Hong Kong Proposal Essay Example for Free

Hong Kong Proposal Essay INTRODUCTION and BRIEF BACKGROUND Hong Kong was a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 to 1997, when it was returned to the People’s Republic of China.  Ã‚   This handover of Hong Kong back to China is supported by two governing laws: the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong. Both laws uphold the policy of â€Å"one country, two systems,† which requires that Hong Kong will operate on its own until 2047, which is fifty years after its reversion back to China.    This means that the Central People’s Government will be responsible for the strategic defense and foreign affairs of Hong Kong while Hong Kong will retain control over its legal system, police force, monetary system, and policies on customs, immigration and delegates to various international organizations and events. The return of Hong Kong to China was received with different reactions both from its own citizens and from the international scene.   As to any situation, there are always two sides to a coin: the advantages and disadvantages of the Hong Kong handover.   This paper will present the positive and negative effects of the handover on the political, social, cultural and economic spheres of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2002.   The conclusion will deal with POLITICAL SCENE There were growing concerns with regard to the integration of a democratic system of government into the political culture of Hong Kong.   The international sphere remained skeptic about the effectiveness of democracy in Hong Kong and the number of local supporters have then declined as well. These concerns are mainly caused by the failure to solve domestic problems through democratic means and the inability of various democratic factions to come up with enticing operations to attract more supporters.   It is submitted that if the foundations of democracy cannot be held strongly by its political advocates, then democracy in Hong Kong may be even more difficult as expected, if not impossible at all. Tied with the difficulty of evolving into a democratic system is the challenge to have an independent judicial system.   There has been a loss of faith in the judicial system of Hong Kong with the rampant overruling of the decisions of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong by the courts of Mainland China.   Such loss of faith leads to the loss of credibility of the Hong Kong judicial system, which worries the locals and some international organizations. HUMAN RIGHTS The term â€Å"human rights† is not limited to rights against self-incrimination, warrantless arrests, searches and seizures.   The term â€Å"human rights† includes freedom of speech and of the press.   Although human rights is highly regarded by Hong Kong, its local policies and practices cause   its own decline. The government of Hong Kong is so high strung on preventing factors that may cause social instability that it already contributes to the unprotection of human rights within its territory.   There had been reports of arrests of overstaying citizens of Mainland China, and the arrests of people who are campaigning for various social, economic and political issues by using the Public Order Ordinance to clothe such arrests with a faint tint of legality. There has also been the censorship of the media, whether by the government or by themselves, often called â€Å"self-censorship.†Ã‚   Media practitioners are so wary about overstepping the boundaries of local news that they, themselves, censor their own news on political affairs so as not to offend or stir any commotion with the leaders of the Mainland. ECONOMIC The handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 was actually twinned with the great Asian Financial Crisis.   And the handover did not improve the economic situation of Hong Kong during the said crisis.   Despite the recovery of EU-US relations, improvement of the Mainland economy, and high-valued activities, there is still an increasing unemployment rate.   And this unemployment rate has been present even prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China.   It seems that there is little change in the economic life of Hong Kong. SOCIAL It cannot be discounted that for over a century, Hong Kong was influenced more by the British than by their Mainland people.   This is due to the obvious fact that Hong Kong was run by the British and not by the Chinese.   But since the handover, official visits of Mainland officials to Hong Kong paved way for a greater integration for both societies. Even the adoption of Mainland of development plans, which, in great part, includes Hong Kong has caused an opening of good relationships between the two.   Moreover, the loosening of travel restrictions allowed Mainland citizens to explore Hong Kong, and vice versa, so as to realize that there is no more British barrier and that they are all just from one culture.   It must be noted that apart from Mainland China, Hong Kong is building ties with Taiwan as well. CONCLUSION It’s been almost ten years since the reversion of Hong Kong back to China and with the fifty-year program of â€Å"one country, two systems,† it is quite early to tell whether or not the reversion is purely advantageous or disadvantageous to Hong Kong, and to China as well.

