Back turned to Open Window by Matisse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Back turned to Open Window by Matisse - Essay Example The essay "Back turned to Open Window by Matisse" explores the piece of art by Henri Matisse. Henri Matisse was born in 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambresis, Nord, France. In 1889, after a bout with appendicitis, his mother gave him a set of paints for something to do while he recovered. The act of painting became an obsession for him and he developed his work throughout the rest of his life. Matisse had experienced a great deal of difficulty in creating a career that was respected and appreciated. A founding member of the Fauvists with Andre Derain, his use of color and light provided expression that was predominant over the use of detail. The artists from Munich who had supported the development of Expressionsim, Kandinsky and Jawlensky, as an example, believed that the work of 1905 that was most worthy of their attention was coming from the Fauves, their eye now to France in order to observe the advancement of their movement. His work post 1919 represented a softening of his approach and a ‘return to order’ in which he once again looked back to the Masters, such as the Dutch painter Vermeer of the 17th century, for inspiration. Vermeer worked with exploring the use of light within his work. The piece Seated Woman, Back turned to Open Window (1921-1923), was from a collection of work in which he was examining the uses of color and form towards representation but through the lens of expression for emotional context. The piece was sold in 1947 through a catalogue by Durand-Ruel that offered the work. for fifteen thousand dollars along with works from Manet, Degas, and Renoir which situated Matisse in the position of being one of the modern masters (O’Brien, 1999, p. 56). In the work Seated Woman, Back turned to Open Window (1921-1923), Matisse uses linear movement in order to direct the eye towards the focal point of the woman. The horizontal lines converge with the vertical in order to frame the exterior view as the shutter acts as a frame for her a s she sits in front of it. Repetitions of rectangular shapes within the window are mimicked in the horizontal brush strokes of the water. Their shape has been morphed to be more organic, but still reflect the frame that holds them. While the work is representational, it holds a bit of the abstract as the forms and shapes create the imagery of what they reflect, rather than precisely reflecting reality. The brush strokes are expressive and reflect the Fauve aesthetics while revealing his return to a more classic form and holding their representative value. The painting is somewhat flattened, the roundness of the objects pushed back with the abstraction of their essence visually defined by shape and color. The refined use of primary colors, predominately of blue and red, are enhanced with touches of an ochre yellow in order to create interest and definition. Light

Construct and analyze a Financial plan based on management's strategic Term Paper

Construct and analyze a Financial plan based on management's strategic intent - Term Paper Example Thus, one purpose of strategic intent is to forecast a firm's financial statements under some specific conditions.   Since total assets must equal the sum of total liabilities and owner's equity, any imbalance will require management action. Having forecasted the amount and timing of the imbalance, a financial manager can arrange for financing (such as bank loans or stock offerings) or investment (such as marketable securities) long before the need becomes critical. Strategic intent statements help general managers in overall planning (employment and inventory levels, for example) and problem solving. As forecasts are developed, a manager can analyze the results to identify potential trouble spots and plan accordingly. Finding problems and trying out solutions on paper, months in advance, is much preferred to learning about the problem first hand in real time. Similarly, by â€Å"seeing† into the future with strategic intent statements, a manager can anticipate opportunities and prepare to exploit them long before the window of opportunity begins to close. In addition to being a planning tool, strategic intent statements, in tandem with actual results, can be used to evaluate performance and make midstream corrections. Variance analysis, a comparison of the plan with actual performance, helps a manager analyze firm performance during the budget period, gauge strengths and weaknesses, and make interim adjustments to the plan. The accuracy of strategic intent statements is limited by the validity of the assumptions used in creating them. Often a series of statements is developed by making different assumptions about sales and about the relationship between sales and the balance sheet accounts. This is called a sensitivity analysis. The resulting set of statements suggests the most likely outcomes for the firm and a range of financing needs. After building a balance sheet statement based on expected sales, a manager can then use sensitivity analyses to an swer questions such as how the company's financial needs will change if sales are 10 percent below their expected level, etc. Since the hotel industry is a fairly competitive one, the hotel managers need to be excellent. With the income and financial statements at their disposal, the managers will make strategic decisions that will be founded on fact since Proforma balance sheets are created by forecasting the individual account balances at a future date and then aggregating them into a financial statement format. Account balances are forecasted by identifying the forces that influence them and projecting how the accounts will be influenced in the future by such forces. Sales, company policy, and restrictive debt covenants are often significant forces. An annual data has been provided which has to be focused for 36 months and monthly income statements and balance sheets and a strategic intent provided as well. With such information at their disposal, the managers will make a firm st rategic decision on their new acquisition. 2.0 ANNUAL BUDGETED INCOME STATEMENT INCOME STATEMENT Total revenues $ Annual room revenues 209,523 Annual food and beverages 113668 Other revenue 328433 Total 14792023 Variable cost annual 8,531,040 Fixed cost annual 8,728,500 Total 9,582,604 Operating

Possibility Of Travelling Through Wormholes In Space Time Philosophy Essay

