Thomas Nagel’s: The Absurdity of Life

In this term paper, I will discuss about life, death and the absurdity of life, by showing the different methods of this term paper which are the following the synthesis, analysis, critique and the last one is the conclusion. Personally, I admit that the book of Thomas Nagel entitled â€Å"The view from nowhere† as my one reference, is so difficult to comprehend and I think, this reference or book is not fit for the first timer who takes the philosophy course. But rather, I think it is intended only for those experts’s in philosophy course, who can easily understand the chapters in the book.However, in spite of that difficulty that I have been experienced, what I did was to go beyond my best with pressing mind just to give some insights of that book and of course, so that the readers will give some intention to read this works. However, when I did this term paper, I always kept on thinking that this difficulty, is part of my training, even though it gives my mind so pai nful but I never stop to work on it, just for that difficulties. Even though, the book implies a very analytic approach.Indeed, I’m happy to say that the book teaches my mind to think beyond this world and it gives me some techniques to expand my mind and more so to acknowledge my topic which is the absurdity of life. Honestly, I haven’t finished reading the book but I think if I’m going to continue reading the book, although every chapter have a connection and has difference interpretation, it would makes my mind more complex to dissect the different insights of every chapters. I read only the last chapter of the book which focuses more about life.Because I think, it would make me interesting to discuss about life, because some people or majority are now have this kind of fear to face life and to face death. So, in this term paper, I also dedicate my work to those people who are struggling about the different phobia in life. Thus, I heard some voices that would say that the book is an interesting book. But, I deny there words and I did not affirm yet. In the sense, that it’s very hard to understand the different connections in every chapter. In the other sense, I have also this feeling to affirm on what they said, in the sense that it gives us enlightenment and wider mind.Thomas Nagel as contemporary philosopher wanted to break the vicious circle regarding many possibilities that would happen in life and even in death. Yes, possibility would positively happen in our life but as my suggestion, we will minimize the fear in life in all that we experience because we know that â€Å"The one† guides us in every steps of our journey. I. Synthesis: Life is like the â€Å"analogy of the spider†1 where directly appeared in the urinal of the men’s room who have a unique attitude of existence.It keeps on moving until it finds a comfortable and secure place to continue feeding any tiny attractive insects. So, from this anal ogy I think the spider has two standpoints here by looking at life. These two standpoints here are the characteristics in life which are synthetic and analytic. It is somehow called as the passivity of life in looking to the physical world because it seems that it keeps on moving to find the infinite satisfaction but as human being can’t satisfy. Thomas Nagel presented life as instances, while explaining the metaphysical life.However, as I could see Nagel somehow used also the anthropological explanation about life. As what I understood the book of Nagel that life is the center in the universe. It simply means that if we negate to recognize life, the universe also affected and experience negation because universe is composed of bodily life, which every living organism seems to experience existence. As Blondel said, that we should recognized our responsibility or duty to live life. It means that life would undergo a certain process to go back to the origin.In other words, it h as certain path of reflexive to think what should life to be. There is a movement in life which seems to be the prime mover in controlling the condition of the world. Thus, dissatisfaction in life is unavoidable but as human being, we keep on desiring more and more and we think that all what we desire can achieve it. As Maurice Blondel would say â€Å"never stop† continue to seek what is in life. As Blondel said â€Å"it can be less perfect but it cannot be perfect as we seek life. This means that we can achieve what should life to be but not totally.As human being, we have life and we try rendering life by moving self to attain the very meaning of life. However, we should not forget to go beyond the contradiction of freedom is infinite reality as Blondel said. We should act life according to our norm, rendering ourselves into action in sacrifices that undergo a hectic process to attain the very meaning of life. Thomas Nagel, emphasis life in general. Including the life of t he animals, and as we can see the different animals, keeps also in finding the space in this world wherein they were capable to survive whatever challenge that would give to nature.Like for example the life of a turtle that is not incapable of living in the limited water, so the turtle would be transfer near in the abundant water areas such as in fishpond, near in the posits where the water keep on flowing towards the certain area where the turtle is capable to live. However, it doesn’t matter like this situation but there is a slight the same standpoints. Indeed, Thomas Nagel presented life as instances or in the word accidental and still a mystery. A mystery which is cannot be solved in a logical way. Thus, life for me has something to negate the objectivity and it is necessary in life, as Thomas Aquinas would say.If we try to looks at the case of life in our time, we possible know the flow of life; it has been a structure to make. However, we annunciated to someone by just comparing our existence to other self. LIFE: â€Å"The point of objectivity with respect to value runs the risk of having value behind altogether. We may reach a standpoint so removed from the perspective of human life that all we can do is to observe: nothing seems to have a value of the kind it appears to have from inside and all we can see is human desires, human striving – human valuing as an activity or condition†2As far as I understand from this footnote, it seems that it aims to negate the human life so that we could somehow focus only on the objectivity as basis to look at life giving distance to evaluate life beyond the value of life itself. It is just like to deny the essence of life and then transcend in objective way, so that we can evaluate life by observing the condition of the world. â€Å"The uneasy relation between inner and outer perspectives, neither of which we can escape, makes it hard to maintain a coherent attitude toward the fact that we exist , toward the meaning or point our lives†3 4Yes, since we exist in a mystery or accidental way by means of our parents. We cannot detached the coherent attitudes of life because of the fact that we are imperfect being that have the access to look at the physical world as full of dissatisfaction and as well as looking the content of the world objectively. In other hand, by doing such different functions in our existence, we can slowly know the identity of what should life to be. â€Å"The same person who is subjectively submitted without destroying it – leaving him divided.And objection self, noticing that it is personally identical with the object of its detachment, comes to feel trapped in this particular life – detached but unable to disengage and dragged along by a subjective seriousness it can’t even attempt to rid of† It means that Thomas Nagel from this passages life reduced from universal to particular which the individual life. We have indivi dual insights by looking at life. That there is something things that we not yet to know in each individual, that is why Nagel reduce the objective self.However, it is like this if we try to compare our self to other personally, it seems that there is something that makes us human being different and yet we cannot grasp at it easily, as if we are passive to grasp it. As if, it is known to us but we cannot hold it and that makes everyone unique. It is just like comparing the two people and then eliminates the thing makes different. â€Å"No doubt many who have experienced the discomfort of objective detachment from themselves simply forget about it and live inside the world as if there were no external view†5It means that sometimes as we continue to live in the world, we sometimes forget the basis in life to go back the objective detachment and we simply live our life miserable without seeing the external world, as if we are in blind fold to see the external world. Thomas Nage l emphases that we should not forget what govern life to find the very essence of it by looking the flow of life itself. â€Å"The wish to live so far as possible in full recognition that one’s position in the universe is not central has anelement of the religious impulse about it, or at least an on acknowledges and includes it can be fruitful, even if complete integration inevitably eludes us†6 We cannot deny the fact that most human being searched life through religious impulse or spiritual aspects. Because, some would think in the sense that it can somehow find the authentic answer of life, on what life should be. Even though, some people believe in different doctrines it is necessary to them to worship because they believe that by means of worshiping to something, it can trigger to answer stands of life.I believe that many did this way as contemplation to transcend there self to find the answer of life. â€Å"The external standpoint and the contemplation of death lead to loss of equilibrium in life. Most of us have felt a constant undertow of absurdity in the projects and ambitions that give our lives their forward drive†7 Life is like a substance it has the capacity to transcend in every moment, and it has mind that keeps on thinking in advance on what will happened about natural phenomenon of life basing to the objective reality.It is somehow like putting life into distance and fronting with the external standpoint in able to destroy the objective reality. However, it is always keep on contemplating to transcend life itself looking to others which also keep on wondering that is why the external would allow breaking life into death. If we look the very context of life, it seems that if we could look closely the phenomenon beyond life, there is something would appear that life is like cycle. If there is life, there is also the time of death, which is call as the natural phenomenon of life?So, we could not confiscate life because life i s only cooperating according to existence. I addition , if put life in the particular box and then life would able to get out from that certain box, the life would separate from the external reality and it would create a phenomenon which is in negative side which is death. â€Å"The real me is not merely part of my world. The person who I am is a contingent on me, I depend for my existence on TN, and TN depends on the world and is inessential to it.This is another of the discomforts of being someone in particular; my world depends for its existence on his birth, even though he also appears in it as a character. It is eerie to see oneself and one’s entire world in this way as a natural product†. 8 Thomas from this footnote refers his life according to TN which remind him the being ness of his self in particular. It means that without TN as body, the self which represent as I of Thomas Nagel cannot exist anymore in particular.In addition, there should be something body w hich can represent the whole life of Thomas Nagel which can recognize regarding his existence where he depend on it. In other words, If we elaborate the whole point, I which is TN represents as the one who is doing the action and it would combine the self so that we can see the being ness of Thomas Nagel. MEANING: â€Å"In seeing ourselves from outside we find it difficult to take our lives seriously. This loss of conviction, and attempt to regain it, is the problem of meaning of life†. 9So, Thomas Nagel stated that if we look at life outside vision, we could see the self has a genuine problem. Because, if we put self outside reality it has lots of possibility to be consider and it has potential to not attain the meaning of life. This problem is quite difficult to reconcile. In this problem, I will give this my answer, regarding this one by exposing my analysis at successive parts of the term paper. â€Å"The capacity for transcendence brings with it a liability to alienatio n, and the wish to escape this condition and to find a larger meaning can lead to even greater absurdity.Yet we can’t abandon the external standpoint because it is our own. †10 Transcendence is a factor to attain knowledge, but in this case it’s quite different. Thus, if we keep on transcending her, the life would become absurd it is. We can somehow arrived into absurdity and its very depressing point that the life would arrived into negation. Because if try to put life in the external reality we can somehow see the concrete issue of life to be absurd. Although, we have been sets the different aim in living our existence. In fact, in this footnotes, we could not say that life can attain the meaning of life.Moreover, if keep on transcending ourselves externally, we can not say in the first place that life has a reason to be exists because life in the first place it’s a mystery and aside from that it’s full of negation of permeated by neurotic obsessi on. â€Å"The real problem is with external point of view, which cannot remain a mere spectator once the self has expanded to accommodate it. It has to join in with the rest and lead this life from which it is disengaged. As a result the person becomes in significant part detached from what he is doing†. 