Friedrich Engels Life and Beliefs :: biography Economics Society History Essays

Friedrich Engels' Life and Beliefs Revolutionaries are not necessarily born but are made. Friedrich Engels is an excellent example of this because his history and family life does not reflect his career path. Unlike Marx, he was born of a â€Å"well-to-do† authoritarian textile manufacturer on November 28, 1820 in Barmen, Germany. By the age of fifteen his parents were very concerned with his behavior. In a letter written by his father he was said to have had a â€Å"lack of character† and â€Å"other unpleasant qualities†. Friedrich was receiving substandard grades, and he was disobedient despite the strict discipline at home. His father saw promise in him despite his disobedience, but was continuously troubled by his son’s actions. These acts can be seen as a sign of his future rebellion toward society. [ii] Friedrich Engels’ biographical information is important to know because it gives the reader and understanding of what shaped Engels’ views in the Communist Manifesto . The Prussian Province in which Engels was raised was the most industrialized place in Germany at the time. This gave Engels the ability to see the growing aspect of capitalism in society. He soon noticed the conflict between the labor and management. Even in his early years he showed concern for â€Å"social injustices†.[iii] Everyday when he went to school, he passed factories where workers â€Å" ‘breathed in more smoke and out more dust than oxygen’, where children were imprisoned from the age of six, to be ‘victims of capitalist exploitation’.† [iv] He saw the poor work from morning until night and the homeless who slept in stables or on dung heaps. He watched as society escaped reality by slipping into a state of drunkenness each evening. He noticed the fierce competition among the industries creating an even more demanding atmosphere that showed no improvement in the current situation. His keen observations drove him to take actio n, especially since he was the son of a factory owner.[v] He worked as a business apprentice during the day hours, and in 1842 he eventually traveled to England to learn commerce and management. In his spare time he visited the workers’ quarters in Manchester where he saw the same exploitation of the working class as he did back in Germany. Grief stricken families lived in filth and poverty because of the controlling bourgeoisie. These experiences continued to play a large role in shaping his political views.

What is the global role of the WTO?

