Ecuadorin Crisis Essays - United Nations, International Relations

Ecuadorin Crisis Latin American Politics Un Crisis Ecuatoriano The Ecuadorian economy has undergone a profound change since it first splashed into the world market. It has enjoyed eras of unprecedented prosperity based on exports. It's initial 2 periods of growth being characterized by a rush of cocoa production early this century and an explosion of bananas in the 1950's. However, the largest and most influential boom was caused by the skyrocketing price of oil during the 1970's. This period clearly benefited elites, and even helped the masses in some ways. Between 1960 and 1980 more than 10 years were added to Ecuadorian life expectancy, death and infant mortality rates dropped by 40 percent, and by 1980 virtually all children attended primary school (Moser, 1993:177). However, Ecuador has gradually deteriorated and is now in an epoch of unprecedented economic depression. This is attributed to the everlasting effects of its oil era as well as the government's inability to control debt. On Thursday September 30'Th (1999) Ecuador became the first nation to default on its IMF loans know as the Brady Bonds. This is just the most recent example of how horrible the economic situation has become in Ecuador. The nation of 12 million people, described as a banana republic with an economy half the size of Maine (Keaveny, 1999), was not able to pay off approximately $98 million in debt. Ecuador's future does not look bright as economic mismanagement has made it nearly impossible to satisfy outstanding interest payments to U.S. backed creditors. Consequently, the primary effect of the 1970's is no longer regarded as an era of oil prosperity, but rather a time of rampant and ill advised economic moves by strong-arm military leaders. In order to take advantage of oil exportation they took huge loans to increase capitol and production. Many believe that the effects of these decisions are just beginning to rear their ugly heads. Through military of modernization Ecuador was able to pull itself out of the third world for the time being. However, between 1976 and 1980 it also increased its total external debt by a spectacular 67% annually (Clark 1997: 5), and has not proceeded to slow down. This coupled with the decline of oil prices (from $35 in 1979 to $10 a barrel in 1986) and the rise of real interest rates spelled its doom. In order to maintain national stability Ecuador has tried to induce a trade surplus in order to increase the flow of money into domestic markets, as well as taking many more loans from the IMF. However, there have not been nearly enough investments made into export goods such as shrimp and roses. Although these industries have grown as of late, the share of industry (which produces capital and surplus) in Ecuador's overall GDP has shrunk to a mere 7.3% after a continual decline through the 1980's (Bulmer-Thomas, 1994: 401). Plus there has been an extensive movement of capital flight. In other words: by 1994, wealthy Ecuadorian's had 13 times as much money invested outside of the country as they had in Ecuador (Clark 1997: 7). All these factors have culminated in a devaluation of currency (the sucre), a domestic bank crisis, skeptical world lenders, and a shady era of democracy. Ecuadorian politics have been no different than the rest of Latin America's. It too continues to struggle with national stability through constant changing military and democratic rule. Ecuador entered its period of 1970's under an authoritarian military government and prospered greatly because of this. The authoritarian power the military lead government had allowed it to smoothly carrying out policy after policy. In 1979 the military ended its rein of power in Ecuador, and has been ruled by a series of democratically elected governments since then. Many applauded this change for its positive effects. It has lead to a great increase in civil rights as well as popular indigenous participation. Education has continued to improve with a simultaneous increase in cultural pride, and so forth. Yet, this new form of rule has also brought about new evils. Democracy has made it almost impossible for leaders to pass laws or reforms aimed towards the lowering of debt. In other words, it has undermined the government's power to

