The IndoCaribbean Women's Experience of Indenture Essay

The IndoCaribbean Women's Experience of Indenture - Essay Example The few who dared to revolt or oppose inevitably faced the consequences of their actions. They were ridiculed, humiliated, subjected to the whims of their British masters, at times sexually exploited, and put back in their places for it was not a criminal act in the eyes of the law for the British nationals to exploit their workers. Society then was not as liberal as it is today. It was considered all right by the authorities to kill people at the slightest provocation. Indian women were killed and there was not much enquiry into the incident if it was felt that she had died as the result of her husband's suspicion about her character. Between 1838 and 1917 during the indenture period, Indians lived in poor sanitary conditions. They had to do everything as expected of them. Indian women were not allowed maternity benefits during pregnancy. Women worked carrying their babies in the field until they could leave their babies home under the care of an older child (Janet A. Naidu). The position of the Indian woman in the Caribbean has perceptibly changed now. But the change can hardly be expected to be on the lines of a person living in a free country. It is over ninety years now since the indenture discontinued in 1917. However, social and cultural knots continue to fetter the Indian woman living in the Caribbean. There were few Brahmins in the Caribbe... However, social and cultural knots continue to fetter the Indian woman living in the Caribbean. There were few Brahmins in the Caribbean during the indenture period. They were sought for on religious and auspicious occasions. Indians mostly comprised the agricultural caste or low caste. Since the number of Indian women was few, it became difficult for the Brahmins to seek girls from higher castes making them vulnerable to marry girls from the lower echelons. Transformation of gender relations The Indian women living in the Caribbean can now thank their stars that they did not see the persecutions of their counterparts early in the 20th century or during the greater period of the 19th century. I deliberately use the term 'persecution' because that is what she must have felt in an alien land. The male female ratio did not cross the halfway mark in favor of the male since the time the first Indian landed in the Caribbean. The best that happened was 50 females for every 100 males at that time. This was in 1860. The figure slipped back to 41 females for every 100 males in 1890. The Indian male fared no better with his British master because the working and attitudinal conditions forced on them by the colonizers were slavery and demeaning. The Indians came to work on a 5-year contract as 'indentured laborers'. Up to 1862, they were provided with free travel back home after the completion of the 5-year period. From 1862, they had to pay their own way to the Caribbean or else work 10-years to get a free trip back home (Janet A. Naidu). The Indians contributed significantly to the economy of the Caribbean. Their population although as minority was quite significant. However, they did not enjoy commensurate representation in

Define both faith and reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Define both faith and reason - Essay Example Reasoning is the name of explanation with justification. Justification in turn is drawn from universally acknowledged facts and beliefs. Almost always, there is no ultimate reason that can be raised in support of a particular faith. Many reasons can be offered to justify a faith, and there acknowledgement varies from individual to individual depending upon the individual’s way of thinking and perception of the world. Relationship between faith and reason: There is a very strong relationship between reason and faith. Reason is the fundamental element that supports faith but it can never take its place. It is not possible for faith to exist without any reason, though faith can and does exist quite frequently without the existence of a profound knowledge or reasoning in its support. It is important to note that reason and faith are never antithetical. Reason and faith are never opposite. They are also never mutually exclusive and are hence, inseparable from each other (Albl 1). T herefore, it is quite normal and rational to find reason for having faith. Description of faith: â€Å"Biblical faith is having the belief and assurance from God in something that is unseen and/or not yet realized which has some probability of being correct, where the probability is determined using the brain and the intellect as guided by God† (angelfire.com).

