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Dark Ages

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Dark Ages

When the roman empire crumpled, Europe was besieged with war, famine, plague and persistence war that was merely interrupted with short periods of peace. This is said to have persisted for over 1000 years. The Roman Empire was under siege by thugs from the Northern European frontiers and this was rare since it had never been attacked. Slaves rose to enslave their own masters and the cities in Rome overflowed with blood of its own citizens (Gibbon 35). Friends became foes and the siege for Rome was perceived as a profit making undertaking and the need for power. Carolus and his rebel army was the pioneer for the war on Rome and in order to conquer the city they strangled it from outside and controlled the supply of its food (grains) and eventually the city began to die from within due to insufficient supply of food (YouTube, 2012).

There was intense starvation and death of people turning the initially powerful and glorious Roman empire into a city of hunger and corpses of the dead people. Buildings were burnt to the ground making the Roman citizens helpless as the great monuments of Rome were destroyed and the initial stones from the ruins of the buildings were used to make other forms of shelter. The dark ages was first used by scholars by comparing it to the classical periods in which it was stated that the classical period was better, brilliant and better unlike the time during the fall of Rome in which the people’s lives were destitute and dark, unimaginable. It is mentioned that during the dark ages, the emperor at the time was Jesus Christ. There seems to be continued allusion to religion, specifically Christianity as the hope for the hopeless during the dark ages.

Religion is presented as a core facet that could have played an integral role in the fall of the Roman Empire. Christianity offered some source of peace and given that during the dark ages people were angered, grieved and disillusioned, it is stated that Christianity was the only hope for most people during the dark ages (Durant 443) Irrespective of these assertions, the early Christians were faced with persecutions as most of them were killed. Columbus was also a Christian and he understood that through having more people converted as he attributed his success as an emperor and this implied that Nazi’s success in his leadership had to be endorsed by resilience. Columbus’ brutality was stated to be legendary and for many centuries after the fall of the Rome the Western Europe remained in thick shadow of chaos and death of people.

During these dark ages, it was assumed that almost half of the population perished making it completely difficult to bury them. A notable aspect in the videos is when Justinian (the emperor of Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire) was trying to reunite the Old Roman Empire. The population of Italy then (who had now been successfully intermingled with Germanics for about 100 years), saw the Byzantines as invading Greek-speaking conquerors but not as well-intentioned kinsmen (Durant 446). This was ironic since the emperor intended to unite them and create cohesion among people through having them interact freely and without any form of feat of attacks. In spite of these assertions the Western Europe part was divided by Barbarians and this made it to remain in darkness, hunger and lack of peace due to continued fights.

It is imperative to note that the attacks to the Roman empire that resulted in the dark age were engineered by the barbarian soldiers who by definition, are an illiterate group of warriors, directed by tribal chiefs or warlords, whose main intention is to take from others what they can, just as it was the case during the initial attack to the Roman empire. War, plunder, and rapine were their modes, primarily out of need (and often out of desperation). However, it is stated that in repeated historic examples when the barbarians invade and conquer rich, agricultural and urbanized lands, it scarcely takes one generation for the barbarians to adopt the culture of the conquered. This was the case with these attackers who are said to have wanted to be ‘Romans’ themselves (Gibbon 39).

One of the great surprises the video sets the student up for is the truth about Charlemagne’s rise to power during the 8th Century. The movie presents his rise as a singular accomplishment, hinting that he may have killed or employed someone else to kill his brother, Carloman II in order to consolidate power. In fact, Durant notes, his predecessors, Pepin I and Pepin III laid the political groundwork Charles built upon (461), and speculation about Carloman’s death is meaningless without documentation. Pepin I and Pepin III were the great leaders who unified Gaul, establishing France as a kingdom to be reckoned among the powers of the time (461).

Gibbon pays special attention to Pepin I as having taken the blessing of the Church in his coronation as king of the Franks after the fashion of the Old Testament kings of Israel, establishing his state as submissive to the Roman Pope (23). However, it was especially Pepin III who had the insight that the Church would be a useful ally in ruling the newly unified people (Durant 461). This crafty pose put the influence of the Church behind the military and political advances of the later Carolingians, a position Charlemagne was especially successful in using to his advantage (467).

None of this, however, detracts from Charlemagne’s greatness. His conquests in the name of Christianity unified central Europe from Germany to Italy for the first time in hundreds of years. Mayr-Harting suggests that Charlemagne’s imperialist campaigns were as likely conducted on the basis of what today we might call homeland security, as protecting one’s allies may involve conquering their enemies (1113 – 4). Another compelling reason for Charlemagne’s European campaigns had to do with access to valuable trade, especially the wine trade of the Rhine, which was very profitable, yet required expansive conquest for its protection from the Saxons (1114 – 5). As The Dark Ages video celebrates and Airlie confirms, Charlemagne engineered military success with craft, ruthlessness, and skill (94). While he often cited his mission as one of spreading Christianity, the brutality of his treatment of captives argues for a measure of disbelief on that issue.

For instance, slaughtering 4500 captives in the name of Christ (Mayr-Harting 1116) might not convince anyone to believe in the mercy of the Christian God, but it could very well convince people that they should do whatever such a vicious conqueror instructed. But, setting aside his motives and methods in warfare, his success remains indisputable, and that success led, eventually to his crowning as Emperor of Rome on Christmas Day, 800 (Durant 469, Mayr-Harting 1121, Gibbon 33). That the details of that coronation remain unclear (Durant 469), and the motives of both Pope Leo III and Charlemagne himself seem divergent (Mayr-Harting 1123), there is little argument that it was effectively the beginning of Holy Roman Empire (1132).

Charlemagne’s greatness extends beyond his coronation, though, into the arena of domestic programs that show a remarkable degree of character for such a merciless oppressor (Gibbon 34). Even Gibbon, whose regard for Charlemagne is often apparently reserved, acknowledges Charlemagne’s aspiration to develop schools and generalize education in his empire worthy of praise. He says of this noble motive: “the curiosity of the human mind must ultimately tend to its improvement, and the encouragement of learning reflects the purest and most pleasing luster on the character of Charlemagne” (36). Even so, his laws and martial attentiveness leave room for criticism, the laws, if noble and complex, being strung together rather than systematic (35), and the military successes were at the same time inconsistent with any claim to Christian loyalty and marred by unfortunate losses (37).

Works Cited

Airlie, Stuart. “Narratives of Triumph and Rituals of Submission: Charlemagne’s

Mastering of Bavaria.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 6.9 (1999):

93 – 119. JSTOR. Web. 4 Dec 2012.

Durant, Will. The Story of Civilization (Vol. 4). New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950.

Print.

Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. 3). New York:

Random House, n.d. Print.

Mayr-Harting, Henry. “Charlemagne, the Saxons, and the Imperial Coronation of 800.”

English Historical Review 111.444 (1996): 1113 – 1133. JSTOR. Web.

4 Dec 2012.

Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality

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Net neutrality refers to the standard that governments and internet service providers ought to employ to treat the entire data in the internet equally without being selective or charging in a different way by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and methods of communication. In simple terms, it is the opinion that all internet traffic be cared for equally. This permits those on the internet to simply communicate and carry out business with no intrusion from the third party. It is very much different from closed internet where already well-known companies or governments favor particular users. Closed internet might have restrictions on the access of essential web services or even filter out web contents. However, this paper explains more about net neutrality according to the extensive debate that went on particularly in the United States about whether this neutrality should be required by law (Cheng,2011,Pil and Kim,2010,Thierer,2012 ).

As the debate about the issue continues, advocates of net neutrality have gone ahead to raise concerns about the capability of broadband providers to make use of their last mile infrastructure to obstruct internet applications and the contents such as websites, services, and protocols. They also raised anxieties whether the same providers will even block out other competitors. Nevertheless, opponents of net neutrality maintain that telecom companies are up to impose a tiered service model for the purpose of controlling the pipeline and by this means do away with competition, create false shortage, and force subscribers to buy their or else uncompetitive services. Many, including the founder of internet, Vinton cerf and a core- inventer of internet protocol believe net neutrality as primarily important as a protection of existing freedoms. The web creator, Tim Berners-Lee and many others have also spoken positively concerning net neutrality (Barley, 2013 and Marsden, 2010).

The idea of ‘net neutrality’ is that each website that is accessed through an ISP, such as Verizon Wireless or Comcast acquires identical bandwidth and speed. On the other hand, the court ruled that ISPs could not be forced on issues of net neutrality. In reality, they will at present have a motivation to charge higher fees to websites looking to have quicker access and content delivery. Services such as Netflix and Hulu would be forced to pay a premium, since they cannot pay for the slow streaming of their content. Furthermore, ISPs can randomly choose to slow down the velocity of any website they decide, such as that of contestant, or less than admiring news outlets (Barley,2013 and Marsden,2010).

As far as the digital world is concerned, the ruling is a blow to internet free will. There will be also higher cost of premium being passed back to digital advertisers. It also means that service providers like Hulu will also increase their rates of charges for advertising on its network as it is currently paying higher fee to ensure high speed access of content. The popular subscription based services could pass on that the additional bandwidth charge onto its end customers, although social media platforms would have no option but to pass the charge on to advertisers, given that its consumers get them for free. This implies higher charges for social media show ads and promotional campaigns. The ruling will also make it hard for brands to force traffic to their personal website. A big company similar to, say Coca-Cola, can have enough money to pay for simple way in to its Journey website, which is filled with its own content. In order for smaller brands to obtain similar type of bandwidth, it would be a climbing task to acquire that sort of marketing budget accepted (Marsden,2010,Cheng et al.,2012,Powell and Cooper,2011).

The experience of watching video online could also become a hit soon as either flawlessly smooths movies on Netflix or frozen and frustrating videos from the site of smaller firms which cannot afford to pay extra fee. This means that the reason has nothing to do with superiority in technologies used by these companies but has something to do with money. It therefore depends on how much companies are willing to pay to move their content on to fast internet lanes.The proposal for new set of network neutrality rules likewise threatens to undermine the FCC’s long held attitude of ensuring equivalent access to all contents. It would be a key success for the network providers, which pays out large sums of money a year to sustain and upgrade their networks. The providers argue that companies that consume the most bandwidth typically with video streams ought to pay additional for such privilege(Powell and Cooper,2011,Crocioni,2011).

The most affected in this ruling are the digital marketers as digital advertisers have to bear the high cost of bandwidth passed to them. Others include service providers like Hulu, Netflix, and organizations like yahoo, NBC, LnkedIn which all have to pay for the additional cost of bandwidth. The social media and content websites are also affected since it will be very difficult for them to enter the same play field except if they are ready to pay subscription fee. Other proponents group like consumer advocates, human rights organizations, online companies, technology companies, Vonage, eBay, Amazon, InternetActiceCorp(IAC), Microsoft, along with other companies and internet users that had taken a stance in support of network neutrality are also likely to be affected either directly or indirectly(Crocioni,2011,Varnelis,2012,Caves,2012).

