World War II has often viewed as the best war ever in which United States played a very positive and effective role. Michael C.C. Adams in his book The Best War Ever: America and World War II revealed that United States had played as negative role in this war as all Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). Adams discusses many myths in this book which were usually propagates to pronounce World War II as the “best war ever”. Adam says, “If the past is remolded too drastically, it ceases to be real history. It becomes what we call myth, or folklore, instead. One task of the historian is to try to keep our knowledge of the past as complete and accurate as possible so that our popular version does not depart too far from reality.
One myth that is usually presented by people is that, minority groups were very well treated in United States during World War II and there was no ethnical or racial problem in United States. This is not true. According to Adams, around 300,000 Mexican-Americans fought for America in World War II but neither government of United States nor American society gave them their due right. They were mistreated and humiliated in the society. White members of GI attacked and mugged Mexican-Americans due to their odd and unusual clothing. These riots were called “zoot suit” riots. “Here’s a guy riding a streetcar and he gets beat up ‘cause he happens to be a Mexican”. Japanese-Americans were also mistreated in United States. Government took away their civil rights and thousands of Japanese were sent to internment camps.
It has been portrayed in media and books that United States played a heroic role in World War II but Adams discloses that United States committed more violence and massacre in this war than any other country. United Sates soldiers used to boil the heads of Japanese and sent these boiled heads “to their families in United States”. Urinating into the mouths of Japanese and killing their wounded prisoners were usual practices. United States soldiers used poor women to fulfill their sexual desire by giving them basic food and household necessities.
On 6th August 1945, Americans dropped an atomic bomb to Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki three days later; after which the Japanese government surrendered. These bombs proved to the final blow for Axis forces and ended the Second World War. These atomic bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of, mostly innocent, people. People who considered World War II as “best war ever” justified the droppings of atomic bombs by saying that it ended the war and saved the lives of thousands of people. But according to Adams, America had no need to drop atomic bombs on Japan, because Japan was fairly disabled by the destruction of their Naval force and industry and the war was near to its end anyway. United States also dropped napalm bombs to different cities of Japan, which have killed “more than half a million people”.
Conclusion
Adam’s book describes that war is blight to our civilization. The horrors of wars, huge toll of human lives, immense loss of property and resources, heinous and inhuman war crimes; and above all the aftermath-miseries, diseases and moral decay can never be justified. Although America’s role in the war portrayed as heroic but in reality United States played as negative role in the war as all the axis forces.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Introduction
Before discussing the effect of globalization, it seems relevant that two terms described first. The first of these terms is Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Those countries, which are described poor, un-industrialized and whose economy based on the export of commodities fall into this category. United Nations had put 24 countries into the category of LDC in its 1968 conference on Trade and development.
Second term is Globalization. Globalization is the process of expanding global preferences in cultural, environmental, political, social and economical issues. The key economic characteristic of globalization is the free movement of goods throughout the world.
Globalization has affected every country but it particularly affected the LDCs in a negative way. It is the name of economic challenges like collapse of commodities market, debt crisis and structural adjustment policies for LDCs, which ultimately tightened the international poverty trap for them.
Direct Effects
Collapse of commodities market was the outcome of poor economic policies of 1980, which ultimately resulted in debt crisis, as LDCs had tried to expand commodity production and economic growth and had borrowed large sums of money. Banks then insisted on readjustment of interest rates on new and existing loans and LDCs agreed. At that moment, globalization compelled them to decline commodity prices. Commodities were the main source of income for LDCs, so it became more and more difficult for them to reduce or pay their debts, which ultimately caused unemployment in many commodity sectors.
In order to repay their debts, LDC tried to adopt IMF’s Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) to obtain funds from IMF. The strategy behind SAP program was to export more than import and produce hard cash to pay for the imports and direct the surplus towards debts. Although SAP was imposed for the betterment of economic condition of LDCs, but it did not work as it was planned. SAP created de-industrialization in LDCs and compelled them to again rely on export of their commodities. Selling of public assets to foreign investors also created unemployment.
Globalization made traders disappears, which in the past, worked as bridge between buyer and seller. Now big companies with shipping and warehousing facilities can buy commodities directly from the farmer. This need more sophisticated technology and human skills, and companies of developed countries have clear advantage in all these respects.
There is a huge digital gap between developed countries and LDCs. It has been estimated that there are more phones in the New York alone than the whole rural area of Africa and almost 80% of the world population has never made a phone call (World Bank). It has also estimated that there are more Internet Connections in London alone than the whole Africa and only 1% of the Internet users live in Africa, if we exclude South Africa then the number of Internet users is less than 100,000 in whole Africa, which is only .02% of the global Internet content (Africa). This digital gap made it almost impossible for LDCs to compete with developed countries and get their even share in present world trade.