The Different Types of Memory Essay -- Brain Neurology Psychology Essa

The Different Types of Memory Memory is one of the most puzzling parts of the brain. How can our brain store more information and thoughts than an encyclopedia and weigh less then three pounds? The brain gives us the ability to act on our own. To think, say, and do things we want to do all occur because of our brain. The brain controls our movement, our thoughts, and our memory. Memory, the process of storing and retrieving information in the brain, consists of three main types, short-term, long-term, and ancestral all which can be comparred between genders. Memory is the process of storing and retrieving information in the brain. It has three main functions: recording, storing, and recalling. One records information in the brain by permanently putting it into memory for later retrieval. Most people decide what is important to record and what is not. Storing information in the brain is conducted so information can be retrieved and compacted for later use. Recalling is remembering the stored information. Memory adapts to peoples needs and is a necessary for our way of life (Yesavag 21). Memory decides how long to store something depending on the event. The information it stores is called traces or chunks and is stored in the deep temporal lobe, mid-brain, medial temporal lobe and other various places. Later these traces or chunks are remembered. There are four types of remembering. Recall, recollection, recognition, and relearning. Recall is remembering something from the past. Recollection involves reconstruction of events based on cues that serve as reminders. Recognition is remembering that refers to the ability to correctly identify previous encountered stimuli as familar. And relearning is material learned a second time. Relearning is the best evidence of memory because when something is learned again it is familiar and seems like it was known before. Relearning is having the information retaught to you a second time. A type of memory that doesn’t have recall, recollection, recognition, or relearning is Short-term memory. Short-term memory is memory that is â€Å"in use† and â€Å"active† and located in the deep temporal lobe. Short-term memory is the ability to retain a limited amount of information called chunks for seconds to a minute and to remember it for up to an hour. Short-term memory has a limited amount of room to store chunks an... ...ckslaps, hugs and the way we open doors. Since memory is a puzzling part in the brain, it has been studied over the years. Cyril Burt did a test between males and females seeing which gender had a better short-term memory and long-term. After the testing, the results showed that the males had a better short-term memory. For the test on long-term, the females ended up having a better one. He only tested fifty males and fifty females. Burt also didn’t take notes on how he did the experiment. He died in 1970. W.H. is the initials of a man who had brain surgery in the 1980’s. He was having constant seizures that were located in his temporal lobe. To stop the seizures, surgeons removed his temporal lobe. After the surgery, he couldn’t remember any thing he had done after it. Often forgetting where he was. But he could remember events that happened before the surgery. This all happened because the temporal lobe controls short-term memory. And since its removed he would never have any memories of what happened after the surgery since he cant transfer any thing to his long-term memory. This surgery proves that short-term memory is real and is located in the temporal lobe.

Female Infanticide

Imagine a world with no women. There as no wives, no sisters, no daughters, and no mothers. Unfortunately this world is on the brink of becoming a scary reality for Asian countries such as China and India. Due to attempts to control population and the low value associated with females in these societies historically and culturally, both China and India are now facing a serious gender imbalance. Female infanticide and sex-selective abortion are responsible for this gender imbalance.The two atrocious practices have led to problems such as elevated rates in female kidnapping and slave trade, as well as forced marriages. This paper will focus on the roots of female infanticide and sex-selective abortions as well as the problems these practices have presented. According to current statistics, there are approximately 1,338,299,512 people living in China (Cao et al. 2012). For every 120 males, there are only 100 females. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that China has approximately 32 million more males than females under the age of 20 (Cao et al. 012). In a 1999 Chinese census report, the imbalance between the sexes revealed that the imbalance is now so distorted that there are 111 million males in China – more than three times the population of Canada – who will be unable to find a wife (Hvistendahl 2008). As a result of this gender imbalance, the rate of female kidnapping and slave trading has increased. There are 8,000 women on average per year who are rescued by authorities from â€Å"forced† marriages (Cao et al. 1012). A major factor responsible for the distortion of this gender imbalance in China is the one child policy.In 1979, the Chinese Government implemented a new act under the family planning policy. This new act officially restricts married, urban couples to having only one child, while allowing exemptions for several cases such as rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without siblings (Hesketh et al. 2 011). Ideally, the act was implemented to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems arising from the over-population issues in China. The one child policy offers couples that delay childbearing a longer maternity leave as well as other social benefits.Couples that have a second child without a permit are at risk of being fined thousands of dollars, and may also be penalized by suffering wage cuts and reduced access to social services (Hvistendahl 2008). Approximately 35. 