The Islam Controversy Essay Example for Free

The Islam Controversy Essay In the recent years, Islam has been closely associated with terrorist and violent actions, as well as lack of respect for women and their rights. There have been numerous ideas and beliefs about the Muslim faith and culture that are misconceived and misplaced. It is said the Muslims conquered everything by sword and fire- an idea that has built a belief that the Islamic faith and culture is rooted in terrorism and violence. On the other hand, there exist the true and ideal traits of the Islamic faith. These aspects are little known to most of the non-Muslim people; and the few who know them are more like brainwashed by the stereotypes about this culture and faith. Therefore, there is need to take a look at the things that have made Islam receive the perception it has today, and at the same time compare them with the ideal beliefs and pillars of the Muslim faith and culture. Having in mind that the population of Muslims has increased considerably with the past few years, it is vital to harmonize the perceptions non-Muslims have about Muslims with the true aspects of the Islamic faith. This can only be done by getting ample knowledge on both sides of the coin and getting real about them. It is a fact that Islam is a religion and culture characterized by unending controversy. The Muslim society on the other hand has come into light clarifying and justifying its stand in regard to the perceptions and stereotypes directed towards it.

The Issue Of The Tattooed Soldier Novel Film Studies Essay

The Issue Of The Tattooed Soldier Novel Film Studies Essay He also brings out the theme of manipulation of humankind, which is observed in the course of the narrative. Tobar also puts forth the argument that manipulation of masses carried out by the guerrillas result in individuals leading a destructive life in future (Tobar 14). This argument is supported through the development of the protagonist Longoria, as will be observed in the analysis. ANALYSIS Brief Analysis of the Novel The story of the Tattooed Soldier begins as a love story and incorporates painful and passionate narrative of the lives of two protagonists, Guillermo Longoria and Antonio Bernal (Tobar 15). In this novel, the author, Hector Tobar tries to bring out different themes as concerns the story of these two but the main theme that he uses and brings to light is that of manipulation. Manipulation can be defined as that behavior used by an individuals to get what they want without paying attention to other individuals feelings while getting it (Tobar 25). It can also be defined as utilizing and understanding any means necessary in acquiring what one wants or desires to have (Ibid 26). The Tattooed Soldier is a novel having the theme of emotional manipulation, whereby one of the protagonists, Longoria, experiences it as part of his recruitment in the guerrilla army. Tobar also investigates the consequences as well as influences of this type of manipulation through the protagonists, revealing the nature of how each character develops in the course of the narrative (Tobar 35). The Tattooed Soldier explores emotional manipulation by concentrating on the happenings of the Guatemalan Civil War together with the Los Angeles riots which took place in 1993 (Ibid 36). It is not always easy to recognize manipulation or when one is being manipulated as is seen with Longorias character. Once a peasant, he was recruited into the guerrilla army as a teenager, with the promise of paradise full of easy credit, free seed and free land (Tobar 41). This was the ideology given during training sessions meant for Guatemalan officers based at the U. S. Army base. Emotional manipulation is also witnessed with Antonio, who being a Guatemalan citizen, lives in fear of his life from the guerrilla army personnel. The guerrillas had mastered the art of manipulation by making the people live in pure terror; they exhibited this through bombings, kidnapping the rich and killing suspected informers (Tobar 47). Because of this fear and manipulation by the government, Antonio was forced to flee from his native land upon discovering that him and his family had been suspected of being informers and were being hunted down. Manipulation comes in many forms for instance, through aggressive demands or expectations, neglect, punishment, insults or causing terror to the intended victim (Tobar 58). There are also consequences as a result of being manipulated as indicated by the author through his protagonists. It attacks the very being of an individual leaving them untrusting, unworthy as well as emotionally needy (Ibid 61). This can be seen in Antonio more than in Longoria as he tries to survive in the streets of Los Angeles where he has become a refuge. Antonio feels untrusting and develops an overwhelming emotional need to take vengeance for the murder of his family (Tobar 66). He also feels manipulated by his government in that instead of protecting its citizens during the Civil War as it said it would, the government turns its back on them and instead hunts anyone suspected of being an informer (Tobar 73). According to Tobar as he indicates in this novel, manipulation also causes individuals to change inwardly and not for the best. As is with Antonios case who was once a naà ¯ve and peace-loving individual, his characteristic changed to that of being a vengeful, ruthless man who wanted nothing but justice, however possible, for what had been done to him (Tobar 86). An Overview of the Theme The Tattooed Soldier is a novel about love, war and poverty, all brought out in the course of the narrative. However, the main theme portrayed by Tobar is that of manipulation of mankind. During the training of the Guatemalan army members at the United States Army base, ideologies were offered to these peasants who were soon-to-be soldiers of the Guatemalan army (Tobar 112). These individuals were promised a paradise of easy credit, free land and free seed and by this; the peasants were connected to the guerrillas, keeping the Communist movement intact. Guatemalan army took advantage of innocent citizen by creating fear and terror within them. For instance, they would kidnap rich individuals, murder anyone suspected of being an informer and bombed cafes (Ibid 117). As a result, the lives of the Guatemalan citizens are left destroyed with their emotions, thoughts and feelings inclining towards the negative attitude as concerns the US government and the Guatemalan Army. In addition, Hector Tobar investigates the consequences because of the Guatemalan citizens being manipulated by the guerrillas through his protagonists. Antonio is set on finding justice and revenge due to the murder of his wife and son and his quest for this is set against the Los Angeles chaotic riots, which were also taking place (Tobar 124). Los Angeles is portrayed as a city full of gang members and participation in disorderly conducts where poverty reigns. The conflicts and riots, which arise during this time, are as a result of Guatemalan refugees and citizens feeling manipulated and taken advantage of by the United States government (Ibid 126). It this novel was merely about a screed against the American imperialism, it would easily have been forgotten. But instead, it brings to light the evil that mankind has to undergo in the name of finding justice and survival (Tobar 131). The theme of manipulation of mankind has been observed in a number of instances within the narrative. For instance, being a poetic naà ¯ve individual, Antonio