United States Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

United States Declaration of Independence Essay John Locke is among the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. One can easily see his tremendous influence on democracies throughout the world, especially the United States, today. Locke was born during 1632 in Somerset, England. He was the son of a Puritan lawyer who fought with the Parliamentarians against the King in the English Civil War. At the age of 14, Locke attended Westminster School; and later went on to study at Oxford University. At the age of 43, Locke had traveled to France, where he would stay for four years to study Descartes and other great minds of the age. Locke then moved to Holland in 1683 amongst political unrest in England, which made living there dangerous for him. There he joined other English political exiles in a plot to overthrow King James II, which succeeded, resulting in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the flee of the King. By this time in the late 1680s-mid 1690s, Locke’s most influential philosophical works were published. From these works, Locke has been considered the Father of Classical Liberalism. Classic liberalism advocates civil liberties and political freedom with representative government. During the time of Locke, most people believed that fundamental rights came from government. People thought that they only had rights based upon what government chose to give them. John Locke’s most famous political work, The Second Treatise of Government, argued the opposite though. Some of the main themes outlined in the book include the State of Nature, Property, and Representative Government. Lock describes the State of Nature as: To properly understand political power and trace its origins, we must consider the state that all people are in naturally. That is a state of perfect freedom of acting and disposing of their own possessions and persons as they think fit within the bounds of the law of nature. People in this state do not have to ask permission to act or depend on the will of others to arrange matters on their behalf. The natural state is also one of equality in which all power and jurisdiction is reciprocal and no one has more than another. It is evident that all human beings – as creatures belonging to the same species and rank and born indiscriminately with all the same natural advantages and faculties – are equal amongst themselves. They have no relationship of subordination or subjection unless God (the lord and master of them all) had clearly set one person above another and conferred on him an undoubted right to dominion and sovereignty. The State of Nature both explains and declares that all people are born/created equally by God. One can see this statement’s influence with the use of it in the Declaration of Independence: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator†¦Ã¢â‚¬  According to Locke, every person has three natural rights: Life, Liberty, and Estate. Locke declares, â€Å"Reason, which is that Law, teaches all Mankind, who would but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his Life, Health, Liberty, or Possessions. † This means that everyone has the right to live once they are created, to do anything they want to so long as it doesn’t conflict with the first right to Life, and to own anything they create or gain through trade or gift so long as it doesn’t conflict with the first two rights. One may also continuously see this influenced in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. † Locke also believed that people, not rulers, were sovereign. Locke wrote, â€Å"Government can never have a Power to take to themselves the whole or any part of the Subjects Property, without their own consent. For this would be in effect to leave them no Property at all. † Lock’s use of the term, â€Å"Property,† refers to everyone’s natural rights to Life, Liberty, and Estate. He believed that people chose to live under government, forming a social contract, in order to protect their natural rights, that otherwise may be in constant danger living in a State of Nature. If a government, or ruler, violated this commitment, the people living under it would have a right to revolt and overthrow the ruling subject. One can easily see how this pertains to not just the United States, but to the rest of the world. One can reference the American Revolution against Britain; and one can reference the recent revolutions in the Middle East, such as Egypt. In Locke’s â€Å"A Letter Concerning Toleration,† he advocates the toleration and respect for others’ religions. He argues that there must be a separation of church and state because government’s sole purpose is to protect individual rights, nothing else. Locke writes: â€Å"Now that the whole jurisdiction of the magistrate reaches only to these civil concernments, and that all civil power, right and dominion, is bounded and confined to the only care of promoting these things; and that it neither can nor ought in any manner to be extended to the salvation of souls, these following considerations seem unto me abundantly to demonstrate†¦ because the care of souls is not committed to the civil magistrate, any more than to other men. It is not committed unto him, I say, by God; because it appears not that God has ever given any such authority to one man over another as to compel anyone to his religion. Nor can any such power be vested in the magistrate by the consent of the people, because no man can so far abandon the care of his own salvation as blindly to leave to the choice of any other†¦ the care of souls cannot belong to the civil magistrate, because his power consists only in outward force; but true and saving religion consists in the inward persuasion of the mind, without which nothing can be acceptable to God. † Locke’s vision of separation of church and state can be seen all throughout the world. One can specifically see it in the United States, incorporated into the Constitution. Though this is not a complete list of John Locke’s many influences over modern democratic governments, one can see from the few examples provided above just how important a figure he is. Specifically to the United States, his influence can be seen through his ideas of individual rights, sovereignty of the people, and the separation of church and state. According to Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding father’s of the United States, â€Å"Locke is among the most important people to ever live. †

South korea was very underdeveloped

South korea was very underdeveloped Introduction In the beginning of the twentieth century, South Korea was very underdeveloped. It was a country consisting of minimal economic activity to compete in the Global markets. South Korea was still integrated with North Korea as one state under the Rulership of Japan. Agriculture played a big role in the economic progress of Korea under the communist system. It was only a matter of time before Korea would be divided into the north and south After WW2 and the Korean War. But the South would prove to be much more prosperous than the North, through opening up its markets, its affiliations with The United States of America and turning into a Democratic state. Its economic transformation pushed South Korea become a competitive country in the Global market within three decades towards the end of the twentieth century. The following essay will take a brief look at Koreas economic progress in the first half of the twentieth century, and then focus on how South Korea started to progress economical ly after WW2. It will also look at what political and economical reforms took place in order to ensure economic Liberty of South Korea. 