Why are some countries in debt?

Why are some countries in debt? What impact does it have on development? What is debt? On an international scale, debt is the owing of money from one country to another or an international organisation as a result of previous borrowing because of need. Why are some countries in debt? Countries can be in debt for different reasons: 1) Trade deficit When a country's imports are worth more than a country's exports, the country loses money and therefore it is forced to borrow money from other countries or international organisations to try and cover the losses. 2) Natural disasters and tied aid After a natural disaster, a country may become dependent on the aid of another country for a short period of time. However sometimes the aid given is tied aid where the country receiving aid may have to pay back the money given (possibly with interest). They are therefore in debt to the donor country/organisation. 3) Money mismanagement If a country mismanages their use of money (most likely through the government) and spends money unnecessarily while taking out loans to cover the cost, the country can end up in debt. The effect of debt on development When a country is in debt, a majority of the money it generates is used to pay back money to the donor country. This means that there is little money being invested into the social infrastructure of the country, so healthcare and education levels remain the same or get worse overall slowing down or sometimes even reverse developing a country as literacy rates may fall and not enough money could be invested in improving healthcare. Ways of solving debt problems Cancelling debt – What are the advantages and disadvantages? Advantages – The advantages of cancelling debt are that it can allow a poor country to start investing the money it gains into its development/ social infrastructure rather than paying back debt to developed countries. This can overall help to fight poverty and reduce the development gap. In 2005, Zambia had $4 million of debt cancelled and in 2006 it had enough money to pay for free healthcare for millions of people living in rural areas, improving the quality of life. In Tanzania, money saved from debt cancellations allowed the government to abolish primary school fees in 2001. As a result, the number of students that go to primary school doubled. These examples show that by cancelling debt, it allows money to be invested in education which can lead to more people getting jobs, overall contributing to a country's economy, improving the GDP and by investing in healthcare, the life expectancy and infant mortality rate can also decrease. Summary: -a country can invest in its development -It reduces poverty and can reduce the development gap -examples include Zambia and Tanzania Disadvantages – Although cancelling debt can help a country to develop, there are also some disadvantages. Firstly, the donor country loses a significant amount of money which can slightly damage its economy. Developing countries which have had their debt cancelled could start taking out more loans, in the hope of having debt gained from that cancelled as well (This however is unlikely as eventually developed countries will eventually see when a country is not worth giving money to and in a time of crisis, nothing will be given) When a loan is taken, the money should be returned and if it is not, it could give the country which did not pay back, a bad reputation. Summary: – The donor country loses money – Countries could take out more loans – A loan should be paid back if taken in the first place Debt for nature swaps Deforestation largely takes place for economical needs of a country to try and pay off debt. A debt for nature swap is an agreement between a developing nation in debt and one or more of its creditors. In a debt for nature swap, the country or organisation owed money, writes off an amount of debt in return for a certain amount of environmental protection. They were first established in the 1980s in the attempt of solving two problems with one agreement: 1) to minimize the debt of developing nations and 2) to minimize the environmental destruction that frequently takes place in developing countries. A company called WWF (world wide fund for nature) which cooperates with countries such as UK and USA has helped to structure and design many debt for nature swaps. In 2008 they helped to structure and facilitate one of the largest debt for nature swaps in Madagascar's history in which 20 million dollars was committed to preserve the country's rich biodiversity. Also in 2008, the USA reduced Peru's debt by $25 million in exchange for conserving its rainforests. Debt for nature swaps are extremely beneficial because they not only cancel the debt of a country allowing them to invest in development, but it helps to protect the environment and conserve some of the world's rainforests. This makes it better than just cancelling debt.