An Alternative Source of Energ essays

An Alternative Source of Energ essays Alternative Solution for Hawaii=s Future Source of Energy What would life in Hawaii be like without energy? We would have no lights, no refrigerators, no TVs, no VCRs, no gas. We would have to do without automobiles, airplanes, banks, movies or mail. Imagine Hawaii with no cooking, no air conditioning, no computers, no traffic lights, and basically no jobs. We would have very little left of what we take for granted. Imported oil is used to supply about 90 percent of Hawaii's energy needs. No place else in the United States is so critically dependent on imported oil. Unlike the Mainland, Hawaii can't turn to neighboring states to make up for any temporary or permanent energy shortages. Unlike any other state, imported oil is the single thread that can completely unravel Hawaii's future. But Hawaii is blessed with a variety of other energy sources lots of sunshine, strong winds, fastgrowing crops, flowing streams, geothermal heat, and both warm and cold ocean waters. All these resources have the potential to help produce energy and reduc e our dependency on imported petroleum. Hawaii is determined to explore the best ways to take advantage of its renewable energy resources. Each of the renewable energy resources will defiantly help slow the process of global warming by reducing air pollution. Every barrel of oil or ton of coal replaced with these renewable resources will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered by many as one of the major contributors to global warming. The State of Hawaii is actively supporting the development of a mix of renewable energy resources including solar power, biomass, hydro power, wind power, geothermal energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). But just how actively is the State of Hawaii supporting these alternative renewable natural energy=s? In this paper I will briefly summarize the operations of OTEC and the...

Themes of the stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Themes of the stories - Essay Example The family of Aoyagi, the beautiful girl, lived alone deep in the forest far from the eyes of human beings. During Tomotada’s journey in a winter season is the only occasion that the family is seen by a mortal. Little do we know that the three are not human beings but trees. Only after the marriage between Aoyagi and Tomotada is when we decipher that Aoyagi was a tree after she concedes the truth to her husband before her death. Moreover, we later find out that even the parents were not human as Tomotada’s second journey to the home of Aoyagi’s parents reveals the humble aboard had disappeared and in its place stumps of three trees, a young and two old trees. Consequently, Aoyagi’s body disappeared in a strange manner when she was dying as it dissolved into the ground. Consequently, the themes of uncanny and paranormal can be deciphered from the story of Aoyagi. The strangeness of a human form being a tree hardly strikes Tomotada’s mind when he sets his eyes on Aoyagi and also when she dies and eventually disappears on the floor. The ancient Japanese culture was not characterized by strange beings and thus this proves to be a paranormal instance that seems very unreal in the eyes of the courageous samurai. Uncanny is a theme, which represents an occasion when an individual or an object can be familiar yet unrecognizable and strange at the same time. The bravery of Tomotada in fighting for Aoyagi shows a tale of courage and love. The samurai shows great courage when he sets to travel to Hosokawa Masamoto on a private mission at the tender age of twenty in a season characterized by heavy snow and wind. These weather conditions would have put his life at risk. Due to the extreme weather, he takes refuge in Aoyagi’s home, only for him to encounter the beautiful girl. He eventually falls in love with herrl and asks her parent’s for her hand in marriage. According to the Japanese culture, a samurai was not supposed to marry without the

Google glasses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google glasses - Essay Example This version is effective since it has a user practice that works easily under voice commands and touch. Based on the demand-pull inflation, Google glass has received a strong consumer demand due to its efficiency. The users are highly purchasing the Google glasses, and its sales have increased inevitably. This has improved the economy of Google glasses making it to have the attention of many users al over the world. In conclusion, according to the Ansoff strategy, the company has to undertake various steps to make sure that the consumers are aware of the product in the mark. When the Google glass products are introduced the market penetration is important since it captures the attention of customers from other products. This results to market development where different consumers are targeted for the Google glass products. When the products develop, the manufactures of Google glass have the advantage of producing new products since the consumers are aware. Through these strategies, the product will become diversified and the manufacturing firm is at a lower risk of losing market to its

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Globalization - Essay Example With the decades or even centuries of other political views like communism, it is indeed a difficult task to educate a large group of people to adopt to a great change in their way of living so that the process is given the time to take its full effect and not to be hurried (Modelski 2007). Economic freedom could be the most important of the factors contributing to communist nations to consider being democratized and can be said to be the strongest driving force for a nation to undergo the process. Looking at democratic countries succeeding not only in their economy but also in their social affairs adds to the attraction to democratization as Modelski states as ‘winning wars sans the mass killings’. In addition, democracies work better. Where there is peace and order, without the fear of committing mistakes and getting punished, a person surely works better and this is true in democratic countries as opposed to communist countries. Modelski also considers the factor of d emocracy knowing how to cooperate a strong motivation for the drive to democratization. Taking the psychological side of it, people who are given the freedom to have their rest and improve their working conditions are more productive and consequently improve the economic situation of the nation they are in.