Possibility Of Travelling Through Wormholes In Space Time Philosophy Essay Wormhole is a tunnel connecting two different points in space time. It is also known as Einstein-Rosen bridge (1935). The objective of this study is to investigate is it possible to travel through the wormholes. 1 Introduction Wormhole(named by John Wheeler,physicist,1955) is the hypothetical tunnel connecting two different points in spacetime in such a way that a trip through the wormhole could take much less time. The spacetime tunnel is also known as Einstein-Rosen bridge (Einstein and Nathan Rosen,1935) Wormholes can be found in earth, but is a billion-trillion-trillionths of a centimeter across Hawking(2010), so it cannot be seen by humans naked eye. Travelling through wormhole or time machine can make human life to be more simple and interesting. The purpose of this study is to investigate the method that lead to building a time machine and travelling wormholes. 2 Literature Review 2.1 Definition Wormhole is a hypothetical tunnel which connects two different points in such a way that a trip through the wormhole could take much less time than a journey between the same starting and ending points in normal space in space time. Wormholes can allow matter, energy, and information to travel to a distant point without passing through the space between the two points effectively circumventing the light speed barrier that prevents it travels faster than light through normal space. Wormholes are actually the natural part of the fabric of space-time or the quantum foam. These natural wormholes are very small and short lived which the light cannot even pass through them. They are a popular feature of science fiction as they allow interstellar travel within human timescales. 2.2 History The mathematician Riemann (1845), who is the first formulated higher-dimensional geometry and also the one who first discusses wormholes. Riemann cuts (Riemanns Wormholes) are connections between spaces (multiply connected spaces) with zero length. Then, Einstein and his collaborator Rosen (Einstein-Rosen bridges ,1935) describe the relativistic of black holes requires wormholes at their center which seem to connect the center of a black hole with a mirror universe on the other side of space time. However, due to the center of a black hole singularity, wormhole could not be traversed as the point of infinite space time curvature where the gravity would also be infinite and all matter would be crushed to its most fundamental constituents. In additional, to travel through the wormhole would require motion faster than the speed of light which is a physical impossibility. 2.3 How is wormholes form Wormholes are considered possible based on (Einsteins theory of relativity, 1916), who states that, any mass curves space time. To understand this curvature, think about two people holding a bed sheet up and stretching that sheet tightly. If one person is to place a baseball on the bed sheet, the weight of the baseball would roll to the middle of the sheet and causes the sheet to curve at that point similar if a marble were placed on the edge of the same bed sheet, it would travel toward the baseball because of the curve. In this example, space is depicted as a two-dimensional plane rather than the four dimensions which actually make up space time. Imagine that is the sheet is folded over and leaving a space between the top and bottom. If place the baseball on the top side will form a curvature. If an equal mass is placed on the bottom part of the sheet at a point that corresponds with the location of the baseball on the top, the second mass would eventually meet with the baseball. This is similar to how wormholes might form. In space, masses that place pressure on different parts of the universe could eventually come together to form a tunnel which is a wormhole. We could travel from Earth to another galaxy and return back relatively quickly within a lifetime. 3 Finding and Discussion 3.1 Wormholes exist in our earth According to Stephen Hawking( physicist and cosmologist), everyone knows that all physical object has three dimensions, they are length, width and height. But, there is another type of length that is length in time. Everything has length in time including space. Travelling in time means travelling through this fourth dimension. By imagine of doing a car travel, drove in a straight line and travelling in one dimension, then turn right or left and this is already adding the second dimension. After that, by driving up or down is actually adding the third dimension, height. So, this is the three dimensions. The fourth dimension is by travelling in time. There is a concept of making the time machine to travel through the fourth dimension. Nothing is flat or solid. If by looking closely at anything, holes and wrinkles can be found. It is a very basic principle even applies to time. Even something as smooth as a pool ball has tiny crevices, wrinkles, and voids. Same as the fourth dimension, there are tiny crevices, wrinkles and voids in time. Down at the smallest of scales, smaller even than molecules or atoms, this is so called quantum foam. This is where wormholes exist. Tiny tunnels through space and time constantly form, disappear, and reform within this quantum world. They actually link two separate places and two different times. These real-life time tunnels are just a billion-trillion-trillionths of a centimeter across. It is too small for human to pass through. Some scientists think that is possible to capture the wormholes and enlarge it by using enough power and advanced technology. Wormholes will happened just like sound system but only radiation instead of sound. Sound enters the microphone. Its transmitted along the wires, made louder by the amplifier, and comes out at the speakers. 3.2 The leading of making time machine According to Albert Einstein, He realized that there should be places where time slows down, and others where time speeds up. The proof is in the space. One of the example is GPS, Global Positioning System. The heavier the object, the more it drags on time. A super-massive black hole is a time machine. It is a heaviest object in the galaxy. It wont destroy itself in a flash of feedback. But its pretty dangerous. Its a long way away and it doesnt even take us very far into the future. Fortunately there is another way to travel in time. And this represents our last and best hope of building a real time machine. Hawking (2010) said that theres a cosmic limit of speed that is speed of light. But travelling by a speed near to the speed of light will brings you to the future. For example, the science-fiction transportation system. Imagine a track which goes right round the earth, a track for superfast train. Use this imaginary train to get as close as possible to the speed of light and see how it becomes a time machine. On board are passengers with a one-way ticket to the future. The train begins to accelerate, faster and faster. Soon, its circling the Earth over and over again. To reach the speed of light and cycling around the earth consider very fast and is 7 times per second. However, no matter how much power the train has, it can never quite reach the speed of light, since the laws of physics forbid it. Instead, lets say the speed gets close, Time starts flowing slowly on board relative to the rest of the world, just like near the black hole. Everything on the train is in slow motion. Imag ine that the train left the station on January 1, 2050. It circles Earth over and over again for 100 years before finally coming to a halt on New Years Day, 2150. The passengers will have only lived one week because time is slowed down that much inside the train. When they got out theyd find a very diffà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœerent world from the one theyd left. In one week theyd have travelled 100 years into the future. Of course, building a train that could reach such a speed is quite impossible. But we have built something very like the train at the worlds largest particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Deep underground, in a circular tunnel 16 miles long, is a stream of trillions of tiny particles. When the power is turned on, they accelerate from zero to 60,000mph in a fraction of a second. Increase the power and the particles go faster and faster, until theyre whizzing around the tunnel 11,000 times a second, which is almost the speed of light. But just like the train, they never quite reach that ultimate speed. They can only get to 99.99 per cent of the limit. When that happens, they are starting to travel in time. This because of some extremely short-lived particles, called pi-mesons. Ordinarily, they disintegrate after just 25 billionths of a second. But when they are accelerated near to light speed they last 30 times longer. 