The paper contains a discussion about the roles of WTO. The roles of WTO in promoting international trade, globalization, good interrelationships and dispute resolution have been explained. The background about the organization has been provided to link its role with the mandate provided by its founders. The current issues affecting the organization such as the global recession of the 2007-2009 have been discussed to explain how the organization has intervened in the problem. Criticisms of the organization have been discussed towards the end of the essay to show the shortfalls affecting it. Introduction Many leaders of the world felt that after the World War II, trade was the only tool that could be used to reverse the negative trends of the war. They developed multilateral organizations to control trade between different countries of the world. Several agreements on trade were created to enhance the member countries practice favorable trade. Most of the economies had been closed before and during the war to avoid the ripple effects of poor economic practices from foreign countries. The establishment of the trade agreements led to the removal of many trade barriers which had been placed. WTO was created to monitor the activities of trade among the countries in the global scene. Since its establishment, the organization has played the role of negotiating trade agreements and assisting the poor countries. The organization has also helped in the economic recovery of many countries after the global recession that affected the world economies recently (World Trade Organization, 2010). Role of WTO in promoting international trade World Trade Organization (WTO) was created to control trade between the member countries. Currently the organization has 152 member countries. More than 95 percent of the world trade is regulated by WTO (Fergusson, 2008). After the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was abolished, WTO was established. The organization was founded in 1995 to take over the activities of GATT. After the World War II, countries discussed ways of promoting economic development through trade. Open trade was among the key factors discussed as a tool to enhance trade through removal of discriminatory trade barriers (World Trade Organization, 2010). WTO has its headquarters located in Geneva. More than 625 staffs are employed at the headquarters to control the activities of the organization. The organization had a budget of approximately $152 million in 2007 (Fergusson, 2008). A Director-General heads the organization. Pascal Lamy of France currently holds the position of the Director-General. The member countries make decisions about the operations of the organization. The staff of WTO has no mandate to make any decision. A consensus system is used to make decisions but not a formal vote. A Ministerial Conference makes high-level policy decisions. The conference is composed of representatives from the member countries and they meet after two years. The General Council has members drawn from all the member countries. They make operational decisions and they meet each month. The rules of WTO are revised regularly through negotiations (rounds) to create new ones to accommodate the changing trade climate. The developing nations benefit more from the negotiations since most of the agreements are established to improve the economic status of the developing countries (World Trade Organization, 2010). The current situation of WTO A new round of multilateral trade negotiations was started at the Doha meeting in 2001 during the fourth Ministerial Conference of WTO. Negotiations about trade in agriculture and trade in services have been going on for a long period of time. Greater trade liberalization has been the main agenda of the rounds as the developed nations seek a free market system in the international market. The September 11th terrorists attack in America encouraged the member countries to establish negotiations about reducing the effects of economic recession and terrorism (Sally, 2003). Several regional agreements have been established under WTO to enhance trade. By 2007, 385 regional trade agreements had been created. Currently only 197 are operational (Fergusson, 2008). Trade agreements are more effective in opening trade between countries. They are easier to negotiate and provide more liberalization. However, these negotiations violate the nondiscriminatory principles of WTO. Developing countries have been disadvantaged by the establishment of the regional agreements since they cannot access the markets in developed countries (Sally, 2003; World Trade Organization 2010). The Doha meeting discussed the issues relating to the global recession, terrorists activities and the increasing number of trade agreements. Other issues discussed were improving trade in agriculture and trade in services. Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property rights (TRIPS) was amended. The interest of the developing nations has been a major concern since the developed countries have dominated discussions in the past rounds (World Trade Organization, 2010). Role of WTO in trade dispute resolution WTO is involved in settling disputes concerning trade between countries. As countries trade with each other, conflicts come up and WTO is used as a mediator to solve such disputes. The organization has the power to mediate trade disputes among the member countries. Some of the trade disputes relate to bad trade policies adopted by some countries upon others. WTO acts as a custodian to international law and uses the international law on trade to enforce the international trade laws. Countries which disobey the rules encounter sanctions which may hinder them from operating in the international trade. All countries have an obligation to follow the rules provided by WTO (Information for Development Program. 2010). Role of WTO in improving international relations International relations refer to the co-existence between two or more countries. Private businesses, governments, international investors and other parties are involved in the transactions of international business. WTO helps the countries of the world interact peacefully with each other. This has reduced conflicts which may arise due to differences in culture and other aspects. WTO helps international leaders unite in the fight against terrorism. Many countries have developed a system of establishing a common pool of ideas. Sharing in ideas among the countries has improved peace in the world. WTO settles disputes arising from bad trade practices. Such disputes if not controlled may result into war which can cause a lot of destruction. When countries are at peace with each other, international trade becomes more possible and exchange of goods and services is enhanced. Good international relationships have enhanced economic growth and development of the countries of the world. Economic growth and development is described as the increase in the wealth, infrastructure and the living standards of the people living in a country. When countries are at peace with each other, they can participate properly in trade and create more wealth. Conflicts between countries lead to destruction of property and poor trade. WTO has encouraged peaceful coexistence between countries and this has been a factor which has promoted growth and development of many economies (World Trade Organization, 2010). Role of WTO in globalization WTO has been