falls in love Elena, who is a fellow university student but is forced to flee their Guatemalan homeland as a result of becoming targets of the government (Ibid 137). As stated earlier on, the government guerillas engaged in kidnapping and murdering suspected informers and Antonio together with his family became one of these suspects. Manipulation is brought out in this instance in that the reader is made to observe the fact that Guatemalan citizens lived in total terror and fear and were aware that they did not possess any freedom of movement or speech (Tobar 140). They lived in fear of being killed at any particular time. Antonio and his family become suspected of being student agitators. Another side to the theme that is portrayed in the novel is that of unemployment. During this particular setting, Los Angeles was apparently divided into two classes, that is, the high class and the low class (Tobar 141). Those of the high class status would find employment with ease and lead comfortable lives while those of the lower class status would bounce from one menial job to the next, as was in the case of Antonio (Ibid 143). After fleeing to Los Angeles, Antonio became schizophrenic, homeless and lived amongst junkies who used to steal food for him. On the other hand, when Longoria came to Los Angeles, life for him was apparently easier as compared to Antonios. This can be attributed to the fact that he was one of the members of the elite units within the Guatemalan army, therefore enabling him to have special privileges (Tobar 157). This fact angers Antonio who makes the observation that Longoria is able to move freely within the United States without much obstruction. Additional theme to the narrative by the author The author of The Tattooed Soldier is also arguing about racial discrimination though this is a minor theme as compared to that of manipulation of mankind. The chaotic riots taking place in Los Angeles during the time that Antonio was stalking and plotting against Longoria were because of the Rodney King trial. Rodney King was an African-American individual who was a victim of police brutality by LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) in 1991 (Tobar 163). The problem began when Rodneys car was spotted speeding beyond the Californian speed limit on their way from a friends house in Los Angeles, where they had spent the night drinking and watching a baseball game (Ibid 164 ). His car was flagged down by traffic police and once they ordered him out of the car, the four police officers pounced on him with batons, beating him repeatedly while he was on the ground. While LAPD suggested that these officers were acting in self-defense as a way of restraining Rodney, the rest of the African-Ame rican society perceived it to be a racial discrimination act of violence (Tobar 167). As a result, Rodney suffered internal injuries and a fractured skull. In the course of the investigation, another trial took place involving a Korean American who was to be sentenced because of shooting dead a young African-American woman (Tobar 174). The individual was handed a lenient sentence and this further increased racial tensions in the city of Los Angeles. In 1992, the year when the narrative involving Antonio and Longoria is set, the four officers involved in the Rodney case were cleared of any accusation of assault (Ibid 185). This was the cause of the riots during that particular time. Antonio, being a naà ¯ve, average class citizen of Guatemala was taken advantage of by the government and forced to flee his native land. Once in Los Angeles, he became a victim of racial discrimination in that he could not easily find employment or a decent place to stay due to his ethnic background (Tobar 231). This factor was further fueled by the happenings in Los Angeles as a result of the Rodney King trial. Elements of the Text supporting the Authors argument The Tattooed Soldier is a captivating novel which provokes its readers to re-think about their ideas and understanding as concerns homeless immigrants in the city of Los Angeles as well as the victimized individuals in Guatemala (Tobar 239). Antonio and Longoria are faced with the issues of class structure and ethnicity in the settings portrayed in the narrative. Military strategies, human rights violations, emotional and personal conflicts and refugee undertones are all incorporated in this powerful novel making the narrative easy to relate with (Ibid 242). Certain elements of the text support Tobars argument concerning the themes of the narrative. For instance, the setting of the narrative is during the time when a major trial involving an African-American individual and the Los Angeles Police Department was taking place (Tobar 248). At the same time, majority of Guatemalan citizens were fleeing their country due to the guerrillas kidnapping, bombing and killing them on suspicion o f being informers and instigators. Circumstances surrounding the events prompt and manipulate Antonio into desiring to take revenge and readers observe the change in his characteristic from that of being a naà ¯ve, peace loving individual to that of being a rage driven individual full of vengeance (Tobar 253). Revenge becomes the sole reason and purpose for his quest to continue living and surviving. As part of the few elements introduced to support the authors arguments as concerns the themes, the readers are introduced to another character, Frank, who happens to be a homeless African-American (Ibid 259). Frank befriends Antonio who also finds himself in the state of being homeless in the streets of Los Angeles. Together, they move from one camp to the next, and after spotting Longoria in one of the camps, Antonio requests Frank to help him get his revenge (Tobar 260). At the beginning, Frank is hesitant as to assisting him in his quest but on mentioning that Longoria can be compared to Nazi, only a modern day vers ion of one, he does not think twice. Frank is also in a position to relate with current happenings during that period since he also happens to be of a minority group, living in a city where there exists racial tension and manipulation (Ibid 263). Moreover, the setting of the narrative is of two distinct yet similar scenarios, which are intertwined by the protagonists, Antonio and Longoria. Guatemala and Los Angeles are both depicted as being peaceful to begin with but ending up in chaos as a result of civil war and racial tension caused by the Rodney King trail, respectively (Tobar 256). Being citizens of Guatemala but hailing from different backgrounds, Antonio and Longoria find themselves in the city of Los Angeles in an attempt to escape from their painful memories. Here, they are brought together under different circumstances into the same plot of the narrative and the reader observes how each of the protagonists reacts to their present situation (Tobar 254). This new environment does not change the characteristic of either of them and they do their best to adapt to their surroundings. Both Antonio and Longoria are seen to migrate from one camp to the next but the difference is that Longoria is able to enjoy certain privi leges bestowed upon him due to the nature of his rank (Ibid 265). On the other hand, Antonio is left to fend for himself and try surviving whichever way he can since he does not enjoy the same privileges. The Los Angeles riots provoke the protagonists to become more emotional and are reminded of their past memories. For instance, once the riots begin, Antonio finds an inner resolve as a result of being