy only enables the State governments to set up SEZs, but does not empower them to approve investment proposals. These powers have been vested with the development commissioners concerned who represent the Central Government. This will result in centralization of work in their offices. Government boasts of decentralizing the whole process and talks about single window clearance but anybody who goes through the SEZ act can figure out how complex and centralized this policy is. Last section of this research paper critically analyzes the ‘so -called’ decentralized nature of the SEZ policy. Another ticklish issue is involvement of local government. Unless the State and local governments are directly made responsible for the management of SEZs and approving investment proposals, their political leadership and bureaucratic set up may not have any incentive to push the initiative forward. But in India all the important decisions are being taken by central government China has gone a step further by delegating powers to the local authorities. The local authority manages Shenzhen SEZ, which has the highest export turnover. 3. 3 Current scenario in China 30 Over the last five years the GDP growth of china has been near about 10% and SEZs is being viewed as an engine for this rapid growth. Higher GDP rate can be considered as one of the major success of SEZ policy but regional disparities as an outcome of this policy has forced China to rethink and restructure this policy. Per capita income in the richest city is over 50 times per capita income in poorest city. Awarding a privileged status to some zones at the cost of others is responsible for this higher disparity. For instance, china had received the cumulative amount of US $ 128. billion of FDI between the year 1979 to 1995 and the coastal areas accounted for over 90% of all the FDI received in this period. It might be argued that there is no harm in developing country in pockets but how we can forget that these areas were developed by tax money paid by everyone. Government had to forego tax revenues as tax concessions were the main attracting features. All the tax revenue lost due to SEZ was/is being recovered through taxes from rest part of the country and resultantly all tax payers end up paying higher tax but the benefits are available for very few of them. I see this as the one of the main causes for high income disparity in China. To combat this problem even China has given emphasis on balanced development and tax benefits accorded to foreign investments in the SEZs has been partially lifted. India’s tax and tariff structures are still anti export. India’s high overall tariff rates, especially tariffs on intermediate products that are used by exporters, impose a heavy indirect tax on export competitiveness. Deregulation of the private sector is perhaps one of the most critical areas in the context of India’s reforms. Since almost 90-plus percent of the workforce is in the informal sector, it is of utmost importance to deregulate the private sector so as to get the unorganized sector workforce in the mainstream. Workers in large firms in the formal sector have a virtual guarantee of continued employment according to the Industrial Disputes Act. For firms of 100 employees or more, reductions in the workforce must be upon the permission of state government, which is almost never granted. Remarkably, loss-making firms are also not allowed to close their operations without government consent. The results of India’s ighly regulated labor markets have been devastating. Formal-sector employment in India is shockingly low, in large part 31 because so much urban employment is carried on outside of formal registration. Out of a total labor force of around 406 million, formal sector employment accounts for only 28. 1 million. Of this, 19. 4 million works in the state sector (state enterprises and publ ic administration), and just 8. 7 million works in private firms with formal employment. Indeed with a more open and deregulated economy (economy is not just SEZs), India may well be in a position to perform as China has done over the last two decades. 32 SECTION- IV CASE STUDY: NOIDA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE 33 4. 1 Introduction Noida EPZ was established in 1984 and attained the status of SEZ in the year 2000. Based on their share in exports, past performance and potential for growth, software and gem & jewellery have been identified as the thrust areas. Spread in 310 acre, NSEZ is just after SEEPZ in terms of export performance. NSEZ’s proximity to Delhi sets it apart from other SEZs. Being close to national capital it has an easy access to skilled manpower, abundant managerial and technical expertise. With 151 units in operation, NSEZ contributed 30% of total exports from SEZ in the year 2004. It employs 19,857 people and per unit employment is 131. In terms of per unit employment SEEPZ and MSEZ are ahead of NSEZ with 239 and 150 employee per unit respectively. Units in NSEZ get the tax benefits according to SEZ act but at the same time they have been exempted from the payment of stamp duty, trade tax and entry tax. Noida has witnessed higher growth in export in comparison to other SEZs. The figure 4. 1. 1 shows the export growth of NSEZ: Figure 4. 1. 1 Export growth trend of NSEZ Export Growth of NSEZ 18000 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 Exprort (in million) 15341 10143 10342 7483 8456 9924 Source: NSEZ Authority The total government investment in NSEZ is Rs 78 crore while the private investment is of 650 crores. NSEZ has the highest private investments and the reason for this is better business opportunities due to its proximity to Delhi. Another important factor is incentives given by the state government. Over the years exports in textile and hardware has been 34 declining but gems & jewellery has witnessed a very high growth and in the year 2003-04 the total contribution was 49. 