involved in the globalization of many economies in the world. Regulation about the global activities has been done by WTO to ensure fare practices are exercised by the countries of the world. Globalization refers to the opening up of the international boundaries and the exchange of information between different countries. Globalization has improved the exchange of technologies and knowledge between countries. As economies become open more people with skills can move to other countries where there is high market potential for their labor. The public sector alone cannot accommodate all the skilled labor in a country and trade provides more employment opportunities for the people in a nation. The introduction of the internet has increased efficiency in trade by enabling people transfer information more easily. Trade attracts private investment and this generates more capital in the economy. The gross domestic product of a country increases with increase in global trade. Growth and development of an economy is accelerated by trade since more income is generated and the living standards of the people are improved (Daniels, Radebaugh & Sullivan, 2007). Poverty levels in both developing and developed countries have declined by greater margins due to participation of countries in the international trade. Economies have acquired more wealth and the gross domestic product of countries has improved. WTO has become the custodian of international law on trade. The enforcement of trade laws about good trade practices has been possible after the creation of WTO. The establishment of regional and multilateral trade agreements was experienced after WTO was created. This has encouraged many countries remove barriers to trade (World Trade Organization 2010). Regulation of the 2007-2009 economic recessions by WTO The financial crisis was initiated by poor lending practices of the U. S. banks. The subprime mortgage industry failed and caused many other sectors of the economy to fail. Subprime mortgages are policies which have a high risk of default. Subprime borrowers are the people with low incomes and have a poor credit history. They have higher risk of default compared to the prime borrowers. The crisis started with the rise in prices for basic products due to the international increase in fuel prices. The prices of oil and food products increased within a short duration leading to an economic crisis which affected many people in the US. The prices for many products increased and inflation was experienced all over the country. Many subprime borrowers had low incomes and the rise in prices for basic products increased the expenses for their living. Many companies retrenched employees to accommodate the increasing production costs. The borrowers were unable to repay the loans resulting to massive defaults. More than 100 subprime mortgage intermediaries filed for bankruptcy. Reacquisition of the houses from the defaulters caused a lot of people to become homeless (Platt, 2008). The US government had deregulated the real estate mortgages leading to massive investment in subprime mortgages. This caused the risky lending of subprime mortgages. The sub-prime mortgages were initially not popular but they became widely used in the 1990s. The climax of the sub prime mortgages was in 2006 when they accounted for more than 21 percent of all mortgages traded in the US market. The value of subprime mortgages in 2006 was valued at $600 billion. Many subprime mortgage intermediaries were established to reap the benefits of the expanding industry (Stapledon, 2009). The world economies have experienced a major decline due to poor performance of many industries. This is a crisis which has affected all sectors of the economy. Williams (2009) claims that the crisis was initiated by the subprime mortgage lending crisis in the US. The banking sector issued many loans to subprime mortgage intermediaries. Due to the expanding market in the sub prime mortgage market, many banks issued unsecured loans to the intermediaries. The climax of the boom was reached in 2007 when the prices of products started to increase and many subprime mortgage lenders were unable to repay their loans. This led to massive default of debts and banks registered huge losses. This reduced the lending capacity of many banks. The resulting effect was lack of credit in the economy and the collapse of many companies (Stapledon, 2009). The World Trade Organization has negotiated with the oil producing countries to reduce the oil prices as one of the measures to reduce the effects of the crisis. The global oil prices increased causing the prices of many products to rise. The high product prices caused inflation in the whole world. WTO has also encouraged trade by persuading some countries remove the trade barriers they had placed upon their trade partners when the crisis was at climax (Stephen, 2008). Criticisms of WTO The developed nations have dominated the activities and policies of WTO. For example, according to Anderson (2005) With decision-making based on a consensus system, so each member has equal decision-making power, the WTO is held to be the most democratic of all the international institutions with a global mandate. In practice, however, the working methods of the WTO lack transparency, inclusiveness and equity, (pp. 431). There have been conflicts as the developing nations are becoming concerned about the great influence the developed nations have on the decisions in these organization. The interests of each country should be represented during the negotiations to ensure that conflicts do not arise afterwards (Amadeo, 2010). Despite the establishment of the trade organizations, many countries continue to place more trade discrimination measures upon other countries. â€Å"They include not just trade taxes-cum-subsidies but also contingent protection measures such as anti-dumping, regulatory standards that can be technical barriers to trade, and domestic production subsidies,† Anderson (2005, pg. 415). Many trade distortions have occurred since the global economies were established. Conclusion WTO has been successful in improving trade between the member countries. More regional and multilateral trade agreements have been established after the creation of WTO. The developed countries have dominated discussions at the Ministerial Conferences of WTO. International trade has been effective in alleviating poverty. Economies have expanded their operations and more GDP has been generated by countries with improved systems of international trade. Poverty still affects many countries in the world and much effort need be done to address the issue. Globalization has increased trade between nations and has also enabled access to many technologies and knowledge about production. Trade has been used as a tool for alleviating poverty in many countries. International relationships have improved with the introduction of the WTO. The organization has encouraged the member countries interact with each other to enhance understanding. The global recession was brought to a halt by WTO when it intervened in the global economic systems which had caused the failure of many economies. The organization has promoted the economic growth and development of many economies as well as encouraging international peace. The activities of WTO have been criticized for the excess domination by the developed countries. This remains a barrier to the achievement of the goals of WTO.