Questions on Global Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions on Global Issues - Essay Example egitimacy as a source of national identity, will open doors for other mediums such as religion and culture to fill the void for nationalism and further threaten the state. This struggle is reminiscent of what Samuel Huntington wrote in his book The Clash of Civilization, he notes that in the post-Cold War era, wars and conflicts will be fought not because of economic or ideological reasons, but because of cultural phenomenon brought about by clashes among civilizations. He argues that Western instruments of modernity will create conflicts with the non-Western world due to the isolation and aggression that it will create. With globalization bringing nations and cultures together, non-Western cultures may feel isolated and threatened. In order to protect themselves, and with no apparent formal channel to do so under the nation-state, religion –being inextricably linked and identified with culture, becomes a crucial refuge and a powerful tool to fight back. However, due to the changes in today’s world – deeper integration between nations and economies, rapid developments in communications and technology (including instruments of war), blurring of national borders, and a growing animosity towards the Western world due to the spread of information among different nations and cultures; conflict, including those propelled by religious beliefs, have taken a new and more complicated face. Religious warfare, unlike the traditional conduct of war, has become more complicated to address because, as Mark Juergensmeyer notes, religious struggle (1) gives the moral authority for extremists to embark on â€Å"catastrophic acts with biblical proportions,† (2) takes generations to succeed, and (3) provide both a personal and symbolic redemption for its perpetrators. By elevating their struggles to a cosmic war, religious extremists not only elevate their fight to be one of good against evil, they also impact public consciousness, bringing awareness, and at times sympathy, to

Distinctive Human Resource Are What Firms Need Essay Example for Free

Distinctive Human Resource Are What Firms Need Essay Introduction Benchmarking is a crucial management tool that guides the stakeholders on the overall performance of the organization as well as mobilizing the employees on a continuous improvement of the organisation’s environmental and social performance. Bench marking is considered to have an impact when the results of the organization performance are immediate (Vorhies and Morgan, 2005). It is essential to recognize that benchmarking and the transfer of the best industry practices are supposed to help an organization in the long run through maximum utilization of the available resources and filling in the gaps associated with an organization poor performance (Drew, 1995). The notion of a single best practice may be overstated. Distinctive human resource practices help to create unique competencies that differentiate products and services and drive competitiveness in organizations. People management practices are the drivers of efforts to create distinctive competencies and, in turn, business strategies. There are various human resource management models that have been used by companies to benchmark and stay competitive in the turbulent business environment and they include the Industrial Organization Model and McKenzie’s 7s Strategy which include shared values, structure, strategy, systems, style, staff and skills. Shared Values Shared values are commonly held beliefs, mindsets, and assumptions that shape how an organization behaves and its corporate culture. Shared values are what engender trust. They are an interconnecting centre of the 7Ss model. Values are the identity by which a company is known throughout its business areas, what the organization stands for and what it believes in, it central beliefs and attitudes. These values must be explicitly stated as both corporate objectives and individual values. Structure Structure is the organizational chart and associated information that shows who reports to whom and how tasks are both divided up and integrated. In other words, structures describe the hierarchy of authority and accountability in an organization, the way the organizations units relate to each other: centralized, functional divisions (top-down); decentralized (the trend in larger organizations); matrix, network, holding among others. These relationships are frequently diagrammed in organizational charts. Most organizations use some mix of structures: pyramidal, matrix or networked ones to accomplish their goals. Strategy Strategies are plans an organization formulates to reach identified goals, and a set of decisions and actions aimed at gaining a sustainable advantage over the competition. Systems Systems define the flow of activities involved in the daily operation of business, including its core processes and its support systems. They refer to the procedures, processes and routines that are used to manage the organization and characterize how important work is to be done. Style Style refers to the cultural style of the organization, how key managers behave in achieving the organization’s goals, how managers collectively spend their time and attention, and how they use symbolic behaviour. How management acts is more important that what management says. Staff Staff refers to the number and types of personnel within the organization and how companies develop employees and shape basic values. Skills Skills refer to the dominant distinctive capabilities and competencies of the personnel or of the organization as a whole. Industrial Organization (I/O) Model The external environment is primary