11This is just a problem of self from external reality, when it is on the way to expand in leading life into disengaged which can detached from the I, which is the one doing such action. However, this is remaining a problem of self, in putting self into external reality. Once, it is reconcile already, it will give us such conclusion about what should the possibility of life to be. It is absurd or it is life a meaning. This is the clue of this paper, to dissect the essence of life. â€Å"The internal view resist to reduction to a subject interpretation of its contents which the external view tries to force on it.But this puts the objective standpoint in conflict with itself. Finding my objectively insignificant, I am nevertheless unable to extricate myself from an unqualified commitment to it – to my aspirations and ambitions, my wishes for fulfillment, recognition, and understanding, and so forth. The sense of absurd is the result of this juxtaposition†. 12 The fact that the self govern from external reality, the self would return into passivity which can test the objectivity to create a conflict and the internal reality would reduce to particular self.The standpoints of objectivity will calculate the particular object. â€Å"The loss of self in the individual sense is thought to require by the revelations of an impersonal view, which takes precedence over the view from here. And apparently it is possible for some individuals to achieve this withering away of the ego, so that personal life continues only as a vehicle for the transcendent self, not as an end itself†. 13 The particular individuals can achieve the ego of others, if the ego or the â€Å"I† will sensitive on counteracting the possibility of transcendence.Moreover, transcendence is the factor to recall all the past experience of the particular self. But, it will cause also the conflict in the part of transcendence, if the Ego will not aware of the external reality. So, that would that the self should be careful of transcending while looking the self to the external or outside reality because as Thomas Nagel said that it will the possible can that the life will absurd and he agreed about that thought. â€Å"I would rather lead absurd life engaged in the particular than a seamless transcendental life immersed in the universal†. 14As what I understood from this passage from the book, it seems that Thomas Nagel would rather like to project his vision of life in the particular subjective standpoints than to project life in the universal objective reality. Here, we can see the important of particular subjectivity and we can also find here th e deduction point of view about life, wherein life reduces from universal to particular subjectivity. I would rather to affirm the point of Thomas Nagel that life should be in the particular stands so that it will become easy to us to eliminate the habitual weakness in life which are the failures.â€Å"Objectivity is not content to remain a servant of the individual perspective and its values. It has a life of its own inspiration for transcendence that will not be quieted in response to the call to reassume our true identity. This shows itself not only in the permanent disaffection from individual life that is the sense of the absurd†. 15 The objectivity has a life, as what Thomas Nagel clarifies from this passage, in which can drives the whole rule of transcendence. So, objectivity is not the things subject can be independent itself. It is a matter of looking at the particular subjective reality.â€Å"The external standpoint plays an important positive role in human motivat ion as well as a negative one, and the two cannot separate. Both depend on the independence of the external view and the pressure it puts us under to bring it into our lives. The sense of the absurd is just a perception of the limits of this effort; reached when we ascend higher on the transcendental ladder than a mere human individuality can follow, even with the help of considerable readjustment†. 16 It means that if our life climb to objectivity and yet it will not successfully fulfill to complete, the will arrived to absurdity.In this passage, it seems that we can find two movements here of life. To go up to objectivity and to retreat from the objectivity to go down, return to particular subjective being and yet this would be the primary cause of absurd life. Thomas Nagel agreed with this kind of thought and he presented that the subject not the complete in objectivity, it would full to go down and then, he said that this is the origin of the absurdity in life. In addition , we transcend objectively and yet we fail to reach the completeness of our transcendence and the possible life to do is to go back into particular.This is the reason why our life will absurd and Thomas Nagel defended on this argument, in saying partially that life will absurd through this instances. We can copy this argument by citing again the analogy of certain spider which chain in the men’s urinal room. So, if we try to trace back the analogy of the spider, it seems we can find the same cases to what Thomas Nagel saying about the absurdity of life. So, in the case of the spider, since the spider is in chain for almost ten years and the only thing that the spider can do is to keep climbing the wall up and down in any moment.The same also about the reason why our life will be absurd according Thomas Nagel. This point will be included in the part of my critique. â€Å"Finally, there is an attitude which cuts through the opposition between transcendent universality and paro chial self – absorption and that is the attitude of nonegocentric respect for the particular†. 17 As what my analogy would explain this passage that there is something an impulse of cutting the universal and particular which can be the cause of life to be absurd.However, from this instance in times of cutting both universal and particular, it would try to say that the subject or the individual self can be the attitude of nonegocentric of the particular subjectivity. DEATH: â€Å"Particular things can have a noncompetitive completeness which is transparent to all aspects to all aspects of the self. This also helps explain why the experience of great beauty tends to unify the self: the object engages us immediately and totally in a way that makes distinctions among points of view of irrelevant†.18 It seems that particular can freely stand transparently to all aspects of self with no competitions to objective reality. The particular here also has its own unifying id entity which cultivate by any subject. Most of us can deal about personal self without consulting to the other self and it is an overview of the independent of particular to stand alone and looking only in future by using present individual self. This is formally called as unifying idea of the particular which is the principle of particular itself.However, this could not suppose that this is only the attitudes or characteristic of particular, which is to unify the principle itself, as a basis in looking to other reality. But rather, the particular has also consists of several transparent characteristics to set as guidelines to eliminate the completeness of the objectivity. â€Å"Our constitutional self – absorption together with our capacity to recognize its excessiveness make us irreducibly absurd even if we achieve a measure of subjective-objective integration by bringing the two standpoints closer together.The gap is too wide to be closed entirely, for anyone who is fully human†. 19 From this footnote, Thomas Nagel put self as having limitation to integrate other subject which irreducible to reach the point of absurdity of life in each subject-objective by bringing the two standpoints, in which the two points have a connection to limit the movement of self to other self which can possible, made the absurdity of human life. This is still the problem here, even if life will organized other subject which also had life.So, the capacity of self here is quite limited, in short self has limited territory to move. Unlike, the part objectivity, it us has universal movement which means the objectivity has the unlimited to move anytime. â€Å"We are so accustomed to the parallel progress of subjective and objective time that there is some that there is some shock in the realization that the world will go calmly on without me after I disappear. It is the ultimate form of abandonment†.20 It simply means that if the self will experienced in track of death, the objective time will not stop to function but it will spontaneously working to keep on transcending and transcending, even if all existence will in that track of death. The objective still continues to exist and do the function to the world. â€Å"In our objective conception of the world, particular things can come to an end because the possibility of their non- existence is allowed for.The possibility of both the existence and the nonexistence of a particular object, artifact, organism, or person is given by actualities which underlie either possibility and coexist with both of them. Thus the existence of certain elements and truth of the laws of chemistry underlie the possibility of synthesizing a particular chemical compound, or of decomposing it. Such possibilities rest on actualities†21. The issue here regarding this footnote, is that particular things was already have a place wherein it was being actualize and this actuality is no other than death.It is someho w the same with the act and potency. In such life continue moving towards the existence itself and yet as a result is the actuality to be actualize which is death. Death is actuality, because the possibility of nonexistence is allowed to enter in the particular things which the human being is involved which underlie for this stage to not again exist. â€Å"This is a very strong form of nothingness, the disappearance of an inner world that had not been thought of as a contingent manifestation at all and whose absence is therefore not the realization of a possibility already contained in the conception of it.It turns out that I am not the sort of a thing I was unconsciously tempted to think I was a set of ungrounded possibilities as opposed to a set of possibilities grounded in a contingent actuality†22 From these footnotes, refers to the definition of death and it is being referred also to the possibility of realization that had been set to be actualizing as ungrounded series to the possibility of life. This realization that I’m referring to is not â€Å"in the future events† but it is rather in the present events of life.It is just like that we can only think in the present but nothingness comes, nothing cans future to think of. â€Å"Another reason to regard death without too much concern is that everyone’s mortality is part of the general cycle of biological renewal which, like the fact that hawks eat mice, it makes no sense to deplore†. 23 Practical speaking death is a part of life which all of the living things including us are subject to dies. On other hand, life has a biological renewal, even if our life will absurd to exist.As Blondel said that life and death has no other way to escape, but to undergo a process to of life which is death is natural to be taken those who exist. Our life is not permanent here on earth. We only barrowed these lives in order for us exist. â€Å"My death was going to occur in consequence of the end of the world†. 24 It means that if human being experienced life to exist, human being also will have to experience death which is the consequences of our existence. Human life is not permanent even other living being it has the access to take death. In short, no one is excused to take life in death.Because, our life here on earth were pass by and because of the very fact that we are mortal being. In short, all things living organism is subject to destined in death. However, living organism even human being hasn’t known what specific time death will come to us, we just unaware of the time to take death. Conclusion: Well, based on the footnotes that I have been explained, the Skeptical mind of Thomas Nagel looking at life, he really believes that life will absurd by putting life in external reality and proving the common ground of human being which gives us a view that the life will absurd.Thus, I would like first to elaborate why our life will absurd by again us ing the analogy of the spider. So, as I look at the analogy of the spider, for almost ten years in chain in the men’s urinal room, so, the only thing that can spider did was to repeated and repeated climbed up in the wall finding the tiny attractive insects to feed as means survival and yet it goes down where the spider started to climb from that particular wall any moment of instances and that makes the absurdity of the life.However, if we try also to elaborate our life as human being, we can see the big deal here about the absurdity of life by just looking at our self to the objective reality, in which our life are restless, always keep on in desiring and struggling just to go beyond the objective reality and yet, we fail to go beyond objectively because we have only limited capacity to grasp that, then we stop to go beyond and go back the origin because we cannot hold the very beyond of life because we are limited to reached that beyond ness and we cannot force ourselves t o tap for something divine for us, that’s why our life will arrived at absurdity.I will negate the idea of Thomas Nagel because actually in the very nature of life there is no infinite movement to escape from this absurdity of life and this is the very nature of life because, in the first place, we were exist in mystery way with limited knowledge of the external reality. So, what we should to do is only to accept whatever the consequence of our existence.On the other hand, Thomas Nagel considered this absurdity as a consequence of our existence. However, as we know that life will have the access to be absurd, then we should not let our life do what is not good for us but to rather, continue nurture our life in right path. I therefore, conclude that life wills absurd because our life has a limitation to look at objectively and the limitation is hindrance to absurd life.