Conclusion
Thus, in the light of above discussion, it can easily be concluded that globalization had slumped the economies and trade of Least Developed countries as they have to face the crises like collapse of commodity markets, increased debts and SAP.
Before discussing the effect of globalization, it seems relevant that two terms described first. The first of these terms is Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Those countries, which are described poor, un-industrialized and whose economy based on the export of commodities fall into this category. United Nations had put 24 countries into the category of LDC in its 1968 conference on Trade and development.
Second term is Globalization. Globalization is the process of expanding global preferences in cultural, environmental, political, social and economical issues. The key economic characteristic of globalization is the free movement of goods throughout the world.
Globalization has affected every country but it particularly affected the LDCs in a negative way. It is the name of economic challenges like collapse of commodities market, debt crisis and structural adjustment policies for LDCs, which ultimately tightened the international poverty trap for them.
Direct Effects
Collapse of commodities market was the outcome of poor economic policies of 1980, which ultimately resulted in debt crisis, as LDCs had tried to expand commodity production and economic growth and had borrowed large sums of money. Banks then insisted on readjustment of interest rates on new and existing loans and LDCs agreed. At that moment, globalization compelled them to decline commodity prices. Commodities were the main source of income for LDCs, so it became more and more difficult for them to reduce or pay their debts, which ultimately caused unemployment in many commodity sectors.
In order to repay their debts, LDC tried to adopt IMF’s Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) to obtain funds from IMF. The strategy behind SAP program was to export more than import and produce hard cash to pay for the imports and direct the surplus towards debts. Although SAP was imposed for the betterment of economic condition of LDCs, but it did not work as it was planned. SAP created de-industrialization in LDCs and compelled them to again rely on export of their commodities. Selling of public assets to foreign investors also created unemployment.
Globalization made traders disappears, which in the past, worked as bridge between buyer and seller. Now big companies with shipping and warehousing facilities can buy commodities directly from the farmer. This need more sophisticated technology and human skills, and companies of developed countries have clear advantage in all these respects.
There is a huge digital gap between developed countries and LDCs. It has been estimated that there are more phones in the New York alone than the whole rural area of Africa and almost 80% of the world population has never made a phone call (World Bank). It has also estimated that there are more Internet Connections in London alone than the whole Africa and only 1% of the Internet users live in Africa, if we exclude South Africa then the number of Internet users is less than 100,000 in whole Africa, which is only .02% of the global Internet content (Africa). This digital gap made it almost impossible for LDCs to compete with developed countries and get their even share in present world trade.
Conclusion
Thus, in the light of above discussion, it can easily be concluded that globalization had slumped the economies and trade of Least Developed countries as they have to face the crises like collapse of commodity markets, increased debts and SAP.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Alchemist
In every few decades a masterpiece is published that influences the lives and left the unforgettable impressions on its readers. The book The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho's is a book, which has achieved the status of a modern classic due to its above-mentioned characteristic.
This book has many different essences in it. This book is basically a story of shepherd boy who is searching his destiny and during his search he experienced many different things of the world. Alchemist can be the story of anyone, because everyone has his own destiny and he/she seeks for it for their whole life. Some are lucky enough to find it, while others do not; but whatever happens one thing is for sure, that the things that life taught them during their search is something, which has its own meaning and worth and can be very useful for them. This search has given them such intelligence, which they can use it for the rest of their lives.
The name of that old boy is Santiago; he had a dream of finding a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. A gypsy woman and an old man claiming to be a mysterious king told him to follow his dream. Gypsy woman told him, “To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation” and that old man said, “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
The boy sells his sheep and starts his journey to Tangiers in Africa, unfortunately all his money is stolen by a thief. He then works in a crystal shop for a year and earns enough money to travel back home. In a desert caravan he meets an Englishman who has lot of knowledge on alchemy, which inspires Santiago to pursue his own dream of finding a treasure. As the Englishman searches for the two hundred year old alchemist who resides in the desert oasis, Santiago falls in love with a young woman, Fatima. After loving the girl Santiago finds the eternal alchemy of love and thinks that he has found his dream. Moreover with the help of alchemist he finds his treasure somewhere he least expected it.
As I have mentioned in the beginning of this document that this story has many quintessence in it, which cannot be mentioned comprehensively in this short review. This book also has issues of social work in it, as a justification I would give an example of all the help Santiago received from every other character of this story, especially from the crystal merchant.