87% in total exports from NSEZ. The table below summarizes the contribution of different sectors in total exports. Table: 4. 1. 1 Contribution of different sectors in exports from NSEZ Sector 19992000 1341 1660 1393 1201 1295 462 127 295 682 8456 Exports (Rs. Million) 2000-01 1388 2697 1786 1014 1928 329 88 269 843 10342 2001-02 1199 885 1906 1184 3015 207 100 287 1141 9924 2002-03 990 739 1787 1374 3437 238 53 229 1296 10143 2003-04 990 930 1980 1640 7650 310 50 230 1560 15341 Textile/Garments Hardware Software ENGG. Goods GEM & Jewellery Chemical & Pharma Leather Products Plastic/Rubber/Synthetic Miscellaneous Total Source: NSEZ Authority 4. 2 The reasons for NSEZ’s success: A) Proximity to Delhi: One of the prime reasons of NSEZ’s success is its proximity to Delhi. Noida has better transport and other infrastructural facilities in comparison to others SEZ. Noida was developed as an industrial area and therefore, the whole environment is business friendly. Noida is just 24 KM away from Delhi and it comes under national capital territory (NCT), so in terms of administration, infrastructure and business opportunities NSEZ has an edge over other SEZs. B) Special benefits given by the U. P. overnment: It has been discussed in previous sections that the tax benefits are the key determinants in attracting investments. To woo the investors U. P. government has exempted SEZ developers and units from some state taxes as well and it has resulted in higher private investments in NSEZ Exemptions from the payment of entry tax, trade tax and stamp duty makes NSEZ the 35 most sought after destina tion for setting up the units. Due to these exemption units in NSEZ export more to reap the benefits given by the state government at the fullest. 36 Section – V Policy Analysis: A Critical Approach 37 Without doing the cost benefit analysis when a government establishes any economic policy which affects all the people in a direct or indirect way, it becomes important to raise some basic questions like whether the benefits of that policy would outweigh their costs, is it good for the country in the long run? SEZ policy has been enacted by parliament but ironically no cost benefit analysis was done before announcing it. As discussed earlier the prime objective of this scheme is to boost the export sector and a package of fiscal and non fiscal incentives are being offered to developers and units to achieve the objectives. One way to assess the rationale for having SEZ policy is to investigate what would have been the performance of the economy in the absence of this policy. Anticipating this would not be an easy task. Export performance of our country has been abysmal and there was a need to take some measures but according to me, preferential treatment should be the last measure and firstly any government should root out all those evils which are hindering the growth of export or for that matter whole economy. Rigid tariff regime highly regulated labour market, centralized governance are some major problems which obstruct the growth of the export sector and this also makes the investment climate unfriendly. Deregulating the labour market and decentralizing the whole process should have been the first priority of the government and making the whole country hassle free for investments and business opportunities would automatically boost the export sector. Establishing SEZs is a very complex task encompassing a wide range of policy, legal and regulatory issues. SEZ policy was praised initially as a well drafted policy but inter ministerial conflicts, heavy economic costs and recent cases of migration from DTA to SEZs actually highlights the blind spots of its designers. 5. 1 Heavy Economic Costs According to SEZ Act 2005, the firms are eligible for getting an extended Income Tax holiday for 15 years. Firms and developers have also been exempted from excise duty and custom duty. A loss of Rs. 39,704 crore of duty under export promotion schemes during 2003-04 (CAG Report, 2004) which accounts for 82% of customs duty collected that year gives an idea of how costly this whole affair is. According to an internal assessment by the 38 Finance Ministry, the Government may have to forego about Rs 90,000 crore in direct and indirect taxes over the next four years on account of SEZs. 5. 2 Corporate Welfare Very recently an article written by M. Bhardwaj appeared in ‘Business Standard’ which alleges that Haryana government acquired over 1700 acres of land from farmers at Rs. 300 crore and offered this land to Reliance for 360 crore in the name of SEZ while it was estimated that land was worth 5,000 crore. This is a perfect example of corporate welfare. It’s true that the value of land goes up drastically when market anticipates the introduction of any such scheme into that particular area but taking away the land from farmers at a much lower rate can’t be justified. According to the SEZ Act any state government can set up SEZ jointly with private sector. This can be called public private participation. Theoretically everything sounds good, so where is the problem. Now if any company has link with top politicians of a state, the possibility of favoured treatment can’t be ruled out. Even in terms of incentives state can also offer a package of tax benefits. Imagine a situation where two firms which produces the same good, are operating from two different states and one of them gets an edge over another just because of preferential treatment by the state. Would you call it a fair competition? SEZ act enables the state government to offer land at a much lower rate and to provide extra incentives and what do we expect that the state governments would not misuse these powers? 