Moby Dick Book Report

â€Å"Call me Ishmael,† Moby-Dick begins, in one of the most recognizable opening lines in English-language literature. The narrator, an observant young man setting out from Manhattan, has experience in the merchant marine but has recently decided his next voyage will be on a whaling ship. On a cold, gloomy night in December, he arrives at the Spouter-Inn in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and agrees to share a bed with a then-absent stranger. When his bunk mate, a heavily tattooed Polynesian harpooner named Queequeg, returns very late and discovers Ishmael beneath his covers, both men are alarmed, but the two quickly become close friends and decide to sail together from Nantucket, Massachusetts on a whaling voyage. In Nantucket, the pair signs on with the Pequod, a whaling ship that is soon to leave port. The ship’s captain, Ahab, is nowhere to be seen; nevertheless, they are told of him – a â€Å"grand, ungodly, godlike man,† according to one of the owners, who has â€Å"been in colleges as well as ‘mong the cannibals. The two friends encounter a mysterious man named Elijah on the dock after they sign their papers and he hints at troubles to come with Ahab. The mystery grows on Christmas morning when Ishmael spots dark figures in the mist, apparently boarding the Pequod shortly before it sets sail that day. The ship’s officers direct the early voyage while Ahab stays in his cabin. The c hief mate is Starbuck, a serious, sincere Quaker and fine leader; second mate is Stubb, happy-go-lucky and cheerful and always smoking his pipe; the third mate is Flask, short and stout but thoroughly reliable. Each mate is responsible for a whaling boat, and each whaling boat of the Pequodhas its own pagan harpooneer assigned to it. Some time after sailing, Ahab finally appears on the quarter-deck one morning, an imposing, frightening figure whose haunted visage sends shivers over the narrator. (A white scar, reportedly from a thunderbolt, runs down his face and it is hinted that it continues the length of his body. ) One of his legs is missing from the knee down and has been replaced by a prosthesis fashioned from a sperm whale's jawbone. Soon gathering the crewmen together, with a rousing speech Ahab secures their support for his single, secret purpose for this voyage: hunting down and killing Moby Dick, an old, very large sperm whale, with a snow-white hump and mottled skin, that crippled Ahab on his last whaling voyage. Only Starbuck shows any sign of resistance to the charismatic but monomaniacal captain. The first mate argues repeatedly that the ship’s purpose should be to hunt whales for their oil, with luck returning home profitably, safely, and quickly, but not to seek out and kill Moby Dick in particular – and especially not for revenge. Eventually even Starbuck acquiesces to Ahab's will, though harboring misgivings. The mystery of the dark figures seen before the Pequod set sail is explained during the voyage's first lowering for whales. Ahab has secretly brought along his own boat crew, including a mysterious harpooneer named Fedallah, an inscrutable figure with a sinister influence over Ahab. Later, while watching one night over a captured whale carcass, Fedallah darkly prophecies to Ahab hints regarding their twin deaths. The novel describes numerous â€Å"gams,† social meetings of two ships on the open sea. Crews normally visit each other during a gam, captains on one vessel and chief mates on the other. Mail may be exchanged and the men talk of whale sightings or other news. For Ahab, however, there is but one relevant question to ask of another ship: â€Å"Hast seen the White Whale? † After meeting several other whaling ships, which have their own peculiar stories, the Pequod enters the Pacific Ocean. Queequeg becomes deathly ill and requests that a coffin be built for him by the ship’s carpenter. Just as everyone has given up hope, Queequeg changes his mind, deciding to live after all, and recovers quickly. His coffin becomes his sea chest, and is later caulked and pitched to replace the Pequod's life buoy. Soon word is heard from other whalers of Moby Dick. The jolly Captain Boomer of the Samuel Enderby has lost an arm to the whale, and is stunned at Ahab's burning need for revenge. Next they meet the Rachel, which has seen Moby Dick very recently. As a result of the encounter, one of its boats is missing; the captain’s youngest son had been aboard. The Rachel's captain begs Ahab to aid in the search for the missing boat, but Ahab is resolute. The Pequod’s captain is very near the White Whale now and will not stop to help. Finally the Delight is met, even as its captain buries a sailor who had been killed by Moby Dick. Starbuck begs Ahab one final time to reconsider his thirst for vengeance, but to no avail. The next day, the Pequod meets Moby Dick. For two days, the Pequod's crew pursues the whale, which wreaks widespread destruction, including the disappearance of Fedallah. On the third day, Moby Dick rises up to reveal Fedallah tied to him by harpoon ropes, clearly dead. Even after the initial battle on the third day, as Moby Dick swims away from the Pequod, Starbuck exhorts Ahab one last time to desist, observing that â€Å"Moby-Dick seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him! † Ahab ignores this voice of reason and continues with his ill-fated chase. As the three boats sail out to hunt him, Moby Dick damages two of them, forcing them to go back to the ship and leaving only Ahab's vessel intact. Ahab harpoons the whale, but the harpoon-line breaks. Moby Dick then rams the Pequod itself, which begins to sink. As Ahab harpoons the whale again, the unfolding harpoon-line catches him around his neck and he is dragged into the depths of the sea by the diving Moby Dick. The boat is caught up in the whirlpool of the sinking ship, which takes almost all the crew to their deaths. Only Ishmael survives, clinging to Queequeg’s coffin-turned-life buoy for an entire day and night before the Rachel rescues him.

Cell Biology and Biotechniques

The review of the literature by Assadi et al. (2016) highlights how biophysical technology has been efficiently utilized in addressing research questions and finding effective results in clinical investigation. This research study mainly utilized the method of flow cytometry and transfection technique apart from real time PCR and immunoflourescence microscopy to detect fatty acid metabolism-immune nexus (FAMIN) in Chrohn’s disease risk gene LACC1 (Laccase domain containing 1) encoded protein in human tissues. This method of fatty acid metabolism was decided because genetic variation in the LACC1 gene increased the risk of Chrohn’s disease. The main of this research was to elucidate the biological function of LACC1 gene and determine the characterization of the gene expression in human tissue and cells. The research question for the study was how characteristics expression of LACC1 gene can increase risk of Crohn’s disease (Assadi et al. 2016). The FAMIN protein encoded by the LACC1 gene control all the defense mechanism of human body and the research was important to gain additional insights into how FAMIN characterization and LACC1 gene expression may create risk of Crohn’s disease. The transfection technique was used by maintaining human cell line THP-1 in suitable medium and the cells were incubated wit phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to induce macrophage differentiation. For transfection experiment the HeLa cell line was transfected with empty vectors and LACC1 vector constructs. Western blotting was done on this cell and expression level was calculated. As transfection technique lead to unexpected morphologies and abnormalities in target cells, it helped in studying the expression of gene.   On the other hand, immunofluoroscence staining was used to calculate the number of peroxisomes and several antibodies were used both for immunofluorescence staining and western blot (Assadi et al. 2016).Hence, trans fection technique was applied in this research to study macrophage differentiation and gene expression of LACC1 gene. A research which considers the efficiency and cytotoxic effect of tranfection methodology lead to better results, whereas highly cytotoxic approaches lead to unwanted effects and unknown changes in gene expression which may affect the results (Goehring et al. 2014).   Flow cytometry is the biophysical technology done by means of laser and used to analyze the characteristics of particle in a fluid stream by passing through electronic detection device. .   Flow cytometry technique is widely used in the cell tracking, cell viability and infection studies and to conduct functional analysis in cell signaling gene expression studies (Givan 2013). In the research study by Assadi et al. (2016), flow cytometry of human blood derived cell and granulocytes and erythrocytes were isolated from the cell and stained using monoclonal antibodies. The FAMIN cells labeled with antibodies and data analyzed with flow cytometer and flow analysis software. This technique helped in the characterization of FAMIN expression in THP-1 cells. The result indicated the FAMIN expression was not detected in untreated cells, however PMA induced differentiation was seen during THP-1 (positive) cell lines. Hence the result of the study finally showed that LACC1 gene codes for macr ophage immune-metabolic function and polymorphic variation influences risk of Crohn’s disease (Assadi et al. 2016). Considering the clinical use of flow cytometry in research studies, the main advantage of flow cytometry is its ability to characterize immunophenotyping deviation in cells and detect diagnosis of hematopoietic disorders like leukemia. It has led to new methods for assessing hematologic malignancy and MRD. It is cost-effective and quick method for disease detection and diagnosis. However the limitation of the method is that it cannot easily detect sarcoma and carcinomas as they tend to stick (Woo et al. 2014). The main principle of fluorescence and fluorescence microscopic techniques was used to analyze therapeutic effectiveness in Crohn’s disease. In patients with Crohn’s disease, the antibody to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) binds to the membrane bound TNF and suppresses immune response in person. Hence, the researcher used fluorescent antibodies for TNF imaging studies. Despite using TNF therapy, patient show little improvement in their clinical symptoms and it also in creases the risk of side-effects like allergic reaction and skin disorders. The main limitation in treatment was that clinician cannot predict the response to anti-TNF therapy in patients. With this problem in treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease, the research question for the study was to see how fluorescence antibodies to TNF can help in studying response to anti-TNF therapy (Atreya et al. 2014).   Therefore, the use of different techniques like transfection, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry helped in studying variation in expression of Crohn’s disease risk gene and increased understanding of Crohn’s disease risk gene. Higher LACC1 expression was seen in spleen and lymph nodes in this research study. Hence application of this technique helped in gaining better understanding of LACC1 function in regulating immune-mediated function and diseases. These tools can be exploited in the future for several diagnostic studies. Assadi, G., Vesterlund, L., Bonfiglio, F., Mazzurana, L., Cordeddu, L., Schepis, D., Mjà ¶sberg, J., Ruhrmann, S., Fabbri, A., Vukojevic, V. and Percipalle, P., 2016. Functional Analyses of the Crohn’s Disease Risk Gene LACC1.  PloS one,  11(12), p.e0168276. Atreya, R., Neumann, H., Neufert, C., Waldner, M.J., Billmeier, U., Zopf, Y., Willma, M., App, C., Mà ¼nster, T., Kessler, H. and Maas, S., 2014. In vivo imaging using fluorescent antibodies to tumor necrosis factor predicts therapeutic response in Crohn's disease.  Nature medicine,  20(3), pp.313-318. Givan, A.L., 2013.  Flow cytometry: first principles. John Wiley & Sons. Goehring, A., Lee, C.H., Wang, K.H., Michel, J.C., Claxton, D.P., Baconguis, I., Althoff, T., Fischer, S., Garcia, K.C. and Gouaux, E., 2014. Screening and large-scale expression of membrane proteins in mammalian cells for structural studies.  Nature protocols,  9(11), pp.2574-2585. Woo, J., Baumann, A. and Arguello, V., 2014. Recent advancements of flow cytometry: new applications in hematology and oncology.  Expert review of molecular diagnostics,  14(1), pp.67-81.