Then there is also the merger between Comcast and the Time warner which is too being questioned by Connecticut Senetor, Richard Blumenthal. The Comcast and Time Warner cable execs is questioned how their merger would affect regional sports programming. But they waved it off as a stupid question. Comcast and TWC, however, in their evidence before the senator said there ought to be no worry about the union that affects regional sports channels since Comcast and TWC do not at present have any overlap with these channels. Needless to say, this is not about overlap but about utilizing a mixture of assets from both Comcast and TWC to compel customers off of the only genuine remaining competition in the pay TV market, that is, satellite service from direct TV and Dish. The two largest players in local sports coverage are Comcast, via its various Comcast SportsNet contributions, and FOX, which controls large number of local sports channels. These regional channels frequently carry the greater part of games in markets with several sports teams for the whole thing apart from NFL that is considered available via a local broadcast TV station (Marsden, 2014, Owens, 2013 and Caves, 2012).

Nonetheless, sports offering for both FX and Comcast differ in their availability to people across several pay TV platforms. FOX is a content company that wants its shows seen by as many people as possible. Only a handful of FOX sports stations are not available to both Direct TV and Dish subscribers in their area across the whole list. FOX has at least some agreements with Direct TV in all of its markets totaling to its terrestrial cable operators which is not true for the case of Comcast. Comcast start at offering satellite providers access to a number of its popular sports offerings out of anxiety that it will drop its monopoly on the local pay TV business. Time warners cable (TWC), Comcast’s merger partner is trying to copy its larger companion’s strong monopolistic position with SportsNet L.A that is jointly owned by Dodgers and TWC. Since TWC is not willing to move on the price tag for access to the Dodgers who at present have the power of doing fine so far this period, Considerably lager percentage of people in L.A. have no way of watching the majority of Dodgers game(Marsden,2014,Owens,2013 and Springer,2014).

The merger between Comcast and Time warner Cable only gives the joint company extra power in bargaining with local sports teams. This situation is considered true particularly with the anticipated deal with charter that would provide a combined Comcast/TWC the additional neighboring coverage in L.A. and much of the East Cost. The Mets games in NYC are shown on SNY which is jointly owned by TWC and Comcast team. In this state of combination, the cable companies would own one third of the nation. The station is by now out of access by Dish customers in the city. There is nothing to stop Comcast, particularly when it becomes the leading cable and broadband provider in NYC to use the ownership chance in raising the price to be charged to direct TV. This will consequently compel Satellite Company to either pass the cost on or drop the station. In L.A, the addition of new areas of the city by Comcast would bring Dodgers games to several people, though would also imply that the company has less reason to share with Direct TV or dish. Comcast has not at all done anything to demonstrate its interest in making sports content accessible to the wider market .Even its online Olympics coverage was only accessible to pay-TV subscribers eager to pay for service tiers that comprised every NBC news and sports channel. With more money behind it, the bigger Comcast will only carry on to influence restricted regional sports deals for the purpose of keeping subscribers from cutting the cord and to convince sports fans to stay away from satellite(Sharffer and Jordan 2010,Dumas,2012,Springer,2014).

Comcast’s billions of dollars achievement of Time Warner Cable (TWC) is anticipated to be carefully examined by the section of justice and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and it could be fruitless in case the agencies make a decision that the merger would considerably lessen competition and hurt consumers. Still, in a case where Comcast wins agreement, the merger might need consumer guard requirements that would make it difficult for Comcast to exercise its increased size in conducts that make the TV and Internet markets less spirited. Comcast said it anticipates regulatory assessment to take nine to twelve months. At present, they are looking at what authority the department of justice and FCC may employ to obstruct or change the projected achievement. Telecom specialist Harold Feld, senior VP of consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, clarified that the department of justice(DOJ) and FCC each have power here, but the procedures they employ are rather different (Sharffer and Jordan 2010,Dumas,2012).

The former FCC official advises overcome of “anti-consumer” Comcast/TWC merger where he says that the department of justice does this under antitrust. He says that this case has to go to the federal court to block the deal, and they have the burden of evidence under a customary antitrust investigation. The former official also says that the merger would have to demonstrate that there is a considerable probability that the transaction would lessen competition in some appropriate market. In this case, he adds that the department of justice would have to prove its case by prevalence proof(Sharffer and Jordan 2010, Cooper,2013).

The FCC’s power comes from the reality that Time Warner Cable would have to move Cable Television Relay Service licenses and telephone service licenses to Comcast. The FCC is seen to be a bit different since it is in fact the judge. This means that FCC as a commission has to decide whether the move of the licenses serves the community interest. The weight is on the applicants to demonstrate the existence of enough the public interest gains to counterbalance any possible problems to the public concern (Sharffer and Jordan 2010,Gainer et al., 2013).

The FCC has the option of approving the acquisition absolute or endorses it with conditions. If Comcast have the same opinion to the conditions, then the deal will sail on very well. In case the FCC needs to challenge, it would not straight away refuse the merger. The FCC would announce concerning questions of material fact, questions we cannot respond from the present condition of the documentation on whether the merger serves public interest. Comcast has positioned its focus on the multichannel video programming distribution (MVPD) market, claiming that the attainment of TWC would bring Comcast from 22 million to 30 million subscribers, or less than 30 percent of the countrywide total. Comcast also offered to separate itself from three million subscribers in an offer to get under 30 percent and possibly calm regulators (Yoo and Lee,2014, Sharffer and Jordan 2010).

Moreover, Comcast has pointed out that it does not contend alongside Time Warner Cable in any individual cities or towns. That information is descriptive of how small competitions survive in the cable market, as the vendors have successfully separated up regions to the point where every consumer have little choice. To Comcast’s antitrust lawyers, it is positive in the sense that the merger will not lessen the number of cable options clients have. Comcast’s market description is not the only one that will be proposed. Consumer support group Free Press maintain that the merger would provide Comcast control over the majority of US triple play market for video, voice, and Internet service. The group says that the merger in addition will give extraordinary market influence over consumers and an extraordinary capability to make use of its influence over any channels or businesses that desire to get to Comcast’s customers(Walters,2011,Manne 2014 , Chan-Climsted ang Guo,2011).

In listing all the ways the merger with Time Warner is pro-consumer, Comcast states that the highly spirited US Internet market will only become improved. Less than 30 percent of residential families, Comcast would have improved discussing control in a diversity of markets, which it could possibly employ to hurt contestants and its own clients. Comcast would also have extra room to grow as proprietor of TWC. The CableTV.com, which tracks accessibility of cable services, gave details that Comcast’s shared footprint with Time Warner Cable would be 214 million Americans, or about two-thirds of the US inhabitants, up from 129 million for Comcast today. Not all of those people subscribe to Comcast, particularly in places that have more than one cable company or a different player like Verizon FiOS, although the number give details of how large Comcast’s potential can be seen betterStuke and Grunes, 2014, Shaffer and Jordan, 2013).

Comcast’s enlarged size would craft it simpler to insist on payments in the market from Internet bandwidth providers such as Cogent or Level 3, as an alternative of proceeding with the exchange traffic for free of charge as has been the custom. Comcast could also use better negotiating influence to acquire elevated payments from other phone providers for the capability to make calls to Comcast customers (Bonna, 2014).

Some of the supporters of this merger comprise Comcast and Time Warner themselves as they say that they have willingly shed subscribers to keep their size at spirited level. In addition, they said that internet access regulations will keep them from discriminating against video competitors online such as You Tube or Netflix. Another supporter of the merger among others is the Silico Valley CEO who says that the merger will be good for consumers since many of them will at present start to receive quicker broadband internet services. He also added that Comcast is the industry leader in broadband technology known as DOCSIS 3.0 that provides almost all of its customer’s access to networks competent of 100 Mbps or more which greatly exceeds TWC top speeds today. Silico also says that the merger will help accelerate the US leadership which is already ahead of Europe since it has faster speeds and is one of the only two countries with fully developed broadband technologies. He added that Comcast’s deal with TWC will also indicate an improved video understanding for more Americans and that Customers will see no decrease in competition while gaining quicker Internet speeds and more diverse programming choices as Comcast and TWC operate in different communities. Last but not least, Comcast’s acquisition of TWC will be a net plus for network neutrality which is one of the top main concerns of consumer supporters. This means that consumer supporters will be one of the supporters of the merger to a certain level(Sharffer and Jordan 2010, Gilroy,2012, Waternam and Choi , 2012).

Senetor Al Franken, is one of those against the merger for his vocal criticism. He is seen as the loudest opponent of Comcast’s bid for Time Warner, evidenced by his letter to the trade group Computer and communications industry Associations. In this letter, he asked for the group’s view on the 445 billion mergers. He claims that Comcast will wind up with 40% of the broadband internet market if this is approved. The senator said that this power is too much for a single company which according to him could act as a powerful gatekeeper for internet content and services in the US homes. Other opponents among others include service providers like Netflix which reported through its executives that it is opposed to the merger, arguing that consumers would be harmed in case comcast is left to control more than 40% of broadband internet subscriptions and 30% of the cable subscriptions. This shows just a few highlights of the existing opponents and supporters of the merger(Curtin 2010 and Wallsten, 2010).

References

Cheng, H. K., Bandyopadhyay, S., & Guo, H. (2011). The debate on net neutrality: A policy perspective. Information Systems Research, 22(1), 60-82.

Pil Choi, J., & Kim, B. C. (2010). Net neutrality and investment incentives. The RAND Journal of Economics, 41(3), 446-471.

Thierer, A. D. (2012). ” Net Neutrality”: Digital Discrimination or Regulatory Gamesmanship in Cyberspace?.

Bailey Jr, C. W. (2013). Strong copyright+ DRM+ weak net neutrality= digital dystopia?. Information Technology and Libraries, 25(3), 116-127.

Marsden, C. T. (2010). Net neutrality: towards a co-regulatory solution. A&C Black.

Cheng, A. S., Fleischmann, K. R., Wang, P., Ishita, E., & Oard, D. W. (2012). The role of innovation and wealth in the Net neutrality debate: A content analysis of human values in Congressional and FCC hearings. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(7), 1360-1373.

Powell, A., & Cooper, A. (2011). Net neutrality discourses: comparing advocacy and regulatory arguments in the United States and the United Kingdom. The information society, 27(5), 311-325.

Crocioni, P. (2011). Net Neutrality in Europe: Desperately seeking a market failure. Telecommunications Policy, 35(1), 1-11.

Varnelis, K. (2012). Networked publics. The MIT Press.

Caves, K. W. (2012). Modeling the welfare effects of net neutrality regulation: A< i> Comment</i> on Economides and Tåg. Information Economics and Policy, 24(3), 288-292.

Marsden, C. (2014). Net Neutrality Regulation in the UK: More Transparency and Switching. Journal of Law and Economic Regulation (Seoul, Korea) Forthcoming.

Owens, A. (2013). PROTECTING FREE SPEECH IN THE DIGITAL AGE: DOES THE FCC’S NET NEUTRALITY ORDER VIOLATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT?. Temp. Pol. & Civ. Rts. L. Rev., 23, 209-265.

Springer, S. (2014). Stephenie’s Hyperlinked Blog. Director

Dumas, B. M. (2012). Diving Into the Bitstream: Information Technology Meets Society in a Digital World. Routledge

Cooper, A. (2013). How Regulation and Competition Influence Discrimination in Broadband Traffic Management: A Comparative Study of Net Neutrality in the United States and the United Kingdom (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford).

Gaynor, M., Lenert, L., Wilson, K. D., & Bradner, S. (2014). Why common carrier and network neutrality principles apply to the Nationwide Health Information Network (NWHIN). Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 21(1), 2-7.

