Salse and Planing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Salse and Planing - Essay Example The level of interaction is greater and feedback is generated in a positive manner. The convening opportunity to a consumer is more (ICMR, 2010). Trade Selling: The salesperson sells the products to marketing intermediaries like whole sellers and retailers. The consumers are not the direct prospects of the products. The intermediates are the actual consumers and they sell to direct clients (ICMR, 2010). The customer’s expectation towards the organization is difficult to evaluate. There has been decrease in the consumer satisfaction level and even the organizations huge investment towards Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Customer expectations are increasing in relation to salesperson information, swiftness of response, extent and deepness of communication, and customization of information and product/service offerings. Failure to respond and adopt new strategies will negatively affect the sales force. The competition is intense for revenue and market share. The cost to serve consumers plays a greater pressure on the salesman to perform under such situations. During the different phases of PLC due to lack of knowledge of competitor’s products, they might have to face problems. Lack of technology that helps the salespersons to supervise significant information throughout sales cycle and communicate in actual time with their companies, might affect the salesperson performance. In the extremely competitive circumstances, salespersons must be significantly careful about the phrases and the arguments they use and encouragements they offer in endeavouring to succeed the sales. Otherwise, they may be sued by the clients. The managerial forces in form of huge targets have the effect upon the sales force. With increasing competition among the sales managers they tend to push the limits of sales force which ultimately affects the sales force performance. Through the study of consumer behaviour, it is

Queer approach to analyzing mainstream culture Essay

Queer approach to analyzing mainstream culture - Essay Example f seeking to understand this to a greater and more complete level, this brief analysis will consider one scene of the film and attempt to go in depth with regards to the different understandings of sexuality, identity, and gender that are therein represented. The scene in question that this author has chosen for analysis is that of the discovery of Mulan as a woman. This scene is a powerful indication of cultural approaches to gender and sexuality in a number of ways. As such, the first determinant that will be measured is with relation to the identity that is revealed within the given scene. In this way, as the men of the story find out that Mulan is indeed a woman, she is manhandled and forced out of the residence. This is importance for a number of reasons. Firstly, the revelation of her true identity is something that gives the men in the story the courage to treat her in a way that they would have never considered before had she still been considered a man. Her identification as a woman does not only change the way that the men physically treat her but the way in which their worldview is formed with relation to how they think of her. This is represented in two distinct ways within the scene in question. Firstly, as she is taken forcibly from her tent and pushed into the snow, the viewer is made aware of the clear and determinate connection between this action and the rejection fro mthe Garden of Eden; also presumably he result of female weakness. The inclusion of this reference to early mythology is unique due to the fact that it serves to further differentiate the response of the men within the scene to the gender that Mulan now represents. With regards to gender, the men make a clear and determinate change in the way that they speak to Mulan after the revelation. Indeed, the characters state â€Å"I knew there was something wrong with you†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ a woman – treacherous snake† (Mulan 1). These words belie the true underlying motivations and

Effect of Acculturation on Social and Mental Health Services

Effect of Acculturation on Social and Mental Health Services Dana Adams    The Effect of Acculturation and how it Inhibits the use of Social and Mental Health Services among Mexican-American Elders. As the United States ages over the next several decades, its older population will become more racially and ethnically diverse (Ortman, Velkoff, Hogan, 2014). Between 2012 and 2050, it is stated the United States will experience considerable growth in its older population and by year 2050, the population aged 65 and over is projected to be 83.7 million, almost double its estimated population of 43.1 million in 2012 (Ortman, Velkoff, Hogan, 2014) with the largest source of immigration being from Mexico than any other country in the world at a reported level of 12 million immigrants in the U.S. (Ortman, Velkoff, Hogan, 2014). Per Passel and Cohn, 2011), over half (51%) of Mexican immigrant population are unauthorized, and some 58% of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. are of Mexican decent. This literature review is directed by asking the question What is the effect of acculturation and how it does it inhibit the use of social and mental health services among Mexican-American elder s? As the percentage of the aging Mexican American population increases, concerns for their