Drinking Age Essay

The drinking age was moved from 18 to 21 for a reason. The higher drinking age of 21 has saved many lives, helped reduce the amount of underage drinking, and therefore should not be lowered. Many studies from a large variety of sources have proven higher drinking ages have a positive effect on society. Alcohol is harmful to the development of younger people. Research has shown that an adult is less likely to binge drink (have five or more drinks in a row). According to statistics from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, teens become intoxicated twice as fast as adults. Because the teens get drunk faster they are less likely to know when to stop and to go past their limit, causing harm to themselves and others. The Human brain continues to develop after adolescence and into our 20’s. According to a study on the neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college students, drinking is harmful to the brain. Since the brains of all people under 21 are still developing, and most are in college, alcohol can prove very detrimental to the development of their brain and can harm their studies, and thus their futures. Underage drinking also largely contributes to many social problems include those such as: impaired driving, fighting, sexual activity, and smoking (Pediatrics 2006; 119:76-85). People have proposed that a 40 hour educational course should entitle people under 21 to drink. Research shows that educating youth drivers does not prevent youth crashes, however restrictions such as a limitation on the amount of passengers a youth driver can have, and curfews do help restrict the amount of youth crashes. The same philosophy applies to drinking. Educating young people about drinking responsibly, and the damage that drinking can do will not prevent alcohol related incidents, or underage â€Å"binge† drinking, but restrictions like the current laws will help prevent these (National Institutes of Health , â€Å"Fact Sheet: Underage Drinking†). Alcohol has a direct effect on the amount of car crashes and crime levels around the world. Studies show that since the legal age was change from 18 to 21 the number of vehicle related accidents has  dropped 16 percent (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Other studies have shown that since the legal drinking age was raised over 25,000 live were saved (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs). Many European countries have lower drinking ages, and many people say that their system is better. Since alcohol is more readily available in these nations there are more underage drinkers than other countries where alcohol is more limited. Studies have also shown that alcohol cause more problems in Europe than America (DiClemente, Ralph J.:Pediatrics 107). These issues include underage drunkenness, injury, rape, and school problems. â€Å"The concept that a person becomes a full adult at age 21 dates back centuries in English common law; 21 was the age at which a person could, among other things, vote and become a knight. Since a person was an official adult at age 21, it seemed to make sense that they could drink then, too† (Ethan Trex: http://www.mentalfloss.com /article/19437/why-drinking-age-21). Certain European nations and states allow drinking with a parent’s consent or drinking in the privacy of the home. Many people claim that this helps reduce underage binge drinking by introducing youths to alcohol at an earlier age in a controlled environment. Research has shown that this is not true (Fell, James: Debating Reform), because the youths feel they have their parent’s permission to drink they are more likely to believe it is okay for them to drink in situations outside the home, which can lead to intoxicated driving, and other harmful acts. Some argument for lowering the drinking age claim that alcohol is more enticing to youths when they can’t have it, and if the legal age was lowered there would be less underage drinking problems. Studies and history have proven this wrong (Fell, James: Debating Reform). Before the drinking age was raised in the U.S. there was a larger underage drinking problem, and over twice as many fatal alcohol related accidents as today. Sources: European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. DiClemente, Ralph J. et al â€Å"Parental Monitoring: Association With Adolescents’ Risk Behaviors† Pediatrics 107: 6 June 2001, 1363-1368 Fell, James. From â€Å"Chapter 2: Federalism: Resolved, the Federal Government should restore each State’s freedom to set its drinking age.† in Ellis, Richard and Nelson, Michael (eds.) Debating Reform. CQPress Publishers, Fall 2009. Fell, J.; â€Å"Minimum Legal Drinking Age Policy Knowledge Asset,† website created by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Substance Abuse Policy Research Program; March 2009. Fell, James C. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Oct. 2008 â€Å"An Examination of the Criticisms of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 Laws in the United States from a Traffic-Safety Perspective† National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis â€Å"Lives Saved in 2007 by Restraint Use and Minimum Drinking Age Laws† DOT HS 811 049 A Brief Statistical Summary November 2008. National Institutes of Health , â€Å"Fact Sheet: Underage Drinking† National Institutes of Health, â€Å"Fact Sheet: Alcohol-related Traffic Deaths† National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Statistics on Underage Drinking National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, â€Å"Research Findings on Underage Drinking and the Minimum Legal Drinking Age† National Institutes of Health, Alcohol Policy Information System â€Å"The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act† Shults, Ruth A., Elder, Randy W., Sleet, David A., Nichols, James L., Alao, Mary O. Carande-Kulis, Vilma G., Zaza, Stephanie, Sosin, Daniel M., Thompson, Robert S., and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. â€Å"Reviews of Evidence Regarding Interventions to Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving.† Am J Prev Med 2001;21(4S). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Unde rage Drinking 2007. Zeigler DW, Wang CC, Yoast RA, Dickinson BD, Mccaffree MA, Robinowitz CB, et al. The Neurocognitive Effects of Alcohol on Adolescents and College Students. Prev Med 2005 Jan;40(1):23-32. http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html