swept up in the emotion, pushing him to seek justice by proceeding to kill Longoria (Tobar 270). Longoria also finds himself in an emotional turmoil after being confronted by Guatemalan refugees who recognized him for who he is and demanded answers to his actions while living in Guatemala. The general setting of the story is in the years 1991 and 1992 when Guatemalan civil war and the Los Angeles riots took place (Ibid 272). The story is also set in two distinct cities, Los Angeles, being a large urban area and Guatemala, being a middle class, small area. These two cities however, share a similar scenario in that they are both set during harsh economic times (Tobar 275). This has an overall impact on the protagonists who find themselves caught up in the occurrences of that particular pe riod. Even though they do not change their identity despite the environments they find themselves in, their attitudes and emotional status are greatly influenced by the surrounding circumstances (Tobar 276). The design or plot of the narrative in The Tattooed Soldier follows a pattern that enables the reader to understand the humanity of war. The narrative begins with a love story of Antonio and Elena, proceeds with her and her sons brutal execution by the guerrillas, one of whom is Longoria and ends with a street murder at the height of Rodney King riots in Los Angeles (Tobar 279). The author of The Tattooed Soldier leaves the readers greatly uncentered in that he depicts Antonio and Longoria as victims facing the same challenging situation in Los Angeles. This in turn leads the readers to setting aside their perceived hatred towards Longoria and instead makes them empathize with both protagonists (Ibid 283). CONCLUSION Hector Tobar writes the novel The Tattooed Soldier with the aim of looking at issues facing the society as a whole for instance issues related to class structure and ethnicity. Victimized individuals in Guatemala as well as homeless immigrants living in Los Angeles are brought to light and this enables the readers to put aside their differences and hatred for a moment and instead focus on experiencing mutual humanity. WORK CITED Tobar, Hector. The Tattooed Soldier. Delphinium Books. University of Texas. 1998. p. 25 307.

Greek Mythology Impact on Greece

Greek Mythology Impact on Greece Greek Mythology played a huge role in the development of Ancient Greece. Not only did it surround the basic structures of their buildings, it also surrounded the structure of their everyday lives. The way they would pray, the way they would complete everyday tasks, and the way they lived all centered around the gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology. People prayed to these gods for the same reasons we pray today: for health and safety, for prosperity, for a good harvest, for safety at sea. Mostly they prayed as communities, and through offerings and sacrifice they sought to please the inscrutable deities who they believed controlled their lives (National Geographics). The Greeks looked to Hades (God of the Underworld) whenever it came to death. The places where Hades ruled (The Unseen) was described as moldering horror where heroes and ordinary people went after they died (National Geographics). The Greeks began making afterlife kind of like a personal quest rather than a joyless fate. They wanted to complete whatever it was that was holding them there so that they could move on. Rather it be to a worse or a far better place. They had mystery cults that would provide guidance to the path each individual person needed to follow after their death. With the belief the Greeks had, multiple cults emerged claiming to help cleanse the s oul and lead them on the right path. And when Christianity swept the ancient world, it carried with it, along with guidance from a single deity, remnants of the old beliefs: the washing away of human corruption through mystic rites, the different fates awaiting the initiated and uninitiated, and the reverence for sacred texts (National Geographics). Believing that death could be good or bad for the Greeks, they sought out the ancestors favor with honors and offerings. Along with the help of their ancestors, they also believed that initiation into the right cult also played a part in their ultimate destination for afterlife. Greek Mythology does not have an actual Bible, like Christianity, instead their religion is an oral tradition that started in the Bronze age and their plots and themes unfolded gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods (History). The Greeks worshipped multiple different gods each with different personalities and domain. There were twelve principal deities in the Greek pantheon. The two most important, and best known, are Zeus (god of the sky and father of all other gods) and Hades (god of the underworld). The relationship between human beings and deities was based on the concept of exchange: gods and goddesses were expected to give gifts. Votive offerings, which have been excavated from sanctuaries by the thousands, were a physical expression of thanks on the part of individual worshippers (metmuseum). They worshipped in sanctuaries located within the countryside or the city. A sanctuary was a well-defined sacred space set apart usually by an enclosure wall. This sacred precinct, also known as a temenos, contained the temple with a monumental cult image of the deity, an outdoor altar, statues and votive offerings to the gods, and often features of landscape such as sacred trees or springs. Many temples benefited from their natural surroundings, which helped to express the character of the divinities (metmuseum). The ritual act that many Greeks preformed was animal sacrifice. They mostly sacrificed oxen, goats, and sheep. They would sacrifice the animals at alters in front of the temples. They had groups of people that would consume the remains of the animals after the sacrifices. Religious festivals, literally feast days, filled the year. The four most famous festivals, each with its own procession, athletic competitions (14.130.12), and sacrifices, were held every four years at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia. (metmuseum). Not only did religion play a huge role in Greek Mythology, so did the structures of their society. As mentioned above, they had temples set for the gods and goddesses for sacrifice purposes. Greek Architecture has influenced many cities and states to this day. One very obvious area of influence is architecture: Just look at the downtown of nearly any major city in the U.S., or many of the great cities of Europe. Ancient Greek influence is lurking within the facades of buildings as varied as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Prado Museum in Madrid, and Downing College, Cambridge University, in Cambridge, England. When we think of ancient Greek architecture, we are generally referring to temple architecture (or other public buildings, rather than residential). Ancient Greek temples featured proportional design, columns, friezes, and pediments, usually decorated with sculpture in relief. These elements give ancient Greek architecture its distinctive character (owlation). The Greeks gave their buildings all kind of similar design. They had kind of a godly look to them. Usually to appeal to the gods and goddesses that they will be praising. They used their buildings usually for religious purposes. They had sacrifices, praises, meetings, and everything else being held in their buildings. The buildings were built to perfection, as a way to provide