financial strength does also. When determining the quality of life of older Mexican- Americans, socioeconomic status is a key factor in their success (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Rowan, Shukraft, Gragg, 2009). The U.S. Census Bureau reports that nearly 10 percent of the aging population live below official poverty thresholds (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). Despite lower socioeconomic status, the Mexican American population enjoy a more favorable mortality profile than non-Hispanics, living to 80 years compared to 78 years for non-Hispanic whites and 73 years for blacks (Angel, Prickett Angel, 2014). Within their communities, Elders are considered vital members and are anticipated to actively fulfill essential roles such as those of mentors, cultural transmitters, providers of care for grandchildren, and civic and religious leadership (Ramos Wright, 2010). The Mexican cultural value of collectivism and communal orientation has the ability to serve as a protective factor in alleviating distress (Furman et al., 2009). In many cultures, such as in Mexico, rapport begins through exchange of conversations or chit-chat before beginning the business of medical history-taking and physical examination (Furman et al, 2009; Gallagher-Thompson, Talamantes, Ramirez, Valverde, 1996; Elliott, 1996). The lack of social and emotional support may influence immigrants to rely solely on themselves to manage their stress (Furman et al. 2009). The effects of the stressors associated with constantly having to adapt to unfamiliar environments, work-related stress (Ramos Wright, 2010), and lack of soci al and emotional support may take a psychological and physical toll on many immigrants (Furman et al., 2009). Historically, there has been a lack of mental health services available in many communities where people of color reside (Griner Smith, 2006; Flaskerud Hu, 1994; Marger, 2002; Sue, 1988; Sue Zane, 1987) because services were focused on the needs of the upper and middle-class European Americans (Griner Smith, 2006; Hall, 2001; Richardson Molinaro, 1996; Ponterotto Casas, 1991; Trusty, Davis, Looby, 2002). Clients of color are sometimes mistrustful of mental health services due to historic racial disparities and a shortage of therapists from their own ethnic background who speak the same native language (Flaskerud Hu, 1994, Marger, 2002; Sue, 1988; Sue Zane, 1987). A diverse group of national origins is represented by Latinos living in the United States Ramos Wright, 2010),with most of the group being of Mexican origin (Ramos Wright, 2010; Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Rowan, Shukraft, Gragg, 2009). Migration from Mexico to the United States has been cited as one of the largest mass movements of people in the world (Furman et al. 2009; Escobar-Latapà ­, 1999). In late old age, about one-half of Hispanics of Mexican ancestry lives with family in the Southwestern United States and twice as likely as those living alone or with spouse to report more financial strain and receive assistance from children (Espinoza, Jung, Hazuda, 2012). The modern Mexican-American family consists of grandparents, parents, children, and extended family members stage in life are appreciated because of their wisdom and cherished life-long experiences (Ramos Wright, 2010). Great value is placed on old age and those who have reached these common characteristics of Mexican-A mericans includes the incorporation of friends and extended family (collectivism) with a high level of obligation and responsibility to the members (familism) while putting emphasis on male leadership roles (machismo) and female subordination (Marianismo) (Pedrotti Edwards, 2014). Mexican Americans are more likely than non-Hispanics to rely on family for their long-term care needs (Angel, Prickett, Angel, 2014; Glick, 1999; Angel et al. 2004).   Immigrants and especially those who migrate to the U.S. later in life are particularly dependent on their families (VanHook Glick,2007; Angel, et al., 1999).   Research suggests Mexican-American want to live closer to kin and place a higher value on the provision of support among family members (Sarkisian, Gerena, Gerstel, 2007; Burr Mutchler, 1999; Keefe Padilla, 1987; Mindel, 1980). Hispanic elders are less likely to live alone and more likely to live with other family members, particularly in a multigenerational family where an adult child is the householder (Talamantes, Lindeman., Mouton, 2005). While a family may want to care for their aging parents, the care that they may need as they age may create a substantial burden on family (Angel, Prickett Angel, 2014). Recent research suggests that intergenerational relations (Umberson, 2002) are becoming increasingly important to Mexican Americans (Swartz, 2009). Mexicans enjoy the intergenerational progress between first-generation immigrants and their second-generation children (Duncan Trejo, 2011). Relative to their parents, the U.S.-born second generation experiences dramatic increases in English proficiency, educational attainment, and earnings and prefer to speak English rather than Spanish, and by the third generation most Mexican Americans no longer speak Spanish at all. (Duncan Trejo, 2011). There are several factors such as social support, fluency in English, and no health insurance, and no translators that can impact the acculturation process in Mexican Americans. Acculturation is viewed as the extent to which a minority group adopts the customs, language, behaviors, and values of the majority population ( Yeo, 2009).   