The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse English Language Essay

The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse English Language Essay George Barna, who directed a divorce study, noted that Americans have grown comfortable with divorce as a natural part of life. There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage, the researcher indicated. Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility. There is also evidence that many young people are moving toward embracing the idea of serial marriage, in which a person gets married two or three times, seeking a different partner for each phase of their adult life. People marry today with an exit strategy in place. Consider the following statistics concerning prenuptial agreements: 73% of divorce attorneys cited an increase in prenuptial agreements during the past five years 52% have noted an increase in women initiating the requests, while 36% of those surveyed cited a rise in pension and retirement benefits being included under prenuptial agreements. People are quickly losing confidence in the marital covenant and making preparation for the failure of the relationship with an exit strategy. Some people have actually considered the same sex as an alternative to heterosexual relationship. But not only are heterosexual relationship complex, people who are choosing the gay and lesbian lifestyles have challenges of their own. Consider the following: Homosexual Relationships Homosexual activists often argue that high divorce rates demonstrate traditional marriages fare no better than same-sex relationships in duration. The research, however, indicates that male homosexual relationships last only a fraction of the length of most marriages. A Canadian study of homosexual men, who had been in committed relationships lasting longer than one year, found that only 25 percent of those interviewed reported being monogamous. In one study of 156 males in homosexual relationships lasting from one to 37 years, only seven couples had a totally exclusive sexual relationship, and these men all had been together for less than five years. In their classic 1978 study, published as Homosexuality: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women, researchers Bell and Weinberg found that 43% percent of white male homosexuals had sex with 500 or more partners, with 28% percent having one thousand or more sex partners. In 1991, the Journal of Social Service Research published a survey of 1,099 lesbians in which slightly more than half of the lesbians said they had been abused by a female lover/partner. A survey sponsored by the National Institute of Justice found that same-sex couples reported significantly more violence from their partners than did traditional couples. Noted the report, Thirty-nine percent of the same-sex cohabitants reported being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked by a marital/cohabitating partner at some time in their lifetimes. Not only are people considering same sex relationships as an alternative to traditional marriages and its problems, they are now entering into test drive marriages. This was traditionally called shacking and was negative, but many today believe that if they can enter into this type of arrangement as a trial, then they can see if they can make it as a couple. Lets consider these statistics: Living Together before Marriage Statistics Statistically speaking, living together is not a trial of marriage, but rather a training for divorce (from Michael McManus, author of the book Marriage Savers). The number of unmarried couples living together soared 12-fold from 430,000 in 1960 to 5.4 million in 2005. More than eight out of ten couples, who live together, will break up either before the wedding or afterwards in divorce. About 45 percent, of those who begin cohabiting, do not marry. Another 5-10 percent continue living together and do not marry. Couples, who do marry after living together, are 50% more likely to divorce than those who did not. Only 12% of couples, who have begun their relationship with cohabitation, end up with a marriage lasting 10 years or more. A Penn State study reports that even a months cohabitation decreases the quality of the couples relationship. The reality is divorce is inevitable if we dont make some drastic changes in how we approach relationships from a healthy perspective! Even after we have experienced what marriage is all about and re-enter into a marital relationship, the statistics get worse. Consider the following research: Divorce Among Adults Who Have Been Married (Base: 3792 adults) Population Segment Have Been Divorced No. of Interviews All adults 33% 3792 Evangelical Christians 26% 339 Non-evangelical born again Christians 33% 1373 Notional Christians 33% 1488 Associated with non-Christian faith 38% 197 Atheist or agnostic 30% 269 All born again Christians 32% 1712 All who were not born again Christians 33% 2080 Protestant 34% 1997 Catholic 28% 875 Upscale 22% 450 Downscale 39% 367 White 32% 2641 African-American 36% 464 Hispanic 31% 458 Asian 20% 128 Conservative 28% 1343 Moderate 33% 1720 Liberal 37% 474 (Source: The Barna Group, Ventura, CA) Reflections on Marriage and Divorce As you can tell, marriage is having a very difficult time, and people are opting out at alarming rates. Forgiveness, humility, conflict resolution, and communication are fundamental factors in making relationships work. The emotions of anger, violence, and fear kill all relationships. However, people are leaning towards the lower level emotions and ultimately divorcing. How is this happening? How is there such a thin line between love and hate? Of course, I could state the obvious that we have discussed in previous chapters from the impact of intoxicating dating to the lack of understanding of gender issues. The attitudinal king in an unhealthy relationship is pride, not humility; thus, forgiveness is impossible. And we cannot forget the absence of a marital skill set for conflict resolution and communication skills. These things are not as apparent and as obvious as they may seem. Divorce takes place over time, and most times unconsciously, and the lack of the above-mentioned factor s simply accent the complexities of one of the most difficult relationships on the planet. The following is some data that provides some additional factors that increase the probabilities of divorce. 