Reflective Log On Personal And Professional Development Skills Nursing Essay

Reflective Log On Personal And Professional Development Skills Nursing Essay Stress has always been a part of my life. I have experienced it during exam revision, my Duke of Edinburgh expedition, being the captain of a tennis team and performing in a play. My reason for choosing this SSC was to help me to identify and manage my stress, plan my goals and improve my time management so that excessive stress can be avoided in the future. We began the course by studying the graph of performance versus arousal, illustrating the human response to stress. Performance initially increased with stress. I have always perceived stress as a negative thing and something that should be avoided at all costs. I soon learned that some stress is good for you; some stressors keep you motivated and working at the optimum rate; without them, I would become bored and feel like I was underachieving. When stress is excessive, however, the graph starts plateauing and then going down. The body starts suffering and displaying signs of being overstressed leading to lowered productivity and finally breakdown and illness. When I am very stressed, I find myself experiencing a combination of symptoms. Anxiety, procrastination, increased heart rate, diarrhoea, sensitivity to criticism, negative self-critical thoughts and occasional emotional outbursts are not uncommon to me. Being on such a demanding course as Medicine, it is important to manage stress efficiently to keep productivity at optimum levels. Knowing about the manifestations of stress is useful both when directly administering healthcare and to inform professional conduct. The understanding of the manifesting symptoms of stress will allow me to identify it in myself and others: I can later use this either to prescribe the right course of action to the patient, or to manage underlying problems at work. The two types of stress are acute and chronic. The General Adaptation Syndrome proposed by Seyle explains the stages the body goes through when faced with stress: Alarm, Resistance and Exhaustion1. The alarm stage involves the fight or flight mechanism as well as activation of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal axis, leading to down-regulation of the immune system. In the resistance phase, the body tries to cope with the increased stress. In the exhaustion phase, sustained stress has depleted the body of resources and we suffer from diseases of adaptation. I experience acute stress on a frequent basis, for example when I get a minor injury or am trying to meet an essay deadline, leading to alarm and resistance. Chronic stress is more long term, such as occupational stress, commonly leading to the exhaustion phase of the General Adaptation Syndrome. This occurs when I am stressed for a longer period of time, such as when struggling to catch up with work or preparing for exams. Extended periods of high stress situations can lead to burnout, which is characterised by emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, leading to low productivity and feelings of low achievement. I have experienced similar feelings when, after pushing myself too hard, I feel negative, run down and as though my work is barely progressing. The extreme demands of a medical career can easily drive a doctor to burnout. I was glad that this SSC gave us space to consider burnout, as it brought my attention to aspects of my own conduct when under pressure. With an awareness of my personal difficulties in mind, I often try to use action and emotionally orientated skills to manage my stress levels. I plan ahead in terms of work and other commitments, and prefer to work steadily over time and not get emotionally worked up about it. However, acceptance-orientated stress management comes into play when stressors seem more imminent. With the associated stress of an oncoming exam, for instance, I accept it and work, trying to avoid further stress by reminding myself that I am doing my best. I was surprised to learn about the extent to which personal stress effects those who surround us. Stress is infectious and in a clinical scenario it is important to seem calm to the patient to build a rapport and gain their trust. A visibly stressed doctor will result in stressed patients, or even cause stress in other members of staff leading to poor patient care, often due to non-verbal communication such as body language. With the understanding that interactions with patients, and teamwork situations will feature a lot in my career, knowing about the infectious nature of stress has reinforced my belief that I must manage my stress and be cautious of how (or what) I communicate. To improve my stress management, it is important to become aware of my stressors, and how I react physically and emotionally to them, while bearing in mind the three main variables of stress: intensity, duration and number of stressors present. This will allow me to evaluate what I can change and to moderate my physical and emotional responses. Keeping fit by going to the gym and playing sports, as well as socialising allows me to unwind and feel good about myself. I find these very effective in stress management as they allow build-up of physical and emotional reserves. However, I need to improve my prioritising mechanisms, as sometimes prioritising is my downfall: for example I often find myself persuaded to go out with friends before an important deadline. Doing work when it is important rather than urgent will also leave me room to do the things I enjoy, without the avoidable pressure of time constraints and outstanding work: thus by starting assignments sooner rather than later, and studying lectures and tutorials after having them I will reduce my exposure to the stressors, and the intensity and duration of the stress With those plans in mind, I found learning about the methods of stress manipulation halting, interrupting and coping useful and insightful. In the past I have used halting and coping as my primary methods of manipulating stress. However, I now feel that these are not best in all situations; indeed, they can result in more when work accumulates and must be completed later. I am now putting into place interruption, which involves reducing the stress rather than stopping it altogether by preventing it from building up; this works well when it incorporates the management of variables of stress. I found it a surprise that such a thing as eustress existed; once again challenging my perceptions that stress is almost always a negative thing. I then recalled when I had experienced this in the past, for example when exams are over and I have almost unlimited time to do whatever I want. Learning how to identify stressors, as well as enhancing relevant communication skills, was useful. As a doctor, using the interrogative words Who, What, When, Where and How when interviewing patients will help me to take good patient histories: they will allow me to direct the patients answers in a way which will help identify the stressors efficiently. The areas which cause stress are occupation, personal relationships, environment and non-work time. Using the aforementioned words will create open yet specific questions, prompting the patient to open up and provide a better history. However, the interrogator why should not be used as it is too vague and not productive enough when trying to determine the causes of stress. Thought awareness refers to negative