Individuals who have family and peer social supports tend to experience less acculturation stress and those who are experiencing high stress tend to experience fewer symptoms of mental distress (Crockett, Iturbide, Torres Stone, 2007; McGinley, Raffaelli, Carlo, 2007; Hovey, 2000). Many Mexican American elders have experienced life -long struggles to overcome discrimination and segregation including punishment for speaking Spanish, restaurant segregation, and job discrimination (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Rowan, Shukraft, Gragg, 2009). Additionally, the Welfare Reform legislation of 1996 brought stressors for many Mexican American elderly who had immigrated to the U.S. at early ages and had never applied for citizenship (Morawetz, 2000). History of this population in the U.S. is characterized by open conflict, social inequality, prejudice, and discrimination and these factors have greatly and dramatically shaped the sociocultural realities of the aging (Ramos Wright, 2010). McInnis-Dittrich (2005) states that understanding an Elders spirituality helps to understand the older adult view of the world, subsequent behavior and maintaining a sense of continuity and cohesion in order to face changes that accompany the aging process ( p, ). Many Mexican American elders who attend church monthly, weekly, and more than weekly tend to exhibit slower rates of cognitive decline than those who do not attend church (Herrera, Lee, Nanyonjo, Laufman, Torres-Vigil, 2009). Social workers and mental health providers have a moral and ethical responsibility to provide effective interventions to all clients by accounting for cultural contexts and cultural values (Trimble Fisher, 2006). Social workers and other professionals are becoming more aware of multicultural issues and the need to improve the accessibility quality of mental health services (Sue, 1998), and method of payment for individuals who have historically been oppressed and provided in the clients favored language (Griner Smith, 2006; Sue, 1998). An assessment should be completed by the social worker and is a great way of identifying strengths and resilience Elders to solve their challenges (McInnis Dittrich, 2005). Treatment plans and interventions are then developed by a multidisciplinary team. Applying a strengths perspective to the assessment and intervention means there is a focus on helping Elders discover and employ their own strengths to help solve problems and achieve their identifi ed goals (McInnis Dittrich, 2005). Limitations this writer identified with this literature review were there was a vast of opinions about what encompasses effective cultural adaptations and some studies varied in the racial/ethnic composition of the intervention groups while other studies had different outcome measures. References: Angel, J. L., Prickett, K. C., Angel, R. J. (2014). Retirement security for black, non-Hispanic white, and Mexican-origin women: the changing roles of marriage and work. Journal of Women, Politics Policy, 35(3), 222-241. Crockett, L. J., Iturbide, M. I., Torres Stone, R. A., McGinley, M., Raffaelli, M., Carlo, G. (2007). Acculturative stress, social support, and coping: Relations to psychological adjustment among Mexican American college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(4), 347. Duncan, B., Trejo, S. J. (2011). Intermarriage and the intergenerational transmission of ethnic identity and human capital for Mexican Americans. Journal of Labor Economics, 29(2), 195-227. Espinoza, S. E., Jung, I., Hazuda, H. (2012). Frailty transitions in the San Antonio longitudinal study of aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 60(4), 652-660. Furman, R., Negi, N. J., Iwamoto, D. K., Rowan, D., Shukraft, A., Gragg, J. (2009). Social work practice with Latinos: Key issues for social workers. Social Work, 54(2), 167-174. Herrera, A. P., Lee, J. W., Nanyonjo, R. D., Laufman, L. E., Torres-Vigil, I. (2009). Religious coping and caregiver well-being in Mexican-American families. Aging and Mental Health, 13(1), 84-91. McInnis-Dittrich, K. (2005). Social Work with older adults: A biopsychosocial approach to assessment in intervention. (4th edition). California: Pearson. Ortman, J. M., Velkoff, V. A., Hogan, H. (2014). An aging nation: the older population in the United States. Washington, DC: US Census Bureau, 25-1140. Passel, J. S., Cohn, D. (2011). New patterns in US immigration, 2011: Uncertainty for reform. University of California, Davis. Pedrotti, J. T., Edwards, L. (2014). Perspectives on the Intersection of Multiculturalism and Positive Psychology. Springer. Ramos, B. M. Wright, G. A. (2010). Social work practice with older Latino adults. In R. Furman N. Negi (Ed.), Social work practice with Latinos: Key issues and emerging themes (233-246). Lyceum: Chicago, Illinois. Swartz, T. T. (2009). Intergenerational family relations in adulthood: Patterns, variations, and implications in the contemporary United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 191-212. Talamantes, M., Lindeman, R., Mouton, C. (2005). Health and health care of Hispanic/Latino American elders. Van Hook, J., Glick, J. E. (2007). Immigration and living arrangements: Moving beyond economic need versus acculturation. Demography, 44(2), 225-249. Yeo, G. (2009). How will the US healthcare system meet the challenge of the ethnogeriatric imperative? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57(7), 1278-1285.