6 Factors That Characterize Couples Who Are Prone to Divorce Backgrounds of the two partners are too different. Family of at least one member of the couple has divorce in their history. Couple was acquainted a short period before they were married. Couple has always had opposing views of the roles of men and women in relationships. Family and friends disapprove of the marriage. Couple has no formal membership in a religious group. Exercise: Are you closely familiar with any couples who have divorced recently or who are considering divorce (or if you have considered divorce, use your own relational situation)? If so, which of the above characteristics are present in their relationship? How do you feel their relationship has been adversely affected by these characteristics? How does a couple goes through the process of being in love to being in hate, or strong dislike? This is not a one-day decision, but is the result of a progression of negative behavior and practices over time. According to John Gottman, the four attitudes that most predict the dissolution of a relationship, especially in combination, are criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. Dr. John Gottman, is a psychologist at the University of Washington conducted a study with more than 2,000 married couples over two decades. Prior to this study, the school of behavioral science had a void concerning marriage data. He discovered patterns about how partners relate to each other, which can be used to predict with 94% accuracy which marriages will succeed and which will fail. Gottman refers to these four damaging attitudes as the four horseman of the apocalypse, and states that each horseman paves the way for the next. The four horsemen of the apocalypse are destructive relational conflict patterns. The four stages are listed in order of progression that will work its way up to the apex of marital conflict and divorce. The first horseman is Criticism. You become critical of one another. There is a difference between a criticism and a complaint. A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction (I feel hurt). A criticism is an attack on the other persons personality, character ,or motivation (You hurt me) with the intent of making someone right or wrong. In this stage of the relationship negative generalizations are made, like You always You neverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You are the kind of person whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Why are you soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦? The second horseman is Contempt. Disrespect rules. Name-calling begins, and you begin to categorize each other negatively. This is the attack of your spouses sense of self with the intention of causing emotional pain. This stage is marked by derogatory name-calling, like ugly, fat, stupid, etc. Also, it is marked by hostile humor and sarcasm or mockery. Negative body language is common in this stage of conflict. The third horseman is Defensiveness. Every time you talk, you are defensive. Every time something is said, each partner is trying to find the others angle. This stage is marked by seeing yourself as the victim, trying to protect yourself from perceived attacks. This stage is marked by excuses for behavior, claiming that external factors caused you to have to react that way. This stage is a cross-complaining stage, where a partners complaint is met with a complaint of your own while ignoring your partners complaint. Thus conflict is characterized by: disagreeing and then cross-complaining Thats not true, youre the one who; yes-butting, starting off in agreement but then disagreement; repeating yourself without paying attention to what the other person is saying. It is the nadir of a lack of communication. The fourth horseman is Stonewalling. You begin to cast the persons identity and behavior in stone and are unable to see the person outside of this identity. As a result, the person develops a need to enter into autonomy (feels the need to get away and distance him/herself from the relationship), which leads to an unfulfilled marriage, which in turn, leads to divorce. This stage involves withdrawing from the relationship to avoid conflict. Partners may think that they are attempting to be neutral, but stonewalling conveys disapproval and rejection. Stonewalling produces a coldness, distance, disconnection, and smugness. People tend to be callously silent, muttering, changing the subject, and removing themselves physically. Exercise: Describe which horseman has entered the following situation? Comment on this interaction between husband and wife. Adrienne: I need you to understand me. I feel that all we do is argue and fight, and we never work anything out. I love you, and I just want to be happy and to live in peace. Vernell: Understand you? You dont really feel that way! Youre just saying that trying to get some sympathy out of me. You think that using those flowery words is going to get me to change my mind? Theyre not! Adrian: Im not just saying things Im speaking from my heart. I love you and everything about you. You eyes, your mouth, your hairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Vernell: My hair? Now I know that youre just trying to get something out of me. I cant believe a word that you say! Just come out and say what you want, because I know that you want something! You must go on the attack against these four horsemen before your marriage reaches the point of no return and dies a natural death. Now is the time to access the many tools and methods that you have learned in this book. Ask yourself, Do I really want this marriage? Is it worth fighting for? You must be intentional about taking immediate steps to counter the carnage being wrought by the four horsemen. For example, make specific complaints and requests (when X happened, I felt Y, I want Z) and avoid criticism at all cost. Make a decision to listen generously. Listen for accuracy, for the core emotions your partner is expressing and for what your partner really wants. Listen to the voice behind the words; there lays the sincere truth. In addition, you must heed and practice the following: Validate your partner (let your partner know what makes sense to you about what they are saying; let them know you understand what they are feeling, and what they want; see through their eyes) Shift to appreciation (five positive interactions are necessary to compensate for one negative interaction) Be very intentional about creating good feelings and experiences. Be responsible: What can I learn from this? and What can I do about it? and How do I not allow this to happen again? Rewrite your inner script (notice when you are thinking critical, contemptuous or defensive thoughts; replace thoughts of righteous indignation or innocent victimization with thoughts of appreciation and responsibility that are soothing and validating). Practice getting vulnerable again (allow your partners utterances to be what they really are: just thoughts and puffs of air) and let go of the stories that you are making up. In essence, you must stop interpreting and hearing in offense. Watch all name-calling, use words that edify, not denigrate. If you have found your marriage has allowed the four horsemen to invade it, you must reverse it before they prevail. Start where you are whether it be defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism, or contempt. Begin reversing the horsemen and put them out of the relationship. You can turn it around! Begin by studying the behavior of each stage; since they are progressive stages, start practicing opposite behavior in each stage. Read this segment with your spouse and discuss each stage and the behavior and ask for forgiveness for the improper behavior and asked them to pray with you as you attempt to reverse this behavior. Start creating good feelings and do things that make each other smile.