3.3 Warp drive engine Two physicists (Cleaver,G.B and Obousy,R ) from Baylor University (Waco, Texas) have outlined an engine on how to travel faster than light which is also called warp drive could be created that would bend but not break the laws of physics. The warp engine is based on a design by Alcubierre (1994), known as Alcubierre drive which involves the fabric expansion of space behind a ship into a bubble and shrinking space-time in front of the ship. The ship would rest in between the expanding and shrinking space-time, essentially surfing down the side of the bubble. In addition, the tricky part is that the space itself would move underneath the stationary spacecraft but the ship would not actually move. The beam of light that far from the ship would left behind but the beam of light next to the ship would zoom away. This means that the ship would arrive at its destination faster than a beam of light by traveling the same distance. However, without violating Einsteins relativity (Einstein,A.1916) which says that it would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate an object with mass to the speed of light, since the ship itself actually is not moving. 3.4 11th dimension Moreover, Cleaver and Obousy who are the other coauthor have manipulate the 11th dimension which is a special theoretical construct of m-theory (the offspring of string theory) to create the bubble and the ship would surf down. The bubble of dark energy could be created if the 11th dimension could be shrunk behind the ship. Hence, the same dark energy would cause the universe to speed up as time goes on. Thus, by expanding the 11th dimension in front of the ship would eventually cause it to decrease although two separate steps are required. At the end, how is the 11th dimension would be expanded and shrunk is still unknown. All the scientists still work hard for this. If there are extra dimensions and we could manipulate them, that would open up all sorts of exciting possibilities(Tufts University theoretical physicist Lawrence Ford). 3.5 Overcoming a wormholes instability with negative energy The main problem by using wormholes to travel in space or time is that they are inherently unstable. It would create fluctuations that cause the structure to collapse in upon itself when a particle enters a wormhole. There are theories (Thorne,1994) describe that a wormhole could be held open by some form of negative energy which represents a case where the energy density in space is actually negative. Therefore, sufficient quantity of negative energy might continue to hold the wormhole open while objects pass through it. This would be an absolute necessity to allow a wormhole to become a time portal. However, scientists lack a real understanding on how to get enough negative energy together, and most scientists think it is an impossible task. 3.6 Relativity of dark energy and negative energy In some models which are highly contrived, it may be possible to relate dark energy and negative energy because both of it exhibit a form of repulsive gravity even though dark energy is a positive energy. However, the good news is that our universe appears to have dark energy in abundance, but it is looks like the dark energy is distributed throughout the universe. There is no guarantee that stable wormholes can occur although String theory (Veneziano,1970) can provide potential sources of negative energy. Therefore, to find any way to store negative energy and use it to sustain a wormholes stability is far beyond current technology or maybe it is an impossible task. 4 Conclusion Wormhole is a hypothetical tunnel which allows everything to pass through without passing through the space between starting point and ending point. The wormholes may formed by allowing human to travel from Earth to another galaxy and return back relatively quickly within a lifetime. To travel through the wormhole, it must be travel faster than light. A Warp Drive Engine is outlined and based on a design by Alcubierre (1994), on how to travel faster than light. To overcome wormholes instability, it required negative energy but there is no guarantee that a stable wormholes can be occur even though String theory can provide potential sources of negative energy. According to Hawking (2010), wormhole is exists in the earth and it is possible to travel through . Number of words:2150 words

The Crucible by Arthur Miller :: Essay on The Crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller In this essay I will be assessing Proctors dramatic confrontations. In the play The Crucible the author Arthur Miller has very strong hidden messages against 'McCarthyism', the singling out of individuals in American society and accusing them of an association with groups who are said to be against the American way of life. He expresses his thoughts indirectly instead of writing a play that directly condemns 'McCarthyism'. Miller's message is that the Salem witch trials were wrong, they were destroying innocent individuals with no real evidence. This works as an allegorical metaphor for the wrongs of 'McCarthyism'. In the play The Crucible the key events focus around the character John Proctor, who is the main character, around whom the play revolves and ultimately he is central to the plays intend message. The audience first meets John Proctor when he goes into the crowded parlour in Salem and sees Abigail Williams, who is being questioned about witchcraft. John Proctor says to her 'Ah, you're wicked yet, aren't y'. You'll be clapped in the stocks before you're twenty.' This shows he is a laid back man, who has a different approach to life than most people then, it also shows he knows Abigail well and knows what she is capable of. When John Proctor approaches Abigail you can tell she is attracted to him, as it says 'Since Proctors entrance, Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide-eyed.' He is obviously attractive and has a lot of confidence. In this first dramatic confrontation you find out that Proctor has sinned and is therefore classed as a sinner, but not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. Now that the audience knows he is a sinner they can relate to him as they know no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. As the audience it is important that you believe and be attracted to John Proctors character. Act one ends in hysteria with Abigail and Betty crying out, naming,

Language in culture: conference on the interrelations of language and other aspects of culture Essay