1st Half Of 20th Century Korea Loses Independence In 1910, Korea lost its independence to Japan, Korea became a province of the Japanese state. Initially Korea had been ruled by the Yi state, Korea was known to consist of Raw materials which could be beneficial to other countries economic wealth. Other western countries such as France, US and the USSR had attempted to overthrow the Yi state even before the twentieth century, but Korea fought and resisted western domination. Japan on the other hand had surrendered to the USA and had become an Industrialized economy, it needed raw materials in order to expand its economy. This was going to happen at the expense of Korea. The Japanese had backing of the USA, and could easily occupy Korea by 1905 after signing a treaty with the USA called the Taft-Katsura Agreement, stating that the USA will acknowledge the Japanese occupation of Korea. The Japanese finally got Korea to sign the treaty of annexation with it in 1910. The Yi state had proven to be weak in terms of resistance to external forces, as it had now lost independence, it had also lost its power to influence its Korean people to fight of colonialism. Japan could now have access to raw materials and foodstuffs, Korea would now have to become a highly productive Agricultural state for the benefit of Japans economic growth. This would hinder with the growth of the Korean economy, limiting it to a more rural, underdeveloped economy until the mid twentieth century, after the Korean war and WW2. The Japanese took over most of the fertile land through their own landlords, and would increase their exports of foods to Japan, this signaled the beginning of exploitation of the Korean people through cheap agricultural and rural labour. South Korea experienced a high industrial growth, but the Capital and profits were all focused towards Japans growth. Japan invested high capital towards industries in Korea. Even though there was high exploitation of Korea, there had been attempts by the Korean people to protest against Japanese rule, in 1919 people protested against Japanese rule but were unsuccessful as 6000 people lost their lives to Japanese Forces. There was always a Government- General appointed by the Japanese government to keep control of Korea. He could lead in a dictatorial way and all Koreans who did not abide by his law could be arrested by the police, he had total control of the Korean affairs. From 1910 onwards, the Government- General implemented a survey where useful agricultural land could be determined, if land was found to be useful to the economy of Japan, the general took control of it. Many of the Korean citizens lost their land as a result. By 1930, the Government-general owned 40 percent of the total agricultural and forest lands of Korea, most of the land would be sold by the Japanese government to Japanese development companies, land could also be sold for a cheap price to Japanese individuals looking to start farming in Korea. The land policies implemented by the Director general increased poverty in Korea for the farm population which formed the majority of the Korean population. This explains why Korea experienced so much poverty and why many of its citizens turned out to be peasants, the Generals land policies took many of the Korean citizens and farmers land in the wealthy areas of Korea. The Japanese did not determine their land policies with the interest s of Korean people at heart, at the same time a lot of Korean peasants suffered as most of the money they made from harvesting on the rented land paid for the rent. Korea was known to be a major exporter of rice when it came to agriculture, most of its rice was exported to Japan at the expense of Korean cheap labour, the land allocation system seemed to be prospering. From 1912 to 1936, over half of the total rice production was being exported to Japan, this was possible because the Koreans were forced to lessen their rice consumptions. In the Mining sector, the Government-General also implemented a Mineral assessment with some major Japanese Corporations in an attempt to extract mineral resources from Korea. Korea had great resources such as gold, silver, led, iron and coal. These resources worked highly to the advantage of Japan as they could exploit them during WW1 for military armaments production, the Military armaments could be sold by the Japanese to the Allies. This proves that the Korean Mineral and Land occupation was of high importance for a country like Japan, and they were going to exploited it for as long as they could, as long as Japan kept growing and developed a strong competitive economy for itself. But this was just one of two major economic factors Japan were interested in, the manufacturing sector also became an interest in which the Japanese were focused on. They would achieve through intense industrial development and cheap labour, since many of the farmers had lost their agricultural land. Korea started to experience mass industrialization through Japan, this could be seen as the beginning of Manufacturing on a large scale for Korea. The government-General encouraged many Japanese businesses looking for cheap production to invest their Capital in Korea. He achieved this through the new policies of manufacturing, which opened doors to Japanese investors to bring in their Capital at very low costs. The Japanese had control of almost 90 percent of all manufacturing Capital in Korea, this also applied to the mining industry, The Japanese companies had almost 95 percent of the coal mining industry of Japan. These percentages were achieved by 1945. The Industrialization of Korea pushed many peasants into becoming wage workers, by 1944 600 000 Koreans were working in factories and another 350 000 working in mines. The situation for Korean workers in the factories was so bad that the wages they got paid by 1935 were 50 percent less than in 1927. Peace and comfort did not happen and the Korean people suffered a lot from discrimination and exploitation during the period 1910 to 1945. The Japanese used a military dictator ruling style and got rid of any opposition from the local people. The people of Korea had no backup and could not express their feelings or voice their opinions as to how they wanted Korea to be run, or how their lives could be transformed from impoverished to better standards of living. This probably happened because Political and social groups were banned. The Japanese, in 1930, formed a basic structure, in the decade that followed national industrial planning was implemented through the political economy. This meant that planning could be extended to Japan in order to give major industries in Japan a chance to bring in their corporations into Japan through direct investment. State policies were formed by the Japanese, in order to regulate and control the market from the use of foreign technology. This was achieved through a licensing system which would control market entry. The new state policies also introduced big banks and large companies owned by the Japanese, towards the end of the 1930s there were four major industries responsible for the occupation of the majority of the Korean population. These companies were Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Yasuda, they dominated the Japanese economy more than any other industries. These industries belonged and originated in Japan, but because Korea and Japan were so close to each other Geographically, and Japan had direct control of Korea, it meant Japan could easily expand their economic activities into Korea and integrate them into the Japanese markets. This the Japanese managed to achieve through investments in railroad, ports, communications and massive industrialization in Korea. Because the growth of the Korean economy was pushed by the colonial state and the economic activities were undertaken by a few major Japanese corporations, the Japaneses industrialization of Korea did very little to give the Korean businessmen some sort of power or leaderships in some of the industries or politics. In terms of politics, Koreas economy might have been occupied by the Japanese, but from the time Korea was declared a colonized state, there were underground movements which planned to help Korea regain its dignity and independence. These groups consisted of former Korean politicians who were in exile and had