thinking. I have experienced this myself, when the approach of exams causes me to doubt my knowledge and anticipate failure. However, I have addressed this by making sure I prepare in enough time and by using my time efficiently. I am now able to think more clearly, remain calmer and make informed decisions in more stressful situations. I recognise the importance of being optimistic, and believe that even when things do not go according to plan, I must see the experience as positive and an opportunity to learn. As well as that, I am quite a confident person and apply myself to most situations with a confident mind-set even if they are in uncharted territory. This allows me to push my boundaries, and this boosts my confidence when I am pleasantly surprised to discover a new skill. On my Duke of Edinburgh expedition, I was leading my team. Unfortunately due to torrential rain and wind, a part of our route was impassable; this meant I was responsible to plan a new route within a short period of time as it was getting very late and dark. I successfully managed to get the team to the camp with very little delay to our original plan. The final step in stress management is rest, relaxation and sleep. In my experience, all three have suffered during stressful times, especially rest and relaxation. I play badminton, tennis and go to the gym as forms of recreation, and enjoy music and television to distract me from the stress. I sometimes stop doing these during intense times in order to make time for work. I now realise that it is important not to halt these activities. However the biggest change I will be making is implementing the self-hypnosis techniques learnt in the classes. I think that the hypnosis allows me to be more awake and refreshed than by taking a quick nap, which often leaves me feeling worse when I wake up which I learnt was due to me interrupting a sleep cycle. To be someone who works productively, efficiently and in a professional manner, I must set realistic goals and then achieve them, borrowing some aspects of the tycoon mentality. Namely, it is necessary firstly to know what I want; the best way of going about this is to maintain focussed on it by not bothering too much about what I dont want. To remain focussed on achieving my goals, it is important that I constantly visualise them to keep myself striving towards them. This means clearing your mind of any clutter such as goals that are now unattainable and past events. I often find myself thinking of what has happened in the past and replaying them in my mind and thinking about what I could have done differently, for example I once said something rash to a friend in the heat of the moment which I later regretted; I kept thinking about all the time and got really stressed. I now realise that this is merely a waste of time and I could use this time to make more use of the present to cre ate a better future. Tycoons realise the importance of compartmentalising, that is, not carrying emotional baggage from one thing to another. As a doctor for me this will be imperative: I must not carry any sentiments about one patient to another when dealing with another case. I already compartmentalise in day to day life, and for instance when I get upset about one thing, I do not allow the associated emotions to interfere with other aspects of my life. I have also set myself some clear cut and realistic goals which I am working towards and know how to get there. In some ways I do have tycoon mentality, which is valuable as a medical student and future doctor. Although the importance of hard work is undeniable, anticipating success will help me to achieve it, as the ensuing excitement which in turn motivates me to strive towards my ambition. Anticipation also allows me to change my goal if my current goal no longer seems to be the right one for me. Past experiences have shown me that whatever seems like a huge effort will only become habitual in time, usually a period of three weeks according to Maltzs Psychocybernetics2. For example, when I promised myself to visit the gym to improve my fitness, it initially seemed a huge effort to make time for it, but after some time I stopped seeing it as an effort. It became a part of my schedule, and I am able to fit other activities around it: this is goal maintenance I have a goal in my career of becoming a liver surgeon, it is a definitive long term goal and I am determined to achieve it. I will need to achieve several goals such as passing my exams and attending surgical society meetings to achieve the long term goal. By having a time frame to achieve my goal, I will always endeavour to achieve the goals I set myself. It is not just enough to have a goal; you need to make it a reality. I am good at operating on my own initiative and try to take the necessary steps to climb up the ladder towards my goals. Desire results in sustained effort: For instance, I will not let progress made towards my ambition deter me from trying harder. I am currently searching for placements with surgeons and gaining career advice to set me apart when I apply for a job. Loss of desire can mean you can get side tracked from your goals and result in you not achieving them; I am always trying to keep a focus on my goals in order to prevent this from happening. In order to gain satisfaction from achieving my goals, I need to make sure that I keep doing my on-going activities such as gym, tennis and badminton. Otherwise, I would have lost this aspect of my life as well as it being detrimental to my fitness. I am often guilty of stopping these activities when Im busy with other work, but from now on will incorporate them into my goals. Goals are something you want to achieve; dreams go beyond goals and are on the horizon beyond the path to your goal. This made me think whether some of my goals are actually goals or whether they are dreams. I then realised that my goal of becoming a well renowned surgeon is actually a dream, I will need to hit all my goals and go beyond before I can make my dream a reality. I also realise that no one is going to create my success; only I am solely responsible for creating my success. I have set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and within a Time frame) and I am now forming a personalised goal portfolio so that I can hit my targets; to supplement this, I am also going to make lists of tasks that I need to do. Though I have never used lists in the past, I feel that making lists facilitates organisation and aids the memory, thus increasing chances of success. I feel that this SSC has equipped me with a platform of skills which will be useful in my career as a doctor. Mainly these fall under the categories of stress management, motivation techniques, time management and relaxation. Surprisingly, though, the course has shed light on the importance of communication and body language with regards to stress management, and familiarised me with concepts I did not previously know about, such as eustress and the positive influence of stress for productivity. Nevertheless I feel that the most important things I learned were the skill of identifying that I was stressed, and the knowledge that sometimes I need to relax. Above all, though, I feel that this SSC has been one of the most influential aspects of my medical education, as it has taught me to recognise that stress is not merely a black and white issue: it resides neither in the situation or the person, it depends on a transaction between the two.3