determinant of the organizational strategy rather than internal decisions of managers. The environment presents threats and opportunities all competing to have equal access to resources. Resources are highly mobile between firms. Organizational success is achieved by offering goods and services at lower costs than competitors. Professional sports 49ers †¢ The 49ers have succeeded by using a strategy of long-term player development by recruiting through college drafts rather than trades. This helps the team cement loyalty to the club by the players. Raiders †¢ The Raiders scoop up talented players who fail or do not fit in elsewhere. The club reinforces its strategy through autocracy where the members are not supposed to participate in decision making. The system of the club embraces outside recruit of experienced players. Retailing: Sales as the Service Sears †¢ The Sears selection system requires extensive training. The style keeps track of employee attitude and morale through employee surveys, pay programs to match other retail business through industrial organization model. Nordstrom †¢ The Nordstrom structure of hiring is decentralized and uses no formal selection tests. There are continuous stream of programs to motivate employees with very little attention paid to the staffs in terms of training and commissions when retailing. †¢ The link between employees and product market strategy is sometimes less direct in services, but there are still relationships between the way employees are managed, the competencies employees help produce, and the way companies compete. Professional Service Firms; Information and Advice as the Product Boston Consulting Group (BCG) †¢ The style of BCG is to hire the best undergraduate and MBA students to work for them. †¢ The firm’s system requires rigorous selection procedures and through industrial organization Model provides exceptional compensation to the employees as compared to other organizations. †¢ The firm develops its staff through formal training. †¢ BCG shared value approach expects each team to come up with innovative ways to reinforce its entrepreneurial culture. McKinsey †¢ The professional firm develops its distinctive capabilities through on-campus recruiting and employee skills and development through extensive training model. †¢ The firm’s strategy lies in providing clients with consistent services. The core competency is also consistent with the products and the techniques of the company. Business Schools Harvard Business †¢ The business school staff development represents internal skills development. The school hires employees and turns them into experts. †¢ The business school invests a lot on employee development through the staff model. Wharton School †¢ The school recruitment strategy model relies on external environment to recruit its employees from a network of academicians. †¢ The system model that is used to make the institution maintain a competitive edge in the market is by hiring employees with superior technical skills and by making use of its outside market. Financial Services Chubb †¢ The insurance firm success is based on its shared value model of becoming the insurance of choice. †¢ The firm makes substantial staff investment through its recruitment, intensive training and testing before hiring. American International Group (AIG) †¢ The success of the insurance firm is through its industrial orientation strategy model where the company identifies new areas of business, creates new products, and benefits from the first mover advantage as a result of exploiting the market. †¢ The company’s competencies are its ability to respond to the turbulent business environment. †¢ The company hires from its competitors and invests less on staff development. The Shipping Business FedEx †¢ The shipping business has a strategy model of empowering its employees in the implementation of its vision. †¢ First service company to win the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award †¢ Intensive orientation program for staff development. †¢ One hub at FedEx meant that there were fewer coordination problems, allowing for autonomy and participation through it structural model. †¢ This model highly enhances loyalty in employees. UPS †¢ The orientation of the company structure model takes an autocratic approach where the employees have no direct say over work organization matters. †¢ Company standards for each task through its shared value model. †¢ Pays the highest wages and benefits in the industry (Industrial Organization Model). †¢ Productivity of UPS’s drivers is about three times higher than that at FedEx due to its high compensation. †¢ UPS’s business demands a level of coordination that is incompatible with individual employee involvement and a â€Å"high commitment† approach through it structural model. Food and Beverages Coke †¢ Coke builds on employee skills and hangs on them through staff development model. †¢ Coke hires college graduates with little or corporate experience and provides intensive training. †¢ There is promotion and seniority based salary incentives. †¢ Decision making is centralized Pepsi †¢ The company relies on employees’ innovativeness to identify market niches †¢ Pepsi hires employees with experience and advanced technical skills through industrial organization model. †¢ Decision making is decentralized. †¢ Employees have little job security. †¢ Less loyal employees. References Drew, S. A. W. (1995). Strategic Benchmarking: Innovation Practices in Financial Institutions. International Journal of Bank Marketing 13 (1),4-16. Vorhies, D. W., Morgan, N. A. (2005). Benchmarking Marketing Capabilities for Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Journal of Marketing 69 (January Issue), 80–94.