Anthropology Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will focus on evaluating the claim that culture is perfectly understood as a symbolic classification system. Culture can be defined as cumulative deposit of beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, values, experience, roles, meanings, spatial relations, hierarchies, notions of time, possessions and material objects obtained by a group of individuals in the course of the generations through group and individual thriving. Culture involves patterns implicit and explicit, for and of behavior obtained and conveyed through symbols, representing the unique achievement of the human groups, comprising of their personifications in artifacts; the fundamental core of culture include the traditional ideas and particularly their emotionally involved values; culture systems on the other hand may be deemed as products of action. A symbol refers to any object, usually material, meant to stand for another, even though there is no significant relationship. Typically culture is founded on a shared set of meanings and symbols. Symbolic culture allows human communication and therefore must be taught. The symbolic culture is more adaptable and malleable than biological evolution. Humans subconsciously and consciously, strive always in making logic of their surrounding world. Some symbols like objects, words, gestures and signs assist individuals in understanding the world. Usually symbols offer clues in understanding the experiences. They usually express familiar meanings which are shared by the societies. Uniform and badge held by police officers represent symbols of law or authority enforcement. When an officer is seen wearing a uniform or in a squad car enhances reassurance in man citizens, and anger, fear, or annoyance among others (Browne et al, 1990, p38-p42).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The world has countless symbols. Company logos, traffic signs and sports uniforms are some of the symbols. A gold sign in some cultures symbolizes marriage. There are some symbols which are very functional; for example, stop signs offers valuable instruction. They belong to the material culture since they are physical objects, however they function like symbols, in addition they pass on nonmaterial cultural meanings. Some of the symbols are only helpful in what they signify. Gold medals, trophies and blue ribbons, for instance, provide no other function other than representing the accomplishments. However numerous objects have both nonmaterial and material symbolic value. Symbols are usually taken for granted easily. Few individuals challenge or even consider sticking the figure signs on the public bathrooms’ doors. However those figures signs are more than being mere symbols which informs women and men which bathrooms they are supp osed to use. Also they uphold the value, in USA, that restrooms ought to be gender exclusive. Even if stalls are comparatively private, most places do not offer bathrooms that are unisex (Hoijer, 1954, p. 14).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Symbols frequently get recognized when used out of context. Symbols express strong messages and are used unconventionally. Even destruction of symbols is perceived to be symbolic. Effigies signifying public figures are beaten so as to express anger at particular leaders. Crowds in 1989 tore down Berlin wall a symbols which decades-old of the division between West and East, capitalism and communism. While diverse cultures have different systems of symbols however language is common to all. Language refers to a symbolic system by which individuals’ converse and through which the culture is spread. Various languages include a system of symbols utilized for written communication, whereas others rely on nonverbal actions and spoken communication. Societies regularly share one language, and a lot of languages have the same fundamental components. An alphabet refers to a written system which is made of symbolic shapes which refer to sound which is spoken. These symbols taken together, express definite meanings. English alphabet employs a mixture of 26 letters in order to create words; where these 26 letters create over 600,000 English words which are recognized (Smith, 2001, p. 46).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Additionally, through using language, individuals’ converse without using words. The communication which is nonverbal is symbolic, and, similar to the case of language, a lot of it is learned by the individual’s culture. Various signals are almost universal: crying regularly represents sadness and smiles frequently signify joy. Additional nonverbal symbols differ across the cultural backgrounds in their meaning. For instance, a thumbs-up symbol in the United States shows positive support, while in Australia and Russia, it signifies an offensive curse. Various gestures differ in meaning depending with the individual and the situation. A symbol of waving the hand can represent numerous things, considering for whom it is done and how it’s done. It may signify â€Å"no thank you,† â€Å"hello,† or â€Å"I’m royalty,† or â€Å"goodbye.† Winks express a range of messages, comprising of â₠¬Å"I’m only kidding,† or â€Å"I’m attracted to you,† Or â€Å"We have a secret.† From a distance, an individual can comprehend the emotional idea of two individuals in conversation just through examining their facial expressions and body language. Folded arms and Furrowed brows signify a serious topic, perhaps a disagreement. Smiles, with arms open and heads lifted, imply a cheerful, friendly conversation (Durkheim, 2003, p. 41).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though language is possibly the most apparent system of symbols that used in communication, numerous things we do express a symbolic meaning. For instance, of the way individuals dress and what it signifies to other individuals. The manner in which a person dress symbolically communicates to other people if that individual care about academics or if he or she is a fan of their school’s football group, or it might converse that the individual is a fan of punk music or has adopted an anarchist philosophy. In various urban settings, the symbolic meaning of individual’s clothes can signify gang connection. Other gang associates use these symbolic sartorial signs to identify allies or enemies. Anthropologists argues that, through their evolution course, individuals evolved a universal individual capacity to categorize experiences, as well as encoding and communicating them symbolically, like with language which is written. Du e to the fact that symbolic systems were learned as well as being taught , they started developing independently of the biological evolution. Since this capacity for social learning and symbolic thinking is a human evolution product confuses older arguments regarding nurture versus nature. This view of culture shows that individuals who live away from each other begin develops distinct cultures. Basics of different cultures, but, can spread easily from one group of individuals to another. Belief that culture is coded symbolically and can, consequently, can be taught from one individual to another, meaning that cultures can change even if they are bounded. Culture is dynamic can be learned and taught, which makes it a rapid adaption form potentially to variations in the physical conditions. Anthropologists usually view culture both as supplement and product of the biological evolution; culture can be perceived as the core means of human version to the world which is natural (Middleto n, 2002, p.16).