Jamaica Kincaid “Girl” Essay

The story of Jamaica Kincaid â€Å"Girl† is about a mother giving the instructions to her daughter. The mother uses strict, demanding tone while parenting her daughter. She gives the orders, and expects listening and obedience, regardless what the girl says. Through mother’s words to her daughter, through the directions she wants her to follow, the mother reveals strictness, egocentricity, and exactingness that are her most conspicuous traits. The mother believes that numerous instructions will make her daughter become a proper lady. This story supports the idea that a woman should be domesticated. The mother or a speaker describes the household chores and wants her girl to do them correctly. â€Å"This is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house.’ (Kincaid 396) Considering the time this story was written, little women were not taught how to do a successful career, they were taught how to become good wives for their husbands. The mother is addressing her remarks to her daughter. She takes the position and does not listen to the girl. There is a gap in the relationship between two women, shown through the girl’s little speech. The mother is instructing how to act, talk, behave, and eat. However, this does not make her a bad mother. All that she wants is her daughter to know the values of life. The mother teaches her, probably, the same way her mother used to teach her. The mother tells her daughter how to cook and set up the table. â€Å"This is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest.† (Kincaid 396) On one hand, all that we see in this story is mother and her guidance. On the other hand, in spite of mother’s strictness and directness, she reveals her praiseworthy characteristics by willing to make her daughter a proper lady. She wants her daughter to have outstanding manners and to know how to behave in front of the men. I believe that the culture the author was writing this story in, plays a very important role in this story. The mother wants her daughter to become a proper lady by guiding her and providing her with the strict instructions. She believes that the more detailed she is, the better her daughter will know. Despite the commands and strictness, the daughter will learn the values of life.

Men in Black; I, Robot; After Earth Movie Review

Men in Black; I, Robot; After Earth - Movie Review Example This research will begin with the movie review of Men in Black. It is an American movie released in the year 1997 and is based on science fiction. This action comedy movie is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld with actors including Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Rip Torn and Linda Florentino. The plot of the movie has been adapted from a comic book series with the same name. The story revolves around two men, also known as men in black, who are representatives of a non-government agency. They observe the activities and movements of some extraterrestrial beings who are residing on this earth by hiding their identity from regular human beings. The major focus of this agency’s men is to observe the movements of 1,500 alien figures who roam in and around New York City. Since it is a covert operation, therefore the MIB base their operations underground at a Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority  ventilation station in  Battery Park, New York City. In case any humans accidentally witne ss these aliens, then it becomes the responsibility of the agency to use neuralyzers to clean their memory. During one night when Agent K and Agent D were doing their usual surveillance duty, they seized a truck filled with illegal immigrants along with an alien who was disguised as a normal human being. When Agent K attempted to chase him down, he was forced to kill the alien as the latter tried to attack a border patrol officer. Soon after this, Agent D realized he was becoming too old for the job and hence requested Agent K to use neuralyzer on him, which is a precondition for every agent who is about to retire from the agency. The leader of the agency then asked Agent K to find a new partner. In another event, James Edwards who was an officer in the New York Police Department and was extremely active and energetic was chasing a criminal on foot. As the chase took place on rooftops, Edwards soon realized that the fugitive’s irises blink vertically by which he concluded tha t the man was not a normal human being. Soon after this, Agent K uses neuralyzer on Edwards after extracting all information from him about the alien. Agent K then gives him an agency card. Edwards then reaches the secret organization and excels in all tests to qualify himself as a MIB. His original identity is then erased before recruiting him as Agent J. When they embark on investigating the reason behind the aliens leaving the earth all of a sudden, they find out that a farmer named Edgar has been killed and his skin has been used by a Bug who is a type of species of cockroach.