9% of China’s population is subject to the â€Å"one child policy. † The policy is said to have prevented some 400 million births from 1979 to 2011 (Hesketh et al. 2011). The one child policy has been the source of conflict for a variety of reasons. The main focus has been the increased rate of female infanticide.Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies and is attributed to the low value associated with the birth of females (Weijing 2010). Poverty, famine, and population control are inter-related factors. Where safe and effective birth control is unavailable, infanticide is used to selectively limit the growth of a community. Infanticide allows for selection of the fittest or most desirable offspring, with sick, deformed, female, or multiple births targeted for disposal (Hvistendahl 2008).Males are viewed as more valuable to have as children in the Chinese society because they can work for higher wages and provide for their families. Females are viewed as a burden to the family because unless they live in a major city, they are expected to stay home with the family instead of pursuing an education or working (Hesketh et al. 2011). From the moment they are born, women are considered inferior to men. Women are viewed as submissive and weak whereas males were dominant and strong. Chinese women are taught from a very young age to look after the men in their households.They continue to live the rest of their lives a s subservient to males (Reed 2011). There is a principle of three obediences by which women are expected to live, obedience to their father while living under his roof, obedience to their husband and his family once married, and obedience to the eldest son once widowed (Caldwell and Bruce 2005). In the countryside, less than half a million out of a total rural population of eight hundred million were receiving pensions in 1981. Individuals and families who live in rural areas rely on their off spring to be part of their working staff.If such families are only allowed to have one child, they much prefer to have males because they believe they are of more use for jobs that require physical labor. (Hong, 1987) If a Chinese family who is not secure financially does indeed have a daughter than she will most likely not marry, Hong explains. â€Å"For economic reasons, families with daughters are unlikely to let them go to grooms villages to live because they will be needed not only for t he parents old age security but also to boost the life- long earning potential of the household. (Hong 1987 pg. 320) In Chinese culture, it is said, â€Å"a woman’s greatest duty is to have a son. † If a woman does not give birth to a son, her husband will often take another wife in hopes of another woman carrying his heir (Hvistendahl 2008). Women are viewed as so inferior, that often, poor families would sell their daughters as servants to rich families. Despite the egalitarian nature of Chinese society, many parents believe that having a son is a vital element of providing for their old age.When a daughter is married off, she is no longer available to take care of her parents in their old age, as she is now responsible for her husband and his family (Hesketh et al. 2011). Historically, the way that women were viewed in Chinese society made it clear that with the one-child policy in place, couples would prefer to have a son rather than a daughter. It is for this reas on that rates of female infanticide increased in China. Female infanticide is not a problem that is new to Chinese culture. Studies have shown that evidence of female infanticide in China dates back to 800 B. C.E. Until the fourth century, infanticide was neither illegal nor immoral (Weijing 2010). Legal sanctions against infanticide were introduced in the fourth century as Christianity infused secular laws (Weijing 2010). â€Å"We feel it's a serious problem that everybody should be concerned about and aware of,† said Wanda Franz, president of the National Right to Life Committee. â€Å"This is a form of abortion that, from our point of view is especially egregious. Abortion is claimed to help women; obviously in these cases, females are the direct victims, because women in these cultures are not valued. Caldwell and Bruce 2005)† Another country that has high rates of infanticide is India. Unlike China, India does not have a one-child policy in place, but instead, par ents of daughters who are to get married, must pay a dowry. Although the dowry is illegal in most of India, in areas of poverty, most parents still struggle and are expected to pay the families into which their daughters marry (Mahalingam et al. 2007). The dowry consists of large amounts of money and valuable goods. For families with several daughters this can be a serious financial burden (Dube and Dube 1999).In India, the practice of female infanticide is even more common. As in China, the birth of a daughter is seen as a liability. In India the sex ratio is 93 women for every 100 men, but in some regions there are fewer than 85 women per 100 men (Ahmad 2010). According to a recent report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) up to 50 million girls and women are missing from India' s population as a result of systematic gender discrimination in India. Another study showed