The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence - Essay Example ning a space, luminosity can become used to emphasize on the focal point of space and bring out the elements of union, harmony, and balance within a space. Undertaken between 1628 and 1632, ‘the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence’ is a painting by the Italian baroque artist Massimo Stanzione who was mainly active in Naples (BBC, 2015). The painting depicts the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence of Rome in the third century who got killed by roasting over a hot gridiron. Saint Lawrence of Rome, a 3rd century archdeacon was martyred in 258 A.D (Archer, 2012). under Emperor Valerian’s persecution of Christians. Lawrence got persecuted for distributing the church’s assets to the poor instead of turning it over to the empire as instructed by the empire. The move angered the prefect responsible for collecting the church’s wealth that he asked for the immediate execution of Lawrence by roasting him on a gridiron warmed with hot coal. The painting is noted for its gruesome naturalistic element and rich color employed by Stanzione. Stanzione was revered for his use of rich color and idealized naturalism that he had a massive influence on other local artists. This gets captured effectively on his piece the ‘martyrdom of Saint Lawrence’. The ‘martyrdom of Saint Lawrence’ employs the technique of oil on canvas. Stanzione was greatly influenced by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. He combined Caravaggio’s dramatically lit and brutally realistic style with the classical and lyrical manner of Bolognesi painters (Kleiner, 2009). Stanzione had great mastery over religious art due to his vast altarpieces and frescoes. In ‘the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence’ painting, Stanzione captures an imposing nocturnal scene of the persecution of Saint Lawrence. The grisly nature of the piece gets captured by the emphasis of the dramatic light and shadow. To capture Lawrence’s martyrdom, Stanzione employs illumination by the divine light coming from the skies or heavens. At the

Case Study - Recruiting Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Study - Recruiting Manager - Essay Example With this radar technology, establishing a new subsidiary in Israel would be a big boost for Israel during its conflicts with the Arab states. Question one Following the new idea of establishing a new subsidiary in Israel, the CEO, Paul Lizfeld directed John Corners, the vice president of human resource in the United States and Francis O’Leary the vice president of human resource in the UK to find the best candidate for the new subsidiary in Israel (Roof and Bakhtari 136). Given the fact that the new subsidiary in Israel need to thrive just like in other areas, it poses a great challenge for both Corners and O’Leary to come up with a candidate who will oversee development and growth of the new subsidiary in Israel. Additionally, it would also be important for the two vice presidents to take in to account qualities that would fit the general manager’s ability to work in Israel. The major challenge for the two vice presidents will be finding the correct person for the job (Roof and Bakhtari 136). In order to facilitate business operations in Israel, the general manager should have Hebrew language knowledge. Given the fact that the general manager in Israel will be the representative of the BRB, it would be important to select a candidate who is culturally sensitive & diplomatic. It would also be a challenge to get a candidate who will be comfortable working in a country full of unrests. In this regard, it would be vital to select a candidate with a strong sense of politics. This will be of importance because the manager will be in a position to balance both politics and business. Moreover, somebody with a sense of politics will be in a position to conduct sensitive transactions with the Israel government (Roof and Bakhtari 137). The other challenge is that the vice presidents have to put in mind the standards of the general manager for the new subsidiary because he or she will be accountable for all transactions on behave of BRB. In other wor ds, having an incompetent general manager poses a great risk of the vice presidents loosing their jobs (Roof and Bakhtari 138). They are directly answerable to the CEO. It is also a challenge to the two vice presidents to come up with the right general manager given that they are supposed to conduct the search for the best candidate separately. Each would have his own criteria of choosing the candidate and it would be challenging to decide whose candidate is the best. However, the underlying principle is to come up with a candidate who would be in a position to manage and control BRB’s operations in Israel. Question two Of all the criteria the two vice presidents have to use in selecting the right person to head operations in the new subsidiary in Israel, they have to ensure that their criterion is in line with Lizfeld’s strong micromanagement style which emphasized on cost control (Roof and Bakhtari 136). According to Conners recruitment criteria, the general manager must work with Israel government both in direct capacity and in direct capacity (Roof and Bakhtari 137). According to him, the general manager must be in a position to conduct sensitive transactions with the Israel government. Due to the ongoing unrests in Israel, Conners decided to recruit somebody with extraordinary patience. He also thought of having a candidate with technical skills, a strong sense of politics, organizational ability, and cultural empathy (Roof and Bakhtar

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

European Union Law - Essay Example The French authorities wish to deport Derek and his family back to the Britain. Here it will be important to consider the rights of the European Union citizens though before doing that it is perhaps important to consider whether the actions complained of by the French authorities are legally objectionable, or otherwise. Does Derek or his family have the right to stay Is their right independent of each other's Are Derek and his wife to be considered as "workers" Naturally, it is the European Court of Justice (the ICJ) that has severally been called upon to apply its wisdom in cases where a party suspects that his rights have been violated, and those instances will no doubt be crucial in gauging the status of Derek and his family. It may be wise to recite the relevant the full provision here in order to be seized of its full implications. Thus Article 39EC of the Nice treaty provides;2 2.. 1. Freedom of movement for workers shall be secured within the Community. 2.. Such freedom of movement shall entail the abolition of any discrimination based on nationality between workers of the Member States as regards employment, remuneration and other conditions of work and employment. 3. It shall entail the right, subject to limitations justified on grounds of public policy, public security or public health: (a)to accept offers of employment actually made; (b) to move freely within the territory of Member States for this purpose; (c) to stay in a Member State for the purpose of employment in accordance with the provisions governing the employment of nationals of that State laid down by law, regulation or administrative action; (d) to remain in the territory of a Member State after having been employed in that State, subject to conditions which shall be embodied in implementing regulations to be drawn up by the Commission. A worker has been defined in the case of Lawrie-Blum V. Land Baden Wurttemberg as a person who for a time performs services for, or under a direction of another person, and receives remuneration in return.3 The ICJ has had to deal with cases where the rights of a migrant were considered. In the instant case, Hartley thinks that Article 39 on the freedom of movement of migrants is restricted in this aspect. A migrant has the right to cross borders once the offer is made before he leaves his country of origin, and as such, such migrant has no right to go to a member country to look for work4. This is premised on the fact that the Article 39 (3) (a) talks of "accepting offers of employment actually made." Thus I my advice to Derek is that his legal position as a migrant is already tenuous as he went to France to look for work. So unfortunately for Derek and his family, French authorities already have some legal ammunition they can use to deport the head of the family. For, Derek, the re prieve could come from a declaration made by the member states and recorded in the minutes meeting way back in 1968 that such migrants who crossed borders into other community member states could be allowed to stay for three months and if they have not been

Faculty of Business Environment and Society Essay - 6

Faculty of Business Environment and Society - Essay Example Managing of international human resources actually enables an organization to compete successfully in the global marketplace, and this is a proper method for the employees development (Du Plessis & Beaver, 2008). The human resource managers allow their employees to go on international assignments without basic training or given time for the â€Å"transitioning†. The human resource managers have to put in place structures that develop the required leadership professionalism. The reviews on relevant literature would provide a picture of the affairs regarding human resource Managers and employees. The significant difference in between human resource management and international human resource management is the fact that one is related to multinational corporations while the other is related to domestic firms (Du Plessis & Beaver, 2008). The effective international managers are those who are flexible, adaptable, speaking in foreign languages, open-minded, and make friends from many nationalities (Du Plessis & Beaver, 2008). This is advantageous especially when a company outsources overseas in order to explore a new market that has the new lifestyle, labour conditions, and language. At the point when a business expects to grow to an abroad market, human resource directors need to use human capital keeping in mind the end goal efficiency and productivity. Human resource chiefs could counsel local delegates of an oversee business with respect to employment aspects, the country’s local culture, safety, traditions or customs so as to work in concordance with local procedures. In Dubai, for example, like the most of Islamic nations, the foreign women are not permitted to be employed. Hence, this will influence human resources worldwide recruitment procedure for the workers, as well as for wives of its professional expatriates. Diverse moral and business guidelines can likewise

Critically compare and contrast the arguments of classical and modern Essay

Critically compare and contrast the arguments of classical and modern liberals regarding the role of the state - Essay Example Upholding individual rights and ensuring equality of opportunity are considered to be better than theocratic rules, absolutism and totalitarianism. This ideology arose in the Age of Enlightenment; out of dissatisfaction with the interference of the Church and â€Å"the comprehensive political control and regulation of economic affairs† (Balaam, 2007:7) that prevailed. A liberal state neither seeks to resolve the conflicts of people on various matters of faith and life, nor interfere in the market economy. Instead, it â€Å"provides a neutral framework within which citizens can pursue their diverse conceptions of the good life† (Honderich, 1995: 483) and live together. Classical liberals favour religious tolerance over a religious monopoly. All liberals seek â€Å"the best form of government which will permit the individual to pursue life as he or she sees fit† (IEP, 2006). Liberal ideas now dominate many parts of the world. The USA was founded on the very principles of liberty, freedom and equality. Freedom is considered an ideal, which is only possible if people are allowed to be autonomous. The value of freedom â€Å"has its roots not only in Rousseau’s and Kant’s political theory, but also in John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty†¦ [and is still] a dominant strain in liberalism† (SEP, 2007). Liberalism prefers a limited role of the state because the state is perceived to be abusive of individual liberties, which leads to tensions between the individual and the state. Liberals believe that the tasks performed by the government must be limited to â€Å"tasks that individuals cannot perform by themselves, such as establish a basic legal system, assure national defence, and coin money† (Balaam, 2007: 50). Adam Smith, concerned with state interference in the market system, was a proponent of this view when he stated that the government’s role should be restricted to only doing work that private