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above view of culture as symbolic system with the adaptive functions varying from one place to another, made the anthropologists to conceive of various cultures as described through different structures or patterns of continuing conventional meaning sets. These meanings took solid form in diversity of artifacts like rituals and myths, tools, well as the planning of villages and the design of housing. Anthropologists differentiate between symbolic culture and material culture, not only since each signifies distinct types of human activity, however also because they comprise of different forms of data that necessitate dissimilar methodologies to study. The culture sociology relates to culture since it is evident in the society: the ways of acting, the ways of thinking and the material objects that collectively shape the individual’s way of life. In regard to Max Weber, the symbols are very essential features of culture: individual s employ symbols to convey their spirituality as well as the spiritual side of actual events, and perfect interests are obtained from the symbols (Smith, 2001, p.21-24). In accordance with the sociologists, symbols composes one of the five essential basics of culture, the others being norms, values, language and beliefs. Symbolic anthropology perceives culture as independent system of meaning decoded through interpreting the key rituals and symbols (Werness, 2000, p.37).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, it is evident that culture is as set of symbolic classifications, referred to as a group of symbols which can prearranged into a paradigmatic set, frequently hierarchical. These systems of classifications show a world view or tribal order. Languages are constituted of the systems of classifications like grammars. Grammars classify number, person and time. Cultures consist of unconscious classifications which include relatives, plants, colors and animals. References Browne, R. B., Fishwick, M. W., & Browne, K. O. (1990). Dominant symbols in popular culture. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. Durkheim, E. (2003). Emile Durkheim sociologist of modernity. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.. Hoijer, H. (1954). Language in culture: conference on the interrelations of language and other aspects of culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Middleton, J. (2002). Culture. Oxford, U.K.: Capstone Pub.. Smith, P. (2001). Cultural theory: cn introduction. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell :. Werness, H. B. (2000). The Continuum encyclopedia of native art: worldview, symbolism, and culture in Africa, Oceania, and native North America. New York: Continuum. Source document

India and Future of Asia Essay

Introduction- As the world increasingly acknowledges India’s rising power status, India is adapting its foreign policy to meet the international challenges of the 21st century and to increase its global influence and status. For many years, India took pride in its role as leader of the Non-Aligned Movement and viewed itself as the primary defender of the rights of the less developed countries. In the past few years, New Delhi has expanded its strategic vision, most noticeably in Asia, and has broadened the definition of its security interests. While India has focused special attention on cultivating ties to the United States since 2000, the overall thrust of its foreign policy has been to seek geopolitical partnerships in multiple directions to serve its national interests. It has pursued special relationships with the U.S., Russia, China, and key European countries. In June 2006, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee (the current foreign minister) described India’s foreign policy: â€Å"Premised on the twin policies of no extra-territorial ambition and no export of ideology, India seeks the peaceful resolution of all disputes.† He went on to say that â€Å"[s]imultaneous improvement in ties with the U.S., EU, and Russia and Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, and China demonstrates that for the first time in its diplomatic history, India is forging significant strategic ties with both West and East Asia.† Broadening Indian engagement across the globe, especially in Asia, is in the U.S. interest and should be further encouraged. Washington’s and New Delhi’s strategic perceptions are increasingly converging, and there is tremendous opportunity to cooperate and coordinate in this dynamic region. Because India is a fellow democracy without hegemonic interests and with a propensity to seek peaceful resolution of conflicts, its increased economic and political involvement in Asia will help to further overall U.S. goals in the region. India’s involvement in Asia will help both to ensure that one country does not dominate the area and to encourage stability in a region that will take center st age in the 21st century. The period since India adopted the new economic paradigm and the LEP has witnessed substantial transformation of its global relations, including with the rest of Asia. This has primarily been due to the recognition of India’s increasing capacities to address its developmental challenges, and the potential of its soon to be USD 1000 billion economy to provide substantial commercial opportunities. India has grown at an annual rate of nearly 6 % per annum since 1980. Contrary to perceptions, India has been able to sustain high levels of growth without significantly increasing income inequality8. India has no parallel in managing relatively peaceful and democratic transfer of political and economic power among different social classes. It thus appears that India’s growth experience has been inclusive, though there is no room for complacency. Compared to East Asia, India’s growth strategy has relied relatively more on domestic markets, consumption rather than investments, decentralized entrepreneurial rather than state-led development9, and on financial and capital market intermediation in allocation of savings10 (Das, 2006; Huang, 2006, Morgan Stanley, 2006). India’s de-facto growth strategy is consistent with bottoms-up diagnostic approach to reforms advocated by Rodrik. However as India begins to pursue policies leading to higher savings and investments,11 and as the role of external sector increases12, differences in India’s growth characteristics on the one hand and those of East Asia may narrow13. India is also attempting to develop a robust diversified manufacturing base14 (Bradsher, 2006); and modernize its agricultural and plantation sectors. The emphasis is thus on creating a more balanced and resilient economy, and increasing India’s share in the world economy. India’s growth strategy and trajectory thus provide an avenue for global risk diversification for businesses and investors from around the world. India ranked 43rd on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) moving up two places from last year. India scored well in indicators relating to innovation and sophistication of firm operations as well as in adoption of technologies from abroad. However weaknesses remain in the large budget deficit, (about 9 per cent of GDP), inadequate infrastructure investments, low level of efficiency in delivery of governance services, and a need for wider access to and improvements in quality of health and educational services. India in the changing scenario- So many things is changing in India. The launching of the manufacturing industry, the new importance given agriculture, the good, even excellent, level of scientific training, openings in the financial sector†¦ all generate optimism and international interest in a country with the possibility of achieving the highest growth rate in the coming 50 years. India enjoys this potential despite problems like monumental bureaucracy