that approximately 2,000 females are illegally aborted every day in India (Mahalingham et al. 2007).I ndia is known throughout the world for being a country of a large population, a diverse culture, and beautiful sites. A part of India that is coming out of the dark and being discussed rapidly by academics is the extent of female infanticide and sex selective abortion. Statistics show in a United Nations report, that India has a higher death rate of females under four years old than any other country in the world. Poorer nations such as Peru have a female death percentage compared to males of seventy three percent, where a more developed country such as Japan has a female death rate of eighty three percent.The national average in India has a death rate of one hundred and seven percent compared to the death rate of boys, and in the area of Rajasthan the death rate of females under four years old is one hundred and nineteen percent compared to boys of the same age. A percentage of these deaths can be contributed to the decreasing health of female toddlers in India. Verma explains, in most regions of India girls are only fed after the males in the family. If the mother of a family does not receive proper nutrition than the chances of her daughter receiving it are very slim.The other major reason for mortality rates of young female children is so high is due to the practice of female infanticide. Virma, while travelling through her homeland on a search of qualitative research about the practice of female infanticide, came to find just how common female infanticide is across India, particularly in rural areas. Virma explains throughout many villages the male head of the household orders the daughter to be killed. In a particular interview a woman was screaming and crying, her husband told his wife, if she did not kill the baby than he would smash her head in until she was dead. Virma, 2005) In the village of a Bihar, the killing of female infants is so common; the locals repeatedly state, â€Å"The killing of girls is not a sin. † Midwives who play a large r ole in rural societies of India openly admit how many female infants they have killed. One stated â€Å"I have killed at least sixty five female babies in the last ten years. † (Verma 2005 Pg. 29) In the same villages midwives are paid a fee of one hundred rupees if the baby is a boy, twenty-five rupees if the infant is a girl, and fifty rupees if the midwife kills, or disposes of the female child. Verma, 2005) There are many different ways in which the female infants are killed; two common practices include starving the baby to death, or poisoning her with tobacco or oil. Many midwives feel that they are â€Å"liberating the female infants soul by killing them. They believe the alternative, being a woman in many parts of India is much worse than being dead. (Verma 2005) Female children who are raised in India are aware of the way they are treated by society and within their own families.In many instances they understand the expense of their dowries, and in certain circumsta nces go to great lengths to bring honor to their families. In a northern rural village, three sisters had hung themselves, with a note explaining the financial freedom their parents would have without them. (Verma 2005) The Chinese government has taken a number of steps to combat the practice of female infanticide, as well as promote and protect women's rights. The Marriage Law and Women's Protection Law prohibit female infanticide, and the latter prohibits discrimination against women who give birth to daughters (Hvistendahl 2008).The Sex Selective Abortion Law and Maternal Health Care Law of 1994 were created to put an end to sex selective abortions, and the latter prohibits the use of medical technology to determine the gender of a fetus (Hesketh et al. 2011). Unfortunately, however, the practice continues in China despite these efforts. The availability of modern ultrasound technology is a major contributing factor to sex-selective abortion. The technology was introduced to Chin a in the 1980’s for diagnostic purposes, however, the opportunity to use the technology for sex selection was soon exploited.In 1994, the Chinese Government banned the use of ultrasound technology for the use of sex selection in 1994 in an effort to elevate the number of females born per year and decrease the rate of sex-selective abortions and infanticide (Hesketh et al. 2011). In 2003, the Indian Government implemented the 2002 amendments to the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act, explicitly recognizing the responsibility of manufacturers and distributors, such as GE Healthcare India, to protect against female feticide.Manufacturers must confirm that their customers have valid PNDT certificates and have signed legal documents stating that the equipment shall not be used for sex determination (Mahalingham et al. 2007). Female infanticide is a horrible manifestation of the anti-female bias that continues to pollute societies throughout the world. Even in technological ly advanced and educated societies, the brutal practice continues. The successful eradication of the practice of female infanticide seems an arduous task. In order to combat the phenomenon, careful consideration of the location-specific and cultural factors leading to the practice is necessary.The education of both men and women, social strategies to improve the status of women, and access to family counseling and healthcare may provide means of eliminating female infanticide, as well as elevating the value assigned to women around the globe. In countries such as China and India where the preference of male children has been a part of