The Life of Oscar Wilde Essay -- Biographies

The Life of Oscar Wilde The year is 1884 and many things have taken place in the life of our literary giant, Oscar Wilde has been married years and his touring of the United States and other countries have shown his of success in his writing all over the literary world. Some of his most recent writtings are "The Picture of Dorian Gray"(1891), "A Woman of No Importance"(1894) and his most resent essay known as "The Decay of Lying" is Oscar’s story of his outrage about the current style of writing that is going into the art society. What has happened to the spectacularness of this art, it has come down to being as horrid as what is being published in the local newspapers. Is it true that " The Decay of Lying" has fallen to its deepest shadow of shame? It seems that in the words of Oscar Wilde, that is the shameful truth. How could this type of atrocity take place. It seems that the Victorian society in still under the belief that the Romanticism of life is still coursing through their veins, dead veins to be more specific. Wilde's views romanticism as a crude, childish and yet passive thing of the past and that it should remain there in the past. The romantics ideas of nature and realism need to be brought up-to-date. Wilde has criticized the likes of as Wordsworth and other writers of the Romantic Era, they would send us out to nature and say "The solutions to societies problems and can best be remedied out here, within the confines of nature, this is where you need to be. Walking, talking, being out in the great airy open and embrace what nature has to offer. Only here can you expect to amend and resolve any personal and troublesome problems." Wilde's interpretation of this remedy: outlandish, extreme and insane, society has e... ...t about a man, his character, morals and beliefs as a whole. At this moment, Jack becomes distressed about this problem his lady love had let him know that she could never marry a man that has the name other than Earnest. As a result of this occurrence our main character find that he must be christen with the name of Earnest in order for Gwendolyn to consider him as a husband. This situation is one of many that Wilde has created as a form of lying. When this play was first, performed and seen, people were outraged at this type of story. Wilde continues to explain in more plays, poems and other forms of writing that his plays and other forms of writing are just to be observed as entertainment. His goal was not to be a moralist and instill morals for the masses. That was the furthest thing from his mind, Wilde intent is to create art that is for what it is Art’s sake.

Indian Role in Afghan and Its Implication of Pakistan Essay

1.Afghanistan continues to be a proxy ‘playing ground’ for diverse outside powers with Russia in near vicinity and US in West. The decade old US meddling after the failure of Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 has yielded more familiar results i.e. ethnic and cultural tensions, warlordism, drug-trafficking and rampant corruption. It is not that these traits did not exist in the Afghan society before US invaded Afghanistan but US invasion provided a surge in these attributes. 2.Afghanistan is a fault line where many outside powers are jostling for both influence and position. Some of this jostling remains overt, as in the case of US and its allies, and some of it is not, as in the case of Indian proxy war on Pakistan through Afghanistan. The Indian activities in Balochistan and FATA got a boost when US homed on to it for replicating its mandate in Afghanistan and preserve its interests post withdrawal. After intense interaction between the respective national security advisors, India agreed to fit into American boots. By doing so India would be benefited on two counts i.e. by safeguarding US interests in Afghanistan, it can accrue more American favors ranging from military to nuclear technology and it will expand its anti-Pakistan network in Afghanistan and continue sponsoring terrorist activities across borders into Pakistan. As a first step to place India in Afghanistan, US helped India sign an accord with Karzai titled ‘Strategic Partnership Agreement’ that would allow India exploit its provisions to cement its involvement in Afghan military and civil affairs. 3.AIM. 4. SEQ PART 1 INDIAN ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN PART 2 IMPACT ON PAKISTAN PART 3 ANALYSIS RECOMMENDATION PART 1 INDIAN ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN 5.The regional security dynamics in South Asia are driven by the conflict between India and Pakistan. Pakistan fears strategic encirclement by India if the Afghan government leans too much towards India, while India is afraid of Pakistan using Afghanistan as a convenient strategic staging area and a back door. Giving a military role to Indians in Afghanistan will simmer the existing tensions between the two countries on various issues while America wraps up its Afghan venture. With the added dimension of nuclear-armed India – Pakistan rivalry combined with likely strife taking place between the warlords and the central government in Kabul and a perpetual conflict between the warlords and the Taliban may create a civil war that no one would like to happen. 6.On October 4, 2011, New Delhi and Kabul have signed a historic Agreement on Strategic Partnership (ASP) which will further strengthen the relations between the two neighbors. India is the fifth highest donor in Afghanistan with $2billion of aid and also engaged in various development projects in Afghanistan and the recent visit by Afghan President Hamid Karzai also marks the collaboration of expanding the training of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The growing partnership between New Delhi and Kabul has ensured some anxious moments with in Pakistan who doubts Indian presence in Afghanistan as a threat to them. 7.India is now geared up to impart extensive training to the fledgling Afghan National Army at training institutions across the country. Three areas have been identified under the ‘Agreement’ so far i.e. increase in number of Afghan trainee officers, specialized training to already serving mid and higher-level officers in ANA and training Afghan soldiers in counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations. The Indian military institutions earmarked for the purpose comprise the Commando School in Belgaum in south India, the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare (CIJW) School in Mizoram in the north East and the High Altitude Warfare School in Sonamarg, Indian Occupied Kashmir. 