affiliations with the Soviet Union, USA and China. The group affiliated with the USA was run by a man called Syngman Rhee, he fled to the USA with the hopes of making friends with politicians from the state and gaining their support for Koreas independence. Another group which was in China, was one led by Pak Hon-Yong which was a communist movement. Finally there was the group ruled by Kim II Sung, this group was a anti-Japanese Guerilla communist group Kim would later become the long standing ruler of North Korea. There was little influence or success in their attempts to gain the independence of Korea by these groups. But one group which proved to have greater influence later, would be the group run by Kim Koo, right after the split with Rhee due to disputes and disagreements. This group was the anti- Japanese Guerilla, it formed close links with the Japanese Nationalists. Koo became president of the organization in 1931, with the support of the of one of its branches which were in Hawai and USA. Rhee who was in the US at the time had tried several times to influence the US group but failed. By 1940, the Provisional Korean exile government, based in China which was set on fighting for Korean independence, it managed to influence the Chinese government and was given the chance to form a general staff for strategic planning against Japanese colonialism. This would lead to the famous Pacific Korean war, where the Chinese and Koreans would fight side to side against Japan in Manchuria and China. Korea would invade Manchuria and declare war on Japan, which would take two and a half years before the Koreans could finally win with the support of the US and USSR During the duration of the war, Rhee became president of the provisional Government, in which nine Korean organizations supported by 10 000 Koreans backed the government. They set up a meeting in Washington and formed allies with the USA in order to determine how they would help the US defence on strategies of attack on Japan. What Rhee was mainly concerned about was the future of Korea after the war, how would it be run and under what economic policies would it be run? In 1942, during the talks of the future of Korea with the Allies, Rhees conditions were not met and the meeting was unsuccessful. In 1943 at the Cairo conference, Churchill, Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek resolved the issue stating that Korea would be declared an independent and free state. The war continued and as it progressed a trust agreement was signed by the USA and the USSR, stating that they would help Korea get back on its feet economically and politically. The USSR declared war on Japan in 1945, while the USA who had declared war on Japan earlier had now occupied the South of Korea by sending their troops to the South of Korea. The USSR would now send its troops to the North of Korea as the treaty of Cairo stated. This signaled the birth of what would become two separate worlds in Korea, the Division between North and South. The South would prosper tremendously due to its Global economic policies and affiliations and friendships with the allied powers that supported capitalism. The north on the other hand, would suffer due to their strict policies of Nationalization, independence and the support of a communist system as a way towards economic transformation. New Era, Korea Gains Back Independence By December 1945, a provisional government was set up by a joint group of allies; USA, United Kingdom and Chine. But the provisional government have to always consult with the allied powers who would have the task of being in charge of Korea for a period of five years. But right-wing parties of Korea were against the five year deal, as they did not want Russia making any decisions, as they believed it had ulterior motives towards Korea. Therefore they organized the anti-trusteeship organization. In the meantime, a more democratic committee was set up in the Southern part of Korea, it had Rhee as its permanent chairman. The USA established an assembly where elections would take place, but half of the assembly could be appointed and the other half could be voted for. Right wing groups of Korea saw it as the development of a Southern independent Korea and started to set up a separate state. Soon several elections took place, with those favouring democracy being in opposition with those who believed in Communism. The Battle between USA/ South and USSR/north would ensue within Korea. By 1948, the Dispute was resolved, where the United Nations Temporary Commission in Seoul gave the Koreans a chance to vote in the South, as the Soviets refused them occupation in the North of Korea. South Korea became declared as an independent state by 1948, but it was called the republic of Korea instead. The USA then withdrew its troops from the South in order to avoid further conflict and to prove that it was not intending on occupying South Korea. The new government under the rulership of Rhee had become an ally of America, and the best years of South Korea were to come. But in the beginning of the Souths rulership, it had lost its supply of hydro-power, and coal from the North. At the same time its population was increasing at a high rate, south Korea experienced a major shortage of food and housing, unemployment became rife in the state. After the USA and USSR withdrew their troops, the North declared war on the South through its communist leader Kim II Sung, but the USA sent troops in defence of South Korea. The war continued for several with Chinese, UN, Japan, Soviet Union and the USA involved. By 1953 the war ended and South Korea like North Korea were to reconstruct its state economically. In 1961, Park Chung Hee became the new leader of the South Korea and he intended to strengthen South Koreas relations with the USA and mainly other states which were capitalist states. A lot of attention would be put on the economic growth of South Korea. First Five-Year Plan By 1962, South Korea Introduced its first five-year plan in order to recover economically. South Korea approached Japan as a second major capital investor after the US in 1963 and Japan finally signed the agreement in 1965. Through these economic moves, South Korea would begin to prosper in terms of economic growth. The Korean economy was destroyed by the war. After the Korean War reconstruction was given support by huge amounts of foreign Capital from, in the North from Communist countries such as Russia, China and East Germany and in the South mainly from the United States and serious government economic development programs. The greatest industrial improvements were made during the 1960s. North Korea made progress in industrial growth while South Korea concentrated on feeding its people. When Park came into power there were certain obstacles he was faced with in reconstructing South Korea, his initial five-year plan started off at a very slow place for developing the economy, as he was to focused on social policy first before moving towards economic policies. From Parks economic policy changes in 1964, South Korea would now start to go through three different Democratic rulerships, each with their own plans of action towards economic transformation. Parks government, of 1963-1973 focused on a sort of limited democracy that wanted to restrict democracy to a certain extent. Park wanted to follow Japans idea of a military leadership, which had initially created a lot economic progress in Japan. Second Five-Year Plan In 1964 with the attempt at the five-year plan for the second time, Park now shifted his economic plans more to industrial growth instead of a focus on food self-sufficiency. The goals of the plan was to increase energy production, grain production and create a demand for exports. Korea had started to have a growth rate of 8.5 percent in GDP and the growth of the industry sector had been the major contributing factor to the sudden growth of the South Korea economy. Even though South Korea started to develop, it was mostly due to Americas contribution