and lack of infrastructure. Meanwhile, democracies and a smoother path of development than China’s appear to be holding possible social agitation at bay. The novelty is not so much the policy of the new government of the Congress party: in power for just a year, it has hardly had the time to implement any real changes. The rampant India which emerged from the rule of defeated Nationalist party, Janata, has certainly not disappeared; thanks to use of English, this India focused on the services sector, primarily computers and also international de-localization of computerization and call centers. However, such a model is no longer viewed as an end goal to reach in the future. Even in India, euphoria and riches even excesses generated by the so-called new economy for a few to enjoy, have given way to a realization that the â€Å"old† economy is still relevant after all. International trends especially the lack of energy and increase in prices of petroleum and other raw materials have in fact revealed how the famous â€Å"light† development, based primarily on factory chimneys, is limited in its incomes evanescence saving on, and at the end of the day, it is immaterial. This new awareness has led to an overall change of direction. This means a new emphasis on: manufacturing industries, like textile industries; primary sources, like energy; exportation of certain raw materials, like iron minerals. And certainly not least in importance, agriculture has today become once again the focus of attention, that old Cinderella of the Indian economy, neglected and portrayed as the legacy of an archaic society, although a large proportion of the population still depends on it. Today, it has been recast as a strong point of some export industries like the textile sector, which can make the most of local availability of cotton to successfully counter the near-monopoly China enjoys in this market. In this overall change in direction, the government, for its part, is seeking to regain lost ground in comparison with Asian giants, China and Japan at least one year in guaranteeing energy sources for the industrial sector. In these very weeks, a diplomatic offensive is under way to ensure resources of petrolium and other raw materials wherever possible, not only in traditional and logical choices of Indian territory, but also in places both geographically and culturally distant, like Latin America. Re-orientation towards the manufacturing industry is certainly a consequence of changing trends at international level, but it also falls within the strategy of the Congress Party currently in power, which still enjoys a strong working-class base. Anyhow, the traditional style of industry, typical of a socialist and working class party, holds several winning cards. The new stimulus in the manufacturing industry is a key factor in determining the future of all societal structures. On the one hand, it provides more interesting and better paid jobs, on the other it calls for more qualified human resources, for training, ongoing commitment and improved tuition in economics, maths and computers. All this requires secondary and tertiary education systems which ensure proper scientific and technological teaching. So there is more than low salaries behind the meteoric growth spurt of India and China. The secret probably lies in the swift upgrading of training and tough selection, based on merit, of students. This is confirmed by the preference shown by American enterprises and research institutes for graduates from the Indian Institute of Technology. Indian excellence in mathematics has always been well known the numbers of the decimal system used for calculation are of Indian origin and more recently, Indians have now been shining at physics too. In view of all this, few would imagine that the expansion of manufacturing in India would be limited to the textile and computer industries alone. Already today, India is promoting itself, with high hopes of success, as a base for the de-localization of strategic industries like aerospace. In this sector, India can count on the importance of avionics, that is, of electronic control systems. India could exploit its dominance in the computer sector, as well as the low cost of a workforce which is highly qualified in science and engineering. Development opportunities are considerable even in the telecommunications sector, in the automobile industry especially in the spare parts sector, after foreign participation of up to 100% of investment was liberalized in 2002 and in pharmaceutical che mistry, as well as food industry. Indian economic growth is not due to external factors, a consequence of general Asia-wide expansion. Rather it is a gradual process over a long period, even if not everyone is involved. Dalits, that is pariahs, are still marginalized. The growth rate of India before this global slowdown was nearly 8%. With such growth rates, in 2022, the overall size of the Indian economy will surpass that of the UK, its former colonial master. According to research undertaken by Deutsche Bank, in 2020 India and China would have left Japan behind at fourth place, while the US would still take first place as the largest economy. Compared to China, India’s economic growth rate, although considerable, has not flourished so much in recent years, and it is inferior by around 20%. However, India and Malaysia will surpass China in terms of economic expansion rates within the next 15 years, most of all thanks to demographic expansion, to the increased size of the population’s working-age bracket. While the China’s average growth rate will be around 5.2% per year, that of India will be 5 .5% and that of Malaysia, 5.4%. So China will soon have to pay in economic terms for its one-child policy. According to Goldman Sachs, India’s economic growth will beat China’s from 2015 onwards. Dominic Wilson of Goldman Sachs said: â€Å"India has the potential to produce the highest growth rate in the next 50 years with an average of 5% per year over that entire period. The growth of China is predicted to fall below 5% around 2020.† However, India is meeting obstacles along the road towards growth. First because large sectors of the population, not only dalits but also peasants, are cut out And in the long term, development along two tracks of very different speeds is not sustainable: the risk is that profound and endemic social exclusion from new-found wellbeing will take root in unmanageable massive cities, a situation which would have clearly explosive potential. Another tough obstacle in the way of development is the imposing fiscal deficit of the public sector, both central and local. According to the International Monetary Fund, this deficit, at around 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) puts economic development at risk both because of insufficient fiscal collection as well as increased public debt, a carryover from previous decades. This constitutes a real risk because the financial system, and especially banks, are naturally obliged to favor investment in public debt stocks, which are considered, rightly or wrongly, to be more secure. This even if lessons could have been learnt from Argentina, although there were differences between that case and India’s. The end result is that savings are not pumped into productive activities and the capital market then lacks liquid cash. The state of the Indian stock exchange has so far been determined by decisions of big foreign institutional investors, the