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder :: ADHD Research Papers Health Essays

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological brain disorder that manifests as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity. ADHD is broken down into three subtypes: predominantly inattentive ADHD, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, and combined type ADHD. ADHD begins in childhood, and has only recently been understood, can persist into adulthood as well. While some children outgrow ADHD, about 50% to 60% continue to have symptoms into adulthood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children who have ADHD are often easily distracted by sights and sounds in their environment, are unable to concentrate for long periods of time, are restless and impulsive, have a tendency to daydream, and are slow to complete tasks. Adults who have ADHD may have less pronounced symptoms, such as: Inattentiveness, impulsivity or hyperactivity, Impairment in at least two of three areas -- work, life at home and in social interaction with peers, and a history of childhood symptoms. The exact cause of ADHD isn't known, although there are many theories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ADHD is broadly defined and pervasive, and the symptoms attributed to ADHD likely have a variety of different causes. The initial triggers could include genetic vulnerabilities, viral or bacterial infections, brain injury, or nutritional deficits. There has been a surge in alternative approaches to ADHD, but these have been vigorously disputed. There is increasing evidence that variants in the gene for the dopamine transmitter are related to the development of ADHD. This makes sense, as according to other recent studies, people with ADHD usually have an abnormally high number of dopamine neurotransmitters which discard the dopamine before the brain can fully make use of it. The stimulant medications used to treat the disorder are all capable of blocking dopamine neurotransmitters. The finding of another possible cause stemmed from the observation that children of women who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Given that nicotine is known to cause hypoxia (too little oxygen) in the uterus, and that hypoxia causes brain damage, smoking during pregnancy could be an important contributing factor leading to ADHD.