South China Sea And East China Sea Disputes Politics Essay

South China Sea And East China Sea Disputes Politics Essay During introduction the paper will draw the aspects related to South China Sea and later on East China Sea issues will be pointed out. The South China Sea is strategically an enormously important region. Dominance over it is claimed by states of Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.  [1]  While China has, over the last 20 years, made general progress towards improving relations with its Southeast Asian neighbours, growing tensions over these competing rights threaten to challenge its effectiveness. Since the military exercises performed by Chinese ships against the US ocean surveillance ship USNS Impeccable in March 2009 in the South China Sea, situation attracted greater diplomatic and press consideration  [2]  . Some observers see Chinas behaviour in the South China Sea as a sign of assertive diplomacy.  [3]  The sovereignty disputes are more than disputes over who owns particular landscapes. They: involve major themes of grand strategy and territorial defence, including the protection of sea lines of communication, energy, food and environmental security. They may also be linked to rising populist nationalism. The stakes are too high for imminent resolution; the rulers of states with maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea are convinced that compromise is not in their national interest.  [4]   Actors (also states without claims and non-state actors, such as energy companies) focus not so much on dispute resolution but rather on dispute management, with the aim of preventing conflict and preserving freedom of navigation and over flight. The non-binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, signed in November 2002 by China and by 10 ASEAN member states, dedicates the parties to work towards adopting a legally binding law whilst exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes   [5]   One must point out that the obligation to self-restraint has not put an end to unannounced and potentially provocative reinforcement of already occupied islands.  [6]  While diplomats on all sides points out the weaknesses of 2002 declaration, some states undertook one-sided military, bureaucratic and jurisdictional initiatives in the South China Sea, with the sole purpose of changing the political and military status quo.  [7]  One must say, that Chinas initiatives have been particularly prominent.  [8]  Following the Impeccable incident, Washington has been paying increased attention to developments in the South China Sea.  [9]  Although careful to loose its distance regarding sovereignty disputes, the United States has more aggressively highlighted its interest in protecting the free transit of vessels, both commercial and military.  [10]  Such passage is vital for Americas position in Asia, for the integrity of its regional security, and for its ability to obs erve Chinese military developments.  [11]  The US desire to retain this ability to monitor Chinese military development, including the developing Chinese naval base on Hainan, and the Chinese rejection of this right, might be one of the main factors behind the rising tensions.  [12]  In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2009, the commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Timothy Keating, argued that : The Impeccable incident was a troubling indicator that China, particularly in the South China Sea, is behaving in an aggressive and troublesome manner, and theyre not willing to abide by acceptable standards of behaviour or rules of the road   [13]   Moreover, in July 2009, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held hearings on Maritime disputes and sovereignty issues in East Asia to observe how these were impacting on the region and US interests there. In January 2010, the new commander of the Pacific Command, Admiral Robert F. Willard, highlighted to Congress how Chinese naval patrols in the South China Sea had shown an : increased willingness to confront regional nations on the high seas and within the contested island chains  [14]   In February, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission held an all-day hearing on Chinas activities in Southeast Asia, with experts reporting about Chinas growing belligerence in the South China Sea and advising that the United States needed to engage more with the region to protect its interests, including taking a more active interest in dispute management.  [15]  Concerns over Chinas actions in these waters continued to grow through 2010. At the ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi in July 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the strongest and most direct public statement of US engagement on the issue to date, declaring that the United States had : a national interest in open access to Asias maritime commons and respect for international law in the South China Sea.  [16]   Calling for a collaborative diplomatic process, she highlighted US opposition to the use or threat of force by any claimant, a remark aimed primarily at China.  [17]   This is clashes directly with Chinas recent statement that the South China Sea is its core interest.  [18]  Tension was raised when the joint naval and air drills conducted by the US and South Koreaee in the Yellow Sea in July and August 2010 where conducted  [19]  In response, the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carried out military exercises in the South China Sea and the Yellow Sea. At the same time, there have been renewed tensions in the East China Sea. On 7 September 2010, two Japanese Coast Guard patrol ships collided with a Chinese fishing boat while they carried out law enforcement activities in the waters off the Diaoyu/ Senkaku Islands.  [20]  Chinese captain Zhan Qixiong was detained on the order of an Okinawa local court, sparking demonstrations in Beijing and diplomatic protests from China  [21]  On the day of the collision, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, demanded that: Japanese patrol boats refrain from so-called law enforcement activities in waters off the Diaoyu Islands.  [22]   The Japanese ambassador to China was summoned six times over the incident, once by Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo. The event was not resolved until China suspended diplomatic and civilian exchanges with Japan and threatened to stop rare earth exports  [23]   Of course, these events may ultimately prove to be just minor indifferences in diplomatic relations. Whatever the ultimate significance, these developments raise fundamental questions about the future directionality of territorial disputes in Chinas borderline seas. Particularly the importance of the disputes between China, Japan, and the ASEAN nations. The thing is that given their close geographical proximity, disputes in these regions have very different dynamics.  [24]  In both cases, China, as a dominant power, is an important claimant state. In the East China Sea, on the opposite side of the ocean from China, is Japan, another major regional power in East Asia. Their mutual relationship is strained due to such factors as their competition for regional leadership and the historical memories of animosity between them.  [25]   So far, there has been no military conflict between them per se as a result of the territorial dispute, but political tensions have been intense.  [26]  In the South China Sea, China faces a group of ASEAN nations (including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam) that represent a more asymmetric balance of power when compared with the East China Sea. Given the long-standing nature of these disputes, these frameworks enable us to track the record of conflicts and the shifts in the relative power balances of the claimants, eventually leading to the conclusion that certainty and stability have improved in the South China Sea, with the converse outcomes happening in the East China Sea. 2. Core National Interest According to Edward Wong, the Beijing-based correspondent for The New York Times: In March [2010], Chinese officials told two visiting senior Obama administration officials, Jeffrey A. Bader and James B. Steinberg, that China would not tolerate any interference in the South China Sea, now part of Chinas core interest of sovereignty, said an American official involved in China policy. It was the first time the Chinese labelled the South China Sea a core interest, on par with Taiwan and Tibet, the official said.  [27]   There were no U.S. officials denying the NYT report. Its is clear the Chinese are trying to distance themselves from their self-imposed policy on this one  [28]  . In March, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Cui Tiankai told two senior U.S. officials that China now views its claims to the 1.3 million-square-mile sea on par with its claims to Tibet and Taiwan, an island that China says belongs to Beijing.  [29]   Once the remarks were reported in public Chinese officials felt constrained about denying outright that the South China Sea was a not core national interest for fear of provoking a domestic backlash among Chinese nationalists. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has disclosed that at the 2nd U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing (24-25 May 2010) the Chinese stated they viewed the South China Sea as a core interest. Clinton stated in an interview: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and when China first told us at a meeting of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue that they viewed the South China Sea as a core interest, I immediately responded and said, We dont agree with that. So they were on notice that if they were Question: Was that Dai Bingguo that said that to you? Yes, yeah. So if they were in the process of extending their efforts to claim and control to the detriment of international law, freedom of navigation, maritime security, the claims of their neighbors, that was a concerning matter. And therefore, we worked with a lot of the ASEAN countries who are directly impacted and 12 of us raised it a the ASEAN Regional Forum last July to make it clear that issues like that have to be resolved in accordance with the rule of law.  [30]   Since the initial report, Chinese officials have been equivocal when questioned whether or not the South China Sea has been raised officially to a core interest or core national interest. For example, a correspondent who attended the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore in June 2010 stated that a Peoples Liberation Army Major General told him the South China Sea : was not quite the same as Tibet or Taiwan.  [31]   The Chinese media frequently use the term core interest, particularly in the July- August 2010 period.  [32]  For example, an editorial in a leading English-language paper asserted: Chinas tolerance was sometime taken advantage of by neighbouring countries to seize unoccupied islands and grab natural resources under Chinas sovereignty. Chinas long-term strategic plan should never be taken as a weak stand. It is clear that military clashes would bring bad results to all countries in the region involved, but China will never waive its right to protect its core interest with military means.  [33]   A review of Chinese academic and media commentary on this question concluded: While no Chinese official has spoken about what core national interests means, there is a growing chorus from within the country for the Peoples Liberation Army to defend these core interests in the disputed region. Recent news coverage has brought the term core national interests into the same spotlight as national sovereignty: and territorial integrity and raises the issue of how China defines the term and what it covers.  [34]   Walter Lohman, an expert with Washington-based Heritage Foundation, determined that : Chinas characterization of South China Sea as a core interestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is just a big misunderstanding or in the process of being walked back by the Chinese.  [35]   As a result of the foregoing, Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea has generated special concerns.  [36]  In March 2010, U.S. media reported that Chinese officials told senior State Department envoys that the South China Sea had been elevated to a core interest along with Taiwan and Tibet and China would not tolerate any interference in the South China Sea.  [37]  Chinese officials repeated this assertion in private conversations with foreign diplomats and the term core interest was used in Chinese media reports. These statements generated a new level of concern about Beijings strategic ambitions in the South China Sea. Subsequently, Chinese officials backtracked and now deny making such a statement .  [38]  Still , the issue remained as valid. 3.Legal aspects A) Nature and Status of the South China Sea Claims The vast South China Sea region also includes island chains and submerged reefs that have been the subject of disputes, including the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands and Macclesfield Bank.) The area became a possible target for exploration by multinational oil companies. In addition, the likelihood of conflict has increased as international maritime laws have slowly been codified and institutionalized following World War II. Motivated by the desire to extend control over sea-based resources, neighbouring states in the area have increasingly come into verbal conflict and even sporadic military confrontations over sovereignty, sovereign rights, jurisdiction, and arms control efforts in the South China Sea.  [39]   During the 1980s and 1990s, most of the disputing states have found themselves in a race to bolster their claims to sovereignty by gaining occupation of the islands that can support a physical presence or by establishing markers on the islands where physical occupation is not feasible.  [40]  In some cases claimants have even built structures on features that are completely submerged at high tide, maintaining a physical presence on these island specks under arduous and mind-numbing physical conditions. Currently, Vietnam occupies more than twenty islets or rocks, China occupies eight, Taiwan one, the Philippines eight, and Malaysia three to six.  [41]   The race for occupation of the Spratly Islands has increased the likelihood of international conflict, resulting in three cases of military intimidation in recent years (setting aside Chinas use of military force against Vietnamese troops to enforce its claim to the Paracels in 1974), the first of which led to military conflict.  [42]  This confrontation occurred between the Chinese and Vietnamese over the occupation of Fiery Cross Reef (Yung Shu Jiao) in 1988, at which time the PRC sank three Vietnamese vessels, killing seventy-two people.  [43]  In 1992 the Chinese announcement of an oil exploration concession to the U.S. Crestone Company, combined with the occupation of Da Lac Reef and subsequent deployment of three Romeo-class conventional submarines to patrol the area, aroused alarms among the ASEAN states, which had just called for the non-use of force in resolving the Spratly Islands dispute in the Manila Declaration on the South China Sea.  [44]  The third inciden t began with the discovery that the Chinese had occupied Mischief Reef (Meijijiao/Panganiban), a circular reef well within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines (following the Philippines announcement of a desktop oil exploration concession in the Mischief Reef area), and involved encounters between military vessels from the Philippines and the PRC in March and April 1995. It was the aptly named Mischief Reef confrontation that has catalyzed the most recent wave of interest and concern over the Spratly Islands issue. That concern was reinforced by PRC military pressures against Taiwan. B)International Laws Related to the Dispute The documentary background for the various territorial claims in the South China Sea is quite thin, and the historical records are often contradictory.  [45]  None of the claimants offers unassailable historical or legal claims. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has used effective occupation and discovery as primary considerations in evaluating the legitimacy of island territorial claims, although a features location, its history, and whether other claimants have a record of protesting illegal occupation may be considered in determining the legitimacy of sovereignty claims to particular features.  [46]  Separate from the issues of who owns the islands and rocks and whether the submerged reefs of the Spratly Islands can themselves generate maritime zones is the question of whether the islands can sustain human habitation or economic life of their own, the minimum criterion for an island to generate its own continental shelf or EEZ  [47]  . Even if human life can be sustained, islands carry less weight than continental borders in generating EEZs under the prevailing interpretations of the Law of the Sea. Artificial islands on which structures have been built are entitled to a 500-meter safety zone, but they cannot generate a territorial sea, much less a continental shelf or EEZ. Features that appear only at low tide can generate a partial twelve-mile territorial sea only if they are within twelve nautical miles of any feature that generates a territorial sea. Features submerged at low tide are not subject to sovereignty claims and generate no maritime zones at all. The acceptance by the disputing parties of the prevailing interpretation of these provisions to islands in the South China Sea has the potential to greatly reduce the area of overlapping claims, since some disputants have based their claims on an interpretation that the features themselves can generate an EEZ of up to 200 nautical miles. A strict interpretation of the Law of the Sea provision regarding a features ability to sustain human habitation or economic life of their own may well leave few if any of the features in the Spratly Islands able to generate an EEZ, greatly reducing the potential area of overlapping claims. Even if these islands were capable of generating an EEZ, it is unlikely that they would be considered able to generate one of 200 nautical miles.  [48]  After sovereignty of the islands is decided, the question of how EEZs might be defined is critical to determining the size and scope of the areas where negotiations might be necessary to resolve territorial disputes. The Law of the Sea Convention stipulates that in areas where EEZs overlap, the dispute should be settled through peaceful negotiation among the parties concerned, or the parties might voluntarily agree to third-party mediation or to judicial consideration by the ICJ. There is a slowly evolving body of international legal precedents for evaluating the validity of various claims based on the Law of the Sea, and many disputants have found creative ways to avoid sensitive sovereignty issues through limited bilateral joint resource development schemes. The Chinese and Vietnamese claims to sovereignty i n the South China Sea are both based on historical claims of discovery and occupation.  [49]  The Chinese case is better documented, but the extent of the Chinese claims remains ambiguous and contradictory.  [50]  The Japanese occupied the Spratly Islands during World War II and used the island of Itu Aba (Taiping Dao) as cover for surveillance and as a supply depot, but the Japanese claim lapsed with their defeat in World War II.  [51]  Taiwans claims to Chinese ownership of the South China Sea are similar to those of the PRC, and there has been some evidence of coordination of positions on the Chinese claims in the Indonesian Workshops on the South China Sea. The Philippine claim is based on the discovery of the unclaimed islands of Kalayaan (Freedomland) by an explorer, Tomas Cloma, in 1956. This is one of the most challenged claims, and the U.S.-Philippines security commitment has been consistently interpreted by the United States as excluding Kalayaan. The Malaysian claim is based on its continental shelf claim. The Bruneian claim is also based on a straight-line projection of its EEZ as stipulated by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.  [52]   C) Chinas Claims over the Spratly Islands in detail Rightly or wrongly, many Western academics have emphasized Chinas approach to handling its claims in the South China Sea as a critical test of Beijings role as a regional and global power in Asia in the twenty-first century.  [53]   In particular, many ASEAN analysts worry that China has since the late 1980s been working to acquire a blue-water navy and other offensive force projection capabilities, such as longer-range aircraft, aerial refueling capabilities, and more modern, harder-to-detect submarine technology, with potential negative implications for the security interests of neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. The Peoples Liberation Army navy has adopted a strategic doctrine of offshore active defense.  [54]  This doctrine envisions a midterm (10-15 years) ocean-going naval capability in which the PLA navy would be able to assert effective control of the seas within the first island chain, presumably including Taiwan and the South China Sea.  [55]  Although the Chinese navy is currently limited in its offshore capabilities and although development of indigenous production capability is taking place at a rather slow pace, concerns among Southeast Asian countries about the future development of the PLAs force projection capabilities have heightened ASEAN sensitivities to Chinese naval actions in the South China Sea region. Off-the-shelf purchases of foreign military technology such as SU-27s, Kilo-class submarines, and other military equipment from Russia that could speed up Chinas military development have attracted notice from Chinas neighbors; however, the time required to learn new technologies and integrate them into Chinas existing force structure and to make them operational suggests that any increase in Chinas military capacity will be incremental rather than dramatic  [56]  . In response, some Southeast Asian countries have begun to take limited but significant military modernization steps of their own, meant to enhance their command and control capabilities, thereby creating the potential for a regional arms race around the South China Sea. There is conflicting analysis of Chinas strategy and tactics in pursuing its claims to the Spratly Islands area. Given t he PRCs limited capability to take and hold the islands it claims, some see a pattern of hot-and-cold tactics by China that is intended to throw the other claimants off balance until the PRC is able to enforce its claim through intimidation or force.  [57]  These analysts point to Chinese salami tactics, in which China tests the other claimants through aggressive actions, then backs off when it meets significant resistance.  [58]  Chinas ambiguity on the extent and nature of its claims is regarded as a tactical plot to stall or defer any attempt to achieve a negotiated settlement until China is prepared to get what it wants through military strength.  [59]   Other analysts emphasize that while the political issue of sovereignty is a particularly sensitive one during a period of political transition in Beijing, the top goal of the PRC leadership for the foreseeable future is to maintain a stable environment conducive to Chinas economic development. These analysts assert that Chinas defense strategy of active defense is still focused primarily on continental defense and the ability to react to localized conflicts.  [60]  Chinas actions in the Spratly Islands area are seen as primarily defensive, preserving Chinas options vis-à  -vis the other claimants as the Law of the Sea is applied. In addition, some experts have suggested that the South China Sea dispute cannot be solved in isolation from Chinas other maritime disputes in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.  [61]  These experts suggest that China may feel landlocked and therefore geographically disadvantaged.  [62]  Such a condition might make these maritime border disp utes more difficult to settle because the strategic stakes for a China encircled by discrete maritime boundaries would be too high. Given the reverberations from sporadic military confrontations in the South China Sea in recent years, all parties have reason to be vigilant for opportunities to pursue progress on the Spratly Islands issue. Ef

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - The Character of the Parson Essay

The Character of the Parson of Canterbury Tales      Ã‚   Geoffrey Chaucer is considered by many critics as the father of English literature.   His literary masterpiece was "The Canterbury Tales."   In these tales, Chaucer writes about pilgrims who are on a journey to Canterbury.   Each pilgrim has a tale that they tell on this journey.   Chaucer expresses themes and messages through the characterization of each pilgrim.   Through the Parson, one of the pilgrims, Chaucer is able to portray the life of a true Christian through the general prologue, prologue to the Parson's tale, and the Parson's tale itself.      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the general prologue, Chaucer introduces the reader to the Parson.   He is a "holy-minded man of good renown" (475).   The reader soon gets to know him as a devout, educated, altruistic, caring, gentle, humble, giving, and brotherly man through the general descriptions of who the Parson is and what he does.   The parson is "benign" and "diligent" (481) as well as being "holy and virtuous" (511).   Chaucer portrays this pious Christian through his reverent and venerable t...