The Effects of Computers on Our Everyday Lives

Computers have changed the lives of people’s in many ways. Now sitting in front of the computer, peoples can easily get access to the Internet by a simple click of mouse. Over the entire world 80 percent of people use the Internet every day. On computer people can simply do anything such as, a slide show presentation, a good communication, creating your own assignment, music, or art etc. They can also get a useful information and media on the Internet. For these reason people deeply use computers at places such as schools, hospitals, offices, and at home etc.There are the lots of positive and negative effects of computers. Some of the positive effects are faster communication, an organization of data and information, computerization of tasks, and easier access to the information. Some of the negative effects of computers are human’s break their social interact with friends and families, cause back problem, depression, and poor health. One of the best effects of computer is helping students and workers to complete and ensure of their works. For example, most of the students can easily access to a wealth of information, study online, and translate words or texts on computers.Students can also easily find information for assignment with in a minute by the helping of wireless technology. There are many of social networking site of learning math’s, reading, history and science, and online learning language. And there are also some negative points of computers on learning. For instance, teachers give assignments to students for their knowledge but some students didn’t do by themselves they just research on net and do copy paste from the site and then they submit their assignment to the teacher this is not good for them.They should also use their brain. Moreover, computers give many opportunities to meet new people. There are many social networking sites in which people can interact with others as such Facebook, Skype, and my space etc. Whe n people use these sites they reconnect with old friends and classmates. They can share their pictures and songs with their friends. Wireless technology helps people to talk with friends anywhere easily. These are the positives effects of computers.Now negatives effects of computers are its can also damage people relationship with parents and friends by using too much computer, some people misuse pictures, videos of others on social networking sites, and some sites are not good for some kids. In case, a person who spends more time on a computer can also cause back problem, may complain about headaches, and pains in their wrists, arms and necks. These pains are often the result of a fixed position when people using the computer keyboard for a long amount of time. It’s better to take breaks when typing on the computer.Eye and other problems are the most common health complaints of computer users. This kind of health issue comes as no surprise to anyone a person who has worked f or long time periods in front of a computer. Of course, there are so many cause and effects of computer. A person who use computer daily for long time period, make sure you sit with your back straight and lower back should touch the back rest the whole time as well as your legs should bend to the knee. You can also support your back by pillow if needed. Keep your feet on the floor all the time or use something like box if your feet don’t reach at the floor.

Motorcycle Safety

About 3,000 people die everyday on roads around the world with another 30,000 more surviving but are severely disabled.   At this rate, road traffic accidents may become the third leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2010 (Wells, Mullin, Norton, Langley, Connor, Lay-Yee, R. & Jackson, 2004).   Because of the severity of this issue, the authors have conducted a study to determine the causes of road traffic accidents among motorcycle drivers.   The study was focused to determine if the ability of motorcyclists to be seen on the road to be a vital cause for motorcycle accidents on the road (Wells, et al., 2004). The study was conducted over a period of three years in Auckland, New Zealand where the authors selected 150 survey sites on major motorways.   The study was conducted on random times between six in the morning and midnight on different days of the week and different directions of travel. The participants of the survey were randomly selected on the road and were interviewed as to whether they use their headlights during the daytime, if the driver uses reflective or fluorescent clothing materials while on the road, the color of the motorcycle vehicle, the color of the clothing of the driver and the helmet color used by the driver.   Based on their findings, they were able to conclude that the use of headlights during the daytime, reflective or fluorescent clothing and light color helmets greatly reduced the chances of the driver from being involved in a motorcycle accident that may result to severe injuries or death (Wells, et al., 2004). Although the article was informative as to what precautions a motorcycle driver can take in order to avoid getting involved into a major road accident that could kill the driver or leave the driver permanently disabled, the study is very limited in that they only concentrated on how the visibility of the motorcycle driver is on the road.   It did not take into consideration other factors such as alcohol consumption on the part of the motorcycle driver or other motor vehicles, speeding and drowsiness. References Wells, S., Mullin, B., Norton, R., Langley, J., Connor, J., Lay-Yee, R. & Jackson, R.   (2004, February 2).   Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study. BMJ. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.      