Business Plan Of Slice Bakery Management Essay

Business Plan Of Slice Bakery Management Essay Introduction Slice Bakery and Juices is a start up juice and bakery retail establishment located in down town Nairobi. Slice bakers expects to catch the interest of a regular loyal customer base with its wide variety of fresh juices and freshly baked cakes and bread. Slice Bakery and Juices plans to construct a strong market position in the city due to the partners industry experience in the area. The establishment aims to offer its services and products at a reasonably competitive price to meet the demand of the middle and high area residents and tourists. The Company Slice Bakery and Juices is incorporated in the city of Nairobi. It is equally owned and managed by its three partners. Mr. David Williams has extensive experience in marketing, sales and management and was the vice chairman of Eveready Batteries and Harper foods. Mr. Arnold Mwangi is experienced in finance and administration and was previously the chief financial officer with both Luigis Cafà © and Willy Pastries. Mrs. Felicia Wanjiku is a well respected pastry chef with vast knowledge and experience in the field, she formerly worked at Lagoon beach resort in the Kenyan coast as the head pastry chef. The organization intends to hire 2 full time pastry cooks and four part time baristas to serve customers and perform the day to day operations. Products and Services Slice Bakery and Juices offers a vast range of freshly made fruit and vegetable juice varieties that are brought into the city from various parts of the continent. The company caters to all of its customers by serving each of them a carefully made drink that is specifically tailored to the customers order. The bakery side of the company provides a wide array of freshly prepared bread and cake varieties at all times during business hours. Ten to twelve moderately sized batches of assorted bread and cakes are prepared during the day to assure the availability of freshly baked products at all times. The Market The Fresh juice industry in Nairobi has recently experienced very fast growth. The worm equatorial temperature in Nairobi stimulates the regular consumption of cool drinks. Slice Bakery and Juices wants to establish a large regular customer base and it will achieve this by concentrating its marketing and business on local residents, which will be the organizations target market. This will create a healthy, stable revenue base that will ensure the stability of Slice Bakery. In addition tourists are expected to comprise aproximately25% of the total revenue collected. Good visibility and competitive products and services are crucial in order to capture this segment of the market. Financial Considerations Slice Bakery and Juices is expected to raise $90,000 of its own capital and to borrow $110,000 guaranteed by the National Bank of Kenya s a ten year loan. The company anticipates sales of around $485,000 in the first year, $570,000 in the second year and $660,000 in the third year. The organization should break even by the fourth month of business as it steadily increases its revenue. Profits for this period are anticipated to be approximately $12,000 in year one, $31,000 by year two and $48,000 by year three. Slice bakers does not expect cash flow problems Mission Slice Bakery and Juices aims to offer high quality fresh juice and pastry products at a reasonable price to meet the demand of middle and high income area residents and tourists. Keys to Success The following are needed to make Slice Bakers and Juices a success: Provide the highest possible quality product with excellent customer services. Competitive pricing. COMPANY SUMMARY Slice Bakery and Juices is a bakery and juice shop managed by three partners. These partners represent sales management and financeadministration food and beverage. The partners will provide capital from their own savings which will cover up the start up expenses and also provide a safety net for the first few months of business. A ten year small business administration loan will cover the remaining costs. Slice Bakery and Juices plans to build a small market position within the city due to the mild competition in the business area of Nairobi. Company Ownership Slice Bakery and Juices is incorporated in the city of Nairobi. It is equally owned by its three partners. Start Up Summary Slice Bakery and Juices financing will come from the partners capital and the ten year loan from the National Bank of Kenya. The following diagram and table below illustrate the organizations projected initial start up costs. Start-Up Requirements Start up expenses: Legal- $2,000 Premise Renovation- $25,000 Expensed equipment- $37,000 Other- $1,000 Total start-up expenses- $65,000 