Marbury vs. Madison :: essays research papers

In the Supreme Court case of George Reynolds vs. United States, 1879, concerned an older Mormon living in the Utah Territory under federal laws, was charged with a violation of a federal law forbidding marriage in all federal territories. The practice of multiple marriage couples is a practice common among Mormons of that time period. The United States put into effect a law the restricted multiple marriage couples upon receiving word that Mormons were moving into the Utah Territory. Since the United States Government was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs, they frowned heavily on the Mormon practice and used their power to restrict their ability to act on their beliefs. The principle of democracy that is directly applicable to this situation is Equality under the Law. George Reynolds took his case to the Supreme Court in objection that he could not fully pursue his religion. He argued that the first amendment guarantees that persons will be free from any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. That no federal law could interfere with a person’s religious belief or with actions based on those beliefs. That the federal law was unconstitutional and his conviction should be overturned. In his eyes he was not being treated fairly by the government because of what his religion believed was acceptable. He felt that multiple partner relationships should be allowed and that the United States was out of line in restricting that. The Supreme Court ruled that the case presented an obvious and compelling need to regulate a question of behavior offensive to public will. The first amendment cannot be used as a shield to protect any person against criminal behavior. This ruling states that the first amendment cannot be used as an excuse to do whatever you want simply because your religion says that’s ok to do. Mr. Reynolds is allowed to believe that multiple partners are acceptable, but he is not allowed to practice that belief, according to the law of the United States. The Supreme Court ruling was quite inaccurate in that they think Mormon beliefs are wrong because they differ from their own beliefs. Because Mormon religion is a minority in this country, the rest of the United States feels that they have the right to regulate how the Mormon religion can and cannot be practiced. Mormons should be allowed to pursue their religion to the fullest extent without causing harm to himself or herself or any other individual.

Essay --

1.0 Introduction We had selected Apple Iphone 5s as our for our Fundamental Of Marketing assignment. We select this product it because more and more advanced technology exist in the 21st century. Nowadays, more and more modern human like to pursuit the trend of technology, and there is also one of the main reason that we chosen this product for doing research on marketing strategies, marketing environment, marketing mix and proposal to analysing of this assignment. This product(Iphone 5s) is a touchscreen smartphone that produced by Apple Inc. Apple is one of the most famous and reliable brand in the IT world. Its logo is with a silver colour apple on the back casing of the phone. Iphone 5s has a chip with 64-bit architecture, fingerprint identity sensor, a better, faster camera, and an operating system built specifically for 64-bit in order to bring more convenience to consumer. We were focus on how Iphone 5s competitive with other's brand's smartphone company in Malaysia's consumer market. Company background Apple Inc. is an American corporation that design software, hardware and other consumer electronics. Apple Inc.’s product lines are iPhone (smart phone), iPad (tablet computer), iPod (portable media players) and Mac book (Macintosh computer). Apple or "the company" was established in 1977. Besides that, the company sells to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government and creative customers. It was co-founded by Steven Wozniak and Steven P. Job in Cupertino, California. Apple really started in basement or garage not at the expensive business location. This is the one of the reason so many people intrigued to the brand and could be the reason that the computers were such a success, they wer... ...can send email and text, browsing the web, shooting and sharing great video and photo, getting direction easily. Lastly, the entrepreneurs can organize contracts, access contracts, and have a detail schedule. Not only IOS 7 and Ultrafast LTE wireless function can use by them, they also can use the Touch ID, this is a security system which is using their own fingerprint to set the password, so others cannot open their phone to steal the information and idea in the phone. Positioning Having done the above 2 steps which are segmenting the market and selecting specific target market, positioning is the final part of STP process. According the Apple Inc.’s selling point, ‘’iPhone 5S, the most advanced iPhone ever, with our most forward-thinking technologies.’’ The iPhone 5S is the best smartphone that contains the latest advanced features Apple Inc. has created so far.

Report on Cybermediaries

4. 724 E-BUSINESS A REPORT ON THE CYBERMEDIARIES OF THE NEW ZEALAND RESTAURANT INDUSTRYÂ   The use of the information systems and applications to drive and support the processes of a business, mainly using the web technology is known as E-Business. This helps the companies to connect their processes (Internal and External) much more effectively and efficiently. This also allows them to have a much more closed interaction with their suppliers and partners, which leads to a higher level of customer satisfaction and overall business performance (The National B2B Centre). The business process which lies in between the ends of a value chain is known as Intermediation.These businesses have a much classified role of being the entities that serve the market by connecting multiple buyers and sellers. The core essence of the intermediary is mainly a content provider (service based on information). Hence when these kinds of businesses take place using the web is known as Cybermediation. In the present business world, all the companies are trying to develop their virtual image with the help of the internet. The restaurant industry is one of the major industries contributing to the New Zealand economy. Hence the development of cybermediaries in the NZ restaurant industry is very obvious.There are lots of different websites which work as cybermediaries for the NZ restaurant industry, but in this report we specifically concentrate on two of them, and they are 1) www. menumania. co. nz 2) www. menus. co. nz 1|P ag e 2. 0 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES Cybermediaries 1: www. menumania. co. nz Menu Mania is a community based guide for restaurants in New Zealand founded in 2006 by Cristian Rosescu. The primary aim of the Menu Mania is to connect the people with great local restaurants or eating places. It provides a platform for the passionate and influencing people to share their experiences about various eating places.It provides a great channel for local businesses to market th emselves at no extra cost. Menu mania knows that recommendation of friends is the best and the most reliable way of finding restaurants, so it collects and organizes the recommendations and suggestion of people in one place. Thus www. menumania. co. nz is a site where people find where and what to eat on the basis of the real reviews given by the real people. Cybermediaries 2: www. menus. co. nz Menus is considered to be one of the oldest websites in New Zealand related to restaurants. The website has on an 2|P ag e average of more than 64,000 visitors every month (Menus).Menus can be considered as the easiest mode for the local businesses that are related to food industry to create or increase their internet exposure, as they have partnerships and associations with reputed companies. The website basically provides a basic free listing for the local businesses, it provides free coupons to their registered customers at specific occasions, the go extra mile to provide reservation faci lities to their customers, they provide personalized list of menu according to the preference of the member and also gives a map featuring the location of the restaurant. Thus www. menus. co. z wants the people to comment and give reviews of the restaurants that are listed on their site. They appreciate both the positive and negative comments and feedback, while expect the customers to give their suggestions on positive improvements. Thus both the cybermediaries namely www. menumania. co. nz and www. menus. co. nz have their own market importance. Customers and businesses use them as a guiding factor for either the selection of the restaurant or menu from customer’s perception while the businesses use the comments, reviews or suggestions of the customers in order to improve themselves and create their image in the market.Both the websites have similarities and differences in the service they provide, which are discussed as under. 