comfort and solitude to the gods. The people only wanted to please them, because they felt the gods and goddesses saw everything and judged everything. They did not want to disappoint them. To the people, the buildings were the gods houses. They did no bad, no wrong, or even go against the gods in the buildings. Much like how Christians are in church. The church is Gods home and we give him the upmost respect in there. The Greeks did the same thing. That is why their buildings were built the way they were. To the people, the gods and goddesses controlled everything. Ultimately you were sent to the underworld after death, not hell or heaven, but the underworld. It was the place where you stayed until you finished your unfinished business. The people began viewing it as a personal quest for them. Almost like, who will stay here the longest? And who will be going to Heaven? Who will be going to hell? The Greeks involved their everyday life to the gods and goddesses. They would not do anything that did not in some shape or form involve them. They did sacrifices to please them, they lived by their codes, they built buildings that were fit for them. Greece was surrounded by Greek Mythology. Their gods were much different than the God that Christians praise. They each had their own way of life, their own power, their own thing that they ruled. There are a total of twelve of them. One was Zeus, the god of the sky and the father of all gods. Then there is Hades, the god of the underworld. Posei don, god of the sea. Hera, Zeuss wife and sister, queen of all gods. Athena, patron goddess of Athens. Apollo, god of music and prophecy. Artemis, Apollos twin sister, patroness of hunting. Hermes, messenger god. Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. Dionysos, god of wine and theater. Ares, god of war. Hephaistos, god of metalworking. The people all believed that Mount Olympus, which was the highest mountain in Greece, was where the gods and goddesses all resided. Their buildings looked to the mountain, tall enough to be seen. The people worshipped that mountain along with all the deities that they believed resided it. Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religion polytheistic. They believed that exercising the opportunity to choose between a wide array of gods to worship offered them a great sense of freedom that they treasured. After all, the Greeks were known for their intellectual distinction of which their means of worship played a huge part. Each cit y-state, or polis, thus had an affiliated god who protected and guided its residents (Histoty). The Greeks believed in all twelve gods, because not one god or goddess was equal or was god of the same thing. Allowing the Greeks to believe in multiple different people for multiple different reasons. Greeks believed in so many different gods so that they could have an array of people to praise. Giving them the sense of freedom that they loved. They were not contained to one god, and they did not have to follow the words of one religious figure. They could follow the words of multiple religious figures, and if they did not believe or agree with one there were eleven more to turn to. Greeks were a very freedom loving society. They felt that people should have a choice in what and whom they believe in. Thus, starting Greek Mythology so they could have multiple people to look up to. Sources Used http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Architecture/ https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Influence-of-Ancient-Greek-Architecture http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grlg/hd_grlg.htm http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythology http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/07/greek-gods-ancient-greece-afterlife/ Books: hhttp://www.greekmythology.com/Books/1000_mythological_characters_briefly_describedttp://www.greekmythology.com/Books/an_introduction_to_mythology/2 http://www.greekmythology.com/Books/hero_tales http://www.greekmythology.com/Books/myths_and_legends_of_ancient_greece_and_rome http://www.greekmythology.com/Books/myths_of_greece_and_rome_narrated_with_special_reference_to_literature_and_art http://www.greekmythology.com/Books/the_odyssey

lord of the rings Essay -- essays research papers

The Two Towers Main Characters- Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, the main character of the story, the bearer of the evil ring, sent to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. He is very strong, but has trouble sometimes making choices, and sometimes makes wrong ones, wields Sting the dagger of his Uncle Bilbo Baggins. Samwise Gamzee, a hobbit, Frodo’s companion on his journey to destroy the ring, he is always looking out for Frodo, to help him in any way he can, wields a dagger, sword to him. Pippin Took, a hobbit, Frodo’s constant companion until captured by the Orcs, with Merry, and finally escape, and find the Ents, and go to defeat Saruman. Merry, a hobbit, Frodo’s constant companion until captured by the Orcs, with Pippin, and finally escape, and find the Ents, and go to defeat Saruman. Gandalf the white, the wizard on the journey helps make most of the decisions until he, and Frodo are split up, then goes after Saruman to defeat him, and his tower, wields a great wizard staff. Aragorn heir to the king of Gondor, Frodo’s companion until they are split up, then goes after Pippin, and Merry to save them, and after he finds them helps Gandalf defeat Saruman, wields broken sword restored which helped defeat Sauron. Legalos, a young elf, rides with Aragorn and Gimli through the book to help with what he can, wields a bow. Gimli, a dwarf, who goes with Aragorn, and then with Gandalf, he wields an axe, and will fight to the death. Gollum- A once man corrupted by the ring, now ...

The Cruel Joke of Life Exposed in Vonneguts Cats Cradle :: Vonnegut Cats Cradle Essays

The Cruel "joke" of Life Exposed in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle Cat's Cradle is set up like a series of comic strips, with satirical commentary found in the last "panel". What, then, could we conclude is the accumulative punchline for the entire novel? What does Vonnegut give us for his "last laugh"? If we attempt to answer this question, we must first try solving the answers to "what is the joke?" and "who is the joker?" It seems Vonnegut's characters are the victims to the cruel "joke" of life. In Cat's Cradle he suggests that God is the joker. Like any good comedian, he must consider his timing and his audience. By using human beings that are always trying to understand it all in a scientific age, it becomes the perfect "set-up". His method of delivering the joke seems to be either through Religion or Science. In the novel, the more the characters try to find the meaning of life, the funnier and more absurd the joke becomes. And no one is laughing harder than Bokonon. Julian Castle quotes this poem from The Books of Bokonon after Jonah shrieks, "My God-life! Who can understand even one minute of it?" Tiger got to hunt, Bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, Bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand (150). Bokononism is a witty, satirical retort to the methods that God uses to play his joke. Bokonon and his followers understand the joke and even play along. When the final "punchline" is about to be delivered (when the ice nine is released), the Bokononists, who seem to have always anticipated an end to this prank called life, willingly eat the ice nine and kill themselves.