8.The relations between India and Afghanistan were strengthen more after the visit by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Kabul , which was after the gap of six years and he sent the message that, unlike the West, New Delhi has no ‘exit strategy’ from Afghanistan and will stay here to bring peace and stability in the country as well as in the region. There are also active negotiations taking place between the US and India to replace US trainers in Afghanistan for providing continuity in training of Afghan security forces once US withdraws from Afghanistan. 9.The fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 allowed India to expand its influence in Afghanistan dramatically. Its engineers and IT specialists poured in as part of its most ambitious aid package – worth more than $1.5 billion – to build remote mountain roads, establish telephone, internet, and satellite links and reopen schools and hospitals. Washington encouraged India’s involvement and believed it could use the soft power of its popular Bollywood film industry and other cultural links to encourage tolerance and pluralism in the country. Meanwhile, Delhi’s contribution towards Afghan reconstruction cannot be denied. The country’s four landmark projects are the Delaram-Zaranj road, transmission lines providing Uzbek electricity to Kabul, the hydroelectric Salma Dam and a new parliament building in Kabul – the latter two of which are still under way. The $500m newly committed aid by India will be used for development and infrastructure projects in agriculture and mining. Through its provision of education, medical treatment and small-business support, India has projected considerable soft power in Afghanistan. It provides 2,000 scholarships to Afghans annually for schooling and training in India, including for 500 Afghan civil servants. More than 100 Indian-supported but Afghan-owned small development projects are being implemented. Indian medical missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif provided free treatment for more than 350,000 Afghans in 2009-10. PART 2 IMPACT ON PAKISTAN 10.Much distrust exists between Islamabad and Delhi over their respective activities in Afghanistan. Islamabad perceives New Delhi’s presence and influence as a deliberate attempt to encircle Pakistan and prevent it from attaining the strategic depth it needs in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s government often accuses India’s embassy and four consulates in Afghanistan of carrying out clandestine operations against Pakistan in its tribal areas and restive province of Baluchistan. Pakistan has claimed that India arms and funds Baluchi rebels and the Pakistani Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), which India denies. Pakistan resents the goodwill of Afghans towards Indians. For its part, Delhi sees Pakistan as attempting to force it from Afghanistan. The Indian government charges that ‘elements’ in Pakistan – essentially its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate – planned the 2008 and 2009 terror attacks on the Indian embassy in Kabul (which Islamabad denies) and says that the Pakistan-based Haqqani terror network was responsible for carrying them out. 11.Indians replicating the role of US trainers in Afghanistan spells danger for Pakistan. The placement of Indian trainers may create more rifts in the already volatile bilateral relationship between India and Pakistan. Some of the opinion makers even go to the extent to term it on par with Kashmir. Some simplistic and narrow analyses have also linked the signing of the ASP to the worsening of US-Pakistan relations following the attack on the US embassy in Kabul, and of Afghan-Pakistan relations following the assassination of former President Rabbani and the suspension of the peace process with the Taliban thereafter. What has missed the eye is that the ASP was long in the making to address the Afghans’ long-standing demands. On the other hand, Islamababad did refrain from commenting on the Indo- Afghan partnership but the Pakistani defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa says that â€Å"despite not commenting on this issue, the fact is that Pakistan does not like what has happened as they are crying for so long that Indian presence in Afghanistan would hurt Pakistan interests†. 12.India and Afghanistan’s problem is that Pakistan doesn’t agree and that sees India’s involvement in Afghanistan is a threat to its ‘strategic depth’ according to a concept in which Afghanistan is acknowledged as Pakistan’s backyard in which India has no right to hang out, whereas for India, which had been frozen out under the Taliban regime as a supporter of the Northern Alliance’s warlords, Afghanistan holds the keys to the Central Asian mineral and energy reserves it needs to sustain its rapid economic growth. To that end, and to increase its chances of gaining access to Afghanistan’s own rich reserves of iron ore, India has pledged another half a billion dollars in aid and the same is really affecting Pakistan’s and the things are even getting more worsen. Afghanistan is also keen to encourage India in this and it doesn’t want Pakistan to be its sole customs guard or jailer, and it has seen how vindictive its twin can be. When India’s Kabul embassy was blown up by a suicide bomber in 2008, killing 41, including India’s defence attachà ©, American officials said they had evidence that members of Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service had been involved in the plot. 13.There was a time when India was quite taken aback by that change of mood among regional neighbours that forced her to immediately seek new avenues to intervene. Indian psychological anguish, sense of alienation and feelings of failure in Afghanistan have revamped Indian diplomatic efforts with enhanced lobbying and manipulative methodology to mark their presence in Afghanistan. In