Yoo, E., & Lee, H. (2014). 9 The Impact of Digital Convergence on the Regulation of New Media in Korea. Policy and Marketing Strategies for Digital Media, 138.

Stazi, A. (2012). Digital copyright and consumer/user protection: moving toward a new framework?. Buffalo Law Review, 1111, 92.

Walters, B. (2011). The Near Future Impact of Smart Mobile Devices on Electronic-Commerce and the Growth of Mobile-Electronic-Commerce.

Manne, G. A. (2014). Beneficence Is Beside the Point: The Antitrust Realities of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable Merger.

Chan-Olmsted, S. M., & Guo, M. (2011). STRATEGIC BUNDLING OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES: TRIPLE-PLAY STRATEGIES IN THE CABLE TV AND TELEPHONE INDUSTRIES. Journal of Media Business Studies, 8(2).

Stucke, M. E., & Grunes, A. P. (2014). Crossing the Rubicon: Why the Comcast/Time Warner Cable Merger Should Be Blocked.

Shaffer, G. L., & Jordan, S. (2013). Classic conditioning: the FCC’s use of merger conditions to advance policy goals. Media, Culture & Society, 35(3), 392-403.

Bona, J. M. (2014). The Comcast-TWC Merger: Limit the Government’s Options. CPI Antitrust Chronicle, April.

Waterman, D., & Choi, S. (2011). Non-discrimination rules for ISPs and vertical integration: Lessons from cable television. Telecommunications Policy, 35(11), 970-983.

Gilroy, A. A. (2012). Access to broadband networks: The net neutrality debate. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.

Shaffer, G., & Jordan, S. (2013). An examination of how the FCC uses “voluntary commitments” from merging telecommunications companies to advance policy goals.

Gilroy, A. A. (2011). Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate. DIANE Publishing.

Curtin, T. (2010). Achieving the Franchise: The Comcast-NBC Universal Merger and the New Media Marketplace. CommLaw Conspectus, 19, 149.

Wallsten, S. J. (2010). An Economic Overview of the Implications for Online Video of the Proposed Comcast-NBCU Transaction.

Daoist View of Sources of Social Crisis and Possible Solution

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Professor

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Date

Art in China

Daoist View of Sources of Social Crisis and Possible Solution

Daoist philosophers asserted that the source of all social crises in the society was the imposition and compliance to man-made social policies. Imposition of the man-made social philosophies influences order on society through designing merits and ethics as the underpinning of the society. The founders of such laws often campaign for punitive impersonal social policies to maintain order in the society. Daoist philosophers suggest that if individuals do not adopt the aforementioned punitive man-made policies the society would not experience unrest.

The sole remedy to the unrest created in the society would not be to react aggressively, but rather be proactive and do nothing about it. According to the Daoism theory the best method for coping with the tyranny and pillage created by the punitive laws would be to do nothing. The rationale behind the above assertion is that if every individual react s and attempts to do something it will aggravate the matter since force defeats itself.

What Would An Ideal Society Look Like In Daoist View?

The term Daoism refers to a school of thought that was established almost 200 years ago. According to the Chinese, the word Dao denotes the way. The philosophy of Daoism concentrates on the opposite course of life. The Daoism philosophy affirms the subsistence of the world and embraces its positive perception. The Daoist faction disputed worldly pursuits because they despised any form of artificial social order. Generally, Daoists referred back to the era when every individual lived within the confines of an agricultural village and never departed. They would have the ability to see the neighboring village but never have the desire to visit it. According to the Daoist theory, every person would be self-sufficient; thus, no labor saving tool would exist. All individuals in the society would get along since there would be no compromised policies. To top it all, people would uphold morality without the need of their being education. Ultimately, Daoist advocated for the philosophy of do-nothing not because they were pessimists, but because of their comprehension of the limits of human actions in the universe.

Zhuangzi’s Philosophy of “Free And Easy Wandering” And How It Is Integrated To Daoism

The generic core of Zhuangzi’s work dealt with wandering. With regard to the subject matter (wandering), an individual can come up with a number of deductions. Primarily, one can conclude that the term refers to wandering in the physical world of which majority of the characters in Zhuangzi’s work undertook. The other form of wandering is the kind, which defies spatial and worldly restrictions. This form of wandering constitutes spiritual wandering that simply refers to the process of self-attainment and a consequence of intercession, which a Daoist adopts in a bid to realize a new point of view of both his/her life and the universe. In the complex process of spiritual wandering, the individual undergoes self-attainment through existence, then change, growth and finally non-existence. It is only through this process that an individual can integrate with the Dao.

Examples of Yin and Yang and Their Interaction

With regard to the Chinese culture, the term Yin and Yang depicts two contradicting principles in nature. The yin exemplifies the negative or feminine nature while the yang denotes the masculine or positive side. Yin and yang always exists in twos and the two opposite energies complement each other. The statement mentioned above implies that although the two energies are different from each other they are interdependent. It is impossible for one to consider a yin without giving due consideration about the yang. Yin and yang form a reciprocated whole because they are attached to each other.

The best way to illustrate the aforementioned fact is to hypothesize the notion of the human race. The human race would not survive if only men or women habited the world. However, the two coexist as men and women come together to produce a new generation. They mutually create a new race. Just like the yin and yang, the man and woman are different but possess complementary energies. Another example would be of a sprouting seed. The seed grows from the earth and develops towards the sky. The ground is considered the yin and the movement towards the sky assumes the form of yang. In addition to this, the growth of the seed assumes two vital elements of the yin yang philosophy. While the seed is in the ground, the roots grow in complete darkness (yin). Once it sprouts, the top requires light (yang) for the seed to realize its full potential.

How We Can Apply Yin-Yang and the Five Phases in Our Lives and Its Merits

The ancient Chinese developed the concept of yin and yang and its five phases in a bid to identify and explicate the nature of all phenomena. The yin and yang correlated with the five phases proved to be of importance in explaining theories on natural sciences, astronomy, agriculture and geography. One of the sectors that the paper intensively highlights is theories related to medicine. The sector of Chinese medicine is full of knowledge. The medical sector is a result of centuries of practical experience in treating the ill. The yin yang and the five phases form the underpinning of multiple medical theories in different levels of the medical sector including physiology and treatment. The adoption and implementation of the five phase’s theory aids an individual to re-integrate back into the natural world. The re-integration enables one to comprehend well his/her relationship with the society, seasons, emotions and health.

The Lesson from the Ancient Chinese Story about an Old Farmer Whose Only Horse Ran Away

The ancient Chinese story about an old farmer whose only horse ran away is not of compliance; instead, it is of how one can stay uncommitted to the domino effect of logical efforts. The domino effect of logical efforts causes provisional contentment or despondency that is attributed further to ignorance. Most of the concerns an individual endures are those that he ought to break the attachment. The aforementioned concerns tend to be a reflection of an in-house conflict within an individual. All the concerns are correlated to an individual’s emotional trouble.

Through the process of mental reactive judgments, individuals create their own problems that are intellectually based evaluation procedures with a conclusion. After this process, one rushes to the imperfect suggestion outline with the misconception that it is the reality. The above statement does not assert that pain and suffering is an illusion, but rather clarifies that such feelings are founded on a sham impression. There must exist sham impressions and I have to isolate them for my own liberation. The only resolution to the entire problem is that I do the best I can to maintain the feeling of contentment and reflect that sentiment to the best of my ability. Generally, one should love contentment always.

Nested Hierarchies

Nested Hierarchies

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Institution affiliation

Introduction

The proposed hypothesis Infinite Hierarchical Nesting of Matter is a cosmological system that recommends that issue can be isolated or lessened interminably, instead of atomism. In that capacity it noticeable difference a glaring difference to the standard model making it an option philosophical, physical and cosmological hypothesis (Rust, C. (2008).This idea depends on the inductive rationale and achieves decisions about the structure of the watched universe. Otherworldly schools are contemplating this hypothesis center around the vital sorting out standards of nature. Introductory renditions of this hypothesis were known as the Discrete Fractal Paradigm, and therefore the Discrete Self-Similar Cosmological Paradigm.

That which we think of as “God” in our Universal UC Hierarchy is limited by our need to think regarding meme constructs. That which we conceive of as “God” is less than what God would have to be, since an entity as large.

In the pecking order above, less and fewer occurrences of each kind of UC show up as their extent of duty winds up more extensive and more extensive. In the end, all units of awareness in this universe consolidate to rejoin the Universal Unit of Consciousness from whence they came.

Notice that our human idea of “God” possesses the same specialty in this Universal order from our Ego involves in the Human-level pecking order. Utilizing analogical thinking, our universe is an impression of the aggregate UCs’ decisions (karma) and images (convictions and stories). The identity we call “God” additionally mirrors this current Universe’s karmic record and images, as It composes and instantiates those examples for Creation. This “God” isn’t indistinguishable to the Metaversal UC due to its essential inclusion in this material Universe (Feinberg, T. E. (2011). The Metaversal UC exists in an excellent, undifferentiated condition of pure consciousness, unaffected by the issues of this Universe.

Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1798) was a long way from the principal scholar to endeavor to arrange life Aristotle, for instance, contended that every species had a one of a kind frame and could ordered by some of its essential qualities. Simultaneously, he composed life in a stepping stool like order, with plants on the base, creatures in the center, and people to finish everything. Both Aristotle and the Bible guided medieval European researchers, and they trusted that nature including the more significant part of the species on Earth mirrored God’s free association of the world.

With the approach of the Renaissance, naturalists endeavored to comprehend this impressive arrangement via looking for a discerning example in the baffling cluster of species. They gathered species with a general likeness with each other in a more significant gathering called a class (Rust, C. (2008).Lions, tigers, and panthers, for instance, all had a place with a “major feline” family.

Be that as it may, did enormous felines and different creatures fit into a bigger plan? This was hard to know for some reasons. One issue was that European voyagers and settlers started experiencing numerous beforehand obscure species in the New World, Africa, and Asia. Over that was the issue of strategy. Some contended that naturalists searching for an arrangement of grouping should endeavor to consider however many qualities of animal categories as would be prudent. That would guarantee that their characterization framework was genuinely regular. Others contended that we don’t discover structures in nature yet develop them in our brains. Subsequently, naturalists ought to concoct manufactured frames in light of a couple of advantageous attributes of their picking, for example, the state of a plant’s conceptive organs.

Carolus Linnaeus joined the journey for characterization after having prepared as a doctor at the University of Uppsala. Organic science was a piece of each therapeutic understudy’s readiness since most pharmaceuticals gotten from plants. In the wake of making herbal undertakings through Lapland and focal Sweden, Linnaeus wound up persuaded that he could sort out all of life into a single simulated framework, one that would be his initial move towards grasping God’s plan in nature.

In 1735 he distributed the original version of his milestone work, Systema Naturae. In it, he recognized each species he knew about as indicated by a standard terminology, and a sort name took after by an animal varieties name. Before Linnaeus, naturalists utilized cumbersome, sporadic names that sowed perplexity. However, he went further. He characterized genera together in bunches he called families, which he at that point put in more significant gatherings called requests, and after that kingdoms, as boxes inside boxes.