Accounting methods of Asset Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting methods of Asset Management - Essay Example 2. The are many ways the long term assets can be presented in the balance sheet per reference to AASB 1010 and AASB 1041. AASB 38 has recently been replaced by AASB 1041. AASB 1010 and AASB 1041 speaks of new ways of presenting the long term assets like buildings, equipment, plant, etc. usually with concentration on presenting them using the fair value1. Comparison of the various benchmarking methods is enumerated below:4) Revalued at Replacement Cost - Buying a new item to replace damaged or outmoded equipments etc. Due to the continuous rise of inflationary goods and services, replacement cost has a higher probability of going up. 3. There are other parameters for generating value added when what is being benchmarked is not in goods production but involved actively in the government health department, service company, local council, etc.For local government health departments and councils , prompt delivery of health programs and services, without the usual redundant application forms, is highly recommended. Doctors track patients and refer them to specialists, when needed. Most sponsors and charitable organizations will donate medicines and other related health and economic needs to poor patients. Doctors may share patients' information with other health workers so there is lesser medical history interview time resulting in public health being handled faster.

Work of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Work of Art - Essay Example Next what the viewer sees is the man struggling under water to release his hands from the rope tied around, a life and death struggle in which he finally succeeds, and then daring the firing squad that pours bullets at him from above, he swims to the shore safely. The entire sequence is fraught with breath-stopping tension as at one moment, the man seems to be going to die and the next moment, he is again seen to be surviving some how in this race against death. The moment in which the man arrives at the shore of the river, totally exhausted and breathless, yet living and happy to be alive, he sees a small wild flower just near to where he was lying half-conscious. And he is in divine ecstasy seeing that beautiful manifestation of life, especially because the same life a moment before was slipping away from him. Thus the flower becomes a metaphor of his own survival and hope. The film next depicts the firing squad once again closing in on him and he running for life like a amad man. The hunter and the hunted become engaged in a intense saga of killer instinct and survival instinct. Then the film shows the viewer a gate which opens before the running man, and for a moment, it seems that his trial by fire is over and he has safely arrived at his house. The visuals of a woman and a child happily welcoming him reinforces this impression. He is seen running towards them in relief and immense joy. But, suddenly, something invisible seems to be pulling him back at one stroke and the next shot that the viewer sees is the man hanging on the bridge. It is only at this moment that the viewer realizes that the rope-breaking and escape sequence that he/she saw earlier was unreal and was just a last thought, vision or wishful thinking of the man being hanged. There was no escape possible and he died. The film ends here. While watching the film, I have been finding it difficult to even breath as the struggle of the