Start-Up Assets Cash Required- $63,000 Other current assets- $10,000 Long term assets-$65,000 Total assets- $138,000 Total Requirements- $208,000 Funding Start up expenses- $65,000 Start-Up Assets $138,000 Total funding needed- $208,000 Assets Non-cash assets from start-up- $65,000 Cash requirements from start-up- $73,000 Total assets- $138,000 Liabilities and capital liabilities Current borrowing- $0 Long tem liabilities $110,000 Accounts payable- $900 Other current liabilities- $0 Total liabilities- $110,900 Capital Planned investment Mr. David Williams- 30,300 Mr. Arnold Mwangi- 30,300 Mrs. Felicia Wanjiku- 30,300 Other- $0 Additional required investment- $0 Total Planned investment- $90,900 Loss at start up (start-up expenses) $65,000 Total capital- $25,900 Total capital and liabilities- $135,900 Total funding- $208,000 PRODUCTS Slice Bakery and Juices offers a vast range of juices all from a good quality farms in Africa. The organization caters for its customers by providing them with juice made to suite their individual needs. The bakery provides freshly made pastries and baked products at all times during business hours. Ten to twelve moderately sized batches of various breads and cakes are prepared during the day to assure the availability of freshly baked products at all times. MARKET ANALYSIS SUMMARY Slice Bakery and Juices main focus is on meeting the growing demand of a regular local resident customer demographic, as well as a number of visiting tourists that pass through the area. Market Segmentation Slice Bakery and Juices focuses on the upper and middle income markets, this particular market segment consumes the majority of baked and pastry products. Local Residents Slice Bakery and Juices wants to establish a large regular customer base. This will establish reliable and consistent revenue to ensure stability of the establishment. Tourists Tourists are expected to comprise aproximately25% of the total revenue collected. Good visibility and competitive quality products and services are crucial in order to capture this market segment. Market Analysis The previous chart and table outline the total market potential of the above customer segments Target Market Segment Strategy The dominant selected market for Slice Bakery and Juices is a regular flow of local residents. Personal and respectful customer service at a competitive price is the key in maintaining the local market share. Market Needs Since Nairobi has a worm climate for most of the year, cool drinks are very much in demand. Much of the days activity occurs in the morning just before 9:30am with a steady flow for the rest of the day. Service Business Analysis The Fresh juice industry in Nairobi has recently experienced very fast growth. The worm equatorial temperature in Nairobi stimulates the regular consumption of cool drinks. Juice Drinkers in the greater Nairobi city area are finicky about the quality of Juice offered at the numerous Fruit stalls across the area. Despite low competition in the current areal, Slice Bakery and Juices will be located at a place where customers can enjoy a glass of freshly made fruit/vegetable juice with freshly baked cakes in a relaxing environment. Competition and Buying Patterns Competition in the area is relatively sparse and does not nearly provide the quality of products and customer services as Slice Bakery and Juices. Local area customers are looking for a high quality product in a peaceful atmosphere. Leading competitors purchase and squeeze an array of fruits from around the world, make fruit and vegetable salads, a variety of pastries in quality packages and a line of premium packed cocktail drinks(both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). In addition to the companies sales through company operated retail shops Large chain companies vary their product mix depending on the size of each individual store and its location. Larger stores carry a wide selection of fresh juices in various sizes, flavor and types of packaging, as well as an assortment of fruits and fruit blending equipment and accessories. Smaller shops and kiosks generally sell a full line of Juice varieties, a limited selection of alcohol fruit cocktails and a few more accessories. Technologically conversant competitors make fruit juices and fruit related products conveniently available via the internet or mail order. Websites that allow online stores that allow customers to browse and purchase the companys vast array of products and service. STRATERGY AND IMPLIMENTATION SUMMERY Slice Bakery and Juices will eventually succeed by offering consumers high quality juices, bread and pastries with personal service at a reasonable and competitive price. Competitive Edge Slice Bakery and Juices is the relatively low level of competition