their cultures history and tradition, one of the only ways to prevent the acts of female infanticide and sex selective abortion is through education. In the early 1990’s less than forty percent of India’s three hundred and thirty million females aged seven and older were literate.Approximately ten years later the numbers improved with six ty five percent of the female population being able to read or write. â€Å"Numerous studies show that illiterate women have high levels of fertility and mortality, poor nutritional status, low earning potential, and less autonomy within the household. †(United Nations 2002) Although there are many schools within India whose curriculum is outstanding and where the student’s performance out does primary schools in the global north there are still many areas where improvement must take place. The government of India must start with setting up more schools and classrooms and providing more teachers at the grass root levels. †(UNICEF) The second step that needs to be taken is to ensure quality teacher training and a solid planned out curriculum for each school to follow across the country. Along with a solid curriculum there needs to be more encouragement of education for girls. If encouragement means giving families incentives to keep their daughters in school, then the government should seriously consider them says the president of the Kanchan Foundation.With an outstanding number of children in upper primary schools across India many girls either drop out or there is not enough space for them so they are forced to leave. By increasing the number of upper primary schools many more girls in India would have the chance of a formal education. Overall the two most populous countries in the world, China and India, are facing what has been described as something close to genocide.With China attempting to control their population size, and India’s historical and cultural preference of male children, both countries are in dire need for daughters in their societies. Between female infanticide and sex selective abortion both countries are running out of potential marriage partners for their male children. With female infanticide and sex selective abortion on the rise the number of kidnapping, and forced marriages of females has also been increas ing. Research shows the answer to the problem is increased education for both male and females throughout both countries.Encouraging girls with their education, and teaching boys and men that women should be valued in society are the first steps in stopping such practices. Although sex selective abortion has been against the law in China since 1994, the practice has been on the rise, particularly with advancing technology. Authority does not watch the practice closely and more recent policy needs to be put in place. It should be both China and India’s goal to give infant females, the same celebrations of life as their male counterparts and to give all women in both countries gender equality.

Manipulating The Masses How Propaganda Strengthened Nazism

Manipulating the Masses: How Propaganda Strengthened Fascism in Nazi Germany Introduction: When WWI came to a close in November of 1945, Europe was caught in a strain of destruction and financial ruin. Four years of war would take nearly a decade to rebuild Europe back to its former glory. So, when deliberating the Treaty of Versailles, a wounded Europe chose to lay blame to Germany. Article 231, also known as the War Guilt Clause , would name Germany as the culprit of the entire World War and force them to admit defeat and take the responsibility of rebuilding Europe. This punishment did not sit well with many Germans who felt humiliated by the Allies torment and sought for action. This action would be found in the orations of a new rising star. Adolf Hitler, leader of the NAZI Party would rise through the ranks and become Fuhrer of Germany. Adolf Hitler knew that persuasion would allow him to gain control that would not falter, as fear so often could. Propaganda would persuade Germans to love Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party, and rally them to fight for Germany. Propaganda w ould also invoke Anti-Semitism and the most famous Genocide in history: the Holocaust. Persuasive tactics were incorporated into every aspect of German life through the means of posters, contemporary art, film and other mediums. This paper will discuss the origins of propaganda and its purposes for the Nazi Party’s overall success including its process of persuasion in the GermanShow MoreRelatedNew World Order in Conspiracy Theory13987 Words   |  56 Pageswhich spread its  anti-government  ideology through speeches at rallies and meetings, through books and videotapes sold at  gun shows, through shortwave and satellite radio, and through fax networks and computer bulletin boards.[13]  However,  viral propaganda  on the Internet is what most effectively contributed to their  extremist  political ideas about the New World Order finding their way into the  far left  literature of some  black nationalists, but also the previously apolitical literature of many  KennedyRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesphase of the human experience, render it impervious to generalized pronouncements and difficult to conceptualize broadly. As the essays in this collection document in detail, paradox pervades the time span we call the twentieth century, no matter how it is temporally delineated. Never before in history, for example, had so many humans enjoyed such high standards of living, and never had so many been so impoverished or died of malnutrition and disease. If the period from the 1870s is included in