Linnaeus’ grouping was critical from numerous points of view, not the slightest of which was the way he arranged people. He named people Homo sapiens and put us in the class Homo. He additionally put orangutans and chimpanzees, the two gorillas known at the time, in the sort Homo. Also, he put Homo in a family, which he named Primates. Primates likewise included two other genera, monkeys, and lemurs. In spite of the fact that Linnaeus trusted that people were different creatures in God’s creation, he opened our species into his framework as though it were some other.

Linnaeus sorted out an existence with a relatively geometrical exactness and was so inspired by his framework that he utilized it to compose rocks and another non-living issue. Despite the fact that his arrangement of minerals may now be for quite some time overlooked, inside the natural world, at any rate, Linnaeus’ framework ended up being helpful. It was clear and direct, making the test of characterizing new species far less demanding than past frameworks (Feinberg, T. E. (2011). It turned into the standard method to sort out life’s decent variety.

Researcher still utilizes Linnaeus’ traditions today when they name another species. Darwin rendered the thoughts behind those traditions out of date. Darwin perceived that advancement could create the pecking order of similitudes that so inspired Linnaeus, as old species offered to ascend to new species. Scholars still place pigs, porcupines, and individuals in Mammalia, yet they do as such because all the proof examinations of fossils, life structures, and qualities affirm that they plummet from a typical predecessor.

Our universe is an independent toroidal rise of cognizance above water in the metaversal ocean. Its hierarchical composition is wrapped around our extending world, holding us in, holding boundlessness out. We encounter this holding power of control and lucidness as affection. We face the outward, expulsive power of material appearance as bliss.

Everything in this universe comes furnished with its one of a kind resound of the beginning example a Unit of Consciousness (UC). Units of Consciousness settle on choices for the benefit of the material to which they appended. Arranging standards stream internal from the Universal Unit of Consciousness, falling from every conceivable strategy to a single game-plan at the purpose of without a moment’s hesitation. For any onlooker, all that exists is without further ado. Choices may just have made at this very moment.

Aware structures comprise of the totaled Units of Consciousness of the material shaping their bodies, in addition to the mindful administering Unit of Consciousness that is in charge of the life choices of the entire substance. Each Unit of Consciousness contacts others with affection, help, and data to develop the following level.

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Reference

O’donovan, B., Price, M., & Rust, C. (2008). Developing student understanding of assessment standards: A nested hierarchy of approaches. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(2), 205-217.

Feinberg, T. E. (2011). The nested neural hierarchy and the self. Consciousness and Cognition, 20(1), 4-15.

Daniel Meier talks about his career as a first-grade teacher in this paper

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Summary

Daniel Meier talks about his career as a first-grade teacher in this paper. He describes it as non-traditional male work involving the daily activities of six-year old children. He states that his energy is primarily spent in ‘encouraging, supporting, consoling and praising’ the kids he is in-charge of. He remarks that the real reason why he opted to work with young children is that he is interested in nurturing the emotional maturation of the minds of young children. He also notes that at some point in his career he wouldn’t mind working as a curriculum coordinator. He mentions how when he talks about his work at social occasions men respond differently from women, with women exhibiting more interest in his work than men. He comments that although his job does not have the advantages of traditional male jobs, it has its own unique benefits.

A great book college is one that has a curriculum offering good learning skills to students though many think it is not practical. Many have adopted the notion that education is to prepare students for high paying jobs after completion of their studies. The world is changing at a fast pace especially in the technology sector which could have serious implications in the job market. The change may render current paying jobs to be not so high paying in the future. The radical change in technology has rendered the skills of most people useless because with technology and a little bit of training one can be able to do the do the same job they trained so hard for a long time. To avoid this problem, one could try and pursue a career that is not likely to be automated though it should be noted that automation is not the only reason for job elimination. A profession in medicine might be promising because we always have sick people though it has been noted that for the first time ever, their salary scale have been declined due to the flooding of medical professionals in the US. The way to go is for one to choose an occupation in engineering and technology that is likely to grow in the future. However, no matter the career that one chooses, he/she should bear in mind that the job market in the US is unstable which requires on to change jobs. This kind of unpredictability requires one to strategies and this is where the benefits of great book education comes in. this kind of education provides students with wisdom on how to meet challenges in the changing world by being active participants.

The thesis “Why a Great Books Education is the Most Practical!” is clear and the arguments given are logical. The article proves that the current education system is meant to prepare students for the job market. The rapid changes in the job market could make it difficult for these students to find jobs and those already employed are at risk of job termination. The author provides for support of his essay by offering facts about the current job market. He does this by indicating that the only people likely to stay in the job market for a long time are those taking up technology as a profession. The others might end up facing job elimination because technological advances that have come up might make their work unnecessary.

There are logical fallacies that have been demonstrated in the essay. The author says that a photographer told him that a skilled artisan lost his job due to the advances in technology. This statement can not be relied on because the photography could have been lying to the author. The author has also generalized the fact that the current education system will render one jobless in the future unless one takes up a career in engineering or technology. The author makes it seem that without taking up great book education, we are bound to fail. The author claims that taking up a profession in technology is most important to avoid job elimination then goes ahead to say that, even those in the technology sector might end up loosing their jobs if they do not take refresher courses on the same.

Works Cited

Crabtree, David. “Why a Great Books Education is the Most Practical!” McKenzie Study Centre. March, 1996.

Meier, Daniel. “One Man’s Kid.”

dangers of The consumption of pig meat

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Introduction

The consumption of pig meat has been characterized by a lot of controversy since time memorial. At the outset, different groups of people from different backgrounds have detested the use of pork as food for varied reasons including religious practices, health as well as sanitary concerns. Some people however continue to enjoy pork as a delicious meat with high nutritional value amid such controversies. It is noteworthy that despite its deliciousness, pork presents more harm than good to our general health hence unsuitable to consume. First and foremost, pork is always associated with a variety of biological diseases and worms. According to Russell (2006, 150) three out of six food-borne diseases in the US are caused by pork consumption. For instance, trichina worm is commonly found in pork and usually attack the muscles of the human heart upon consumption of affected pork. The worms have in the past proven fatal to the human health before the current attempts to identify pork with such worms had been initiated. Moreover, pork contains high levels of cholesterol and lipids which are harmful to the human health in many ways. Such accumulation of levels of lipids and cholesterol in the human body are associated with heart diseases such as heart attack and high blood pressure and should therefore be avoided at all cost. Besides, many consumers of pork diet have gained excessive weight and became obese in many countries given the fact that pork contains a lot of hormones, cholesterol as well as antibodies. Such individuals are prone to the diseases of the heart including heart thrombosis. On the religious grounds, pork is highly detested by the Muslim religious teachings and is cited as harmful to human health in many ways hence need to be avoided (Winzeler, 2008, 75). Finally, pig is naturally a dirty animal irrespective of how and where it is reared. It plays in filthy environments and eats dirty stuff including its excreta hence generally unhygienic.

Pork-based diet has proven both harmful and unhygienic to the human body hence should be avoided at all cost. First and foremost, pigs are animals that are unhygienic by nature even when reared in clean environments. They trot in mud and other dirty and filthy environments in addition to eating unclean foods including rotting carcasses, dead insects, worms, excreta including their own, as well as garbage. As a result, pork-based diet may present harm to the human upon consumption especially when such pork is not well prepared. High sanitary standards should be upheld when handling and preparing such diets to avoid diseases that may be associated with such filth. Besides, pork is associated with a variety of worms and diseases that pose danger to the human health. Such dangers were not established in the twentieth century due to lack of technological tools to do so. Pig’s nature to scavenge and feed on any kind of food predisposes them to a lot of illnesses compared to other animals. Illnesses such as influenza are transmitted to humans through consumption of affected pork (Nollet and Boylston, 170). This illness is mostly harbored in the animal’s lungs and may be transmitted to humans when the latter consumes such infected pork in foods such as sausage. Individuals who eat pork sausage are therefore susceptible to the aforementioned illness during its epidemics.

Furthermore, when raw pork is undercooked or eaten raw then trichinosis is likely to occur. This is food poisoning through parasitic infestation of the pork. Trichina worm attacks pigs and settle in the animal’s lungs and is therefore likely to be transmitted to humans upon consumption of raw or poorly cooked pork. Such illnesses are prominent in countries like US and Canada where one out of six people has trichinosis from eating trichina worms and that the case fatality rate stands at 0.3% (Mead et al, 2010, ). Unfortunately enough, the symptoms of such illnesses are not noticeable during meat inspection and that many people are not informed of the symptoms. Additionally, pigs are cited to be the main carriers of tapeworm usually referred to as taenia solium. These worms are harbored by the animal in its flesh and may be transmitted to humans upon consumption of such pork. The worms therefore inhabit the human intestines initially but may spread to other vital and delicate organs thereby posing dangers to human health. For instance, the worm may cause loss of memory if it invades the brain. It may also cause heart attack as well as blindness if it invades heart and the eye respectively. Managing the effects of tapeworm may prove problematic at some stages because it is incurable at later stages. Pork consumption has been associated to the spread of salmonellosis in humans. Salmonella spp. has harmful effects on the health of humans upon its infestation in the body of the latter through consumption of affected pork. In Netherlands for instance, it is estimated that 15% (5-25%) of all cases of salmonellosis are associated with the consumption of pork. Good manufacturing practices are proposed as the remedy to the disease control.

Pig meat is also known for its high fat and cholesterol content which are associated with a variety of harmful effects. To begin with, consumption of pork may lead to cases of obesity and gallstones given the high content of cholesterol as well as saturated fat. Cases of above average number of individuals suffering from obesity are prominent in countries where the consumption of pork is high. These countries include Germany and US among other wealthy nations. The high content of cholesterol and lipids in the pork diet is also associated with the excessive weight gained by the individuals consuming such diets. Such individuals are always prone to physical deformations as well as suffering other disorders affecting the joints such as arthritis. Their body weight is basically excessive to be supported by the joints hence the onset of aforementioned medical conditions. Moreover, the accumulation of fats and cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels expose the affected individuals to diseases of the heart diseases. Such accumulation of fat reduces the area within the vessels designated for blood flow thereby forcing the blood to flow at high pressures. Consequently, the heart is overworked and heart related diseases such as heart attack and high blood pressure is inevitable.

It is also worthy to note that pig meat contains a large quantity of growth hormones, antibodies as well as other compounds. Unlike other animals and human beings, pigs are known to produce higher levels of antibodies and growth hormones due to their unique biological structure. These hormones pass to the animal’s muscles and other tissues due to normal biological processes in the body. They therefore become threats to the human health when consumed in the pork. For instance, some growth hormones have been cited to promote inflammation of the human body when consumed (Nollet and Boylston, 170). Besides, pork is poised to contain excessive amounts of compounds such as imidazole as well as histamine which are also responsible for body irritation and inflammations. Other compounds such as sulphur are also contained in the pig meat. This compound usually found in the mesenchymal mucus of the animal and often associated with body swellings. Moreover, the deposits of such mucus on the cartilages and tendons may result into diseases including rheumatism as well as arthritis. Generally, the significant quantities of hormones, antibodies, lipids as well as cholesterol in the pig meat are poised to have serious threat to human health.