in the city area targeting this particular demographic. Sales Strategy As the graphs below show, Slice Bakery and Juices expects sales of about $485,000 in the first year, $570,000 in the second year and $660,000 in the third year. C:Documents and SettingsChifMy DocumentswORK_ONLINE2a22e7554c0a4224b23f7935f16cfd66.png C:Documents and SettingsChifMy DocumentswORK_ONLINEgraph.png Sales Forecast Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Unit Sales Juices 135,000 148,500 163,350 Pastry Items 86,000 94,600 104,060 Other 0 0 0 Total Unit Sales 221,000 243,100 267,410 Unit Prices Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Juices $3.00 $3.15 $3.31 Pastry Items $1.00 $1.05 $1.10 Other $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Sales Juices $405,000 $467,775 $540,280 Pastry Items $86,000 $99,330 $114,726 Other $0 $0 $0 Total Sales $491,000 $567,105 $655,006 Direct Unit Costs Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Juices $0.25 $0.26 $0.28 Pastry Items $0.50 $0.53 $0.55 Other $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Direct Cost of Sales Juices $33,750 $38,981 $45,023 Pastry Items $43,000 $49,665 $57,363 Other $0 $0 $0 Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales $76,750 $88,646 $102,386 Management Summary Mr. David Williams has extensive experience in marketing, sales and management and was the vice chairman of Eveready Batteries and Harper foods. Mr. Arnold Mwangi is experienced in finance and administration and was previously the chief financial officer with both Luigis Cafà © and Willy Pastries. Mrs. Felicia Wanjiku is a well respected pastry chef with vast knowledge and experience in the field, she formerly worked at Lagoon beach resort in the Kenyan coast as the head pastry chef. Personnel Plan As the personnel plan illustrates,  Slice Bakery and Juices expects to make significant investments in sales, sales support, and product development personnel. Managers $100,000 $105,000 $110,250 Pastry Bakers $40,800 $42,840 $44,982 Baristas $120,000 $126,000 $132,300 Other $0 $0 $0 Total People 10 10 10 Total Payroll $260,800 $273,840 $287,532 Financial Plan Slice Bakery and Juices expects to raise $90,900  of its own capital, and to borrow $110,000 guaranteed by  the National Bank of Kenya as a ten-year loan.  This provides the bulk of the current financing required. Break-even Analysis Slice Bakery and Juices Break-even Analysis is based on the basic average of the first-year  figures for total sales by units, and by operating costs. These are presented as per-unit revenue, per-unit price, and fixed costs.  These conservative assumptions make room for a more accurate estimate of real risk. Slice Bakery and Juices should break even by the  fourth month of its operation as it slowly  increases its sales. http://www.bplans.com/bakery_business_plan/images/73ebe304715e411d80d3e39ff995c767.png Break-even Analysis Monthly Units Break-even 17,255 Monthly Revenue Break-even $38,336 Assumptions: Average Per-Unit Revenue $2.22 Average Per-Unit Variable Cost $0.35 Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost $32,343 Projected Profit and Loss As the Profit and Loss table shows,  Slice Bakery and Juices expects to continue its  steady rise in  profitability over the next three years of business. Pro Forma Profit and Loss Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Sales $491,000 $567,105 $655,006 Direct Cost of Sales $76,750 $88,646 $102,386 Other $0 $0 $0 Total Cost of Sales $76,750 $88,646 $102,386 Gross Margin $414,250 $478,459 $552,620 Gross Margin % 84.37% 84.37% 84.37% Expenses Payroll $260,800 $273,840 $287,532 Sales and Marketing and Other Expenses $27,000 $35,200 $71,460 Depreciation $60,000 $69,000 $79,350 Utilities $1,200 $1,260 $1,323 Payroll Taxes $39,120 $41,076 $43,130 Other $0 $0 $0 Total Operating Expenses $388,120 $420,376 $482,795 Profit Before Interest and Taxes $26,130 $58,083 $69,825 EBITDA $86,130 $127,083 $149,175 Interest Expense $10,000 $9,500 $8,250 Taxes Incurred $3,111 $12,146 $15,650 Net Profit $13,019 $36,437 $45,925 Net Profit/Sales 2.65% 6.43% 7.01%

The Rise of Universal Liberal Values? Essays -- Essays Papers

