Monday, September 30, 2019

Rational vs. Non-Rational Propaganda Essay

There are two kinds of propaganda – rational propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with the enlightened self-interest of those who make it and those to whom it is addressed, and non-rational propaganda that is not consonant with anybody’s enlightened self-interest, but is dictated by, and appeals to, passion. Were the actions of individuals are concerned there are motives more exhalted than enlightened self-interest, but where collective action has to be taken in the fields of politics and economics. Enlightened self-interest is probably the highest of effective motives. If politicians and their component always acted to promote their own or their country’s long-range self-interest, this world would be an earthly paradise. As it is, they often act against their own interests, merely to gratify their least credible passions; the world, in consequence, is a place of misery. Propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with enlightened self-interest appeals to reason by means of logical arguments based upon the best available evidence fully and honestly set forth. Propaganda in favor of action dictated by the impulses that are below self-interest offers false, distorted or incomplete evidence, which avoids logical argument and seeks to influence its victims by the mere repetition of catchwords. In regard to propaganda and the early advocates of universal literacy and a free press visualize only two possibilities: that propaganda might be true, or it might be false. They did not forsee what in fact has happened. In Brave New World non-stop distractions of the most fascinating nature (the feelies, orgy-porgy, centrifugal bumblepuppy) are deliberately used as instruments of policy, for the purpose of preventing people from paying too much attention to the realities of the social and political situations. The other world of religion is different from the other world of entertainment; but they resemble one another in being most decidedly â€Å"not of this world† A society, most of whose members spend a great part of their time, not on the spot, not here and now and in the calculable future, but somewhere else, in the irrelevant other worlds of sport and soap operas. In their propaganda today’s dictators rely for the most part on repetition, supression and rationalization – the repetition of catchwords which they wish to be accepted as true, the supression of facts which they wish to be ignored, the arousal and rationalization of passions which may be used in the interests of the Party or the State. As the art and science of manipulation come to be better understood, the dictators of the future will doubtless learn to combine these techniques with the non-stop distractions which, in the West, are now threatening to drown in a sea of irrelevance the rational propaganda essential to the maintenance of individual liberty and the survival of democratic institutions.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Shadow Kiss Chapter 15