The pig’s poisonous nature is reflected in a variety of scenario. At the outset, pig’s bodies are composed of toxins in addition to other diseases. Their fat and meat absorbs toxins through normal biological process. However, they are not in a position to get rid of the toxins easily out of their body. Biologically speaking, pigs neither sweat nor perspire unlike other mammals hence unable to eliminate toxins from their bodies (Nollet and Boylston, 170). It is through the process of perspiration and sweating that such poisonous substances are removed. Moreover, the poisonous nature of the aforementioned animal is affirmed by the inability of poisons such as strychnine to kill the animal. Besides, the animal is hardly killed by other poisons such as the snake venom. The pig meat is therefore cited as containing high percentage of toxins that can be harmful to the health of human beings upon consumption.

Consumption of pig meat is also prohibited by the teachings of Islam religion. According to the religion, Allah has only forbidden people of carrion, pork as well as blood and what has been consecrated to other than Him (Winzeler, 2008, 75). However, the holy book of Qur’an provides that anyone forced to consume pork without his desire or going to excess in it has committed no crime before the Allah. Allah is ever-forgiving, most merciful (Qur’an, 2: 173). The holy book of Qur’an has also elaborated in not less than four instances, why Allah prohibits the consumption of pork. These provisions are contained in different places in the Qur’an including 6:145, 16:115, and 5:3 among other verses. Qur’an revealed such warnings on the possible harm of consuming pork as well as the other aforementioned food products almost fourteen centuries ago. However, people still eat pork despite the religious teachings, the physiological incompatibility of the food product with human body as well as harm caused by consumption of pork. Pork is also forbidden in some books in the bible even though Christians are unaware of the teachings. For instance, the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy prohibit the consumption of pork by human beings (Winzeler, 2008, 75). The bible says: “And the swine, because it divides the hoof, yet does not chew the cud, it is unclean unto you: you shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.” – Leviticus 11:7, 8; Deuteronomy 14:8. Individuals are sometimes motivated by their stomach and not scripture to claim that Christ abolished the rule prohibiting the consumption of pork.

On the other hand, pig meat has beneficial aspects despite the world clamor to avoid consumption of the food product. It is currently the most consumed meat product in the world with less consumption rate in Muslim as well as Jewish strongholds (Nollet and Boylston, 170). First and foremost, pig meat is believed to contain a high degree of nutritional value. Pork is cited as containing high quality protein as well as low in natural salt content. Moreover, pork contains other vital nutrients required by the body including vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, Iron, phosphorus as well as selenium. The aforementioned nutrients present in the pork makes the meat product suitable for human health and wellbeing as well as being necessary for the healthy growth and development of the children. It is noteworthy that pig meat has varying fat contents in different body parts. The leanest parts contain more unsaturated than saturated fats. The pig meat producers are currently in a position to produce pork that is leaner due to the advancement in technology which makes it possible for the combination of genetics and other production techniques. Such pork contains small quantities of the heart protective n3 fatty acids that are required by the body. Currently, pig meat is produced in a manner that yields both fewer calories and less fat content. It is estimated that pigs yield pork loin with slightly above fifty two percent fewer calories as well as about seventy six percent less fat content.

The advances in technology have also eliminated fears of various diseases such as trichinosis as the trichina worm can now be killed at temperatures of 137 degrees F. This is achievable through proper cooking of the meat product at recommended temperatures of one hundred and thirty six degrees F. Pigs may be seen as dirty animals due to the fact they trot and lie on mud as well as feed on dirty foodstuffs such as insects, garbage and rotten flesh. However, it is important to note that as mentioned above, pigs lack sweat glands and can not therefore sweat or perspire. Consequently, they lie on such wet grounds or on water to cool their body off. Besides, individuals should not cite religion as a reason for not consuming pork because irrespective of the religion, meat products just like pork are poisonous when poorly cooked or undercooked.

Generally, pork is unclean for the human body and therefore should not be consumed. To begin with, pig meat is associated with a lot of illnesses emanating from the filthy environment and the dirty foodstuffs that the animal feeds on. Pigs also harbor such parasitic worms as taenia solium which may cause serious problems to human especially if they invade delicate organs such as brain and heart upon gaining entry into the body through consumption of pork. Other illnesses originate from the effects of consuming the animal’s flesh such as obesity and heart thrombosis which precipitated by the high cholesterol and saturated fat levels in pork. In a nutshell, pig’s bodies contain a lot of poison, underlying diseases as well as worms. Pigs are also detested on religious grounds where both the Islam and Christian laws prohibit the consumption of pork on the basis of unhygienic nature of the animal and its meat for human consumption (Winzeler, 2008, 75). According to White (1998, 14) pig meat still remains the cause of intense human suffering in the world.

Conclusion

Despite its deliciousness as well as high nutritional value, pork continues to be detested by many people. The consumption of pig meat has raised hygiene as well as health concerns among those using the food product. Firstly, pig is associated with filth as it plays, sleeps and eats on mud and garbage thereby predisposing the animal to infections from worms compared to other animals. Illnesses such as Influenza emanate from such environments and are easily transmitted to human beings upon consumption of affected pork. Besides, pork is characterized by high cholesterol as well as fat content which are associated with several diseases and disorders in the human body. For instance, high saturated fat content and cholesterol levels are responsible for the onset of heart-related diseases including heart attack and high blood pressure. The fats coalesce on the inner walls of blood vessels thereby restricting blood flow hence high blood pressure results. This subjects the heart to strenuous work thereby predisposing it to heart attack. Pork is also detested on grounds of religious laws. Both the Christian and Islam teachings are against the consumption of pork for its unclean nature (Winzeler, 2008, 75). This is stipulated in Qur’an 2: 173 as well as in the bible in the books of Leviticus 11: 7, 8 and Deuteronomy 14: 8. However, pork still remains the most consumed meat product in the world given its delicious nature as well as high nutritional value. Pork has several vitamins and high quality proteins.

Work cited:

Mead, Paul et al .Food-Related Illness and Death in the United States. EID journal. Atlanta: Centers for disease Control and Prevention. 2010. Print. Retrieved on 18th Nov, 2010 at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no5/mead.htm

Nollet, Leo & Boylston, Terri. Handbook of meat, poultry and seafood quality. London: Wiley-Blackwell. 2007. Print.

Russel, Rex. What the Bible Says About Healthy Living: Three Biblical Principles that Will Change Your Diet and Improve Your Health. Gospel Light. 2006. Print.

White, Hellen. Disease and Its Causes. Washington: Health Research Books. 1998. Print.

Winzeler, Robert. Anthropology and religion: what we know, think, and question. California: Rowman Altamira. 2008. Print.

Neo-liberalisms Rise and Institutions Scrutiny

Neo-liberalism’s Rise and Institutions Scrutiny

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Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Methodology Applied……………………………………………………………………………5

Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….8

References………………………………………………………………………………………….9

The Neo-liberalism’s Rise and Scrutiny of the Institutions

Abstract

This study analyzes how different advances of institutions clarify how neo-liberalism emerged two decades ago. The principle objective focuses on accounts of balanced alternative of emergence of institutions and revolution and how such balanced accounts can aid in achieving the advantages of the rise of neo-liberal institutions. Emergence of neo-liberalism in various countries globally brought in changes in institutions, policies and different initiatives in political, economical and social fields. There are fundamental changes in neo-liberal policy agenda as a result of basic changes in economic and political institutions that will be of focus in this study.

Introduction

Neo-liberalism refers to a process that is complex of institutional transformation depending on factors that are rational as well as normative and cognitive factors. It varies in different countries depending on the deployed institutions. Phenomena such as macro-institutional, rationality of the individual, shifts of paradigm and dynamics of the economics among others have led to institutions’ implementations. The decreasing economic conditions made some states think about neo-liberal economic changes. The labor market performance is always viewed in regard to institutions that are neo-liberal. It does come with the comparison of various institutions of a financial system such as central banks and laws governing bankruptcy. Neo-liberalism which is more of market deregulation has been observed to be increasing in various parts of the global nations most precisely in Russia, Latin America and in the Eastern Europe (Campbell, 2001). Such nations have developed movements targeted toward economies of the market thus strategies of reduced state interference into the affairs of the economy and decentralization by the state have been deployed.

Neo-liberalism is a project of politics whose main concern is based on the changes of the institutions and attempts to transform economic and political resolutions. Such resolutions include systems of industrial relations, structures of redistributive tax and programs of social interests among others. Most economies have shifted from the ideas of Keynesian economics that gave emphasis to management of demand politically to monetarist that is more based on dialogue that is conservative. As a matter of fact, changes of institutions have emerged as a result of the altercation of thoughts that societies can use to solve economic and social problems.

Concurrently, institutional analysis has had vital interests in political and economic performance that have been renewed due to the enormous institutional transformations as a result of the rise in neo-liberalism. New paradigms of institutions such as organizational paradigms, historical paradigms and choices that are rational have also emerged. The paradigms weaknesses and strengths are analyzed in comparison to the rise of neo-liberalism. These analyses help illustrate how neo-liberalism rise helped in the institutional analysis development. Alternatively, scholars worked in their paradigms of institutions but lately there have been other movements in analysis of institutions that involve dialogue that is more constructive that explores integration. It has become apparent that change of institutions and the institutions are complicated than the paradigms and thus paradigms need thorough explosion to determine how they connect and complement to one another lest they result in more problems. Some scholars suggest that phenomenal aspects of rising in neo-liberalism which cannot be addressed satisfactorily by their paradigms can be explained by use of other paradigms.

Additionally, the diversity and complexity of neo-liberalism is open to interpretation and is less coherent than it is always assumed than a loose collection of thoughts, institutions and prescription of policies from which individuals choose on depending on existing economic, historical, political, social and conditions of institutions (Campbell, 2001). Though the results can either be complementary or contradictory, they differ within as well as across the global nations. Depending on the paradigm of the institution at work, the analysis of the institution brings a clear view of the results though the process of selection can occur from various angles. Moreover, it is an overstatement that is reflective to dispute that there is convergence that is extensive to a set that is common to institutions of neo-liberalism. On the other hand, suggesting that there is no union at all is not a constructive idea. As a matter of fact, the truth is entrenched in the notion that neo-liberalism is much involved in re-regulation and less involved in deregulation. The neo-liberalism rise has incapacitated many countries than is mostly valued arbitrate or reverse tendencies of neo-liberalism. Lastly, deregulation of market does not give rise to economic behavior that is proficient than do other arrangements of the neo-liberalism institution.

Methodology Applied

The study entailed the economical approach acquired by various governments in ensuring that their economies would grow while distributing wealth equally to the citizens. The research involved reading a number of books that had been written by different authors concerning the same topic and internet sourcing on cites that had relevant information. Quiet a number of the nations’ economies in Latin America and the Eastern Europe were also surveyed on their management of the economy and transformations conducted to ensure that neo-liberalism rises. The study also involved the participation of key government officials and intellectuals who understand neo-liberalism and institutional analysis. The participants included all the genders though it was male dominated of a ratio of 3 : 2. The participants voluntarily gave their views on the subject of study without any pressure after signing information consent and an agreement was reached whereby their identification was to remain confidential. The collection of data entailed face to face interviews in the participants’ offices and apartments. The collection of data was vigorously done within a period of one month and that was precisely in January of 2015. The participants also gave out their contacts and addresses in case there could be further inquiries. The research was limited to the countries that have deployed the neo-liberalism in the governance of their economies and how far they have benefited on the system.