funds of specialized stocks investment in emergent countries. Certainly the 26 October decision of the Central Bank to keep the discount rate at 6%, the lowes t since 1973, is a positive one for industrial development. Also positive was the recent government decision to allow, in the near future, investment in shares of up to 5% of the value of the patrimony of private pension funds. However, these measures are insufficient to maintain sustainable development in the long-term. Besides, the current debts of India’s pension system constitute a hidden risk, although, as in Europe, they are about to be shared, not accumulated, meaning that future generations will be called upon to square the bills of those who work today. But, as in Europe, if demographic growth is stalled, the commitments, or better the lies, of the past will eventually impact on all society. Faced with estimates which foresee that future pension commitments will be increased by around 40% of the GDP, measures which the Indian government apparently intends to propose are too timid. Yet another obstacle standing in the path of Indian economic development is an endemic lack of infrastructure: roads and highways, bridges, airports and ports require important investment, but they are not completely compatible with the current state of public finances. Other urgent and hefty investments regard energy production and distribution plants. In these infrastructures, as well as for oil refineries, it would be possible to resort to private and foreign investment. However, complications caused by electricity tariffs established for political reasons have not permitted such a solution so far. The unresolved problem is guarantees of remuneration of capital , Enron, which went bankrupt some years ago. Such incidents are proof of the intricate web of powers and the widespread rivalry between local authorities and central government, which has a paralytical impact on global finance which deals in such transactions. Not least in this list of woes are health and education problems in rural areas. Contradicting aspects are inherent in India’s health system. On the one hand, it offers pockets of excellence in some private sectors, which have served to draw patients from all over the region to Indian clinics. In such structures, it is possible to conduct operations comparable to those in western countries and at a vastly inferior price. On the other hand, however, the total cost of health spending does not exceed 0.9% of the GDP, much less, even half what other countries at a similar stage of development would spend. It is this aspect which best illustrates the contradiction between optimism engendered by economic market growth and a group of significant social indicators. The bottom line is that although India’s development process is certainly more smooth than China’s its income redistribution curve is evolving in a more uniform manner and the middle classes are increasing in size and also in income per capita much remains to be done so that the marginalized are not excluded from the country’s growth. Two factors certainly confirm the initial optimism about India’s future and they guide estimates on its economic growth. One initial reason for optimism comes from the existence of valid internal financial markets, more because of their structures and regulations based on British standards than for their size. According to Richard Batty of Standard Life Investments, the balance of economic global power will change radically in the next 50 years and the stock market could provide an average annual yield of 10% in this period. The second reason for optimism is to be found in Indian political institutions, which although far from perfect, are nonetheless able to allow for changes in power. This offers a precious guarantee of stability which China, for example, cannot offer. Despite their limitations, especially at local level, Indian political institutions appear better able than their Chinese counterparts to better reconcile various sectors of the population. Triangle of India, China and Pakistan- Indian policy-makers have been facing a great challenge today to construct a peace-oriented but pragmatic long-term policy framework in an atmosphere where its neighbour Pakistan is hell bent for MAD (mutual assured destruction) persuasions and China is modernizing itself fast with DF-31 and DF-41 missile programmes along with MIRV (multiple independent re-entry vehicle) potentials. The shadow of the ghost of cold war days are still moving around and the principles of real politik are significantly being included in inter-national agenda. Recently held International Defence Exhibition And Seminar (IDEAS 2000 Pakistan) between 14th to 17th November at Karachi with its theme â€Å"Arms For Peace† and China as a significant participant could be perceived as catalytic to the rise of arms race in the South Asian region. On 17th November, Sonmiani Tactical Firing Range in Pakistan witnessed an unprecedented show of arms and ammunitions in its f ull range. Air Officer Commanding of the Southern Air Command Air Marshal Parvez Iqbal Mirza, while boasting the might of Pakistan defence, said to the attending guests that â€Å"all Pakistan-made weapons and ammunitions, which was of NATO standard, could not be displayed at the demonstration and only selective weapons would be shown off†. Few remarkable demonstrations at the exhibition were – Super Mashshak Trainer (produced at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kaura), Karakoram-8 advanced jet trainer (co-produced by Pakistan and China), MirageIIIs, mobility display of Al-Khalid and Al-Zarrar main battle tank (a joint venture of Pakistan, China and Ukraine), T-59 IIM tanks, T-85-2APS, Anza MK-11 missiles, Ghauri and Shaheen missiles. Even the Pakistani sources confirm that never before Pakistan had put on display its full range of military might. And unlike any other initiative of Pakistan in the past, these military demonstrations were wedded to â€Å"show of strength† configured against India. Also, it was a psychological display of Pakistan’s claim for military self-confidence in the wake of mounting international pressure on Pakistan, especially from the U.S, to go slow on military hardware and to stop abetting the terrorist groups. In such upcoming adverse condition, Pakistan while on the one hand has been trying to reinforce its confidence amongst the Islamic states, on the other hand, apart from the clandestine supports from China, it has been pressing for new strategic and military partnerships. Ever since its coming into existence, the fundamental goal of Pakistan’s foreign and defence policies has been of â€Å"defiance† of international norms and values and to co-opt the tools that destabilise India’s territorial integrity and domestic tranquility. Defiance of international norms means violating the principles of non-interference in other country’s domestic affairs, or for that matter to launch attack on other’s territory. The nature of Pakistani involvement in Afghanistan during and after the cold war has always been a subject of international criticism and condemnation. Further, Pakistani statesmen and academia for the reasons only known to them are still justifying al l previous five misadventures of Pakistan against India. More so, Pakistan is being labeled as supporter to several terrorist outfits round the globe, and considered as a hot pursuant of weapons of mass destruction. Pakistan’s