this backdrop, Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s recent statement that India has a critical role to play in their country is a sign of persistent Indian clout in Afghanistan. Hence, Indian diplomatic efforts in Kabul to drive a wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure that mutual relationship between the two inseparable neighbors remain tense. In this context, India aggressively propagates that al-Qaeda and Taliban are having safe heavens in major cities of Pakistan to show Pakistan in bad light and create ill feelings between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao talking at a South Asia initiative talk on â€Å"India’s global role† in Harvard University a few months back said: â€Å"We have direct interest in Afghanistan, not because we see it as theater of rivalry with Pakistan but because of the growing fusion of terrorist groups that operate from Afghanistan and Pakistan and their activities in India†. PATR 3 ANALYSIS 13. The reality is what meets beyond the eyes. India has interest in Afghanistan but not in its stability and for this purpose Indian intelligence agencies have been trying to create rift among various segments of society in Afghanistan. The instability in the Afghan society will not only help India consolidate its place in Afghanistan but also facilitate in destabilizing the arch-rival Pakistan and energy rich Central Asian Republics (CARs). In the pursuance of same, India invested over a billion US dollars to have an economic clout in Afghanistan and surged its presence in terms of intelligence cooperation through opening of new consulates. These consulates are used to continue destabilization of both Pakistan and Afghanistan and their respective interests. New Delhi’s billion dollars aid to Kabul is being actually dispersed among Indian companies working in Afghanistan for use in the projects that would help India consolidate its place in Afghanistan and Central Asia. 14.For instance, construction of road linking Chahbahar Port in Iran with Afghanistan was part of the encirclement plan and to secretly ship explosives, arms and ammunition from India in the name of construction material. India has also started showing its friendly gestures to Iran as well. In a bid to make Iran forget that India voted against its nuclear programme in the IAEA and supported sanctions on Iran, New Delhi is now often found advocating that Iran has a right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. All this flattery is to keep Afghanistan accessible through the Iranian corridor. Afghanistan is important to India to achieve its vested interests in the region. India’s long and tumultuous history of capturing and grabbing natural resources and territories, which includes valley of Jammu & Kashmir and state of Nagaland, in order to expand its size and power, is no more a hidden fact. The expansionist agenda of India disqualifies it to be a regional power what to speak of assigning her a greater role in regional peace initiatives. 15.Had India been that justified mediating power and peace lover, it would not have back-stabbed Iran on nuclear issue merely on the basis that another nuclear armed country in the region is not in India’s interest. Also Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives would not have been a victim of Indian bully. Indian occupied Kashmir is another burning example of Indian usurpation. Northeast India, a region not very well known outside South Asia, is a hotbed of Indian state terrorism and numerous armed insurgencies. Recommendations 16.It will be in the interest of the region if the US reconciles with the India-Pakistan milieu in the Afghan context and leave Afghanistan to the Afghans to decide their own fate. As the Agreement on Strategic Partnership (ASP) was signed between New Delhi and Kabul, there was an immediate reaction from Islamababad that in such an agreement â€Å"the fundamental principle of ensuring the stability in the region must be taken in the account†. This shows that how anxious Islamababad is over the growing Indian presence in Afghanistan. India’s engagement in Afghanistan has been painted by many western analysts as a zero-sum game vis-à  -vis Pakistan. Yet, despite being the largest regional donor in Afghanistan, and the fifth largest internationally, India finds it increasingly difficult to operate in Afghanistan. There have been two suicide bombings of its embassy in Kabul, the first of which killed two senior Indian diplomats, two security personnel and 50 Afghans. A terror plot targeting the Indian consulate in Jalalabad was foiled. Since 2001, 20 Indian nationals have been killed. But New Delhi is also aware of the fact that until all the groups engaged in stopping the violence the path of development and progress will not be achieved. New Delhi is also aware of the fact that the role of Pakistan is also very crucial in bringing stability in the region but is also aware of the fact that any peace process will succeed only when the violence is completely shut. CONCL In short, India has no legitimate interests in Afghanistan but is keen to have a permanent role in Afghanistan in order to fulfill its vested agenda to destabilize Pakistan – major irritant in the way of establishing Indian supremacy in the region – and to have significant influence over central Asian states. From Indian side, anything that is being projected, promoted or displayed through media and friendly gestures is merely eyewash. So in view of these bitter realities, is India worth assigning a greater role in regional peace initiatives? In view of the past experience, Iran can be fool enough to walk hand in hand and in sync with India on Afghanistan? Would Kabul keep on closing its eyes on facts and will remain in state of denial vis-à  -vis New Delhi? It is time to realise that India is not a compulsion, all that is needed to make a right choice. The relation between India and Afghanistan is entering into the new horizon and it will be interesting to see how Pakistan will respond to this new growing relationship. The coming days will be the testing times for India and Afghanistan as United States is preparing to leave Afghanistan which will enable Pakistan to use its clout in Afghanistan for their strategic interests.