3|P ag e 2. 1 Similarities The selected cyberm ediaries of the Restaurant Industry have certain similarities which can be considered as the basic features of the cybermediaries, which are as under: Reviews and Comments: Both the cybermediaries have lists of restaurants from all over New Zealand and these websites give people a chance to give their personal reviews about different restaurants they have visited. It also allows them to give a negative feedback if they had a bad experience and asks for suggestions. Mobile Application: These websites have developed a specific application for I-Phone users in order to make it much more convenient to their customers, as the trend is shifting from using computers to mobiles for internet access. – Search Options: Both the cybermediaries have a search option which helps the consumers to find their required restaurant much more easily. In the given search option the consumers can search restaurants on the basis of location, cuisine, kind of restaurant, categories and key words. 4|P ag e –Member Login: These websites have a special login facility for the members; this is kind of a loyalty program for the frequent visitors of the website. They send newsletters, articles, reviews, deals and special offers of different restaurants. – Featured Restaurants: These websites have an especially dedicated portion of their website for the featured restaurants or businesses, which display some of the best and the finest restaurants of the selected place. – Best for Occasion: These websites have a special search option in which the customers can search and choose the restaurants that are best for the particular occasion.They have options of restaurants for the occasions like Private Functions, Business dinners, wedding functions, private parties, romantic dinners, group outings, kids friendly, kids parties, outdoor catering and many more. Thus these are some of the similarities in the two chosen cybermediaries of the New Zealand Restaurant Industry. 5|P ag e 2. 1 Differences The selected websites are for a particular restaurant industry and thus needs to differentiate from each other in order to create their own reputation and market image. Menu Mania: What’s New: The website gives the information about the new things happening in the particular area.This section gives information about the new menus, the new photos of the restaurants that the customers have uploaded and the reviews about the two. Browse by Price: This is an extra feature provided in order to help the customers to differentiate or categorize the restaurants according to the price of the food they sell. They categorize the restaurants as Cheap (Under $15), Moderate ($15 – $25), Spendy ($25 – $35) and Splurge (Above $35). Hot in City: This section of the website gives the information about the latest restaurants in the particular area.It gives the information about the good restaurants for different cuisines like Japanese, Asian, A La Carte, Mid dle Eastern, Fast Food and many more. 6|P ag e – Latest News: This section of the website gives the latest information about the new updates on the website, restaurants, cuisines, culture and others. It also gives the information about the various competitions and awards happening in the restaurant industry. – Special Offers: The special offer section of the website gives the special deals to their customers from the restaurants that offer them. –Browse by more features: This section of the website gives the customers to browse the restaurants on other features like the restaurants Good for Groups, Outdoor Seating, Wifi Access, BYO and Wheelchair Accessible restaurants. Menus: Categories of Venues: This website gives the option to the customers to choose venues more easily by categorizing the restaurants as Bars & Bistros, Cafes, Pubs, Restaurants, Takeaway Foods, Wine Bars and Wineries & Vineyards. 7|P ag e – Craving Something? This is a special section of the website that helps the customers to view some of the best restaurants for the particular food item they wish to eat. Reservation Facilities This website gives the option to the customers to do reservation for the restaurants they wish to go. This is very beneficial for the customers, as they view the comments or feedback for the restaurant and then do the reservation for the same. – Competitions They organize competitions for the customers who visit their website. They give away prices for the winners in the form of gift vouchers or coupons for the various restaurants. – Menu Articles This section of the website gives the customers an option for reading articles for different sections like General Interest, Where to Eat, Best for and Spotlight Recipes This section of the website gives the recipes for different cuisines. These recipes are uploaded by the different customers. 8|P ag e 3. 0 CONSUMER BENEFITS The selected cybermediaries of the New Zealand Restaurant Industry have several benefits for the customers, who visit their websites. ? These websites provide the customers or the food lovers with a platform to give their opinion or review about their experience of a particular restaurant or a local eating place so it can be positive or negative.For Example if a person had some very good experience about a particular restaurant, then he can come to the website, and write about his experience on the listing of that restaurant. ? Based on the reviews or comments of other people, its gives a fair idea about the restaurants or eating places to the other customers. Hence it becomes much easier for them to choose good restaurants from the list. For Example if a person is searching restaurant for Japanese food, then it becomes easy for him to decide which one to go in, on the basis of the reviews and comments of the other customers who had already visited the restaurant. These websites also categorize the different eating places into different t ypes such as Bars, Cafes, Restaurants, Takeaways and many more. ? They also provide the customers with the different search options, which make it easy for them to choose the restaurants or other places according to the type of the cuisine, location, occasion, price and other features. 9|P ag e ? These websites have special sections in which they provide the special offers or deals of the different restaurants that use this medium as a mode of marketing themselves. ?They also make use of the latest technologies like the Mobile Applications, which makes it more convenient for the customers to access the information. For example if a customer wants to suddenly find a restaurant providing the best Chinese food, while he is driving he can check on his mobile application for the best Chinese restaurant/takeaway in the particular location. ? These websites also provide a lot of extra information to their viewers in the form of articles related to the restaurant industry, award functions, competitions and others. ? These are also a very good platform for the food lovers and the ones who try making new dishes.The people can upload their own recipes and others can learn new recipes and comment on these recipes. ? These websites along with finding the proper restaurant also provide the customers with the details of restaurant like the menu, contact details and timings. Some of them also provide them with the extra facility of reservation or booking a table at their chosen restaurant. For Example the customer can find a good place for eating Thai food from the lists, now they can use the reservation facilities provided and can book a table for the numbers of prop 10 | P a g e 4. REVENUE MODEL The revenue model of any E-business is the model which shows how the company generates revenue for the particular period of time. The cybermediaries identified for the New Zealand Restaurant industry also have some particular revenue models which helps the companies to make revenue from the services they provide. The revenue model for the identified cybermediaries www. menumania. co. nz can be considered to be consisting of one major way and that is the Advertisement Charges. 