Pharmacogenetics

History Pharmacogenetics was first discovered in the 1950’s, however it was used to isolate how genes affected the metabolizing of drugs. When pharmacogenetics was first started, they did not have the aid of the technology we do today, so the doctors of the 1950’s discovered how genes affected drugs by testing how people of different ethnicities reacted to drugs, and they would record how one ethnicity would react to drug and what side effects they would get compared to another ethnicity, however this was first done because of curiosity or chance.Once enough data had been collected, it showed that these tests should be done for any other drug made in the drug development process, and has since then progressed through the years due to the progression of technology. Facts First pharmacogenetics trait discovered was the inability to taste the chemical phenylthiourea, and this was due to hereditary reasons. Negative drug reactions are believed to be the reason behind 100,00 0 deaths in U. S. hospitals every year. 2. 2 million more suffer from non fatal but still serious reactions to drugs each year.What is Pharmacogenetics? Pharmacogenetics is the study of how the genes of a person will affect how they react to drugs. This reaction can be positive or negative, the positive affect being the drug working, and the negative affect could be bad reactions or death. These reactions are caused by the way your genes react with the ingredients of the drug. By engaging in the study of pharmacogenetics, we have figured out why men and women react to drugs differently, and why people of different races react to drugs differently.Using this knowledge doctors have changed the ingredients and structure of the drugs so that they would have the desired affect. With advances in Pharmacogenetics, People would not have to go to the doctors over and over again because they had a negative affect to the drug, because after your doctor had examined your genes, he would be able to identify the perfect drug for you, which would less likely have severe effects. Ethical questions about PharmacogeneticsOne of the biggest problems with pharmacogenetics is that the person must be genetically screened first so that their doctor can analyze their genes and see which drug would be best for the patient. What is wrong with the genetic screening is that if the company the patient was working out found out the person was likely to die young or had a tendency to get sick, the company could end up firing the person to cut costs if the company offers health insurance to its workers.Health insurances Companies could also use the information they found out about this person to deny them coverage or raise the price of their coverage.Sources www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2752627/ http://www. actionbioscience. org/genomic/barash. html http://www. prozactruth. com/pharmagenetics. htm http://www. dartmouth. edu/~dmsheart/genetics/pharm/pharm. html http://www. ncbi. n lm. nih. gov/About/primer/pharm. html http://medical-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Pharmacogenetics www. ornl. gov/hgmis/medicine/pharma. html www. nigms. nih. gov/pharmacogenetics/

Globalization and the Good and the Bad Effect It Brings to the Economy and the Employment in Sri Lanka Essay

Introduction This assignment is done on Globalization and the good and the bad effect it brings to the economy and the employment in Sri Lanka. Main Date Source used was Wikipedia to gain the data of GDP, GDP per capita rates, unemployment rate, import & export rates etc. Defining of the terms economy, employment in the formal sector and informal sector is done to give meaning to the assignment. The economy and its structural changes and the contribution to the economy and comparison with another country is done. The country that has been taken into consideration as the comparison is Singapore. The reasons to compare with Singapore is that it has high rate of GDP per capita, GDP, export & income rates etc and it is a world leader in several economic areas. Economy & Employment in Sri Lanka An Economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labour, capital, and land resources; and the manufacturing, production, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area. A given economy is the result of a process that involves its technological evolution, history and social organization, as well as its geography, natural resource endowment, and ecology, as main factors. These factors give context, content, and set the conditions and parameters in which an economy functions. [Citation: Wikipedia] Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Employment opportunity comes directly from investment (including foreign direct investment and investment bank) to gain excessive profit in a Business plan in the capitalist economy. [Citation: Wikipedia] Economy & Employment in Formal Sector & Informal Sector The informal sector or informal economy is a part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product (GNP), unlike the formal economy. Other terms used for informal sector can include the black market, shadow economy and the underground economy. The informal economy: * Do not have any rules or agreements in written form or implied terms. * Exists simply on verbal understanding. * Do not have fixed wages, fixed number of work hours and mostly relies on daily earnings where they are unable to do savings. * Sometimes the work environment is packed and unclean or untidy. * Socialization process of this sector is very poor when it comes to addressing their difficulties to another party for relief or redress. People working as small traders, home based workers, cobblers, labourers, small farmers and three wheel drivers are some employment belongs to informal sector. The formal economy: * Has a structured system of employment with clear rules and regulations, recruitment, agreement and responsibilities of jobs. * Relationship between the Employer and employee is through formal contract where each party is bound by the law of the country for any disputes arising. * Employees are required to work for fixed number of hours and receives fixed remuneration with additions to other perks. * Work environment is hygienic and decent. * Entitled to obtain leave, savings, loans etc. * Organized association or union is available to address grievances. * Covered by social protection such as insurance schemes, pension systems, gratuity etc. People working in the public sector, semi-government sector, private sector, government services, banks, universities, colleges, institutes etc belong to the formal sector. Sri Lanka consists of 65,610km2 total land area with a population of 20 million with three ethnic groups of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim. Sri Lanka has 92.5% literacy rate among the total population where youth literacy is 98% and computer literacy rate at 35%. The free education system was established in 1945 providing opportunities from primary to territory stage education. The public universities in Sri Lanka are 15. However, due to the gap in the demand and the supply of labour, new private institutions have immerged affiliation with other developed countries. As a result of globalization, students who are unable to enter into public universities get the opportunity to go to other countries on student visa with work permits to earn an extra income during studies. Due to government changes the education system is highly influenced and results in poor structuring leading student to migrate for higher education, sending local funds to another country influencing the economy and increasing the government deficit. After the independence (1948) the economy structures started to change with a nominal growth but once again due to the riots in 1983 and effects of war, growth came to diminish. In 2009 the war ended creating once again a rapid growth as the fastest growing economies. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) output is US$ 59.17 billion in 2011. GDP Per Capita PPP is US$ 1,402 in 2011. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/sri-lanka/indicators Sri Lanka – National Statistics | MARKETS| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | CURRENCY| 126.75| 127.55| 109.46| | | | Mar/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | STOCK MARKET| 5680.02| 5635.90| 6010.25| | | Index points| Mar/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | GDP PER CAPITA| 1402.12| 1295.75| 602.64| | | USD| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP PER CAPITA PPP| 5619.92| 5106.34| 2393.29| | | USD| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP| 59.17| 49.55| 11.40| | | USD Billion| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP GROWTH RATE| 4.80| 6.40| 6.44| | | Percent| Sep/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP ANNUAL GROWTH RATE| 4.80| 6.40| 6.44| | | Percent| Sep/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT| 6470617.00| 5534327.00| 840878.18| | | LKR Million| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | LABOUR| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | POPULATION| 20.87| 20.45| 15.75| | | Million| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE| 4.10| 3.90| 6.01| | | Percent| Sep/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EMPLOYED PERSONS| 7430.00| 7236.00| 6294.82| | | Thousand Persons| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | UNEMPLOYED PERSONS| 308.00| 375.00| 614.00| | | Thousand Persons| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | WAGES| 68.30| 68.30| 80.41| | | Index Points| Nov/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | PRICES| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | INFLATION RATE| 9.80| 9.80| 10.57| | | Percent| Feb/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI)| 170.70| 170.00| 61.98| | | Index Points| Feb/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EXPORT PRICES| 118.70| 107.70| 80.01| | | Index Points| Aug/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP DEFLATOR| 228.46| 211.83| 168.50| | | Index Points| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | IMPORT PRICES| 133.40| 117.60| 74.03| | | Index Points| Aug/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | PRODUCER PRICES| 220.21| 216.55| 56.12| | | Index Points| Feb/2011| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | INTEREST RATE| 7.50| 7.50| 8.42| | | Percent| Mar/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES| 874510.80| 845353.30| 141026.03| | | LKR Million| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | INTERBANK RATE| 11.41| 11.35| 11.52| | | Percent| Aug/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M0| 303095.00| 297324.00| 50021.34| | | LKR Million| Jul/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M1| 450049.00| 430000.00| 118099.84| | | LKR Million| Dec/2012| MONTHLY| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M2| 2593185.00| 2529800.00| 478073.30| | | LKR Million| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | TRADE| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | CURRENT ACCOUNT TO GDP| -7.80| -2.20| -5.94| | | Percent| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BALANCE OF TRADE| -641.20| -992.90| -972.09| | | USD Million| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CURRENT ACCOUNT| -126325.90| -189897.00| -33677.92| | | LKR Million| Feb/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EXPORTS| 871.00| 827.60| 1578.62| | | USD Million| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | IMPORTS| 1512.20| 1820.50| 2543.45| | | USD Million| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EXTERNAL DEBT| 2981500.00| 2995800.00| 726582.34| | | LKR Million| Sep/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | TERMS OF TRADE| 88.90| 91.60| 112.22| | | Index Points| Aug/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP| 78.50| 81.90| 92.63| | | Percent| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CREDIT RATING| 37.50| | | | | | | | View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT BUDGET| -6.20| -6.90| -7.85| | | Percent of GDP| Dec/2012| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT EXTERNAL DEBT| 2981500.00| 2995800.00| 726582.34| | | LKR Million| Sep/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT SPENDING| 967702.00| 872610.00| 119258.79| | | LKR Million| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BUSINESS| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | CAPACITY UTILIZATION| 83.00| 82.00| 82.00| | | Percent| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CAR REGISTRATIONS| 1880.00| 1718.00| 1575.43| | | Cars| Aug/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CHANGES IN INVENTORIES| 186318.00| 93498.00| 92964.91| | | LKR Million| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | HOUSING INDEX| 2390.00| 2811.00| 2817.60| | | | May/2012| QUARTERLY| View| | | | | | | | | | | INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION| 0.20| 4.10| 7.17| | | Percent| Jun/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CONSUMER| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | BANK LENDING RATE| 14.30| 14.40| 13.97| | | Percent| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CONSUMER SPENDING| 4568393.00| 3651578.00| 593007.09| | | LKR Million| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | PERSONAL SAVINGS| 15.40| 19.30| 16.69| | | Percent| Jun/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | Globalization & Sri Lanka In the 20th Century Sri Lanka had a Plantation economy where production and export was cinnamon, rubber and Ceylon tea. Due to the changes implemented on government economic policies and many industries were nationalised made a greater impact on main sectors of the economy. In 1977, Free Market Economy (Liberalization) was introduced to the country adaption of privatization, deregulation and promoting of private enterprises. Production and export of tea, rubber, coffee, sugar and other commodities remains there has been an increase in the industrialization on food processing, textiles, telecommunication and finance. Main economic sectors of the country are tourism, tea export, clothing, rice production and other agricultural products. In addition to theses economic sectors overseas employment contributes hugely to the foreign exchange mainly from the Middle East. Contribution to GDP from services sector is 60%, industrial sector 28% and agriculture sector 12%. The private sector contribution is 85% of the economy. According to internal sources, the per capita of Sri Lanka has double since the year 2005 and during the same time period a drop of 15.2% to 7.6% on poverty and a drop of 7.2% to 4.9% of unemployment indicated. 90% of the houses in the country are electrified. 