Africa †Genetically modified food Essay

Genetically modified food (GM food) is crop, plants or just food are created by using the latest molecular biology techniques in laboratories to have the desired traits such as resistance to pesticides and many more. For a period of 10 years, between 1995 and 2005, the amount of land cultivated with Genetically Modified Organisms had increased from 4. 2 million acres to 222 million acres. In 2003, the countries that grew 99% of the world’s genetically modified food were the following countries-In the United States of America. South Africa, the only country in Africa which accommodates the production of genetically modified food has the least in the world with only 1% of their food modified. These food may appear to be poisonous to the human health because there is no proof or what so ever that they are safe either to the environment or to human health. If genetically modified food is really dangerous to human health than the United States of America will have a big problem for the next coming years. GENERAL INFORMATION ON GENETICAL MODIFIED FOOD. My research on genetically modified food shows no signs that a thorough investigation has been done on the safety of humans to them. Hagelin, J. , (2000) a PhD physicist said that there has never been a single study on the safety of humans to genetically modified food and thus all implications on these products are just fabricated. Chances are some unknown illnesses are caused by genetically modified food but since there has never been some sort of research towards them, one cannot say whether they are safe or not. Dr.Lemaux, P. , (2000) said that she could not elaborate the safety of genetically modified food because there is no proof or study to secure the health of humans. But looking back in the history of science, many examples lead to the risk of human beings and the environment. Most chances are that genetically modified foods are not safe for humans. We have many diseases that the causes are unknown recently, but because no study has been made on these products I believe that some of the unknown diseases are caused by them. Good and evil are moral choices humans are free to make. As applied to technology, these moral choices present great opportunities and great dangers (Whitman, D. B). Whether you choose to consume genetically modified food or not there are still more advantages and disadvantages to it like people claim that there is at the present moment. Other philosophers like George, S. , (1987) a senior follower at Transnational Institute of Amsterdam believe that genetically modified food is the answer to ending hunger especially in African countries and other parts of Asia. She said that these products are the new strategies of food for the future since we have a high population and non-fertile soil in some parts of the world, genetically modified food can be given special traits and abilities to grow in harsh areas or to adapt to that particular environment and grow. She included that if more countries in Africa could accept genetically modified food, more people will not die of hunger, but it will increase the food production. But since there is only one country in Africa that has allowed genetically modified food which is South Africa, solutions of feeding the rest of Africa are very small, more and more people will still struggle to feed themselves on daily basis leading to death. One of the aspects that George Susan (1987) included about genetically modified food is that she believes without genetically modified food there would be a lot of shortage of food to cater for the whole world. Take for instance China. China has the largest population in the world that it is said if the all jump up at once the world could experience the most enormous earthquake ever experienced on Earth. The government could did not have enough natural resources to be able to feed the whole country so they passed on a new law that every woman should have a maximum of 2 children, then after that she would be sterilised. That was because the population was very high that there was not enough food for everyone and again that is why most of them eat almost anything that can be consumed without harming the body. In Africa the situation is worse that there aren’t enough animals available and most of the people are illiterate and cannot strategise, but the worse factor is political issues. GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD AS PANACEA Genetically modified food are resistant to pests so there is no need of a pesticides or poisonous chemicals to be sprayed on them. Since fewer chemicals will be used in the process of growing these plants it is very good for the environment because it won’t be exposed to soil erosion, land pollution and most important eutrophication. Since pests cannot feed on genetically modified foods, no crops will go to waste. Farmers will be able to reach their maximum sales because nothing will go to waste. It also solves hunger problems especially in disadvantaged countries. It has been agreed that there is no enough food for the whole world to feed everybody. With genetically