Should Human cloning be allowed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Should Human cloning be allowed - Essay Example Development in genetics and biotechnology has led to formerly unexpected probabilities, one of which is human cloning. Research in cloning has been in existence since 1970s where frogs and toads have been researched upon. Tests related to plants and animal origin has been carried out for many years. On the other hand, tests on human beings have not been attempted or thought likely. This is until â€Å"Dolly† was scientifically tested. The birth of â€Å"Dolly† surprised many in the medical and nursing industry leading to a lot of arguments on the probability of human cloning. As a result of the cloning of â€Å"Dolly†, animals such as calves, mice, monkeys, pigs and rabbits were tested on a wide range of somatic cell nuclear donors (Campbell, McWhir, Ritchie & Wilmut, 1996). Cloning of animal has created a lot of debates and arguments in the recent times on the subject of the probability of human cloning. Numerous organizations for instance the World Health Organ ization (1997) and the European Parliament (1997) have articulated the argument that human cloning is ethically undesirable and have called for banning of its development. In USA, The National Bioethics Advisory Commission suggested a suspension on cloning offspring via somatic cell nuclear transplants. Over and above, it is not merely a probability but a reality to all stake holders and nurses at large.... Numerous organizations for instance the World Health Organization (1997) and the European Parliament (1997) have articulated the argument that human cloning is ethically undesirable and have called for banning of its development. In USA, The National Bioethics Advisory Commission suggested a suspension on cloning offspring via somatic cell nuclear transplants. Over and above, it is not merely a probability but a reality to all stake holders and nurses at large. The Definition of Cloning Cloning is the invention of one or more distinctive plants or animals which are hereditarily the same to distinctive plants or animals. This is a practice that has been applied for many years now in plants and insects by the use of varying medical procedures. On the other hand, cloning of the mammals is a new advancement in spite of â€Å"Dolly† the sheep which was the earliest achievement. In reproductive cloning, two procedures have been applied which includes the embryo division and somatic cell nuclear transplant. In this paper, the term ‘cloning’ implies to the creation of hereditarily similar creatures through somatic cell nuclear transplant, a medical procedure that entails getting rid of the nuclear of an unfertilized egg cell and substituting it with materials from the nucleus of somatic cells and triggering these cells to begin cell division. The nucleus of the somatic cells supplies the hereditary information, whereas the oocyte offers the food and the mitochondria is responsible for growth of the embryo. There are 2 distinctive kinds of human cloning by use of somatic cell nuclear transplant. This include reproductive and restorative. The significance of human reproductive cloning is to generate an offspring that is

Microscopes and telescopes. Our center of reality etc Essay

Microscopes and telescopes. Our center of reality etc - Essay Example Astronomers believe the reverse process will see the end of the world come to pass in the foreseeable future. With the present powerful microscopes and telescopes, space specialists have observed approaching stars that are believed to be the cause of the expected collapse of the universe (Burns, 162). The universe will undergo an ouroboros-like cycle since all scientific evidence hint an inevitable end by a â€Å"black hole† activity, which human beings cannot avert. In order to understand the concept of the black hole well, it is wise to have a detailed comprehension of evolution of the cosmos. This evolution is described satisfactorily by three theories explaining the origin of the universe; the Steady State Theory, the Big Bang Theory and the Pulsating Theory. Gammow and Le Maitre’s Big Bang Theory claims that the matter of the entire universe was once contained in a very hot and dense fireball. About 20 billion years back, a big bang occurred which marked the creati on of the universe. The matter from the 10^12 Kelvin hot fireball was accelerated in all directions, recollected and formed the stars and planets. Several galaxies that have been observed came from this process (Raine & Thomas, 92). The Steady State Theory developed by Fred Hoyle, Gold and Bondi claims new galaxies are created all the time in the outer space to take place of galaxies that cross their boundaries into the universe observable by the powerful telescopes of earth astronomers. As a result, the steady state of the universe is never disturbed. According to Pulsating theory, the universe contracts and expands alternately. As per the theory, the universe is currently undergoing an expansion. It postulates that the expansion will end and reverse processes of contraction begin. A disturbing contradiction to the common knowledge researchers have had about the universe has cropped up. The conventional ideas of evolution of the cosmos of interchanging expansion and contraction are challenged by current surveys by Type IA supernovas (Taylor, 74). Results of the survey have evidence that the cosmos will expand forever, without chances of contraction. What aggravates matters of eternal expansion is that the universe is expanding at an accelerated pace. The accelerated expansion is caused by an array of â€Å"antigravity† forces. The survey found out that about three-quarters of energy from the Big Bang Theory resides in the space, and not in form of matter. Having excess energy in the vacuum causes external pressures that accelerate expansion of the cosmos. Therefore, 70% of the universe energy is in the form of vacuum in the space, 25% is stored in black matter and the other 5% in the form of actual matter including galaxies, stars, protons and planets (Rau, 43). With this trend of evolution of the cosmos, the chief worry for astronomers is; what if the vacuum dumps all the energy it stores? Will there be another â€Å"Big Bang Theory† situation? Is the vacuum energy constant or is it changing with time? As these worries remain unsolved, the Black Hole reality hits cosmos existence. NASA telescopes have observed stars that are 10 times bigger than the sun in the outer galaxy approach the universe human beings occupy. It is speculated that the star of extremely large mass will collapse into a small ball. A â€Å"singularity†

Othello Essay Example for Free

Othello Essay In Shakespeare’s Othello, we see the protagonist Othello being deceived due to his openness of nature and credulity. When Iago estimates Othello’s character as follows, â€Å"The moor is of a free and open nature, / Those thinks men honest but seem to be so. / And will as tenderly be led by the nose/ As asses are. † (II. i. 387-90). We see that it is this trait of his which strained his relationship with his beloved Desdemona. The great tragedy of Shakespeare, Othello, starts with a marriage which was based on a very strong bond of love between Othello and Desdemona. From the early part of the play itself, it is evident that Othello has a slight feeling about his inferiority in terms of beauty and color. He substantiates this point by telling that instead of loving him for what he is, â€Å"She loved me for the dangers I had pass’d, / And I loved her that she did pity them. † (I. iii. 167-8) We see that throughout the play, Othello is a victim of his own jealousy and Iago’s betrayal. This gives way to a change in attitude towards his lady love- Desdemona. As a result, Desdemona, once the whole world of Othello, became his ‘most loved enemy’ who happened to die by his own hands. Hence we can see that love in their relation reaches the highest point that even the lover’s life is at the disposition of her better half. That too as a victim of suspicious loyalty Desdemona is believed by him to be immersed in an affair with his trusted lieutenant, Cassio. To take advantage of the grains of suspicion in the mind of Othello about Desdemona, Iago sets the stage through her handkerchief. Othello is convinced by Iago that his fears about Desdemona’s disloyalty towards him are beyond doubt by promising that he saw Desdemona’s handkerchief with Cassio: â€Å"By Heaven, that should be my handkerchief† (IV. . 147). It is here that we get the most evident proof of Othello towards his wife as the love for his wife is well conveyed by making it clear that he can not bear to live knowing that his wife has become a whore,: â€Å"Aye, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. † (IV. i. 168). Thus a man, who was hailed for his royal lineage, his skill for adventure, his most efficient soldiership, his openness of nature and credulity, his modesty, and dignity stoops to the level of a murderer without any second thoughts. He did so because he loved his wife so dearly so that whether he lived or died, whether he maintained his reputation or not, nothing was of importance to him compared to his love for Desdemona. Here their relationship turns out to be ironic for it is difficult for a common man to think that one would murder someone for intense unblemished love. On the other hand, we see Desdemona forgetting her very self out of her self-effacing love and devotion for Othello. She idolized him, as she says: â€Å"I saw Othello’s visage in his mind/ And to his honours and his valiant parts/ Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. (I. iii. 251-3). When she was charged with infidelity, and that her husband could not have done anything more unkind, she could only protest: â€Å"His unkindness may defeat my life,/ But never taint my love. † (IV. ii. 159-61). Her tactlessness that springs from her purity and innocence was what brought about her death. If she had imbibed the worldly maxims, which Emilia dispensed, she might have averted the disaster. She made a capital blunder in engaging herself to solicit for Cassio. She had not the remotest idea that her action might be misinterpreted. She did not realize it even at the visible displeasure of her lord. A woman of the world would have taken the hint, and pressed no more Cassio’s suit. Iago, in spite of himself, meant but the simple truth when he said, â€Å"She is of so free, so kind, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested. †(II. iii. 298-9). Not till the last moment did the truth break upon her mind that she had compromised herself by pleading for Cassio. It is the simplicity and purity of Othello and Desdemona, in all means that is exploited by Iago, who was trusted to the utmost by both, especially Othello. Othello’s life was always lived by faith, instead of right. Moreover, he was a man whose nature was passionate and high, generous in thought and ready in action. He considered all that is subtle and devious as dishonor, and as Desdemona understood about him, jealousy and suspicion was foreign to his nature. His life was always identified with his absolute trust in Desdemona. But when a person who was too honest to him throughout and a good friend full of experience, honor, devotion and delicacy to him, exhorted too vehemently that Desdemona is not at all honest to him and that she is having a very passionate love affair with Cassio, his innocence and purity forces him to believe it. Desdemona too is a victim to the darker shades of finer feelings like innocence, purity and simplicity. She is a saint who always stood firm for love, be it to her father or her husband. She firmly believes that there is nothing in this world that cannot be recovered by true love. Her answer concerning the fatal handkerchief, â€Å"It is not lost; but what an if it were? †(II. iv. 79) shows she, most pathetically and with a childlike innocence, endeavors to uphold the truth of her relation to her husband. If she had tried to reply to the accusation she was in, with harsh words, her angelic stature in the minds of those who loved her might have faltered. A close reading of the play substantiates the fact that Othello and Desdemona are the two most innocent people that ever existed. At first their relationship is romantic to the utmost but it takes a profane hue in course of time due to the lack of a perfect foundation for a relationship, by race, color, temper and character and hence we see an absence of trust, understanding and communication between the two. For Othello, the word ‘battle’ is of foremost importance as he was a perfect soldier. We see him telling about himself: Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessd with the soft phrase of peace; / For since these arms of mine had seven years pith, / Till now some nine moons wasted, they have usd/ Their dearest action in the tented field;/ And little of this great world can I speak/ More than pertains to feats of broils and battle. (I. iii. 81-7). In sharp contrast to this, we have Desdemona who is totally inexperienced in the ways of the world. It is Othello’s war stories that infatuate her. Once she identifies his virility and manliness, she is taken aback with a mad love towards him. But it should be debated whether that is a solid base on which a relation should be built on. We see that though she speaks so fondly about him, her understanding about his nature is minimum. She defends her newly born love for Othello, in the following words, (among other things), My downright violence, and storm of fortunes, / May trumpet to the world. My hearts subdud / Even to the very quality of my lord. / I saw Othellos visage in his mind, /†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ soul and fortune consecrate. (I. iii 248-253) Hence the whole play shows forth that it is innocence and purity that laid foundation to the failure of the relation between Othello and Desdemona who was renowned for the purity of love between them crossing all the barriers that were ‘built’ by man. These good qualities, undoubtedly, turned fatal in their all encompassing love. We find Anthony Trollope’s Lady Anna an apt sequel to the relationship presented between Othello and Desdemona. In the above-said novel we have Daniel Thwaite, a tailor and his lover, later wife, Lady Anna, who belongs to the aristocracy. There too we have Frederic instead of Cassio. In both these works we see that the people with whom the ladies are accused of having an illegitimate relation are far better and appropriate than their present spouses. This instills a feeling of inferiority in both the men and that is what takes the garb of jealousy and in course of time their intense love to their better halves become too bitter and lead them to much graver mistakes. Trollope, no doubt had Shakespeare’s Othello in mind, while he was drawing his caricatures of Lady Anna, Thwaite and Frederic to make them sequels to Desdemona, Othello and Cassio respectively.