towards its economy. From the 1960s, Korea benefited from great relations with the United States. The relationship between the USA and South Korea was created because American policy-makers, saw South Korea as an important platform to confront the Soviet Union during the Cold war. American interests in South Korea allowed it to enjoy economic benefits in terms of aid, trade, capital, and technology from the U.S. It is said that South Kor ea could not have survived its economic prosperity if it wasnt for Americas assistance in the 1950s and Korean access to its export markets since the mid-1960s. America though, was not happy with Parks economic reforms in the first half of the 1960s because he had focused on agriculture in his early rulership. The United States had threatened to withdraw its financial aid to South Korea, because it was not gaining well enough due to Parks economic transformations in the early 1960s. America also had its own economic problems and couldnt handle having to back up a slow growing economy which did not follow a clear system of liberalized market and limited democracy. But the USA wasnt going to withdraw its aid that easily because, it feared that with South Koreas deficit spending due to its economic strategies, South Korea would experience a foreign debt crisis and its economy would collapse. Not prepared to let this happen, the US government started to put pressure on South Korea to start focusing on industrialization instead of agriculture and social policy. This the American government believed had to be implemented as South Korea could increase its exports and therefore lessen its foreign debt. America then put pressure on South Korea to strengthen its ties with Japan, because Japan could now become an investor in the South Korean labor raw material market. Therefore Japan would be able to provide aid and a market for exports in South Korea which could be very beneficial to the growth of its economy. The United States then began to issue more funds into the South Korean economy, US finance in South Korea paid for over 70 percent of imports, this gave the USA power to control the South Korean Government as the US expenditure on South Koreans obviously came with major conditions. As the result by 1964, the South Korean Government went into serious deals with the USA, an d the conditions meant that South Korea would follow USA orders. Over the next years after 1964 the Koreans would follow the US orders by stabilizing prices, creating more trade relations with other western countries, raising interest rates, devaluing the currency, taking down import barriers and increasing export incentives. This direction followed by South Korea would later be very beneficial to the countrys economic wealth, as it would influence rapid economic growth in space of just 30 years. Third Five-Year Plan The third five-year plan was to be introduced by Park from 1972-1976, this was and important era as South Korea aimed at job creation, and mainly the need to focus on rural development and creation of rural labour and revitalization. A very important factor by which Park did not adhere to during this time was the American conditions, which stated to him that he had to loosen the economy for open trade and rather focus on gaining economic wealth for the country. Instead, Park took his own measures would prove very successful before the fourth five-year plan. The government partly took control of over banks and controlled investment. During this period, the government imposed price controls, this they wanted to implement for a short period aimed controlling certain inequalities in industries where high profits were being made by foreign investors. These price controls were aimed at reducing inflation, but they were not imposed on all industries but a select major ones, which contributed highly to the economic wealth and the ones which were monopolistic in their markets. There were other areas in the economy were restructuring and mergers took place, where the government intervened during the rapid industrialization period which was to follow. The reason Park introduced this policy of government intervention was because by 1972, South Koreas economy had produced a high amount of industrial wealth, of which most of it lay in the hands of a select few owners and political leaders. This created an imbalance in the economic equilibrium of South Korea. At the same time, South Korea needed to solve its debts. Fourth Five-Year Plan The next step to be followed by Park would be very economic orientated, the Fourth Five-year plan. This plan was implemented from 1977-1981 more or less, it was regarded as the big push era of South Korea. Park now focused on heavy industrial policy by shifting towards electronics, machinery and shipbuilding to name a few. With this policy, Park wanted very minimal foreign borrowing of capital as his aim was to decrease the amount of debt South Korea was faced with. This five year plan would turn out to be a sort of disaster, caused by the oil crisis. Therefore the targets of this plan wouldnt be achieved to their full potential. At this point the South Korean Chemical industry boosted economic growth and was the major industry which contained the most foreign investment. South Korea had collaborated with Dow Chemicals from the USA, which was South Koreas largest business partner in industry sector, the problem now, was that Dow Chemicals was charged by the South Korean government for fixing its prices through its South Korean partner, this was aimed at creating profits which Dow chemicals used to transfer to its other plants out of South Korea. This led to the South Korean partner objecting to this plan, and the Government being in support of the South Korean partner intervened. Dow then decided to pull out of the joint business venture. This became a major knock to the states economic stability. South Korea during this period had also built a major Shipyard, probably one of the worlds largest, the problem although was that, in building the shipyard, South Korea had to export most of its expertise, machinery, engines and tools from Japan. This created an imbalance of payments for South Korea and increased her debts highly. Another major threat to the countrys growth was the oil boom of the Middle East, South Korea striked a deal with the Middle East to start a huge construction programme in the Middle East region. South Korea then sent an estimated 293 000 male workers to the Middle East region between 1977-1979 for construction. This number was equal to over half of the South Korean manufacturing labour force. It became a problem because wages went higher in the manufacturing sector of South Korea but production became slower because of the shortage of workers in the industries. While this happened, a lot of smaller companies were not making real profits, at the same time the state was spending highly on Industries for growth. Only the major foreign companies were profiting highly, causing the economy of South Korea to become unstable and unbalanced. This meant that industries could not meet the targets of the South Korean export sector, at the same time the lighter smaller manufacturing companies competition internationally. South Korea had become a country which imported a lot, which disadvantaged the economy during the rapid industrialization era. Technology and Capital goods had to be imported, causing South Korea to put itself in a position of overspending and having to borrow foreign Capital in order to increase growth. By 1979 it was clear that government growth could no longer benefit the economy, Park had devised a plan to solve the debt problem by lessening imports and increasing exports in the smaller manufacturing industries which proved to be the major hub of the economy when they were combined. This caused further inflation, pushing the country into a recession GNP fell by 6.5 percent in 1980. This was the first year of very poor growth since the Korean War, by the end of 1980 South Koreas debt increased at a