missile and nuclear development programmes are being increasingly encouraged by the Chinese politics towards the regional strategic triangle involving Pakistan, India and China. Subsequently, the regional adversaries not separately but jointly against India are raising the prospect of an arms race breaking out between India and China. Of course Pakistan has been acting and responding in a manner that definitely exceeds its strategic defence requirements. Hence, it is imperative to the Indian policy-makers to comprehensively understand, analyse and foresee the complexities and contours of Chinese international and regional behaviours. Evoking a sense of â€Å"mystery and fear† in international relations has long been a significant foreign policy characteristic of China. Historically, it is an aggressive and expansionist state. And in the post cold-war world, with regard to South Asian security environment China is likely to take moves on two basic premises – one related to the Sino-U.S relations, and the other directly linked to India. First, while advocating for multi-polar world order, China desires to become a potential alternative centre of power in any given international system. For this reason, despite glaring limitations in technological advancements in China, they inadvertently find the clash of interests with America at almost all the present and prospective conflict areas of the world. South Asia is definitely not any exception to it. The recent improvements in U.S-India ties and the increasing gulf between the U.S and Pakistan are being seen as direct threat to the Chinese predominance in this region. Subsequently the mutual distrust and misperceptions between China and the U.S.A, on the one hand, directly affect the Sino-U.S relations and, on the other hand, indirectly but substantially it would affect the South Asian regional security configurations. It may further provide scope for Pakistan to take more strides towards misadventures against India. Second, China desires to remain the sole â€Å"power† state in the Asian region. The rapid growth in Indian economy, especially its IT sector, together with the convincing progress in Indian defence advancements pose direct threat to the Chinese dominance in the region. Whether India is being referred directly or not in the Chinese world propositions, it is a fact today that India matters a lot to the Chinese strategic thinkers. Now, it is understandable by several means that Beijing could face considerable, if not devastating, reaction if anything done undesirable or against the vital interest of New Delhi. After all, future possibility of ‘engagement’ or ‘containment’ depends mainly in the development of India’s strategic build-ups. Chinese moves to contain the Indian strength are based on its policy of â€Å"encirclement of India†. Long back in 1983 U.S intelligence agencies had reported that China had transferred a complete nuclear weapon design of 25 KT nuclear bomb to Pakistan and had been helping to Pakistani centrifuge programme. Again in 1986, it was revealed that China sold Tritium (that is used to achieve fusion in a nuclear device) to Pakistan and Chinese scientists assisted Pakistan with the production of weapons-grade fissile material (Uranium) at A.Q.Khan laboratory, Kahuta. Further, in 1991, Wall Street Journal reported that Pakistan was buying nuclear-capable M-11 missiles from China. In addition, apart from the controversial Chinese sale of 5000 ring magnets, China has also been involved in transferring M-9 missiles to Pakistan. Thus, China has long been recklessly providing Pakistan with nuclear technology, conventional weaponry and missile systems to keep Pakistan’s ambitions high against Indian defence preparedness. Subsequently, by keeping the Pakistan-India hostility alive, China acts on the two-pronged foreign policy towards India. Further, towards its policy of â€Å"encirclement of India†, China has also established a radar base in Coco island (belonging to Myanmar) that is only a gunshot away from the Indian Andmand and Nicobar islands. More so, recently the Indian Coast Guards that raised apprehensions across the Indian line of defence interrupted a Chinese trawler fitted with modern electronic surveillance equipments off the Indian shores. In addition, it has been widely reported of Chinese move of deployment of nuclear forces in Tibet and other bordering provinces and the advancements towards Chinese DG-25 missiles are being specially planned as counter move to Indian development of Agni II and III missiles. It has also been reported that a further upgrade of Hong Niano-3 (HN-3) is now being developed with range increased to 2.500Km for ship, submarine and aircraft launch. India’s motivation towards its strategic defence build-up flies in the face of conventional wisdom with recently achieve d vigour of deterring the Chinese threat of â€Å"encirclement of India†. And the proclamation of the Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes just after the launch of Agni II that â€Å"with this launch, no one, from anywhere, will dare to threaten us from now†, wisely stages India at a considerable level across the spectrum of rivaling strengths in the South Asian region. Although Indian moves for weaponisation programmes are primarily driven by the combined hostile attitudes of its neighbours, this may further lead Pakistan to more destructive engagements against India. The present environment of this region is so complicated, that even after a decade since the end of cold war, the western and Indian scholars have been facing difficulty in coming out with any definitive future trend in the South Asian strategic arrangements. In such volatile circumstances, the Standing Committee on Defence in its Report projects the level of Indian defence readiness as â€Å"The Kargil conflict of 1999 has been referred as wake-up call†. It includes the long -term vision and planning for enhancing the defence capabilities. No doubt, the real and immediate need for India today is a solid back up of conventional hardware. Priorities are to be delimited for the speedy acquisition of defence equipment and technologies. Overestimation of indigenous potential in a given period of time may lead to further delays and might cost wastage of valuable resources. Areas of strengths and weaknesses are to be carefully drawn and closely monitored for effective conventional warfare in time of need. No doubt, it is proud to hold ‘minimum credible nuclear deterrence’, but at the same time ‘ignorance’ or ‘negligence’ on its ‘command and control’ mechanism part may prove fatal for the nation. Only an effective inter-linkage within C-3I (Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence) could really boost the inner strength in holding the â€Å"nuclear button†, and to maintain some level of ascertained minimum deterrence capability. As far as dealing with international environment is concerned, tough task ahead for India is to maintain and build better India-U.S relations and to re-strengthen the hands of cooperation with Russia. It is always preferable for India to go for constructive engagement with China along with other interested partners than to seek Pakistani engagement only due to domestic compulsions. Last but not least, at first, to have a healthy relationship with China, India needs to break the mental blockade of its past experience. After all, now onwards India is a declared nuclear weapon power state with an emerging strong economy.