The Rise of Universal Liberal Values? Democracy is one thing, and constitutional liberalism quite another. In the inexorable march of modernity, Fareed Zakaria argues in The Rise of Illiberal Democracy, the message of constitutional liberalism has gotten lost in the clamor for democracy. This is problematic because, without a strong foundation of pluralism and constitutional liberalism, the apparatus of democracy can easily be hijacked by forces that hardly espouse the liberal values that have, in the Western mind, become transparently conflated with democracy. The fact that liberal constitutional democracy has become the unmarked case for Western pundits serves and most likely will continue to serve, Zakaria points out, as a legitimizing shroud around illiberal democracies' practices. What is problematic is Zakaria's notion of legitimacy: who are we to say whether, to the extent that we find an illiberal democratic regime's actions questionable or worse, that regime is illegitimate? Such pronouncements not only fly in t he face of the democratic orthodoxy, but also dangerously destabilize the props of national sovereignty that comprise the underpinning of the current international system. Democracy, broadly defined, is a mechanism of governance, the participation of a people in the selection of its rulers. Constitutional liberalism, on the other hand, as sketched by thinkers from the Enlightenment onward, is a philosophy of governance, granting the governed a set of inalienable personal freedoms, in addition to ensuring the rule of law and the separation of powers (132). These are quite clearly not the same thing, although they have been bedfellows for some time in the governments of western Europe and North America. Zakari... ...notions of basic liberal rights and freedoms upon other cultures that do not, by necessity, share them all. He takes the almost-insulting stance that people that choose an illiberal government do not know what is good for them, when they may in fact have quite tenable reasons to do so. To further suggest that America and company aim to spread these uniquely Western concepts is further problematic in that to do so could destabilize these countries, or even turn them against the West, surely not a desirable outcome. It is important to recognize that culture plays an important role in the choices people make, including their choice of government. And just as some cultures find nothing wrong with eating termites or belching in public, so too are they entitled to find no problem with illiberality to an extent. As long as they choose it voluntarily, it is their own choice.

Ieoh Ming Pei Essay -- People Pei Biography Papers

Ieoh Ming Pei Ieoh Ming Pei is a brilliant, Chinese-American architect. He combines learned skill with his gift of knowing what works both functionally and aesthetically. Early Life He was born in Canton, China, on April 26, 1917. Art and commerce were both ingrained in Pei's upbringing. His family had lived for more than 600 years in Suzhou (formerly Soochow), a city in the Yangtze basin northwest of Shanghai. The history of Suzhou goes back some 2,500 years,, but it became prominent during the Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581-618) with the completion of the Grand Canal, which linked several major trading cities. Suzhou was an important city in the rice and silk trades. It was also known for its many craftsmen, scholars, and artists. People considered the city so wonderful that there was a saying about it and its neighboring city: "In heaven there is paradise; on earth, Suzhou." Around the time of his birth, fighting among local warlords made life dangerous in Canton. The political turbulence that Pei witnessed seems parallel to Einstein’s experience with political turbulence in Germany, and Ghandi’s experience with India under British rule and the loss of Hindu identity that came with the ruling of a different culture. In 1918, the bank told Tsuyee (I. M.’s father) to move with his family to the safety of Hong Kong, which was then governed by Great Britain. Sometimes on that long journey Ieoh Ming’s nurse, or "amah," carried him on her back. The Pei family lived in Hong Kong for nine years. During that time, three more children were born: I.M.'s sister, Wei, and his two brothers, Kwun and Chung. In 1927, I.M.'s father was made manager of the bank's main office in Shanghai, and the family returned to C... ... Science Center, at Boston, Massachusetts References: Dell, Pamela. I.M. Pei Designer of Dreams. Chicago: Childrens Press Inc, 1993. "I. M. Pei" Grolier’s Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996. Wiseman, Carter. I. M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1990. http://www.greatbuildings.com/gbc/architects/I._M._Pei.html http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/im_pei.htm http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/page4.html http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/Masa2.gif http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/Johnson2.jpg http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/NGArt2.jpg http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/Dallas1.jpg http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/BankChina4.jpg http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/Louvre1.jpg http://www.mit.edu/people/bei/www/Pei/Rockhall2.jpg