Research Process and Terminology Paper Essay Example for Free

Research Process and Terminology Paper Essay The aim of this paper is to address the linkage between foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and the number of natural disasters. By using the data of 94 countries in the period of 1984 to 2004 and applying a variety of empirical tests, the result appears that natural hazards have significantly negative effects on FDI of countries. A. Economic Effects of Natural Disasters and The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Economic Effects of Natural Disasters There are three patterns that concern with the economic effects of natural hazard. The first two strands concentrates on the primary or short-term effects and long-term effects of hazards on economy. While the short-term effect strand achieves abundant evidences of negative disasters’ impacts on GDP, the long-term effect strand cannot reach a clear conclusion. The third strand focuses on the capacity to mitigate the destructive effects of natural risks. A brief conclusion is that the negative impacts of risks can be diminished by country’s institutions. Determinant of Foreign Direct Investment There are three types of foreign direct investment, namely: (1) Operating new (2) Moving an existing (3) Moving a part of existing The first type is considered as location decision and categorized in pull factor, the latter two types are relocation decision and belong to push factor. Following this logic, propositional pull factors to put in models are the level of openness and the size of the economy. Obviously, the push  factor in models is natural risks. Other determinants which are mainly focused are institutions, such as government infrastructure, political freedom, corruption, etc. B. Data and Methods The data for analyzing impacts of natural disasters on FDI flows are taken from the EMDAT, which provides by the institution Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) and World Bank. Some observations were dropped because of missing data, the data which is used in this research contains an unbalance panel with 1,822 country-year observations from 94 countries (29 in Africa, 17 in Asia, 22 in Europe and 26 in Americas) in the period 1984-2004. Table 2 presents descriptions of dependent and independent variables. (TABLE 2) At this point, it is important to look again at two primary variables which devoted to results of empirical tests. The first key variable is FDI, which is measured by the total net inflows of foreign direct investment as a percentage of GDP. FDI is the dependent variable in all models. The second key variable relates to natural hazards. Since both recent and longerterm risks have its impacts on investors, the authors deliver four variables that are concerned with the number of natural risks happening in four time period: Total events in the prior year, total events in the prior 5 years, total events in the prior 10 years, total events in the prior 25 years. Table 3 shows the correlations between FDI/GDP and each of four variables referring to the measures of natural risks. (TABLE 3) It is undoubtedly true that both the counted measure as number of natural hazards and the monetary measure as the estimation of â€Å"dollar value of damages† affect decision makers. While it can be argue that result as the dollar amount of damages may have substantial influence on investors’ decisions, it is obvious that estimating the consequence of natural disasters is complex and not as accurate as â€Å"counts of disasters†. For this  reason, models will mainly focus on counts of disasters. Moreover, the research emphasizes on five types of natural hazards that severely devastate infrastructures, physical capital and labor forces. As such, these five types are earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, landslide and windstorms (include hurricanes). The following two variables which refer to the degree of openness and incentive in trade and investment are Trade and Investment. The former is taken from World Bank’s 2008 World Development Indicators and the latter is provided by Political Risk Services Group, assembled by the IRIS Center at the University of Maryland. Regarding to a country’s reliability for trade and investment, the investment variable is the estimation of three factors: contract viability/risk of exportation, repatriation of profits and delay in payments. These three factors are rank from 0 to 12 and the higher value illustrates the higher risk in investment. The final three variables in the base model are Inflation, Gov. stability and Rule of law. The Inflation variable is the inflation level of each country in a particular year and taken from 2008 World Development Indicators. The other two variables are collected from the International Country Risk Guide, with reflecting the level of stability of government and adhesion to the rule of law. The higher value implies the better environment for investors. Those variables contribute to the base model as this form: FDIit = ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1Total events in the prior # yearsit + ÃŽ ±2GDP per capitait + ÃŽ ±3GDP growthit + ÃŽ ±4Tradeit + ÃŽ ±5Investmentit + ÃŽ ±6Inflation + ÃŽ ±7Gov. stabilityit + ÃŽ ±8Rule of lawit + ÃŽ ³i + ÃŽ ³t + ÃŽ µit This research also employs ÃŽ ³i as country fixed effects over time and ÃŽ ³t as year fixed effects for all countries. C. Results and Their Implications The below table indicates the linkage between foreign direct investment and natural disasters by applying the base model. It can be seen from Table 4 that all four natural hazard variables have significantly negative effects on FDI in each of models. Moreover, there is a decline trend in coefficients of disaster variables when measuring in Total events in the prior 1 year to Total events in the prior 25 years, which suggests that relatively recent risks have more significant influence than long term risks on investors’ decisions. The next two variables, which are GDP per capita and GDP growth, are positive as expected and significant. However, although both Trade and Investment variables have positive effects on FDI, only Trade is significant. The Inflation variable is negative and significant in all four models. Only Gov. stability variable has unexpected side and both Gov. stability and Rule of law are not significant in all models. The authors also employ the empirical tests to find out different effects of five particular types of disasters. The result is presented in Table 5. The outcome demonstrates that all other non-disaster variables have the same reaction and all damage variables are negative in side. However, Windstorms is significant in all three cases, Volcanoes is significant in two cases while Landslides, Earthquake and Floods are significant in only one case. Hence, there is evidence to support the view that each type of hazards has its effects on FDI, the clearest evidence is found on Windstorms. Regardless the inaccurate in estimation of dollar value of damages, the research generates the final test by using the base model with â€Å"dollar value of damages† in place of â€Å"counts of disasters†. The result is displayed in Table 6. Similarly with the above case, all non-disaster variables have the same result as the base model case. Though disaster variables are negative and significant in all case, they do not decline from recent to older events. A draw conclusion may be policy makers equally focus on relative recent and longer-term risks or maybe there is error in data. D. Conclusion To sum up briefly, there are four important conclusions. First and foremost, natural disasters have significant and negative effect on foreign direct  investment. Second, there are some evidences to support the view that decisions of foreign investors are deeper affected by relative recent events in comparing to longer-term events. Third, different types of natural hazards are considered to have different impacts on foreign direct investment, the most severe impact is found on windstorms. Finally, regardless the intricacy and inaccuracy in monetary measuring the value of damages, the model which focuses on dollar value of damages also addresses the same result with the base model: natural disasters discourage foreign direct investment.