Business law environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business law environment - Essay Example Thus, both Andrew and Ivor are principals with respect to third parties, agents with respect to each other, and have equal rights and duties owing from being part of a fiduciary relationship. 2 The inherent fiduciary nature of partnership entails that good faith characterise all the actions of both Andrew and Ivor relative to Hi-Tek Kitchenware transactions. This is because in a fiduciary relationship a partner is entrusted with the obligation to act for the benefit of the other, implying that Andrew must act for the benefit of Ivor and Ivor, on the hand, must act only, in transactions related to the firm, with the benefit of Andrew in mind. Thus under ss 28 to 30 of PA 1890, the duties and obligations of partners all embrace this element. In the duty of disclosure, under s 28 of the said Act, obligates a partner to reveal all and every transaction that he entered into in behalf of the other partners. 3 Both Andrew and Ivor therefore, are required under this provision of the Act to disclose to each other all transactions and negotiations they entered into in their capacity as agent of each other. In the landmark case, for example, of Law v. Law 4 a partner offered to purch ase another partner’s share of the firm to which the latter accepted. He found out belatedly however, after the sale, that the partner to whom he sold his share had failed to disclose certain assets of the firm. When the case was brought to court, the latter held that the duty to disclose is an obligation that each partner must carry out although in this case, the sale was not annulled because it turned out that the selling partner had agreed to a sale without prior disclosure. 5 Another duty of a partner to each other is the duty to account which comes under s 29 of PA 1890. Under the said section, Andrew and Ivor are duty-bound to account to each other all profits or benefits of any kind they gained from all

LUSH's transfer to Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LUSH's transfer to Brazil - Essay Example The products include soaps, shampoos and hair conditioners, shower gel, bath bombs, face make, bubble bars, hand and body lotions for a variety of skin types. Lush in all its products uses essential oils, fruit and vegetables, honey and beeswax, and synthetic ingredients. It is a public limited company and is a part of the personal care industry. Lush operates in more than 50 countries there are some appropriate conditions of Brazil that has enforced the company to open its stores over there. Lush operates in Australia, Canada, Germany, Kuwait, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong, UK, Sweden etc. This report outlines the opportunity that Lush has seen in the Brazil market and the reasons why it has not chosen any alternative markets for its operations. The report even proposes some marketing mix strategy that would be helpful for the company to operate in the overseas market. Brazil is selected as a new market to enter by Lush. The reasons behind selecting the Brazilian market for personal care industry can be justified using the SWOT analysis. It is structured planning method which is used to evaluate the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threat related to a component. The strengths and weakness are internal to the organization whereas the opportunities and threat are the external factors of the environment which cannot be controlled by the organization. These internal and external factors are analyzed using the SWOT analysis and it helps to know the factors essential to be considered while designing a strategy or in case of a product it helps to analyze which market is suitable for the business. The strengths highlight the advantage the component has over the others. The weakness illustrates the characteristics that place it at a disadvantage over others. The opportunities describe the factors it could consider in order to exploit its advantages. The threats highlight the possible

Agriculture paper on your chosen culture Assignment

Agriculture paper on your chosen culture - Assignment Example The goosefoot, sump weed and sunflowers were the first crops to be domesticated and cultivated by the Native American Indians, most especially along the Mississippi River (Agriculture American Indian, 2003). The development of agriculture advanced with the invention of further agricultural methods such as irrigation, which allowed the American Indians to produce food crops constantly, resulting in the beginning of the cultivation of corn starting 3400 A.D. Thus, by 1000 A.D., the Native American Indians had already narrowed down their crop cultivation to three major food crops namely the corn, squash and beans (Nabhan, 1989). By the time of the European contact, the Native Indian Americans were already producing food at a large scale, capable of keeping their community throughout the year without shortages. The food crop production methods of the American Indian did not entail fertilizing the land using organic matter. On the contrary, they maintained soil fertility through planting their crops as a mixture of corn, beans and squash within the same piece of land, allowing the crops to re-fertilize the land though nitrogen fixation. The custom of the Native Indian Americans was to abandon the exhausted land once it proved to start becoming less productive, and in turn cleared other new lands (Hurt, 1987). Further development and civilization saw the development of village sovereignty, which claimed certain territories of land as their own, and then tilled the land to provide for the village community. The family lineage system was also recognized as the basis of land ownership among the village residents, where the family heads could be allocated specific pieces land for their own agricultural production (Agriculture American Indian, 2003). However, following the European contact and the subsequent settlement of the Europeans in North America, different Native American