87.3% has access to drinking water and 39% to pipe borne water. A drop in income inequality is also recognized. After globalization and the liberalization with the improvement on technology Sri Lanka’s cellular subscriber base increased in 550% growth from 2005 to 2010. Sri Lanka was the 1st country to introduce 3G (third generation), 3.5G HSDPA, 3.75G HSUPA and 4G LTE mobile broad band internet technologies. World economy forum has listed Sri Lanka ranking 52nd in the global competitiveness also 8th in the World Giving Index in charitable behaviour to the society. Although poverty has reduced to some extent the malnutrition among children still remains in a higher level reporting 29% of the children being under-weight and also a severe percentage being anaemic. Positive impact has occurred after ending of the cruel war towards the road network of Sri Lanka with the help of other countries human capital and technologies. Sri Lanka has 35 A grade highways and 1 controlled – access highway (E01) The railway network is operated by the state run national railway operator. The transport sector has not contributed much to the globalization where there are many difficulties faced facilitating society. There are three deep-water ports at Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee where Trincomalee port is recognized as the 5th largest natural harbour in the world. Newest addition is the port built in Hambatota. Earlier there was only Sri Lankan Airlines and one International airport in the country. But Air transportation has expanded to a new stage with the new international air port being built in Mattala, Hambantota and also domestic plane service to Jaffna & Colombo has being restarted with sea plane services attracting tourism to the country. This has helped to create many jobs in the service sector. With a grant of 20 million dollars from the US and assistance from China, a space academy is to be set up for launch of satellites of other nations and as well as for domestic purpose. On 26th September 2012, Sri Lanka launched its 1st satellite with the intention of more launches in coming years. Even though the national sport in Sri Lanka is volleyball, Cricket has played a major role by rising from underdog status to winning 1996 Cricket World Cup, creating more opportunity to attract foreign investments and other trades to the country. Hence, Globalization has supported to promote economy & employment of Sri Lanka towards a better growth and expansion. Singapore economy towards globalization Republic of Singapore is a Southeast Asian country which claimed independence from the British in the year 1963 and was separated from Malaysia two years later. It has a land area of 710km2. Just like Sri Lanka it has three ethnic groups, Chinese, Malays and Indians, totalling to population of 5 million. Before independence the GDP per capita of Singapore was US$ 511, this was due to the Suez Canal opening and being the British Naval Base in the region. After the independence a modern economy was created through foreign direct investments. Today Singapore has a highly developed market base economy and is one of the original Four Asian Tigers. Its economy is known as the freest, innovative, friendliest and most competitive one. Also Singapore is ranked as one of the least corrupted countries in the world. The GDP per capita is USD 33,529.83 in 2011 and GDP is USD 239.7 billion in 2011 according to the attached graph. Singapore claims to be the world’s fourth leading financial centre and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The economy of Singapore depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods which contributed 26% GDP. When compared to Sri Lanka, Singapore has the third highest per capita income in the world (IMF) where Sri Lanka is placed at the rank of 144 (according to web sources). Transport service in Singapore is mainly by public bus or train. Very limited people have the opportunity to buy vehicles due to the high taxes imposed to reduce traffic in the cities and therefore, cut the waiting time and cost of fuel. Singapore has made extensive plans to improve peak hour capacity from 2015 to 2016 by adding more trains and upgrading the signalling systems where the waiting time will be reduced to no more than five minutes. But in Sri Lanka, the transportation plays a poor role where communities have to go through many difficulties in public transport systems. Because of such problems the Three Wheeler market came to immerge playing a major part in transport systems. Bus services in Sri Lanka are very poor and waiting time is between 15 to 30 minutes in some cases where train services are concerned, the waiting time is much more that the bus services. Railway systems have to be improved vastly to facilitate the transportation in the country where the Government has to seriously take actions in implementation of such plans. Importing goods and services in Singapore is lower than the export rate where in Sri Lanka importing (USD 1,512.20) rate is higher than the exporting USD 871) rate. Sri Lankan government should impose new laws on imports and provide opportunity for innovations and new products within the country where the deficit could be minimised. Improving exports would facilitate to foreign exchange. Toursim in Singapore is a main attraction and contributes largely to the economy and according to web sources 10.2 million tourists have visited the country in 2007. In 2005, the government leagalized gambling with the idea of attracting more tourist. Singapore is promoting a medical tourism hub with the expectation to serve to serve one million foreign patients annually since foreigners tend to seek more medical care in Singapore. Singapore also functions as an Education Hub where 80,000 international students were reported in the year 2006 and it has been increasing ever since. The infrastructure, science and technology plays a main role in Singapore. Internet in Singapore offer residential plans of speeds upto 1Gbit/s increasing exports and creating 80,000 jobs in 2006. Telecommunication include services over 6 million subscribers as sources say. Singapore plays the major role in international transport hub in Asia since it is positioned on many sea and air trade routes. It is recognized as the world’s biggest ship refuelling centre. Even though Singapore is smaller than Sri Lanka, they are consisted with 08 airports in the country with a network of 80 airlines connecting Singapore to 200 cities in 68 countries. SINGAPORE – NATIONAL STATISTICS | MARKETS| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | STOCK MARKET| 3283.85| 3269.95| 2382.15| | | Index points| Mar/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT BOND 10Y| 1.56| 1.53| 3.05| | | Percent| Mar/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CURRENCY| 1.25| 1.24| 1.71| | | | Mar/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | GDP GROWTH RATE| 3.30| -4.60| 5.34| | | Percent| Dec/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP ANNUAL GROWTH RATE| 1.50| 0.00| 4.74| | | Percent| Dec/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP PER CAPITA| 33529.83| 32537.76| 13907.50| | | USD| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP PER CAPITA PPP| 61103.36| 57901.56| 28642.70| | | USD| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT| 341640.90| 331346.70| 92568.84| | | SGD Million| Jun/2012| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP| 239.70| 222.70| 51.84| | | USD Billion| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | LABOUR| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | POPULATION| 