The Run-DMC Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Run-DMC Revolution - Essay Example (Biography, 2008) As for hip-hop, there is no question-Run-DMC, composed of Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "DMC" McDaniel, and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, was and will always be considered as the king of this genre. With the group's unique vision and attitude, the foundation for rap music that was "on top" was laid, making hip-hop last for more than two decades now. (Chuck D, 2004) After releasing its debut single "It's Like That" in 1983, the flames for a revolution were fanned and it made hip-hop another front liner in mainstream music and caught the attention of television networks. It also brought the music genre to the platinum realm and into our own time's rap and rock frontier. (Biography, 2008) With six albums under their belts, namely Run-D.M.C. (1984), King of Rock (1985), Raising Hell (1986), Tougher than Leather (1988), Down With the King (1993) and Crown Royal (2001) (Biography, 2008), could very well be considered as the Beatles of hip-hop. According to Chuck D of the rap band Public Enemy, Run and DMC can be likened to Lennon and McCartney respectively, while Jam Master Jay was George and Ringo rolled into one. He even went as far as saying that Jay-Z, Black Star, OutKast, the Roots, and everyone else in hip-hop today can be traced back to Run-DMC. (Chuck D, 2004) And many seem to agree. ... which was quoted at the start of this paper, Ice-T also said, "Until Run-DMC I thought that hip-hop was something that was only going to be done in basements and in clubs. I went to a Run-DMC concert and they actually made me believe that hip-hop could be big. Rap was never at that level. We'd never seen it like that." (Chuck D, 2004) Run-DMC, run Run-DMC's roots may be traced to the working class New York community of Hollis, Queens. Run Simmons started honing his "rhyming apparatus" in 1982 in the suburban neighborhood. While barely progressing on the then unfinished hit single "It's Like That," he turned to his childhood friend Darryl McDaniels for help. Together, they were able to compose several songs, showing a promise of a very fruitful collaboration. (Biography, 2008) Russell Simmons, also known as Russell Rush and Run's older brother, signed up the band in 1983 to his own newly founded management company, Rush Productions, after Run-DMC signed a record deal with Profile Records the very same year. (Biography, 2008) Setting new trends by dressing in tight leather jackets and pants, fedora hats, bling-blings, and signature Adidas sneakers, the group inspired the hip-hop street image of the 1980's and most hip-hop artists still dress the same way 20 years later. (Chuck D, 2004) Not only that, the debut single "It's Like That" ruled the airwaves for more than a year, forcing several R&B stations to move the song from night-time rap shows to day-time regular shows, reflective of how much respect hip-hop was commanding then because of the rap act. (Biography, 2008) After the group has sold a quarter of a million copies, Run decided to recruit his old basketball and DJ buddy Jason Mizell. And so the rap act was completed. (Biography, 2008) As fate would

Artists Think Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Artists Think - Essay Example A question here arises as to why can’t the artists speak rather than sketching their feelings into a picture. An answer to this question is that some feelings cannot be expressed in words but rather can be expressed by sketching. These feelings can only be understood better by looking at the picture. Artists have a unique way of drawing these pictures to tell how they feel about these issues. They work on their drawing so that the audience can feel the theme of the drawing. Artists feel that a sketch can appeal more to an audience rather than simple words. It can be said that truly artists are able to express their feelings and emotions through a drawing. The pictures speak more than the words according to the artists as these pictures can present a whole picture of the event. The artists work on their drawings to give the audience a better picture of the whole event. It can be clearly said that these artists are able to express better in pictures than in speaking.

The Living Theatre- Julian Beck and Judith Malina Term Paper

The Living Theatre- Julian Beck and Judith Malina - Term Paper Example Malina, unlike Piscator, was committed to nonviolence and anarchism. Malina met her husband, Beck, in 1943 when he was a student at Yale University. Beck, a painter, came to share her interest in political theatre and in 1947 the couple founded The Living Theatre. Malina appeared occasionally in films, beginning in 1975. In 2008 she was honored with an annual Artistic Achievement Award from the New York Innovative Theatre Awards (Ruth et al, 15-17). In 2009, she was honored with the Edwin Booth Award from the Doctoral Theatre Students Association of the City University of New York. Other awards include an honorary doctorate from Lehman College among others. Julian Beck, an American actor, director, poet and painter, was born in New York City in 1925 and died in 1985. He briefly attended Yale University, but dropped out to pursue writing and art (Ruth et al, 41-42). He was an Abstract Expressionist painter in the 1940s, but his career turned upon meeting his future wife. He met her in 1943 and quickly came to share her passion for theatre; they founded The Living Theatre in 1947. Beck’s philosophy of theatre carried over into his life. He once said, â€Å"We insisted on experimentation that was an image for a changing society. If one can experiment in theatre, one can experiment in life.† He was indicted a dozen times on three continents for charges such as disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, possession of narcotics, and failing to participate in a civil defense drill (Takis 44). Besides his theatre work, Beck published several volumes of poetry reflecting his anarchist beliefs, two nonfiction books and had several film appearances. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1983 and died two years later. The Living Theatre has staged nearly a hundred productions performed in eight languages in 28 countries on five continents. This is a unique body of work that has influenced theatre all over the