Analysis

The decreasing economic situation made some states think about neo-liberal economic modifications and develop theories that would help them grow up again. The fundamental goal was to arrange the economy that can apportion wealth that the state feels solvent economically. This involved a fundamental change of the field of economy from protections that are state oriented to decision making in the market that is decentralized. As a result, countries had to deal with both the concerns that are long term and short term. Policies of economic stabilization that include devaluation of the currency and price control curtailment, programs of protection of workers and subsidy of the consumer were among the implementations by the state officials in consideration to short term concerns. A vital change of neo-liberalism in basic institutions of economics were visualized in the long the policies that are long term.

To begin with, the foundations of the institutions of the economy of the market had to be strengthened or instituted both to be done. As such, transformation involving trade liberalization and practices of the foreign investments were eventually shunned by states. There was privatization and sale of state owned corporations (Shapiro, 2006). Government revenue was increased as public expenditure was minimized. Implementation of the policies of neo-liberalism happened at a time when most of the governments were putting in place measures to establish democracies of the constitution in the field of politics.

Though there are long term advantages of neo-liberal changes, their execution produced wide-ranging results. There are developed theories grounded in the social mechanisms that are primary and are used to generate transformation processes of neo-liberalism. To start with, theories of rational choice of institutional transformation portrays that social actors get their preferred preferences in a manner that is less costly due to their ability to bargain. The theory further portrays that states with social institutions are better to live in than anarchic states. The theory applies the bargain and contract approach in which both have different features in how they emphasize social relations. The approach that is contract pressurizes that the produced benefits of a rule are more than the benefits of failing to produce the rule. On the other hand, the approach that involves bargaining directly integrates into the additional supposition of payoffs about the communal situation in which the social relations occur. Thus, the two approaches model the communal relations in a different manner.

The theory of distribution and bargaining has been used to illustrate the creation of institutions that are economical and political. The bargaining approach illustrates the coming up of communal institutions in relation to traits that differentiate various forms of institutions. It emphasizes on the comparison of the various results stimulated by the available institutional options (Shapiro, 2006). It entails the interaction between attitudes to risk and resources that are available. It further explains the individuals’ attitudes toward owning resources and accepting risks as a way of doing business. Some people are scared of investing in any kind of business due to the risks the business is associated with.

Conclusion

To conclude, the above discussed theories have claims that differ about the actual conditions that are empirical in which institutions that are communal surface and transform. This paper serves to illustrate the use of paradigms in the analysis of institutions and reveals the virtues that are comparative of the kinds of paradigm. It also contributes to the understanding of the neo-liberalism rise. It shows how scholars compare different approaches to institutional analysis and their contribution to the analysis of the institutions.

Explanations of transformations of neo-liberalism either invoke political competition, conflict of interest or consequences of distribution as vital causes of the changes of institutions. Competition in politics between politicians and economic planners of the state gave rise to neo-liberal changes in most parts of Latin America (Campbell, 2001). As a Result, economic and political institutions happened due to the reaction of politics to the initial changes. Analyses of economic and political institutions give more explanations of changes in institutions. Additionally, the devices that outline the basis of these explanations are always same to those proposed by other accounts of social sciences

References

Shapiro, I. (2006). Rethinking political institutions: The art of the state. New York: New York Univ. Press.

Campbell, J. L. (2001). The rise of neoliberalism and institutional analysis. Princeton [u.a.: Princeton University Press.

Dangers of social networking web sites

Dangers of social networking web sites

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Introduction

Social networking websites are sites, which enable people to create a profile within a secluded system, choose a list of individuals or users signed to the same site, with which they interact and share a connection, and have access to their information depending on the other party’s private settings. These vary from one to another, some share close similarities while others have wide difference. Examples of social networking websites include, YouTube, Facebook, twitter, my space, LinkedIn, yahoo messenger, and Google plus among others. In the 21st century, almost half of the world population uses the social network websites in one way or another. Those include both adults and children. There are many dangers and risks of using these social websites. Children are the most vulnerable users adults too can fall prey to those risks and dangers. It is advisable that any person below the age of 13 years need to use these social networks in any way since they are most vulnerable group and can easily fall prey to the risk of social network websites (Clifton park, 2010).

Despite revolutionizing social connectivity and how people share information and interact, social websites have created a haven for con artists, criminals, and other dishonest individuals abusing this capability for selfish and crime purposes. This paper contains discussions on the types of social websites dangers, their examples, and ways of avoiding such risks. Each section is discussed in detailed form.

There are two common ways these actors use to con or exploit online social website users. These include online hawkers who specialize in writing and manipulating computer of the user to have access to ones computer or phones and install unauthorised software on them. They then use these installations to steal personal information use it to trick others for ill purposes such as extortion, threats, or getting favouritisms. Such act of impersonation is identity theft. Identity thefts are common on the social networks for instance one impersonating a celebrity. Therefore using the trust people have on the imposed celebrity to extort money from the innocent and unaware users. These acts of impersonation are common on social websites such as twitter, twitter, and other social sites.

The other ones are human hackers commonly referred to as social engineers; they manipulate and use people through online interaction to gain access to their personal information. They then use the information gained for their own selfish needs children and women are the most vulnerable users targeted by these kinds of con artistes. Hackers know that people are weak as security and privacy of the social websites is concerned, they design and plan their action and motives to make them appear friendly and harmless and legal. In the recent times, many people have come out to give their ordeal with such cons.

Once a person shares any information on the social network site, the privacy of such information becomes questionable. The privacy of such information becomes at risk, it is no longer considered as private information but a public one. The more information one shares on the social network websites the vulnerable he or she became to the dangers involved. No matter, the security level, one uses on the social network, their privacy are always at stake since other parties such as friends or the websites they use can still leak their personal information. Internet con artistes mostly use personal information to harm one or those close to them for instance, family, friends, and even co-workers. A con artiste or a hacker can impersonate a person using their information, and use it to trick other innocent and unknowing users for their ill benefits and needs (Livingstone and Haddon, 2009).

Hackers, business competitors, foreign states or agencies, predators, and other internet users of ill intentions use the social sites. They search for information about their target audience for exploitation and abuse hence they achieve their.

Apart from identity theft, other usage of information acquired from social websites includes planning an attack on the users. Tactics used by the con artistes may include the following, baiting, click jacking, cross site scripting, elicitation, doxing, pharming, phising, phreaking, scams, and spoofing.

Baiting, from the word bait, which means to lay a trap cunningly for something or someone one targets in a way or the other. Social network con artiste can use USB devices load them with malware and any other software, which can enable the hack ones devices they do this hoping that someone else will use these same devices hence enabling them to hack those persons computer. It is advisable that one scan any foreign USB drive before using them to detect, and clean any virus that maybe in such devices. One should avoid using foreign USB devices, as this will reduce the chances of attacks by these hackers’ plans and baits.

Click jacking; this is hiding or concealing links under legitimate clickable material, making one perform a function unknowingly when he or she clicks on the legitimate link. One may send their identification to some site unknowingly or download malware to their devices. To curb this kind of attack, setting ones browser to maximise security is advisable and necessary. Most of The click jacking swindles use the like and share option on social websites to perform or achieve their ill purposes (Stenzel and Nesdahl, 2011).

Cross-site scripting (XSS), this is the injection or introduction of a malicious code into a trusted website. The actual attack occurs when the malicious code gets permanently stored on a server. When one tries to access the stored data, their computer device or clicks on the malicious link; the malicious code transverse to the server then reflects the attack back to the victim’s browser. The victim, on the other hand, sees the link as from a trusted source. This link or code can perform a task such as downloading and installing ant viruses and other malware on the server and the victims’ computer, which may lead to system failure or crash. To avoid this kind of attack, turning off HTTP TRACE support on all servers is appropriate. In addition, users should be cautious on clicking on a link, which seems suspicious despite the link being from a trusted code as they may be corrupted or malicious.

Doxing; this is when a person’s personal information such as full names, date of birth, addresses, pictures, bank details, and any other sensitive personal information retrieved from the net are released to the public. Con artistes can use this information to impersonate the real persons whose information details are leaked. They can use the stolen identity to perform crimes putting the real persons in danger of false executed by the law enforcers. This calls for all social networks users to carefully choose the kind of information they online.

Elicitation; the use of conversion to gain information from someone without making him or her feel as if they are being questioned or interrogated. Online hackers or engineers have mastered the art of elicitation tactics. All online social network users should at all times be aware of such tactics and be able to identify them. Once a person realise that another online user is trying to acquire their personal details he or she should cut off the chat.

Pharming, this is the act of redirecting users from a legitimate website or link to a con or fraudulent one with the aim of acquiring their personal data. Hackers and fraudsters create fake bank websites and try to use them get information from unsuspecting persons. They then use such information to access and use ones bank account without their consent stealing or transacting illegal business as the legitimate account holder. This puts the legitimate account holder to the risk of false execution. It is advisable that one avoid links when using the social network for transacting prestigious businesses. One should type the website they want to access and avoid clicking on links since most fraudsters use those links to redirect users to their fraudulent websites.

Phreaking, this is the act of gaining access to telecommunication systems. When using the social websites one should at all times be cautious and avoid providing their secure phone numbers or contacts. Cyber criminals can install malware and access a user’s personal data or even access services the user uses. They can make phone calls at the user’s expense, or even use other services such as mobile banking and perform such transactions.

Spoofing, this is the art of deceiving computer users by faking ones identity and using the later to access information from other user in the pretense of the legitimate holder of the identity. Online or social sites con artistes mostly use these to gain professional information about employees of firms and organizations by imposing as either a colleague or boss of the employees. It is advisable that one knows all their workmates and clients and always be on the lookout for their imposters.

Scams, this are cunning and fake deals that trick people into giving their personal information, providing money, or even giving out other peoples sensitive information. If any deal one comes across on the social website mostly in an email sent to ones account, be careful, as the deal may be a swindle. A person may fall victim such frauds if he or she visits an infected website or donate to a bogus charity cause online (Timm, 2011).

Preventive measures

To avoid being exposed or falling victim to the social website dangers, there are a numbers of measures deployable for both individual and organisations. The organizational measures include, strong security measures, continuous check up of data movement on the network, provision of early security trainingdirect employees to report any malicious or suspicious occurrence detected, educate the employees on their online impact to the organization, create ways of detecting system intrusion (Agosto and Abbas, 2011).

Strong security measure, this involves deploying multiple security measures throughout the network such that despite any security breach on one level the other level can still curb the intrusion and neutralise the threat. This ensures that the network system of an organization security is always strong and free from any social network attack. Creation of ways to detect any intrusion or attack, an organization ought to create and install security measures that can detect any intrusion into the network system. This ensures that any threat or attack is neutralized before it causes any damage to the network system. Training the employees on their online impact on the organization, all employees ought to know that whatever activity they engage in on the social network can have either positive or negative impact on the organization. Therefore, employees ought to be cautious on what they share on the social network websites not to taint the organization’s image (Sommers, 2008).

Individual preventive measures include, avoid storing any sensitive information on devices one uses on the internet, always deploy high security on social networking site one uses, use antivirus and firewall software, change passwords oftenly, one should monitor his or her bank statements to detect any scam trying to use or fool him or her. Avoid sharing usernames, passwords, social security numbers, credit cards, bank information, computer network details among other sensitive and personal information. This protects one from possible hacking or giving of information to the online criminals unknowingly.