5.18| 5.08| 3.02| | | Million| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EMPLOYED PERSONS| 3358.10| 3228.50| 2441.83| | | Thousand Persons| Dec/2012| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | JOB VACANCIES| 56400.00| 47300.00| 33332.61| | | Jobs| Aug/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | LABOUR COSTS| 129.90| 111.47| 96.48| | | Index Points| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | PRODUCTIVITY| -2.50| -3.80| 2.26| | | Percent| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | UNEMPLOYED PERSONS| 87.10| 87.40| 57.91| | | Thousand Persons| Jun/2012| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | WAGES| 4773.00| 4078.00| 2943.95| | | SGD| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | WAGES IN MANUFACTURING| 4903.00| 4057.00| 4354.69| | | SGD| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE| 1.80| 1.90| 2.53| | | Percent| Dec/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | PRICES| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | CORE INFLATION RATE| 0.20| -0.70| 0.54| | | Percent| Aug/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | INFLATION RATE| 3.60| 4.30| 2.82| | | Percent| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI)| 115.40| 115.18| 66.45| | | Index Points| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CORE CONSUMER PRICES| 113.11| 113.07| 92.60| | | Index Points| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EXPORT PRICES| 97.07| 96.01| 126.74| | | Index Points| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GDP DEFLATOR| 115.53| 112.22| 86.86| | | Index Points| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | IMPORT PRICES| 97.50| 96.16| 95.82| | | Index Points| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | PRODUCER PRICES| 104.79| 102.60| 91.24| | | Index Points| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | INTEREST RATE| 0.04| 0.05| 1.69| | | Percent| Feb/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES| 320732.80| 320506.30| 96071.84| | | SGD Million| Feb/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | INTERBANK RATE| 0.38| 0.38| 2.66| | | Percent| Feb/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | LOANS TO PRIVATE SECTOR| 290789.90| 284237.50| 149869.88| | | SGD Million| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M0| 27479.40| 26361.30| 9284.27| | | SGD Million| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M1| 144981.00| 140709.10| 27659.49| | | SGD Million| Jan/2013| MONTHLY| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M2| 484447.30| 475392.50| 126823.47| | | SGD Million| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | MONEY SUPPLY M3| 495021.70| 485915.40| 138597.08| | | SGD Million| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | TRADE| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | EXPORTS| 42963079.00| 42836030.00| 17413779.37| | | Thousand SGD| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CURRENT ACCOUNT TO GDP| 21.90| 24.40| 10.91| | | Percent| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CURRENT ACCOUNT| 12814.60| 16976.50| 7104.59| | | Million SGD| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | IMPORTS| 39705603.00| 37883528.00| 17625168.62| | | Thousand SGD| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | EXTERNAL DEBT| 0.00| 0.00| 8.86| | | SGD Million| Dec/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | TERMS OF TRADE| 99.56| 99.84| 128.66| | | Index Points| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BALANCE OF TRADE| 4687576.40| 3736394.50| -204106.69| | | Thousand SGD| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | CREDIT RATING| 98.60| | | | | | | | View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP| 100.80| 101.20| 84.89| | | Percent| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT EXTERNAL DEBT| 0.00| 0.00| 8.86| | | SGD Million| Dec/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT SPENDING| 6910.30| 7204.70| 3226.73| | | SGD Million| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | GOVERNMENT BUDGET| 0.70| 0.30| 9.94| | | Percent of GDP| Dec/2011| Yearly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BUSINESS| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION| -0.40| 1.30| 6.49| | | Percent| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BANKRUPTCIES| 149.00| 195.00| 238.14| | | Companies| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BUSINESS CONFIDENCE| -10.00| -10.00| 10.93| | | | Feb/2013| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CAR REGISTRATIONS| 4273.00| 3803.00| 6751.17| | | Cars| Jan/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CHANGES IN INVENTORIES| 5770.70| 1036.60| 380.44| | | SGD Million| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CONSUMER| LAST| PREVIOUS| AVERAGE| METER| TREND| UNIT| REFERENCE| FREQUENCY| | RETAIL SALES MOM| 2.10| -0.22| 0.63| | | Percent| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | RETAIL SALES YOY| -1.50| -1.20| 3.18| | | Percent| Dec/2012| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | BANK LENDING RATE| 5.38| 5.38| 6.79| | | Percent| Feb/2013| Monthly| View| | | | | | | | | | | CONSUMER SPENDING| 27426.10| 27008.00| 13037.62| | | SGD Million| Nov/2012| Quarterly| View| | Impact on economy and employment due to globalization: * Free trade can speed up production and labour costs including higher wages for skills, new technologies, expertise services etc. To level up with the globalized economy, more skills, knowledge, training and development have to given to the work force where they will be developed further and could attract the international job market. But at the same time it consists of a high cost to train the workforce and be competitive at the same time and retaining the trained people. * Globalization promotes employment opportunities towards international market where wealthy companies can profit and bring failure to smaller companies due to the inability to compete globally. In one way it creates multinational firm to expand more making them part of the globalization economy while opening room for the smaller companies to withdraw from the international trade. * The urgency to compete may lead to over use of natural resources to meet higher demands in the production process. * Due to globalization, Internet services have been extended in many ways to access many sites where youth in Sri Lanka nowadays spend most of their time in internet cafes with sighting illegal/improper web sites causing brain damage if engaged in a longer period. Awareness programs should be held and laws to be imposed to block such sites as illegal may lead Sri Lanka to a corruption free country to at least some extent. Rather the use of internet can contribute to enhance educational knowledge in a major way due to the easy access. Yet, Sri Lanka has the potential to create more jobs in the software and the tourism industry as many youth in the country plays an ‘idle’ time awaiting their Advanced Level examination results. Some drop out during university education trying to find jobs. [According to the Labour Force Survey (2nd quarter 2012) youth unemployment has a significant raise] Compared to Singapore, Sri Lanka, having the resources and the intellectual human capital is enriched with new innovations, researches and business investments to promote employment and economy through globalization and gradually receive better results in the coming years.