very rapid rate from around $20 million to about $40 million in1983. Park died in 1979, while he was a dictatorial leader, but to many South Koreans it was seen as new era that would open doors to a more Democratic state, being able to improve the economic conditions of South Korea. Unfortunately it was not the case, another military dictatorship occurred, this time by Chu Doo Hwan, this led to major strikes in the labour force which wanted better working conditions and better wages. The workers had been promised by their labour unions that after Parks fall, things would turn out for the better and the workers would be able to get better working conditions and wages. And an end to military dictatorships would occur, which was seen as having a negative effect on the economy and lives of the working class. Strikes continued for the whole of 1980. Years Of Prosperity Through Exploitation By August 1980 Chun retired from military and announced that he would become a candidate for national presidency position. Chun came into power after the internal election and formed the Democratic Justice Party. But this was just a front, he immediately after coming into power exercised his military dictatorships in order to stop protests. Brutal force and arrests were made on protestors and a new law which destroyed worker unions was implemented. This was done by Chun, so worker exploitation could occur, but this would be to the much benefit of the South Korean economy. In doing this, wages would be at minimal but production would increase. By creating forced labour conditions were wages fell and productivity increased, became part of Chuns plan to improve the economy. The results were tremendously high, putting South Korea in the competitive Global arena as one of the leading export markets through its short term strategy of exploitative labour in the industries. By 1983 the econo my was ready for expansion. The US supported this direction and became a major technological contributor towards South Korea, with Japan also being a major financial contributor. Conclusion In less than twenty years after the Korean war tore apart the South Korean economy, economic stability became the major all South Korean leaders focused on. South Korea turned out from one of the worlds poorest nations to one of the richest in a short space of time. This it achieved through trial and error, and a open market, liberalized economy towards the rest of the world for investment and exploitation of its labour force. It became an Industrial hub of the world towards the end of the twentieth century. The rapid industrialization, as many would argue wouldnt have happened if the USA and Japan had not given financial support and guidance towards its economy. And most importantly, the rapid economic growth took place at the expense of the South Korean Peoples labour and hard work. Bibliography: M.S. Alam, Governments and Market Economic Development Strategies: Lessons from Korea, Taiwan and Japan (New York,1989) A . Amsden, Asias Next Giant: South Korea and Late Industrialization (New York, 1989). B. Cumings, The Origins and Development of the North Eastern Political Economy, International Organisation 38, 1 (1984), pp.1-40. H. Landsberg, The Rush to Development: Economic Change and Political Struggle in South Korea (New York, 1993) D.S. Lewis, Korea: Enduring Division? (United Kingdom, 1988) W.D. Reeve, The Republic of Korea: A political and Economic Study (London, 1963) J.B. Rosser, M.V. Rosser, Comparative Economics in a Transforming World Economy(USA, 2004) M. Tcha, C.S Suh, The Korean Economy at the Crossroads (London, 2003) M.H Landsberg, The Rush To Development: economic Change and Political Struggle in South Korea p98-103 J.B Rosser M.V Rosser, Comparative Economics In a Transforming World Economy p 546-547 M.H Landsberg, The Rush To Development: economic Change and Political Struggle in South Korea p104-105 W.D Reeve, The Republic of Korea: A Political and Economic Study p 19-20 M.H Landsberg, The Rush To Development: economic Change and Political Struggle in South Korea p 106-107 M.H Landsberg, The Rush To Development: economic Change and Political Struggle in South Korea p.109 D. Lewis, Korea:enduring division? P. 7 W.D Reeve, The Republic of Korea: A Political and Economic Study p22-23 W.D Reeve, The Republic of Korea: A Political and Economic Study p.23 W.D Reeve, The Republic of Korea: A Political and Economic Study p. 24 D. Lewis, Korea:enduring division? P. 31-33 M.S Alam, Governments and Markets in economic Development Strategies: lessons from Korea, Taiwan and Japan p.24-25 B.Cummings, The Origins and Development of the North east Asian Political Economy. International Organization p.34-36 M.S Alam, Governments and Markets in economic Development Strategies: lessons from Korea, Taiwan and Japan p. 29-30 J.B Rosser M.V Rosser, Comparative Economics In a Transforming World Economyp.558-561 M. Tcha C.S Suh, The Korean Economy at the Crossroads p.3-4 A. Amsden, Asias next Giant: South Korea and late Industrialization p. M.H Landsberg, The Rush To Development: economic Change and Political Struggle in South Korea p.214-222

Much Ado About Nothing Essay: Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing

Social Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents us with a romp through the realms of truth and illusion. The play is full of characters plotting and deceiving, for both noble and repugnant reasons. It is a study in the importance and necessity of illusion in our everyday lives, and shows how deeply ingrained deception is in our social behaviors. Everybody is involved in some kind of illusion, from the masked celebration to the unveiling of Hero's "cousin." Two of the major conspiracies in the play are the Claudio/Hero plotline and the Benedick/Beatrice story. Both of these situations contrast the multiplicitous nature of illusion. Claudio and Hero do not operate in the realm of illusion. Their intentions and emotions are easily visible, so much so that they come off as transparent. Their utter lack of ability to engage in social illusion makes them unbelievable: Claudi... ...e's dead, that things are finally resolved. By showing the deep tangles of illusion that exist in normal social relationships, Shakespeare reminds us of our dependence upon fabrication. He shows us that we both desire to be and have a deep need to deceive ourselves and others. It's why we watch plays and read literature. But Shakespeare also shows us the precarious balance of illusion in our lives and the ease with which we can lose our grip on reality and fiction. Much Ado About Nothing Essay: Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing Social Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents us with a romp through the realms of truth and illusion. The play is full of characters plotting and deceiving, for both noble and repugnant reasons. It is a study in the importance and necessity of illusion in our everyday lives, and shows how deeply ingrained deception is in our social behaviors. Everybody is involved in some kind of illusion, from the masked celebration to the unveiling of Hero's "cousin." Two of the major conspiracies in the play are the Claudio/Hero plotline and the Benedick/Beatrice story. Both of these situations contrast the multiplicitous nature of illusion. Claudio and Hero do not operate in the realm of illusion. Their intentions and emotions are easily visible, so much so that they come off as transparent. Their utter lack of ability to engage in social illusion makes them unbelievable: Claudi... ...e's dead, that things are finally resolved. By showing the deep tangles of illusion that exist in normal social relationships, Shakespeare reminds us of our dependence upon fabrication. He shows us that we both desire to be and have a deep need to deceive ourselves and others. It's why we watch plays and read literature. But Shakespeare also shows us the precarious balance of illusion in our lives and the ease with which we can lose our grip on reality and fiction.