Pestle analysis of indian tourism industry

Pestle analysis of indian tourism industry PESTLE Analysis of Indian tourism industry Introduction about the topic : It is time for Indias Tourism sector. Driven by a surge in business traveller arrivals and a soaring interest in India as a tourist destination, the year 2006 has been the best year till date. Incredible India !! India is probably the only country that offers various categories of tourism. These include history tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism (ayurveda and other forms of Indian medications), spiritual tourism, beach tourism (India has the longest coastline in the East) etc. Explore India choose the locales of your choice, and see what each state has to offer. Lose yourself in the wonder that is India. Meander through lands steeped in chivalry and pageantry that begin before recorded history. Explore modern cities that have grown organically from the roots of a multi-hued past. Make a pilgrimage to holy shrines that echo with tales of antiquity. Frolic on a vast array of golden beaches that dot an enviable coastline, washed by two seas and an ocean. Sport with adventure in style. Let the jungle lure you to a fascinating world at a diverse array of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. this is the wonder that is India. Indian Tourism industry is one of the most important export industries of the country. Although the international tourist inflow is relatively low, India has found tourism emerging as an important sector of its economy. Tourism yields substantial foreign exchange for India. It is turning into a volume game where a large number of participants are contributing to the revenue of the industry. Segments such as hotels, tour operators, airlines, shipping etc. Growth period of Indian tourism industry The tourism industry in India is substantial and vibrant, and the country is fast becoming a major global destination. Indias travel and tourism industry is one of them most profitable industries in the country, and also credited with contributing a substantial amount of foreign exchange. This is illustrated by the fact that during 2006, four million tourists visited India and spent US $8.9 billion. Several reasons are cited for the growth and prosperity of Indias travel and tourism industry. Economic growth has added millions annually to the ranks of Indias middle class, a group that is driving domestic tourism growth. Disposable income in India has grown by 10.11% annually from 2001-2006. Thanks in part to its booming IT and outsourcing industry a growing number of business trips are made by foreigners to India, who will often add a weekend break or longer holiday to their trip. Foreign tourists spend more in India than almost any other country worldwide. Tourist arrivals are projected to increase by over 22% per year through till 2010, with a 33% increase in foreign exchange. The Tourism Ministry has also played an important role in the development of the industry, initiating advertising campaigns such as the Incredible India campaign, which promoted Indias culture and tourist attractions in a fresh and memorable way. The campaign helped create a colorful image of India in the minds of consumers all over the world, and has directly led to an increase in the interest in tourism industry has helped growth in other sectors as diverse as horticulture, handicrafts, agriculture, construction and even poultry. Welcome to Incredible India Namaskar, Welcome to Incredible India! A journey into mysticism through the land of the unexpected. Bounded by the majestic Himalayan ranges in the north and edged by an endless stretch of golden beaches, India is a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes, magnificent historical sites and royal cities, misty mountain retreats, colorful people, rich cultures and festivities. Modern India is home alike to the tribal with his anachronistic lifestyle and to the sophisticated urban jet-setter. It is a land where temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for the worlds largest democracy. If youre planning a holiday to India, looking for hotels and accommodation and events information or simply interested in India as a country you are sure to find many insights on the multifaceted travel options to India here.The timeless mystery and beauty of India can be experienced only by visiting this ancient Land. Theres just one thing youll need to travel through 5000 years of culture and tradition- A comfortable pair of shoes. The following table provides the major tourist attractions in India by state: < Tourist Attraction State Charminar Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Kaziranga National Park Assam Qutub Minar Delhi Mangueshi Temple Goa Shimla Himachal Pradesh Dal Lake Jammu and Kashmir Jog Falls Shimoga District, Karnataka Kovalam Beach Kerala Amarkantak Madhya Pradesh Ajanta Maharashtra Puri Orissa Golden Temple Amritsar, Punjab Jaipur Rajasthan Chennai Tamil Nadu Badrinath Temple Uttarakhand Varanasi Uttar Pradesh The various segments within tourism are: Medical Tourism It is one of the fastest growing segments in India. India has been able to leverage on certain advantages it has over other countries like highly skilled doctors, cost effective treatment, improved quality of private healthcare etc. Some of the common treatments for which overseas patients to come to India are heart surgery, knee transplant, cosmetic surgery and dental care. Indias traditional rejuvenation therapy like yoga and ayurvedic therapy are also becoming popular. Eco Tourism It is relatively new segment in India. It involves visiting natural areas without disturbing the fragile ecosystem. Eco tourism generates wealth for the local people, who in turn take measures to conserve and protect the environment and natural resources. India with its natural diversity is one of the pristine places in the world for eco tourism. The Himalayan region, Kerala, Northeast, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep islands the Western and Eastern Ghats are some of the hot spots for eco tourism in India. India has some of the best wildlife reserves in the world, rich in flora and fauna. Heritage Tourism Heritage tourism is a very lucrative segment in India. It is widely believed it would emerge as the most important segment within tourism in terms of revenue generation by 2010.India has a rich cultural history and reflection of its glorious past is still visible in its numerous forts, monuments, palaces, places of worship etc. Heritage tourism itself can be further classified as colonial heritage, urban renewal, religious tourism, industrial heritage and ethnicity. The Indian government must show keen interest in preserving the heritage sites from a tourism perspective. Adventure Tourism Indias varied geographical and climatic conditions offer excellent opportunity for adventure sports. In recent times the popularity of adventure tourism has increased. Adventure sports like river rafting, rock climbing, mountaineering, trekking, skiing, snow climbing, scuba diving and angling can be undertaken in the country and the country offers multiple locations to choose from. The trans Himalayan region, the Garhwal and Kumaon mountains, the Western Ghats, deserts of Rajasthan, Andaman and Lakshadweep islands are some of the most popular destination for adventure tourism. Future trends The real GDP growth for travel and tourism economy is expected to be 0.2 per cent in 2009 and is expected to grow at an average of 7.7 per cent per annum in the coming decade. Earning through exports from international visitors and tourism goods are expected to generate 6.0 per cent of total exports (nearly $16.9 billion) in 2009 and expected to increase to US$ 51.4 billion in 2019. According to the Ministry of Tourism, Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) for the period from January to March in 2009 was 1.461 million. For the month of March 2009 the FTAs was 472000.The reason for the decline is attributed to the ongoing economic crisis. In spite of the short term and medium term impediment due to the global meltdown the revenues from tourism is expected to increase by 42 per cent from 2007 to 2017. PESTLE Analysis of tourism industry Definition The PESTLE framework is an analysis tool that is used to identify the key drivers of change in the strategic environment (Johnson et al., 2008). PESTLE analysis includes Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors. Political effect on tourism industry- Political violence has done considerable damage to tourism in Asia and the Pacific over the past few years. But industry experts say the damage is not necessarily permanent. Governments and industry leaders say much can be done to rebuild tattered tourism reputations. As the world watched, a small band of terrorists killed scores in Mumbai last November. Although India has often suffered from political violence, this attack aimed largely at travelers and foreigners was a new horror. The globally televised attack, coming during an international economic slump, contributed to an eight percent fall in tourist arrivals this year. In Thailand, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters laid siege to Bangkoks airports late last year, essentially trapping more than 350,000 travelers in the country for a week. Before that shock had worn off, a few months later, another group of protesters led violent riots in Bangkok. The two incidents added to the damage from the world economy cut tourist arrivals to Thailand by 20 percent in the first six months of 2009. Phornsiri Manoharn, the chairwoman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, says many tourists still worry that Thailands political tensions could spoil their visits. When people saw any demonstration like that they associate with the closing of the airport, said Manoharn. Even [though] we dont close [the airport] but they look like the demonstration, that they might and thats why theyre afraid. Tourism is important to the Asia-Pacific region. In Southeast Asia, it contributes over three percent to economic output. In some parts of the region, tourism accounts for 10 percent of employment; in the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Vanuatu, the figure is over 30 percent. But as India and Thailand have seen, violence and instability quickly scare away visitors. Recovery comes, but usually more slowly than after natural disasters. John Koldowski is PATAs communications director. What we have seen in many cases is where there is some sort of intervention effect its been natural or no fault of anybody the rebound has been very quick, he said. Where there has been intent to cause harm as in the case of a say terrorist attack and where there has been a long history of such attacks occurring in that destination or nearby destination, it takes a little longer to come back. But with the right government and industry responses, visitors will return. For instance, in October 2002, bombs set off by Islamic militants on the island of Bali killed more than 200 people, most of them foreigners. The island, one of the worlds most famous tourist destinations, saw arrivals fall by 36 percent in 2003. Koldowski said the first bombings shocked the tourism industry. Bali is a classic case there it took some time [to recover] because it had never occurred there before it was so dramatic and affected specific western tourists, he said. But the Indonesian government cracked down on terrorists and boosted security. And tourism industry professionals worked hard to woo back visitors. When another attack three years later left 20 people dead, PATA reported that tourist arrivals were little affected. And twin bombings at international hotels in Jakarta last July are expected to do little damage to tourism. In South Asia, Sri Lanka and Nepal hope the end of long-running conflicts will entice more visitors. Sri Lankan officials say the end of a civil war earlier this year brought a surge of interest from foreign investors and hotel operators. Dileep Mudadeniya, Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau managing director, says there are opportunities for tourism, particularly in areas long closed off by the war. North and east, which have not actually taken any kind of development for the last 20 years, virgin beaches, land, monuments is available and the people also come and exploit something or look at something totally undiscovered, said Mudadeniya. We are going on the line which is undiscovered, unspoiled, an island of authenticity, which we can offer. In Nepal, political agreements have ended a Maoist insurgency that lasted more than a decade. The minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sharatsingh Bhandari, says Nepals transition from conflict to peace is in itself a tourism draw. Now we are going to form a new Nepal. So giving the message for the New Nepal and inviting the people to see, not only the prospect of tourism itself but even the process of transition of the political system from bullet to ballot. That was done successfully by the Nepalese themselves, he said. Industry analysts say tourism in Asia is likely to expand rapidly over the next few years. But, the key, they say, is that governments find ways to prevent political violence, and act quickly to calm fears when it does happen. Economic effect on tourism industry- The service economy is driving growth in most OECD countries. It represents a large part of economic activity and its importance continues to grow. Tourism, a large, complex and fragmented industry which is still very difficult to define and measure, is a key component of the service economy (30% of international trade in services in the OECD area). In terms of revenue, OECD countries generate about 70% of world tourism activity. Tourism, which has expanded dramatically over the past 30 years, looks set to continue growing as societies become more mobile and prosperous. Obtaining better information on services, the least developed side of statistics, is an important challenge for statistical agencies and a necessity for political analysis. Measuring tourism is part of a wider move to improve our knowledge of how economies work, what they produce and what changes occur over time. It is no longer enough to measure physical flows (arrivals and overnight stays) and monetary data (revenue and expenditure relating to international tourism). In the early 1980s, the