In the conclusion, I would say that it is the story of every person who wants the treasure. Treasure does not mean any hidden or buried treasure but the treasure of secrets and experience of spending a good and successful life. This treasure can only be gathered when we observe our lives more closely and concentrate on our destinies with more intensity.
In the end, I must add that in order to understand this novel completely, it is necessary that the reader should put himself/herself in place of Santiago; this is the best way to understand the moral of the story perfectly.
This book has many different essences in it. This book is basically a story of shepherd boy who is searching his destiny and during his search he experienced many different things of the world. Alchemist can be the story of anyone, because everyone has his own destiny and he/she seeks for it for their whole life. Some are lucky enough to find it, while others do not; but whatever happens one thing is for sure, that the things that life taught them during their search is something, which has its own meaning and worth and can be very useful for them. This search has given them such intelligence, which they can use it for the rest of their lives.
The name of that old boy is Santiago; he had a dream of finding a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. A gypsy woman and an old man claiming to be a mysterious king told him to follow his dream. Gypsy woman told him, “To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation” and that old man said, “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
The boy sells his sheep and starts his journey to Tangiers in Africa, unfortunately all his money is stolen by a thief. He then works in a crystal shop for a year and earns enough money to travel back home. In a desert caravan he meets an Englishman who has lot of knowledge on alchemy, which inspires Santiago to pursue his own dream of finding a treasure. As the Englishman searches for the two hundred year old alchemist who resides in the desert oasis, Santiago falls in love with a young woman, Fatima. After loving the girl Santiago finds the eternal alchemy of love and thinks that he has found his dream. Moreover with the help of alchemist he finds his treasure somewhere he least expected it.
As I have mentioned in the beginning of this document that this story has many quintessence in it, which cannot be mentioned comprehensively in this short review. This book also has issues of social work in it, as a justification I would give an example of all the help Santiago received from every other character of this story, especially from the crystal merchant.
In the conclusion, I would say that it is the story of every person who wants the treasure. Treasure does not mean any hidden or buried treasure but the treasure of secrets and experience of spending a good and successful life. This treasure can only be gathered when we observe our lives more closely and concentrate on our destinies with more intensity.
In the end, I must add that in order to understand this novel completely, it is necessary that the reader should put himself/herself in place of Santiago; this is the best way to understand the moral of the story perfectly.
Salmonella Virginia
Salmonella is actually a kind of bacteria, which invades the stomach and gut cells. Salmonella uses protein staples to hurt and restructure the gut cells of an effected person. Rockefeller team joined hands with the researchers of University of Virginia Health Science Center, and discovered that Salmonella bacteria injects protein cells into the guts of the host to create a structure of long filaments which can fold itself around this Salmonella bacterium.
This research helps to find out that how Salmonella bacterium affects intestinal track and gut cells and caused almost one billion new infections, all around the world, in a year. It has been noted that this bacteria cause more than 3 million deaths per year.
The process used by a Salmonella bacterium to enter into a host cell is considered to be one of the most intelligent and complex processes. When this bacterium wants to attack a host cell, it attaches with the host cell and use a syringe and needle to inject protein into the host cell. This protein, SipA, forced the proteins to joined together to make a filament, which changes the structure of the host cell.
The most commonly found Salmonella serotype in United States is Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. According to the statistics this serotype caused 29 percent of the total infections caused by salmonella bacterium. Typhimurium is such a type of bacteria, which possesses and shows highest Antimicrobial resistance.The diseases and infection caused by Salmonella may last five to seven days and if the infection spread into the intestine, patients have to used antibiotics for treatment.
This research helps to find out that how Salmonella bacterium affects intestinal track and gut cells and caused almost one billion new infections, all around the world, in a year. It has been noted that this bacteria cause more than 3 million deaths per year.
The process used by a Salmonella bacterium to enter into a host cell is considered to be one of the most intelligent and complex processes. When this bacterium wants to attack a host cell, it attaches with the host cell and use a syringe and needle to inject protein into the host cell. This protein, SipA, forced the proteins to joined together to make a filament, which changes the structure of the host cell.
The most commonly found Salmonella serotype in United States is Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. According to the statistics this serotype caused 29 percent of the total infections caused by salmonella bacterium. Typhimurium is such a type of bacteria, which possesses and shows highest Antimicrobial resistance.The diseases and infection caused by Salmonella may last five to seven days and if the infection spread into the intestine, patients have to used antibiotics for treatment.
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