4. 1 Advertising Charges Menu Mania website offers two different kinds of advertising options.The first option is ‘Restaurant Advertising’ where in businesses related to the restaurant industry can give their ads on the website and the second option is ‘Banner/Display Advertising’ where companies other than the restaurant industry can give their ads. 4. 1. 1 Restaurant Advertising In the first option of advertising the restaurants or the eating places give their ads. These ads are featured at two places in the website namely on the top of the search result for that particular category in which the restaurants falls and in between the other restaurant pages. 1 | P a g e On the Top of the Search Result Between the page of other Restaurant 12 | P a g e They have wee kly charges for giving advertisements, they charge $12/week if the customer pays for one whole year or they charge $13/week for one month. They also have option of pay the whole amount at one go that is $600 + GST for one year or $55 + GST for one month. They also give their customers a special option of 30 days free trial and if customer wants to continue advertising they charge $15. 92 + GST/ Week or $69 per month.They also provide 20% discount to the members of the Restaurant Association or the Hospitality Association (Menu Mania). 4. 1. 2 Banner / Display Advertising In the second option of advertising, any company can give ads on the website of Menu Mania at the fixed location. The advertising banners are on the right side of the website. 13 | P a g e 5. 0 CONCLUSION Thus it can be concluded that with the development of the internet, there is development of different businesses which are only virtually present on the web. These cybermediaries are helpful to both the customers a s well as the businesses.The businesses get a better way to promote their business to the particular targeted audience and in the same way the customers get the benefits of the price comparison, product comparison, get to know news products and services. Hence the cybermediaries are main source of information for the customers irrespective of the industry the customer is looking for. 14 | P a g e REFERENCES Chaffey, D. E-Business & E-Commerce Management. Prentice Hall – Pearson Education Limited. Menu Mania. (n. d. ). Retrieved Nov 2012, from Menu Mania: http://www. menumania. co. nz/restaurants/browse/auckland-city Menu Mania. n. d. ). Advertising on MenuMania. Retrieved Nov 2012, from Menu Mania: http://www. menumania. co. nz/restaurant/advertising. php Menus. (n. d. ). Retrieved Nov, from Menus: http://www. menus. co. nz/ Menus. (n. d. ). Why should I list my business on Menus? Retrieved Nov 2012, from Menus: http://www. menus. co. nz/help/list-business/ The National B2B C entre. (n. d. ). What is E-Business? Retrieved November 2012, from http://www. nb2bc. co. uk/what_is_ebusiness/ Vidal, D. (2012). E-Business. Lecture Notes / Module Slides . Auckland, New Zealand. 15 | P a g e

Hunger in San Diego Persuasive Speech

1 Page . c atomic number 18 Step . When will you eat succeeding(prenominal)? Will you be eating dinner tonight? . Need Step . Today, in that location atomic number 18 over 446,000 concourse that are going athirst(p) in San Diego County. http//sandiego fodderbank. org/ ache-in-san-diego/ . A account of a fel low-pitched San Diegan and her family who are also having hunger problems. 1. Alejandra in her later(a) 20s impeld in with her sister Marisol, her maintain, and her 3 kids to help take care of them. 2. Marisol worked eld and Alejandra nights so there was al ways soul to take care of the kids. 3.Marisols keep up lost his job as grammatical construction worker, Marisol was laid dark from hers as a housekeeper at a Holiday Inn, and because Alejandra lost her restaurant job. 4. It became hard for them to rec entirely(prenominal) work, but howevertually Marisols husband found a couple of(prenominal) jobs as a handyman and Marisol worked cleaning a some houses. 5. Barely got by, and it was hard for them. 6. Cupboards were generally renounce except for a little of sieve and beans. 7. Main concern was children, so adults would of decennary eat little or aught at all so the kids would drive enough. . Eventually got support from church and indeed San Diego forage Bank. Here is a pic of Alejandra picking up food at the San Diego nutriment Bank. That is a real story ab start a real hunger problem. http//sandiegofoodbank. org/newstypes/client-profiles/ 2. Feedingamericasd. org says that 1 out of 4 children in San Diego fall apartt know where their following meal is glide slope from Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less belike to become copious citizens. A child who is unequipped to examine because of hunger and poverty is more likely to be poor as an adult. . You recognise. our bodies are like engines, engines involve fuel, we need food, and both are required to move forward. 2. So next this quote is from sandiegohungercoalition. org, plenty Hecht, executive director of California food policy advocate says that Given the limit of food insecurity in San Diego County and crosswise the country, we must(prenominal) not undermine searing efforts to protect families against hunger, and improve health finished good nutrition, You know.. we must all realize that hunger can materialize to any of us, all it takes is Losing our job Having a health crisis Or any different unusual emergency expense. Such as a major car repair. ?And We must all be awareThat its important that San Diego County has food bank agencies to render support to people who are low income or confine sudden crises. . triumph Step . We.. Should look for opportunities to support the San Diego fare Bank. . There are many ways to support the solid food Bank, we can give food items Support them financially Or we can volunteer. . aThe San Diego fodder Bank has been well-nigh since 1977 and has been serving ever si nce because of Peoples food financial and voluntary support. . SoYes, this solution will take beat out of your day and/or specie if you would like to help. But, think of the good you would do by simply donating 10 dollars, pickings 3 hours out of your Saturday or Sunday, or even collecting a few cans of food from your neighbors or workplace to merely do something good for a topical anaesthetic family in need. Visualization Step . Sojust look around places you go in San Diego, maybe you see a homeless guy asking for currency for food, or maybe its your next door neighbor who doesnt have enough to eat, or maybe even a friend whos hungry but too reluctant to say. The tragical fact is that nearly half a million people in San Diego County dont have enough to eat. . recollect that there was a place where all of those hungry people could go to film food. I know of a place, the San Diego Food Bank. . Action Step . Fact ispeople are hungry. ut the San Diego Food Bank is there to hel p. . So today, I would like to encourage you to pull out your phones when you leave this classroom today, simply textual matter capital letters SD to 20222, and this will determine a 10$ donation to the San Diego Food Bank, just a simple thing, stock-still that 10 dollars will provide 30 meals for people in need. . This week, I myself am going to make a ten dollar donation and drop off a bag of food to the Food Bank. . If San Diegans work together, we can eliminate hunger in San Diego County.