Essay example --

The role of courts and constitutional judicial review in constitutional structures. To understand any social value or goal is important to get the pulse of a certain society but standing alone tell us nothing about law and public policy outcomes, so the central question resides on institutional choice. The answer of how can a society know the outcome of a certain policy resides on the institution chosen to best carry out the protection of that policy. The strengths and weakness of one institution versus another vary from one set of circumstances to another and will let us measure the efficiency of that particular institution. Any constitutional framework is exposed to its own society’s goals and values evolution, but seeking to revise existing constitutions or establish new ones, as well as creating new legislation, one will always be exposed to the scrutiny of its people. That scrutiny is most of the times, in democratic regimes, established by a regime of judicial review. This practice, where courts are called upon to review a legislative act in order to determine its compliance with the constitutional framework, stems from the balance aimed by the separation of powers, granting the courts the monopoly of this review for reasons of independence and transparency. In order to understand the allocation of resources in this particular institution we have to understand the link between any society goals and values and that adjudicative process chosen, having done so, we should be able to understand the factors that make a social or law and public policy issue more or less attractive for judicial revie w with a comparative institution analysis comprehensive approach. The system of constitutional judicial review is the most common ins... ...nk will always be exposed to the several factors exposed and one’s ability to manage them is decisive to any major player in the institution at stake. In the constitutional framework the same constants and variables influence the link between policy and outcome but with some striking factors being more decisive: higher threshold access cost, limited scale, and judicial independence. To effectively revise or draft new constitutions or implement new legislation regarding fundamental rights one has to always consider all this factors, only doing so it is possible to generate harmony within a society, or else there will always be a big gap between various sectors of that society. Only by recognizing the heterogeneity of a certain society one can manage the variables that compose it and be effective on addressing fundamental values or rights. Antà ³nio Pinto de Mesquita

Nowadays :: Business and Management Studies

Nowadays Nowadays, analysing competition is crucial for managers in order to understand the environment in which the business evolves, its competitors (their goals, plans etc) as well as implement strategies and position their companies. They can use a wide variety of techniques, each having its strengths and weaknesses. According to Prescott and Grant (1988), to select the appropriate techniques, managers have to know the different techniques available, how they are related to each other, the focus and scope of the area and the constraints limiting the extent of analysis. To analyse competition efficiently, they have to combine some of the different techniques available as they all have a specific aim. However, there are limitations that managers have to take into consideration in order to provide a clear and effective work. This essay outlines and evaluates the main weaknesses when understanding the business environment. They vary by nature. They can come from the interpretation of the managers and from the models themselves. However, they are in relation to each other, one flaw leading to another one. When analysing competition, the starting point is to precisely define the industry the firm belongs to and its boundaries. Managers may focus on the market of their company, narrowing their definition of the industry. They then forget or less consider other segments that can change quickly and have impact on the whole industry. According to Zahra and Chaples( 1993) â€Å"an effective definition of industry boundaries requires consideration of four interrelated issues: domain (where does the industry begin and end), customer group (sector to be served and their specific needs), customer functions (customer need and specific patterns) and critical technology (production, marketing and administrative system)†. Each point enables to define the competition more and more precisely. In addition to these issues, managers have to take time into consideration. Reviewing their business’ definition, the shape of the industry and the market over the time is crucial as industries change. Prahalad (1995) states that â€Å"many industries are undergoing massive transformation. Deregulation, global excess capacity, global competition, mergers and acquisitions, changing customer expectations, technological discontinuities [†¦] are changing industries, creating new industries and opening up new and large growth markets for existing businesses.† For instance, chemical companies enter the pharmaceutical industry by making alliances with young biotechnology companies, not considered as a threat by the pharmaceutical companies. This change in the industry led the pharmaceutical companies to redefine the industry and its boundaries as well as their strategy. Managers need to be vigilant in identifying its competitors. A poor identification leads to a wrong positioning and a possible long time response to the different actions coming from those undetected rivals. This identification is dependent on the managers’ perceptions and how

Has technology shaped our society? Essay

When we look back to the mid 1930s, we’ll see that the US was facing a very difficult time. After the gigantic losses on the New York Stock Markets, the economy was on its way to an all time low. The unemployment rates were astronomically high, leading to even worse conditions. ‘But why did this happen?’, we may wonder. Well, there is a very simple answer to that question. Just before the economical downfall, many people worked on the land, in the agraric sectors. But technology had, as it always has, a cheaper answer to the quest for lower costs. Many people were replaced by machines, making the land-owner able to provide the same amount of products with fewer workers on the land. This lead to the gigantically high unemployment rates, which on its turn lead to an extremely high amount of overproduction (after all, people with no jobs could hardly spend much money on primary and secondary needs, let alone tertiary needs). This had a great impact on society back then. Because of the great poverty, people had to change their lives. And so many people did, leading to a different kind of society, with different kinds of relations. However, not only then, but also nowadays technology has its impact on society. At present many countries in the world face a hard economic time. With large gaps in the consumers confidence in the United States and Europe the short-term prospect does not look very colorful. This, evidently, changes the way society works. Especially when one considers that we currently live in a consumer society, and when consumers lack faith, so does society. But how did we come to live in a consumers society? Let’s look back a while. After World War II, there began to evolve a large need for machines that make life easier. Cars, airplanes, household-machines (such as vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwaves), televisions, you name it and it was produced. It began to become a hype, to always have better material possesions than the people in society around you. Having the maniest, newest material possesions stated that you were wealthy. And wealthyness made people respect you. And even today, when we look at cars, cellular phones and computers we still want the  best to make an impression on the people around us. If this advancement in technology hadn’t been here society would simply have looked completely different. We would not have tried to squeeze out every cent of our incomes to pay for a vacation trip that is better and longer than last years. We would not massively have ran to our banks for even larger loanes, for which we ‘only’ have to pay 11% interest, in order to buy that all-important house on Martha’s Vineyard. If we would not have been so hungry for wealth there wouldn’t be so many poor people existent as today. In the US alone, over 17 per cent of the population lives life below the poverty line. And why? Because they didn’t realize that when they lost their jobs they wouldn’t be able to pay for their huge debts they had from their loanes. By the way, would it be a coinsidence that the US contributes the most to the technology sector, and also has the largest consumers society in the world? Surely, we realize these facts, but still we remain in the same pattern, seeking life happiness in material possesions. This pattern is all caused by the technology sector, making people want more than they can have. It has shaped our society into a consumers society.