One should avoid accessing their personal information from the public network or Wi-Fi. This not only minimizes the possibility of hackers accessing their personal details but also maintains their privacy at all times (Scherer, 2011).

References

EC- Council Press. (2010). Cyber safety: This book maps to security 5. Clifton Park, N.Y: Cengage learning.

Issues for debate in sociology: Selections from CQ researcher. (2010). Los Angeles: SAGE/Pine Forge.

Stenzel, P., & Nesdahl, M. (2011). Who’s in your social network?: Understanding the risks associated with modern media and social networking and how it can impact your character and relationships. Ventura, Calif: Regal.

Agosto, D. E., & Abbas, J. (2011). Teens, libraries, and social networking: What librarians need to know. Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimite

Sommers, M. A. (2008). The dangers of online predators. New York: Rosen Central.

Livingstone, S. M., & Haddon, L. (2009). Kids online: Opportunities and risks for children. Bristol, U.K: Policy Press.

Scherer, L. S. (2011). Social networking. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

Timm, C., Perez, R., & Ely, A. (2010). Seven deadliest social network attacks. Burlington, MA: Syngress/Elsevier.

Neoliberalism

Neoliberalism is a political philosophy whose advocates support free trade and open markets, economic liberalization, , privatization, deregulation, and increasing the role of the private sector in modern society while decreasing the size of the public sector  . Neoliberals share a strong suspicion of any form of intense and combined power, and they see the state exactly as the epitome of such power. Without thorough checks, state interventions in the economy cause harm as they restrain economic inventiveness, protect and expand inefficiencies, and interfere with individual freedoms. Yet, unlike classical liberals, neoliberals do not support essentially reducing state power to the bare minimum of simply upholding the law and adjudicating among quarreling parties. Today’s neoliberals think that state power should be deployed (to provide forms of social insurance, increase human capital, mitigate the volatility of markets) so long as state power is held at bay, and for all time in the direction of bolstering rather than hampering market forces . More than a blind trust in markets, neoliberals share a deep distrust of economic interference by the state. For them, state failures are more frequent and insidious than market failures.

Neoliberals do not believe in blind faith in markets rather neoliberals share a deep distrust of economic interference by the state. For neoliberals, failures of states are more frequent and dangerous as compared to market failures. Neoliberals observe state participation as neither omniscient nor free of political bias. These flaws make states ill-suited to decide

For neoliberals, the major economic problems of present are — lack of competitiveness, inflation and unsustainable macroeconomic environments, financial crises, , inefficient public spending, poverty, and corruption—result from state interventions that deform incentives and bring unsustainable economic activities. If, according to Berman, the three main ideologies of the 20th century— fascism social democracy, and Marxism—share the similar mantra, that it is “the state’s right and duty to control capitalism,” then we can also said that neoliberalism is definitely a school that challenges all three ideologies. In economics, neoliberalism stands instead for disbanding or easing policies such as trade restrictions, price controls, and state subsidies to economic activities, particularly unprofitable ones. Neoliberalism must not be understood to be the economic liking of business firms. More likely, neoliberalism splits the business sector. Companies which are in position to compete at home and globally be likely to welcome neoliberalism; those that are uncompetitive and depend on protectionism tend to oppose neoliberalism. Neoliberals think that in majority of the statist economies, the latter type of firms is the norm, so it makes little sense to suggest that firms in developing countries welcome market forces as a majority.

Neoliberals believe that during 20th century, the economic and policy world, particularly in Latin America, focused extra on market failures to the neglect of state failures. And in a way, they are correct. Neoliberalism remains insignificant in the area until the late 1970s and reigned supreme for less than two decades. The rest of the time, non-neoliberal ideas have dominated. Between the 1930s and 1970s, people considered Neoliberalism as extreme and irrelevant, and as a result of which their influence in policy circles in Latin America was secondary as compared to the rival ideologies such as protectionism, Keynesianism, socialism, populism, and even Marxism. During this time, policy in Latin America’s largest economies (most of South America and Mexico) was characterized by inward-oriented statism or import-substitution industrialization (ISI). Based on dependency theory, which posited that there is a long-term decline in the value of commodity exports relative to manufactures, and the structuralism theory, which posited that local demand was inadequate to boost manufacturing, ISI was predicated on the idea that by offering subsidies to local manufacturers, restricting trade, , and defending labor, states could encourage home-grown industries. Typical ISI policies included: expansion in the number and scope of state-owned enterprises, labor codes that protected labor from firing, high tariffs, subsidized credits to local industry, especially in utilities, price controls, buy-national laws, , regulation of competition to protect nascent industries. In multiple was, these ISI policies contravened market economics.

A chain of developments at the point of ideas and world politics coalesce in the 1970s and 1980s to push neoliberal ideas to expand ground in Latin America. 1st the field of growth was revolutionized in the 1970s by advances in theories of state capturing and bargaining. Scholars were able to establish empirically that states turn out to be captured easily by organized constituencies, producers’ groups, or both. For either self-serving reasons, electoral or states were shown to use directive to furnish pressure groups, eventually converting them into the main drivers of policy. Anne Krueger especially showed how rent-granting, once it starts, becomes hard to control, encouraging the majority of new groups to jockey for power and ultimately overwhelming states with pressures. Once a state embarks on the path of protectionism, it induces non-winners to seek equal forms of protection, leading to a rising spiral of rent-seeking and rent-granting. In 1974 and 1976, respectively, two most important proponents of neoliberalism, Milton Friedman and Friedrich von Hayek won Nobel prizes in economics, further boost the renaissance of neoliberal ideas. In Latin America, the 1980s also saw the rise of technopols—a new class of U.S.-trained Latin American economists who became disappointed with statism, often after having been strong statists themselves. These technopols came back home to make careers within state agencies, parties, or think-tanks, from where they became national advocates for pro-market ideas.

Neoliberalism was further boosted by the fall down of most Latin American economies subsequent the onset of the debt crisis in 1982. Latin America entered a process of high inflation, contraction, or hyperinflation, exchange rate instability, capital flight, , and underinvestment that last the entire decade and in some cases into the early 1990s. Since Latin America was the area of the world to have implemented ISI the deepest, the collapse of its economy proved too many that the model was misguided to begin with. For neoliberals, these outcomes (statism and economic collapse in the 1980s) were causally connected. In addition, the command economies of communist nations were also collapsing (the Soviet bloc) or changing in the direction of market reforms with positive results (China), further boosting the global trend away from statist economics.

Due to creditor incentives and price pressures majority of the governments in the region found themselves announcing neoliberal reforms by the late 1980s, in some cases such as ), Argentina (with its strict monetary policy, and the convertibility law), Mexico (with drastic trade opening to the United States, Ecuador (with its strict dollarization), NAFTA, Peru (with its massive privatization program), Colombia (with its sweeping banking liberalization), and Venezuela (with its profound decentralization reforms) going farther than the World Bank and the IMF were advocating.

In short, we can say that neoliberalism gained ascendance due to multiple factors, all coalescing at the end of 1980s: theoretical refinement, comparative studies, Nobel prizes, economic crises, model cases, smart packaging, rising technopols, and plenty of international sticks and carrots.

Neoliberalism benefited little section of peoples in the Latin America. As a result of the neoliberalism, rich got tax cuts in their profits, every one got service cuts, middle class got good job opportunities, working condition were improved, companies increased the salaries of the employees. The majority of the companies, which benefited were foreign as their products were more competitive to the other home companies. Consumers were also benefited as prices of the products decreased die to competition. As the new companies entered in the foreign market, consumers got more choices to buy same products from different brands.

Neoliberalism also had bad effects on some section of people and countries. The growth rates of Latin America which had been higher than other developing nations, dropped by over 60 percent after they embraced IMF-sponsored neo-liberalism in the 1980’s, and have now ground to a halt. Thus wage earners – rather than asset owners – have faced a persistent 30-year downward pressure on their standard of living. It comes as no surprise to learn that the golden age for the wage worker, expressed as a percentage share of GDP, was between 1945 and 1973, and not under economic liberalization. The neoliberal experiment has failed to combat extreme poverty, has exacerbated global inequality, and is hampering international aid and development efforts. Neoliberal ideology embodies an outdated, selfish model of economy. It has been formulated by the old imperial powers and adopted by economically dominant nations. Given the state of the global trade and finance structures, wealthy countries can maintain their economic advantage by pressurizing developing countries to adopt neo-liberal policies – even though they themselves do not. Understandably, many commentators have described this process as economic colonialism.

http://www.peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/financial/fin_dumenil.pdfhttp://www.stwr.org/globalization/neoliberalism-and-economic-globalization.htmlhttp://www.plataformademocratica.org/Publicacoes/22447_Cached.pdfProfit over people: neoliberalism and the global order  By Noam Chomsky

Neoliberalism: A Very Short Introduction  By Manfred B. Steger, Ravi K. Roy

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/rsw/research_centres/theory/conf/rg/harvey_a_brief_history_of_neoliberalism.pdfhttp://lasa-2.univ.pitt.edu/larr/prot/fulltext/vol39no3/walton.pdf

Neoclassical economies

Neoclassical economies

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Abstract

In the debate of economic theories, it is prudent to identify positive performing theories and those which are not performing on realism factor. For economists, the task is to identify whether the specified economics objectives prudently meet the expectations of the public on a social perspective. Significantly, the determination of the economic worth of a given jurisdiction is one that aims at maximizing social benefits and not necessarily benefits or utility. In this light, the commencing research will appoint neoclassical economics as vivid case study. The research will attempt to prove that the neoclassical economics are irrelevant and cannot be applied to explain the intrinsic worth of a given society in relation to economics. The research is distributed into two main sections. Firstly, the background of the theory, and secondly, the research will provide a critical analysis of irrelevancies of neoclassical analysis.

Background of the theory

Neoclassical economics can be defined as an economic approach that reinstates that prices are determined by output and income distribution or what is commonly known as a balance of demand and supply. A close factor in the neoclassical economy is mediated through hypothesized maximization of utility and income naturally becomes constrained as individuals attempt to maximize utility as a personal gain – a conflict factor since societies will never arrive at perfection. Backed by Keynesian economics, neoclassical economics endeavors to explain theories affiliated to consumption, utility, demand and supply. In the context, the theory assumes that households maximize utility and firms maximize profits. Secondly, the theory assumes that people have rational preferences when attempting to compare outcomes that can be associated with values. Thirdly, the theory assumes that people act independently on the basis of partial or full information. Previous studies have attempted to assess the rationality factor as applied in neoclassical economics. This study will prove that neoclassical economics is largely irrelevant based on their stipulations.

Lack of clarity

Firstly, it is positive to examine the social impact of neoclassical tabulations in assessing the mental factors in social organization. Dubbink (2003, p. 58) assesses that there is a clear distinction of neoclassical tradition and laissez-faire. In this comparison, it is worthwhile to reaffirm reexamine socio-political thinking and how they impact on the economy. As a result, it is good to assess that this economic model naturally deviates from what is required to the theories –which are inapplicable. A contemporary neoclassical economist will naturally be troubled by less insightful moments that attempt to distinguish the model and the real world. To affirm on irrelevancy of neoclassical economics, this chapter will appoint the natural environment factor and how neoclassical economic approach it.