modified food a high yield of crops can be reached and therefore more crops are produced by farmers. Genetically modified food can be grown anywhere in the world, at any time and condition and other genetically modified food can be engineered to contain important vitamins and minerals. (Want to know it 2012). Consecol (2000) included that genetically modified foods increase opportunities for reduced tillage systems, it kills fewer non target organisms. GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD AS POISON They kill non targeted caterpillars and butterflies such as monarchs. It is also said that genetically modified food causes new viruses and risky side effects to human health. (Consecol, 2000). Some of the endangered species are believed to be affected by these products and can cause enormous change in the eco-system. Whitman, D. B., (April 2000) believes that in the next 50 years, governments would have to feed over 12 billion people per day which can be pretty impossible if there is no new solution to the lack of food to feed the whole world. So far the only solution to feed the whole world is genetically modified foods. She also said that genetically modified food has greater dangers than advantages. Genetically modified technology will not eliminate hunger and malnutrition because dysfunctional governments and economies create problems with production, access and distribution of food. Flawed policies, greed and incompetence will always keep some people in ignorance and poverty. (Whitman, D. B. , April 2000) Want to know it (2012) site included that genetically modified food may have an everlasting effect on other organisms in the ecosystem; completely changing other plants and may cause it to be toxic to insects and animals that use plants as their source of food. The spread of insect resistant genes in crops may lead to insects being resistant to the genetic modified plants. This would cause a widespread loss of crops and plants that have the natural immunity leading to a loss of biodiversity. Cancer. Genetically modified foods share certain toxic effects on the liver, pancreas, kidneys and reproductive system that may cause cancer in these organs, according to a Greek study (February 2009) â€Å"Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. † The widespread use of recombinant growth hormone — a genetically modified substance — in the agricultural industry is associated with increases in IGF-1, a growth hormone that, in excess quantities, can lead to cancer. Allergies Allergic reactions to genetically modified foods may arise due to the presence of proteins derived from the plant or animal used to modify the food, according to a U. S.study for genetically modified food Toxicological Sciences (July 2009). Current safety standards involve evaluation of the foreign proteins for allergenic potential, and a database of known allergenic proteins has been compiled, along with computer programs for assessing potential allergenicity of proteins. Additionally, animal and non-animal testing methods are being developed to assist in the process of screening for allergenicity. PEOPLE’S OPINIONS More and more people around the world are starting to reject genetically modified food. At first most people did support them but as time goes by more and more of them decided to go organic. Below is a graph of the statistics on the percentage of how many people agreed that genetically modified food will bring benefits to them and those who didn’t in different years. (Choice. com) CONCLUSION Genetically modified food seems to be solving our current problems with food. With these crops governments are able to feed everyone. Only African countries excluding South Africa still has problems with genetically modified food which is why most of these countries are still struggling to feed their people. Health issues are still questionable towards genetically modified food thus one cannot be sure whether they are safe or not. Personally I think more investigation should be done on the safety of these crops and if there is some sort of effects to the environment and human health, they should be prevented before they cause a greater damage than what we are facing now. BIBLIOGRAPHY George, S. 1987. Food strategies for tomorrow. Ed 6. New York: Beverly Tangri the Hunger Project. Roizman, T. 2010. Disadvantages of genetically modified foods [online]. Available at: www. livingstrong. com/article/34554-d:ofgeneticallymodifiedfood. [Accessed on 19/05/2012]. Snyder, M. 1990. Women: the key to ending hunger. New York: Beverly Tangri the Hunger Project. Want to know it. 2012. Advantages of genetically modified foods [online]. Available at: www. wanttoknowit. com [Accessed on 19/05/2012]. Want to know it. 2012. Disadvantages of genetically modified foods [online]. Available at: www. wanttoknowit. com [Accessed on 19/05/2012]. Genetically modified food: poison or panacea. Choice. 2009. Benefits in future- doubts on biotech today [online]. Available at: www. choice. com . [accessed on 21/05/2012] Genetically modified food poison or panacea. 2011. [online DVD]. United States of America. Directed by Shore, J.