How Did Malene’s Arthritis Attacks Impact Her Social Life Essay

Rheumatoid arthritis, shall we say, is a crippling ailment, both literally and figuratively. It is a common ailment and yet there are only few individuals who are willing to admit that they have Rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is also an ailment that can heavily affect the social life of the person who suffers Rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis can also be understandably make the lives of the individuals affected difficult since they can’t be shall we say not fully functional and thus it has certain effects their productivity. But this vicious ailment could be more difficult for people in their prime since there is a common notion that this ailment is for old people only (allaboutarthritis. com). Those individuals in their prime that are affected by Rheumatoid arthritis in many ways could not do certain things that are expected of them because of the ailment. This essay will try to examine and present the impact of the ailment called rheumatoid arthritis on the life, especially on the social life of the fictional character Malene from the novel â€Å"The Exception† by the Danish Writer Christian Jungersen. Her story is somewhat a common case in real life as there are many individuals who suffer from a medical condition that adversely affects the normalcy of their lives. To start off, Rheumatoid arthritis is an ailment that causes the patient constant pain due to inflammation of the joint areas. It is an autoimmune disease meaning the body itself is attacking its own body tissues with its own immune system by mistake. Rheumatoid arthritis is an ailment that is considered a chronic ailment. That just means that rheumatoid arthritis can unfortunately last a lifetime for a patient. Medical practitioners say that the causes of Rheumatoid arthritis are still unknown. The known symptoms for Rheumatoid arthritis can range from joint and swelling of affected the body parts, muscle pains and stiffness, poor appetite, high levels of fatigue, fever among many others. (Medlineplus. gov) Rheumatoid arthritis could have a large impact on the social life of the individual affected just like the case of the character of Malene in the novel â€Å"The Exception† by the Danish Writer Christian Jungersen. The effect of her rheumatoid arthritis is amplified by the fact that she has a lively personality and has a reputation of having an active social and love life. Here is an excerpt from the novel that suggests Malene is quite the social person â€Å"Malene, who has always been brilliant at voices†¦improvising Chris’s words. From time to time she entertains everyone with parodies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Jungersen 20). Actually. That previous line implies to us that Malene is quite the entertainer, that she is the kind of person who is comfortable of being around other people. It can also be concluded that she is used to that scenario and now her rheumatoid arthritis is affecting her confidence to mingle with other people. In a scene wherein Malene was in a social gathering, she calls on to her best friend Iben to tell her in secret that she has to leave the social gathering because of her rheumatoid arthritis attack â€Å"‘Look, I really came over to tell you that I’d better leave. My feet †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Jungersen 12) She didn’t even finished the sentence because she was quite actually shy about her condition, even to a close friend who she could tell anything. She is still young and it is a common notion that it is unusual for young people to suffer rheumatoid arthritis â€Å"Three years have [just] passed since Malene received her degree† (Jungersen 6). That excerpt from the novel implies to us that Malene is relatively a fresh college graduate. That just means that her age can be approximated from the age of twenty to thirty years of age. Malene may have felt so down because maybe she feels that there are still more to do for people within her age of range. And not that she has the crippling disease of rheumatoid arthritis, her morale could had been dragged down and he confidence to take part in social activities is greatly affected. According to the National Institutes of Health, people suffering rheumatoid arthritis find it difficult to mingle and interact with other people. They say that people that have rheumatoid arthritis are very prone to having low confidence in their self and their ability to socialize. People that have rheumatoid arthritis may feel that they can’t keep up with other people that don’t suffer the ailment, that is why they just stay in a low-profile (National Institutes of Health). That would pose a problem for Malene since she is seemingly always having an above-the-radar profile. She is described in the novel as having a lively personality and attractive physical features as conveyed by Iben’s jealousy to Malene’s physical beauty â€Å"Iben†¦felt envious of her friend, who always met such exciting men through her work,and was good-looking enough to attract many of them† (Jungersen 16). Rheumatoid arthritis would have a big effect on Malene’s confidence since she was described in the novel as rather vain â€Å"Malene comes back, trailing a faint scent of perfume and wearing a flimsy, chocolate-coloured dress†¦ Malene wants to finish her make-up (Jungersen 6-7)†. Her slight vanity would further dramatize her situation of a young woman having rheumatoid arthritis because as we know vain people, they detest having imperfections, even the thought of it. Rheumatoid arthritis could be considered an imperfection because it can cause swellings in affected body parts. These swellings on affected body parts can be considered a quite unattractive feature. Malene is not used to being unattractive, she may have always been a beautiful woman and always attractive to men as explicitly implied by the lines â€Å"Malene, always so sure of being attractive to men, is making a big fuss over nothing† (Jungersen 16). It is just understandable for a young woman, who was always convinced to be always attractive to men, to be questioning her own beauty now that she has an ailment that can deform her beautiful physical features. She may have felt really down when she first heard the news that she was diagnosed to have rheumatoid arthritis in such a young age. That just meant to her that even at her young age, she will be suffering an ailment that only old people should be suffering from. It is not improbable that she may have thought that would look as an old woman and that people in her range of age won’t be comfortable hanging alongside her because she looks more mature. Perhaps the most relevant and dramatic scene that displays Malene’s struggle with rheumatoid arthritis is when she had to change her normal shoes for a pair of shoe especially made for people who suffer rheumatoid arthritis â€Å"In the hall, Malene quickly changes to another pair of her expensive orthopaedic shoes, which she has to wear because of her arthritis. † (Jungersen 8) We should note that she had to change her shoes in a quick manner. The probable reason for her quickly changing shoes is that she is somewhat ashamed to show other people her special condition. In that scene, Malene and Iben were at the hall where there would be other people. Maybe Malene got a little comfortable to change her shoes in the hall because she was with her best friend that could cover for her as she was changing. What is dramatic in that scene was the fact that she was always convinced that she was a beautiful woman. Through that fact we can make an assumption that she was used to wearing fashionable and fancy â€Å"normal† shoes. And now that she has rheumatoid arthritis, she is forced by the crippling pain of the ailment to wear unfashionable-doctor-prescribed shoes. It is just sad to imagine that she may have once wore expensive fancy shoes that were tailored by the likes of Prada, and now she is being forced to wear a more expensive shoe tailored by a doctor specialized in treating joints, not in making women look elegant. As we know it, shoes are probably one of the shortest way to a woman’s heart. And now Malene’s maybe sad because she can’t wear beautiful â€Å"normal† shoes that she was once used to wear. Consequently, setting aside the effects on the social life, rheumatoid arthritis can also have adverse effects on the individual’s love life. This portion of the paragraph is included because love life and relationships can be also considered as a form of the social life. It seems that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis find it difficult to be comfortable approaching other people. They also find it