Hunt (2007, pp. 79) acknowledges that the new classical economics relies on the crude assumptions which cannot be implemented in real economic environment. Firstly, the analysis focuses on equilibrium (demand and supply) and equilibrium naturally forming the central importance. Secondly, economist maximum their own gains through the number of transactions they conduct. For instance, households are assumed to maximize the utility concept and firms, on the other hand, the profitability concept. Thirdly, neoclassical economics assumes that all agents in the economy do have perfect knowledge. Fourthly, the preferences of individuals are inclined to influences of social standard. Lastly, cost on decision making by individuals are limited to rationality concept. The thesis is that; in Neoclassical economics perfection overrides reality.

In this regard, Loannides et al. (2007, p. 200) cites Kapp (1963) demonstration in neoclassical practice as erroneous and misleading in its application. For instance, the neoclassical concept of price is irrelevant and needs correction. Further to this, it is good note that the mainstream economics works in an incomplete system of accounting. In context, the accounting approach which attempts to affiliate cost as a determinant often fails on the account of implementation. Ideally, this assumption will naturally ignore the part of the cost and hardly promote the social efficiency. In addition, the rational economic behavior as a sine qua non of social welfare and economic efficiency is taken adrift as incomplete cost benefit analysis. In contemporary argument, it is prudent to note that neoclassical economics confines the real nature of the economy and the conceptual system fail to assimilate the reasoning and conceptual system.

After a close investigation of Kapp’s approach, one will notice that the neoclassical superiority concept fails to consider the social cost in production. For instance, Americans through product are naturally risked to hazardous economic problems – demoralization or even diseases. As such, neoclassical economics will naturally assume that labor is constantly supplied at all time. In relation to this point, the issue desists to be no longer institutional economics, as well as standard set by neoclassical mainstream, and as a result, putting forward a theory of price that it is rationally prudent to consider as flawed.

Tisdell (2010, p. 24) provides a similar approach in what the extract argues as an economic externality or spillover occurrence that the attempt to influence economic agents. As a consequence of activity; neoclassical provides a benefits economist with economics goods that are not necessarily paid for socially, and to a greater consequence are causing regression to others. For example, while a flower industry is doing great in providing flowers to several consumers, and investors in the flower business industry, gardeners are at a greater risk of chemicals. In an analysis, the economic agents in neoclassical regimes receive less than an economic benefit created in return. This assumption is seconded by neoclassical paradigm that states that individual act personal self-interest and the activity is likely to be undersupplied in a former case.

Salzano (2005, p. 190) joins in this discussion in what text consider as unpopular economic phenomenon. It is an economic fallacy to assume that economic agents in a given economic are equal, while in the real sense households are viewed as simpler molecules. In this regard, it is good to affirm that the social structure does not only have an economic background, but to a greater extent, commemorates a sense of equality that is not achievable in all sense. This is a descriptive assessment that argues without a solidified backing of self-organizing property and dynamics models.

The problem of normative biasness

Neo-classical economics is irrelevant since it does not explain actual economics, and to a larger extent is based on assumptions. The assumption partially argues that individuals act rationally and may be viewed as ignoring an important aspect of naturalness while dealing with the economy. Schoenberger (2002, pp. 83) provide a similar assumption in what the journal explains as absenteeism of normalcy in how the economy operates. Further to this, is an assumption that the economic man envisioned by neo-classic economics is significantly different from the real people and even a lack of neutrality is much evident in how the two relate to each other – a fact?

In a general economy, the firm’s output technically balances with household, and these are part of the Neoclassic and Keynesian economics. However, this approach lacks validity in how it is implemented. In any case, there is no economy in the world that has ever achieved perfection. Pertsova (2007, p. 17) quotes publication from Joan Robinson in which it was clear that, by as early as 1933, Neoclassical theory was already demonstrating imperfection in relation to naturalness. In fact through these arguments, it is considerate to note that neoclassical economies did base their arguments on utopia. As a result, neoclassical theories tend to ignore the problems of scale both in time and space. Based on this, there is a subsequent deficiency in attempting to integrate technological changes to the resources while using neoclassical models of economies.

In the context, individuals play a significant role in the economy. However, judging an individual contribution to the economy on the basis of individualism lacks coherent justifications since to a greater extent, the economy is subject to macroeconomic factors and not microeconomic attributions. Boya (2010, pp. 163) argues that the assumption of an exogenous nature of consumer preferences is subsequently questionable. In fact, Boya provides broader light in relation to the change of subject in relation to advertising, education, social groups and cultural development. Backed by this, the analysis of optimal satisfaction lacks a solidified argument in attempting to justify the significance of material bundle relative to non-material bundle.

Nonetheless, it is coherent to examine the disguise of companies maximizing profits. In this assessment, companies attempt to maximize their profits in guise of addressing the problem of private versus social utility. While this approach is in all respect proactive and responsive to economic conditions, it is good to note that the approach is contestable since it does not address the intrinsic worth of the economy in relation to justifying a given economic situation. In other words, neoclassical economics focuses on the increasing number of material ownership, but to a greater extent the theorems do not address the real value of the economy. Currently, income inequality is significant demise of a desirable economy. However, new classical economics does not address these situations with the intent of finding long-term solutions. In fact to a greater extent, neoclassical economies are chiefly responsible in accelerating these deficiencies.

Assumption of rationality

Further to the discussion of irrelevance, it is good to note that neoclassical theories are largely irrational and not fit for relative economic development. According to the findings conducted by Zafirovski (2008, pp. 789) it is good to note that radical institutionalism is centered on the inequality of income, psycho-cultural implication of the economy as well as, wealth and power. In fact, neoclassical approach to economics abandons the institutional economics pioneered by Marxist analysis. In response to this, it is good to argue that technocratic and meritocratic strategies fostered by neoclassical economies are largely incoherent to restructure the cultural foundations of global capitalism. The irrationality depicted here is that; radical institutionalism insists on the fundamental and comprehensive repositioning of the place of economy with the society.

Subsequently, within the mainstream economics, rationality concept is examined by maximization of resources. To this analysis, there are several effects to the maximization principle. In this case, neoclassical economist attempt to defend an irrespective version that players in the economy attempt to deliberate maximize the economic worth. The inherent problem is that neo-classical economics tends react without performing adopting a calculation. These are assumption conducted on as if the basis and are not necessary performing calculations. Viskovatoff (2012, pp. 216) adds to this discussion in what the journal considers as a prescriptive varies of what people in the economy got to do in a given situation. Bruni (2007, p. 155) joins Viskovatoff (2012) in what text argues as an individual purposive and irrationality lacks the necessary knowledge on his disposal.

Bruni (2007) is structured by the argument that neoclassical economies remain linked to maximization of utility. However, in a contrast, take a close issue in microeconomics; corporate social responsibility. One will notice that the concept of utility remains sidelined and to a greater extent of human good. Companies will naturally be coerced by laws; for instance, Sarblexy Act, to act to a given agenda, and this distance from neoclassical economics. Further to this, the degree of happiness could be measured on an aggregate through cardinal utility functions and this seeks to obtain specific values. Also, the level of utility achieved through consumptions could be compared to different individuals and the society in the course of time.

In this regard, there has been an extended discourse attempting to argue that the utility has taken an ordinal concept which in analysis means that there is a possibility of developing interpersonal comparison and thus, the debate of taste and preferences will naturally ensue. In fact, it is good to argue that the taste and preferences are based on inherent heroic simplification and this blurs the direct consumption and well-being of utility. Consequently, Stern (2007, pp. 200) affirms that neoclassical theories are primarily responsible for the creation of insatiability factor. As such, ordinality theorems will naturally imply that consumption does not present subsequent diminishing marginal returns and principle of revealed preferences will naturally interpret that people consumption patterns are influenced by their levels of income.

Further inside the discussion of rationality, it is good to integrate Hempel argument that naturally seems sounding to seconding the cognitive question of ethics. Hartman et al. (2000, pp. 82-86) discusses the epistemological faux pas in relation to the tendency to reify the concept rationality. Accordingly, the journal establishes that rationality behavior neoclassical economics theory provides the theory that postulates rationality. Vanberg (2004, pp. 22) concludes neoclassical economies are irrelevant, inappropriate and infallible to maximize of utility and profits in both macro and microeconomics.

Absurdity in Equilibrium

Neoclassical paradigm in relation to economic balancing is partially answerable to the unreasonable irrationalism view of scientific change. In any case, there are gross irrelevancies of the theories in relation to calculating macroeconomic factors. Espino (2007, pp. 674) supplements to this discussion in what the journal considers as theoretical development in science, that contributes to devotion of efforts geared towards reconciliation. The equilibrium theory seeks to appeal the idea of insulation. Technically, the criteria of prediction, explanation and testability seek to respond to the equilibrium models which are purported scientific model.

In this light, it is good to demise that a scientific research program chiefly deployed by neoclassical economics is both progressive and degenerative and to a greater extent lacks clarity as well as empirical approaches in calculation. According to Gospodarek (2009, pp. 409) assessment of Lakatos, a scientific evaluation can be determined by the experimental tenor of a protective belt. Hence, accordingly, the theory predictive success in neoclassical will fail to reinforce hardcore experiments. Based on this approach, one will naturally find neoclassical theories with satiation or increasing returns to scale do naturally fail on the account implementation.

Therefore in response to economic problems, neoclassical economists will begin with basic laws and the underlying equilibrium theory. However, these laws are mere ubiquitous assumption and they lack a coherent approach in identifying factors of economic need. Neoclassical economics will naturally employee these factors since they believe that this is a relative approach. However, taking to the bank that other factors, for instance, the fair play by government does contribute to the economic, applying some of these theories will naturally be absurd in the equilibrium level.

Alternatively, the scientific models attempt to call for mathematical ability and considerable ingenuity. However, applying this approach is not decisive to answer to challenges prevailing at the time. In fact, application the scientific approach (one based on predictive purpose and specific purpose), neoclassical economies will naturally invite an economic environment and not a real world. For instance, the Russian economy has recently suffered economic problems due to sanctions as a result of Crimea and Ukrainian crises. However, a neoclassic economic in Russia did not affiliate the assumption of the real world. For neoclassical economics to work, then it all depends on the adequacy and nature of law existing in each particular region.

Jennissen (2004, p. 46), cites Keynesian neo-classical economic theory and how it can be applied to derive answers on international migration. In this analysis, Keynesian theory migration is an equilibrium that ensures a recovering mechanism in relation to macroeconomic analysis. In applying this, Jennissen (2004) argues that the theory of international migration mitigates unemployment differences rather than the real wages differences. As a result, the equilibrium theory as applied by neoclassical economics is largely questioned by the outsider should command unquestioning assent from its adherents, strikes and its more appropriate in conducting a metaphysical theory in a greater scientific discipline. Therefore, in response to irrelevancy, there is a close relationship between equilibrium theory and the postulate of rationality. Consequently, the general equilibrium theory is highly formalized prescriptive of a mathematical structure and not necessary a scientific theory with identifiable cognitive content.

Conclusion

The above research has clarified that neoclassical economic are irrelevant if applied in a contemporary economy. The research has assessed that neoclassical economics fails to meet the threshold intrinsic worth of a given society since to a greater extent neoclassical economy are irrational and do not seek to maximize the intrinsic moral worth of a society, but as alternative neoclassical economics pursue the utility concept. In this regard, economist should pursue more decisive theories; for instance, a reproduction and surplus theory which are pragmatic in the sense of implementation.

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