OECD began work to set up a model acceptable at international level which gave rise to the OECD Tourism Economic Accounts, which measure certain socio-economic aspects of tourism. While developing this tool, the OECD produced a more precise definition of tourism, visitors and tourist expenditure [Note: OECD (1996), OECD Tourism Statistics Design and Application for Policy]. Despite its economic importance, governments, especially in developed economies, still do not adequately recognise tourism. For this reason, the OECD has developed and recently approved the OECD Guidelines for a Tourism Satellite Account and an Employment Module. These integrated statistical tools aim to measure the economic aspects of tourism (value added, jobs, revenue, investment, profits) in order to provide a more convincing demonstration of this activitys economic significance. Furthermore, together with the United Nations, the World Tourism Organization and the European Commission (Eurostat), the OECD has developed a UN-WTO-OECD-EUROSTAT Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework, approved by the 25-member United Nations Statistical Commission on 1 March 2000. A publication is available. Other work undertaken in this area includes statistical research. OECD and Eurostat regularly organise international forums on tourism statistics to share ideas, experiences and concepts with Member and non-members countries, the scientific community and the tourism industry. The United Kingdom, with the support of Eurostat and the OECD, organised the Fifth International Forum on Tourism Statistics (Glasgow, 20-23 June 2000). Similar forums have been organised in Vienna (1994), in Venice (1995), in Sintra (1996) and in Copenhagen (1998). Technological effect on tourism industry- Definition of Tourism Technology The convergence of industries has forced people to create terminology such as information technology, biotechnology, ubiquitous technology and even cultural technology to explain frequently talked about topics. Tourism Technology is a term that encompasses all social, cultural, managerial, and value-adding activities of the tourism industry. Tourism Technology also incorporates and encourages technological advancements and economic development in the tourism industry. The Origin of Tourism Technology Tourism Technology, initially based on the concept of cultural technology, is a more comprehensive term covering knowledge used to add to the value of tourism products on a micro level and the management of the travel and tourism industry on a macro level. New tourism products are also the end result of tourism technology combining with other industries. These include medical tourism, educational tourism, agricultural tourism, marine tourism and the application of information technology to the travel and tourism industry. Application of Tourism Technology The term technology can easily call to mind scientific achievements, computer graphic skills, special effects and other engineering-related images. However, Tourism Technology encompasses the integrated fields mentioned in the previous paragraph, statistics, managerial and socio-cultural know-how, and skills that the tourism industry can adopt to design, produce, and market various tourism products. In addition to coordinating various aspects of human resources in the travel and tourism industry, â€Å"Tourism Technology† describes a comprehensive field containing but not limited to such widely referred to subjects as entertainment technology, contents technology and creative technology. Software for Tourists One of the latest applications is software that permits tourists to customize their visits according to their preferences. Luis Castillo Vidal, computer engineer of the University of Granada and one of the authors of the study, points out that, in order to design the customized visit plans, they have used Artificial Intelligence techniques, â€Å"a science that provides computers with abilities to solve problems which, in principle, can only be solved by humans†. Users must have access to the internet, either through a computer, a mobile phone or a PDA, in order to be able to access a web where they can define their preferences and needs, such as their artistic, cultural and gastronomic preferences, their lifestyle and favourite hours, whether they are disabled or not and the spending capacity. Environmental effect on tourism industry- The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. However, tourisms relationship with the environment is complex. It involves many activities that can have adverse environmental effects. Many of these impacts are linked with the construction of general infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas. The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends. On the other hand, tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance. Three main impact areas: natural resources, pollution, and physical impacts Environmental impacts at the global level Other industry impacts on tourism How tourism can contribute to environmental conservation Social effect on tourism industry- Jamaica is primarily a sun, sea and sand destination and, therefore, the primary recreational activities of visitors include sun and sea bathing on the beaches. Tourists who visit Jamaica are, therefore, primarily involved in activities such as going to the beach, snorkelling, scuba diving and glass-bottom boating. Jamaicas tourism product is dependent on the coral reefs and their associated ecosystems such as seagrass beds and mangroves. These ecosystems are, however, threatened by natural causes and human behaviour such as coastal pollution, rapid coastal development, over-fishing and global warming. All parties involved (the citizens, the tourism industry and the visitors) have a vested interest in the management of the environmental resource base and an obligation to do their part to support this management. If the environment is degraded all parties stand to lose visitors will fail to come (or will be willing to pay less) and the countries will lose an important source of economic benefit. In other words the environment will produce reduced economic, ecological, and amenity benefits. Microeconomic theory is essentially the study of the equitable distribution of scarce goods or benefits. In this example the scarce benefit is the Jamaican beach tourism product. The economic theory provides approaches to making the demand and supply of these scarce benefits more efficient. Demand of the good in this case is the beach-lust (sun, sand, sea) tourism of Jamaica. This is in contrast to the wonder-lust tourism such as safaris, mountain climbing, cultural and heritage tourism that is observed in other parts of the world. The good is supplied at a cost which would include the traditional costs of, labour and capital etc. However when the cost of the provision of the good does not take into account negative externalities such as environmental damage, this results in market failure. If this market failure is not corrected it will result in a loss in social welfare (dead-weight loss). Jamaicas current tourism model is based on the construction of mega super inclusive resorts, which often require engineering solutions such as dredging, groyne construction and limestone blasting in order to create swimming beaches, and construct buildings a few meters away from the high water mark. Construction and operation of tourist facilities such as hotels and other attractions also result in significant alterations to the terrestrial environment, trees, insects, birds etc. Operation of these entities also results in the diversion of resources such as water and electricity which could have been used elsewhere in the society. MARKET FAILURE Increased construction activity in the coast provides relatively short term and low-skilled employment. The intermittent demand for this pool of labour often results in the proliferation of unplanned settlements and squatter communities that are established close to the resort areas. These settlements are typically located in the hills and mountains above the coast. The creation of these communities results in the destruction of the watershed in these areas as well as inadequate sewage treatment and solid waste management. All of which contribute to reduced environmental quality; for example, reduced water quality as a result of increased nutrients and turbidity in the coastal waters. The simple economic analysis of Jamaicas tourism model outlined above suggests that market failure exists. The fundamental reason for the market failure associated with Jamaicas tourism model is the fact that the economic rent associated with the natural environment is not captured by the people of Jamaica. Economic rent is an excess return on an asset, a profit above normal market rates of return. Rents usually arise from assets that are scarce and fixed in supply. Beachfront property is a very good example of the type of assets that will yield economic rent. Or another example is the higher property costs in Coopers Hill or Beverly Hills when compared to Havendale or Mona, the economic rent (or value added) in this case being a view of the city. It can be argued that economic rents such as the beauty and natural environment should accrue to the people of Jamaica and not to foreign tourists or tourism operators. Rents are essentially a type of payment for the use of the resource. So the first reason for market failure is that there is no real capture of economic rents. A second example of market failure is that these tourism entities that are currently gaining all of the rents are also not accounting for the negative externalities of their activities. For example, hotels do not pay for the true costs of pollution and negative impacts associated with the use and operation of their facilities. However the problem of market failure does not stop here. As with several other Caribbean nations, the development of the tourism industry is heavily subsidised by the Jamaican government. Hotels and attractions are given tax holidays (e.g. no taxes for 10, 15, 20 years), duty is waived on imports of construction materials among other things. Additionally, the Governments facilitation such as fast-tracking permit requirements and their suspected role in circumventing environmental and planning regulations can reduce costs to investors and also be viewed as a subsidy. So in addition to the non-capture of rent and ignoring negative externalities, government subsidies to the tourism industry through tax holidays and other waivers also exacerbate the problem of market failure. This in turn means that the welfare of the society i.e. the Jamaican people is even more reduced. POSSIBLE REMEDIES As was highlighted above correcting market failures can be achieved through the implementation of taxes. In the case of Jamaicas coastal tourism this would mean that investors are forced to internalise environmental costs. This would theoretically lead to better environmental management and sustainable development of the tourism industry. However, given the current political climate in Jamaica and the influence of the tourism industry players this suggestion is likely to be received with hostility. Given this fact a more feasible way of capturing some of the economic rent is to capture a small portion of the benefits that accrue to the visitors to the island. This would be through the use of the existing system of arrivals taxes from cruise and stopover visitors to the island. However, unlike the current system where the charges are often hidden in room surcharges or airline tickets the additional environmental tax should be explicitly identified. HIDDEN COSTS There are, of course, wider questions of the true economic contribution of tourism. Clearly tourism is very important to Jamaicas economic sustainability. The Jamaican tourism industry accounts for 32 per cent of total employment and 36 per cent of the countrys GDP according to many studies. However, based on some of the market failures described above, are there more costs that are not being considered? Tourism has many hidden costs, which can have unfavourable economic effects on host countries such as Jamaica. The direct income for a country is the amount of tourist expenditure that remains after taxes, profits, and wages are paid and after imports are purchased; these subtracted amounts are called leakage. For the all-inclusive tourism model, studies show that about 80 per cent of travellers expenditures go to the airlines, hotels and other international companies, and not to local businesses or workers. In addition, significant amounts of income actually retained at the destination level can leave again through leakage. For example, the profits gained by foreign-owned tour operators, airlines, hotels, are repatriated to their home countries. Estimates made for Third World countries range from 80 per cent in the Caribbean to 40 per cent in India. In laymans term, on average, of each US$100 spent on a vacation tour by a tourist from a developed country, only about US$5 actually stays in the developing-country destinations economy. The current tensions between local craft vendors, restaurants and other service industries and large resort chains are all too common and point to the problem of leakage. Super inclusive hotels do not encourage guests to venture outside the walls of the hotel and so most of the tourists experience is limited to the entertainment as well as the sun, sea and sand activities available at that location. One could say that Jamaica the country is not the destination, it is actually the resort that is the destination. More comprehensive studies on this issue are urgently required by our academic institutions in the region. Caribbean researchers have a responsibility to provide balanced information that can enrich the discourse between all the relevant stakeholders. Much of the discourse is driven by short sightedness and politics on one side and passionate advocacy on the other. Too often the arguments of the contending parties (developers versus environmental advocates) are not supported by balanced information. Legal effect on tourism industry- MUSCAT Tourist traffic into the Sultanate is projected to scale new highs next year on the back of a raft of major initiatives, most notably an aggressive campaign targeting new markets, according to the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism Mini