difficult to talk about their condition openly to people, even if they have close relationships. They find it difficult to communicate openly to others because they are having the fear of being judged or rejected. Some even come to the point of being frustrated when they are trying to explain their condition because others without rheumatoid arthritis find it difficult to relate to the patient. (National Institutes of Health) That was the same case for Malene as rheumatoid arthritis had ruined her already fragile relationship with his boyfriend. Malene and her boyfriend were already having fights about the shaky status of their relationship. Malene’s boyfriend was complaining about the lack of time that Malene gives him and their relationship. Malene’s boyfriend had accused her of having so much time worrying other things besides him and their relationship. These things would include her work and unfortunately her condition of having rheumatoid arthritis. In that sense, her ailment was one of the main factors that had caused her a happy relationship with her boyfriend. As if it wasn’t enough that she had worried that her boyfriend won’t like her because her body parts maybe deformed by rheumatoid arthritis. The ailment, rheumatoid arthritis had paved the way for her worst nightmare of being left by her boyfriend. But then again, that just means that her boyfriend doesn’t love her as much or as purely. It would be really quite ironic when eventually they get married and be taking their vows, especially when her boyfriend will say the â€Å"through sickness and in health†¦Ã¢â‚¬  part. He couldn’t even give her girlfriend enough understanding that she has a condition and the kind of work that requires much understanding. Moreover, although it was not explicitly mentioned in the novel, Malene’s sexual relationship/s could have been affected by her condition. Since, rheumatoid arthritis can cause body pains and stiffness, her ability to perform sexually could be put in question. It is just an assumption that this could have been a factor to the weakening of Malene and her boyfriend’s relationship. Almost all the main characters in the story were given their share of respective complications by the author. Iben. Malene’s best friend, had to deal with her horrible past of being abducted by terrorist on Africa, Camilla, the office secretary, also had to deal with his past because her former lover was a terrorist, Anne-Lise had to deal with both her past and present as she was constantly bullied by everyone around her. In the case of Malene, her complication is that she has rheumatoid arthritis. As if the complications were not bad enough, the he complication Marlene and the other characters has to face is also seemingly being affected by their gender as they are working on a male dominated environment. Moreover, it is also seems that the complications that Marlene and the other characters have to face seems to be interfering their work, sort of preventing them not to function well in their work. The previous paragraph was included because work can also be considered a social function. More common than not, people are obliged to sort of mingle and interact with other people, like co-workers, bosses, clients, etc, in their respective workplace. It is a common notion in workplaces that workers should mingle and interact with other workers to form a kind of cohesiveness within the workplace place with the assumption that they would function better together as a team. Another assumption is that that certain cohesiveness among the workers requires camaraderie and trust. In the case of Malene, it seems that that certain trust is being damaged because she constantly keeps a secret from her fellow workers, her rheumatoid Rheumatoid arthritis. As stated earlier in this essay, Malene, just like others who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, find it hard to openly talk about their condition with other people. That is the very reason why she is only comfortable to discuss her situation with her best friend, Iben. It was very admirable of Malene’s best friend Iben to be always there to help her in times of need, or in the case of Malene, times of many needs. Malene’s dependence to her best friend Iben was displayed in pages eighteen to nineteen â€Å"Iben felt like Malene’s squire, always ready to help and support her. Only Iben was allowed to know when Malene wasn’t capable of twisting the lids off jars, of buttoning her shirts, or of unlocking doors by herself. † (Jungersen 18-19). As we can see from that excerpt, Malene was already dependent to her best friend Iben because Malene could no longer perform even the most basic of functions. It is important to take into consideration that these basic functions would include functions from Malene’s work. With that taken into consideration, we can now conclude that rheumatoid arthritis did not only affected and deteriorated her joints and body tissues, but also Malene’s performance at work. And as stated earlier in this paragraph, if her performance at the workplace is being affected, it is just logical that her social life is also being affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Malene’s work was greatly affected because she had to miss several days of work due to rheumatic arthritis â€Å"The diagnosis was a sudden onset of rheumatoid Rheumatoid arthritis and Malene had been kept in hospital for several days† (Jungersen 18). It is not only her work life that was affected by her condition, her social life had also suffered much because of rheumatoid arthritis. Her work and her boyfriend was basically the bulk of Malene’s social life. If she was bedridden for several days in the hospital, that just means several days of only talking to doctors and nurses, that wouldn’t qualify as a social activity at all since she had no choice but to be bedridden and answer the questions of the people from the hospital. The effects to Malene’s social life of rheumatoid arthritis were also surfaced in the most poignant parts of the novel. In the novel â€Å"The Exception† the story revolved around the death threat that the office of Manlene had recived. She may have felt great fear because she knows in herself that she would have a hard time defending herself since rheumatoid arthritis had already weakened her. She may have felt helpless and unable to defend herself. All in all, the ailment rheumatoid arthritis had completely ruined Malene’s social life. The condition had a great effect on her confidence especially because her job was to help people. She may have questioned her ability to help others if she can’t even help herself as she was dependent to Iben to help her in even the most basic of functions. Rheumatoid arthritis had brutally shattered the poor Malene’s relatively small-scaled social life that was mostly consisted of her work and her boyfriend. She had missed several social gatherings, work, dates with her boyfriend, appointments, and other social functions on repeated occasions throughout the novel because of her condition. It was like the ailment rheumatoid arthritis did not only affected and deteriorated her joints and body tissues, but also Malene’s performance at work, relationship with her boyfriend and best friend, reputation as a lively and beautiful lady, basically all of her social life was turned upside down. To end, Malene’s condition is suffered by many people around us. Her story, or rather her tragedy tells us that people that have rheumatoid arthritis requires understanding from people who are fortunate enough to not have suffered the pains of the ailment. Her story tells us that we shouldn’t be like her selfish boyfriend who is devoid of empathy. What we should be is like Iben who is selflessly helpful to these people. Works Cited Jungersen, Christian. The Exception. Orion Publishing Group. 2006 allaboutarthritis. com. Rheumatoid Arthritis. 24 March 2008 http://www. allaboutarthritis. com/AllAboutRheumatoidarthritis/layoutTemplates/html/en/contentdisplay/document/condition/Rheumatoid arthritis/generalArticle/dating_Rheumatoid arthritis_xml. htm Medlineplus. gov. Effects of Arthritis on the Dating Life. 24 March 2008 http://www. medicinenet. edu/rheumatoid_arthritis/page2. htm#2whatcausera arthritis. org . Arthritis and Young Teens. 24 March 2008 http://www. arthritis. org/juvenile- arthritis. php British Society for Rheumatology. Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Social Life. 24 March 2008 http://rheumatology. oxfordjournals. org/cgi/content/abstract/15/3/156 UW Medicine. edu. Frequently Asked Questions About Arthritis. 24 March 2008 http://www. orthop. washington. edu/uw/livingwith/tabID__3376/ItemID__94/PageID__11 8/Articles/Default. aspx