5. 3 Migration from DTA to SEZ To avail all the facilities and incentives offered by SEZs, small firms and even big companies are shifting to these privileged enclaves. SEZs have encouraged inward migration. One of the prime objectives of this policy was to attract FDI but the share of FDI in investments in SEZs is very low and due to inward migration very few new manufacturing units have been set up in the SEZs. 5. 4 Real Estate Play 39 State governments are offering land to SEZ developers at concessional rates. For real estate developers SEZ policy has come as an opportunity to grab the scarce land near cities. Ideally SEZs should be established in remote areas but due to lack of infrastructure the concentration of SEZs are near by cities. According to SEZ Act at least 25% of the total acquired area would be processing area and in the remaining area developers can build commercial complexes, malls, hospitals, hotels, educational institutions etc. Minimum area requirement for setting up SEZ is 1000 hectares and according to SEZ guidelines developers get a tax break even on all the buildings on the 750 hectares. On going real estate boom has shifted the focus from export to building residential complexes and commercial malls. Developers can always make huge profit from selling or leasing the buildings and this is where real estate play comes in. Land deals and compensation payments are known to be hot-beds of corruption so no wonder if farmers are being displaced from their place in the name of SEZ without giving adequate compensation. Conclusion Considering the need to boost export sector and attract FDI, government announced this policy but ironically the performance of SEZs in exports highlights the failure. When government should liberalize overall policy, government has decided to focus on one or two areas. The real attraction of SEZs is the tax holiday promised and to grow the business in hassle free environment firms are just shifting to these privileged enclaves. To compete with China a package of fiscal and non fiscal incentives are being given but this has been overlooked that tax benefits in china’s SEZ were available only to foreign investments, not exports. All exemptions and fiscal incentives should go in the process of overall tax and labour reform. Giving preferential treatment to any particular area in the name of exports can’t be justified in the democratic set up. Even if government wants to continue with this policy, only developers should be given the tax benefits if they are developing any SEZ in the remote area. The whole process is still centralized and government should minimize their role. 40 References: 1. Official Website of SEZ. http:// sezindia. nic. in. 2006, accessed on 23 May 2006 2. Ministry of Commerce. 2005. Annual Report2004-05. 3. CII report. 2005. Special Economic Zone: Engines for Growth. Available at http://www. ciionline. org/Northern/regionalfocus/836/images/sez. pdf. Accessed on 23 June 2006. 4. Bhardwaj, M. 2006. No review, RIL mega SEZ signing next week, says Haryana CM. June 13. Business Standard 5. Aggarwal, A. 2004. Export Processing Zones in india : Analysis of the Export Performance. ICRIER Working paper No. 148. 6. Jain, S. 2006. Killing SEZs, making a killing. 22 May. Business Standard 7. Tondon Committee (1982) ‘The Committee on Free trade Zones and 100% Export oriented Units, Apponited by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, September 1981. 8. IIPM Editorial. 2006. The Great Indian obsession. 9. The Hindu. 2005. Lok Sabha passes SEZ Bill. 11 May 10. Suchitra, M. 2006. The high cost of easy foreign exchange. 9 March. India Together 41 Annexure-1 (List of all the fiscal and non-fiscal benefits given to SEZ developers and units) i. 00% income tax exemption for a block of five years and an additional 50% tax exemption for two years thereafter ii. 100% FDI in the manufacturing sector permitted through automatic route, barring a few sectors. iii. External commercial borrowings by SEZ units upto US$500 million in a year without any maturity restrictions through recognized banking channels. iv. Facility to retain 100% foreign exchange rec eipts in Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account. v. 100% FDI permitted to SEZ franchisee in providing basic telephone services in SEZs. vi. vii. No cap on foreign investment for small scale sector reserved items. Exemption from industrial licensing requirements for items reserved for the SSI sector. viii. No import licence requirements 42 ix. Exemption from customs duties on import of capital goods, raw materials, consumables, spares etc x. Exemption from Central Excise duties on procurement of capital goods, raw materials, consumable spares etc. , from the domestic market. xi. xii. xiii. No routine examinations by Customs for export and import cargo. Facility to realize and repatriate export proceeds within 12 months. Profits allowed to be repatriated without any dividend-balancing requirement. xiv. xv. Job work on behalf of domestic exporters for direct export allowed. Subcontracting both domestic and international is permitted; this facility is available to jewellery units as well. xvi. †¢ Exemption from Central Sales Tax and Service Tax †¢ Facilities to set up off-shore banking units in SEZs. †¢ Exemption from duties on import /procurement of goods for the development, operation and maintenance of SEZ. †¢ Income tax exemption for a block of 10 years in 15 years. †¢ Exemption from Service Tax 43 †¢ FDI to develop townships within SEZs with residential, educational, health care and recreational facilities permitted on a case-to-case basis.