Fifteen â€Å"I†¦WHAT?† â€Å"You heard me. I don't know how far things have gone, and honestly, I really don't want to know the details. That's not the point. The point is that it's going to go no farther.† The queen was looking down on me, hands on her hips, clearly waiting for me to swear I'd do whatever she wanted. Except I kind of couldn't. I glanced around the room, certain this was some sort of joke. I looked to the two guardians across the room, half-hoping they'd explain what was going on, but they were doing that seeing-without-actually-seeing thing. No eye contact. I turned back to the queen. â€Å"Um, Your Majesty †¦ there's been some kind of mistake. There's nothing going on between Adrian and me.† â€Å"Do you think I'm an idiot?† she asked. Wow. That was an opening. â€Å"No, Your Majesty.† â€Å"Well, that's a start. There's no point in lying to me. People have seen you together, here and back at your school. I saw you myself in the courtroom.† Damn it. Why had Adrian chosen that moment to be chivalrous and sneak another hug? â€Å"I've heard all the illicit details about what's going on, and it is going to stop right here, right now. Adrian Ivashkov is not going to run off with some cheap dhampir girl, so you might as well rid yourself of that delusion right now.† â€Å"I never thought he was going to – seeing as how we're not involved,† I said. â€Å"I mean, we're friends, that's all. He likes me. He's a flirt. And if you want to talk illicit stuff, then†¦yeah, I'm pretty sure he's got a list of illicit things he'd like to do with me. Lots of illicit things. But we're not doing them. Your Majesty.† As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt like an idiot. From the look on her face, however, it didn't seem like things could really get any worse for me. â€Å"I know about you,† she said. â€Å"All anyone talks about are your recent awards and accolades, but I haven't forgotten that it was you who took Vasilisa away. I also know about the trouble you used to get into – I know about the drinking, about the men. If it was up to me, I'd pack you up and send you off to some blood whore commune. You'd probably fit in well.† Drinking and men? She made me sound like an alcoholic prostitute when, honestly, I'd probably drunk no more than other teenagers at high school parties. Telling her this seemed useless, though. Pointing out that I was still a virgin probably wouldn't have made much of a difference either. â€Å"But,† she continued, â€Å"your recent†¦ achievements make sending you away impossible. Everyone believes you have some glorious future ahead of you. Maybe you do. Regardless, if I can't stop you from being a guardian, I can affect whose guardian you are.† I stiffened. â€Å"What are you saying? Are you threatening me?† I spoke the words tentatively, not as a challenge. She couldn't be serious. Taking me away from Lissa during the field experience was one thing, but we were talking about an entirely different matter now. â€Å"I'm just saying I have a great interest in Vasilisa's future, that's all. And if I have to protect her from corrupting influences, I will. We can find her another guardian. We can find you another Moroi.† â€Å"You can't do that!† I exclaimed. I could tell by the look on her face that she was happy to finally get a real reaction out of me. I was both angry and afraid, and I fought hard against my normal explosive instincts. Diplomacy and honesty were what I needed now. â€Å"I'm not doing anything with Adrian. Really. You can't punish me for something I'm not doing.† I quickly remembered to add: â€Å"Your Majesty.† â€Å"I don't want to punish you at all, Rose. I just want to make sure we understand each other. Moroi men don't marry dhampir girls. They play with them. Every girl thinks it's going to be different with her – even your mother did with Ibrahim, but she was wrong too.† â€Å"With who?† I asked, the name hitting me like a slap in the face. Ibrahim? I'd never even heard of that name, let alone someone called that. I wanted to ask who he was and what his connection to my mother was, but Tatiana just kept talking. â€Å"They're always wrong. And you can try your hardest to change that, but it's a waste of time.† She shook her head, like she felt sorry for these dhampir girls, but her smug air contradicted any true sympathy. â€Å"You can use your pretty face and easy body as much as you want, but in the end, you're the one who'll get used. He may say he loves you now, but in the end, he'll get tired of you. Save yourself the grief. I'm doing you a favor.† â€Å"But he isn't saying he loves – † There was no point. The ironic thing here was that I was fairly certain Adrian did just want to use me for sex. I didn't have any delusions about that. But seeing as I wasn't actually sleeping with him, there was no problem – except, well, that Tatiana seemed to see of all this as a problem. I sighed, suspecting no argument was going to make her believe that I wasn't interested in Adrian. â€Å"Look, if you're so certain we can't have a future together, then why are you telling me this? According to you, he's going to throw me away anyway. Your Majesty.† She hesitated for just a second, and I nearly laughed. Despite her trash-talking about me, my mom, and other dhampirs, some part of her really was worried that I might indeed be charming and pretty enough to seduce Adrian into a disgraceful marriage. She quickly hid her uncertainty. â€Å"I like to take care of things before they become messy, that's all. Besides, it's going to make things easier for him and Vasilisa if they aren't dragging around baggage from you.† Whoa, whoa. My moment of brief satisfaction shattered – into confusion. I was as lost now as I'd been when she first started accusing me of being involved with Adrian. â€Å"Him and†¦ Vasilisa? Lissa? What are you talking about?† I forgot the Your Majesty, but I don't think she cared at this point. â€Å"The two of them are an excellent match,† she said, sounding like she was about ready to purchase some artwork. â€Å"Despite your bad influence, Vasilisa's grown into a very promising young woman. She has a very serious, very dedicated nature that will cure some of his recklessness. And being together would allow them to continue examining their†¦unusual magical situation.† Five minutes ago, me marrying Adrian had been the craziest thing I'd ever heard. It had just been trumped, however, by the thought of Lissa marrying Adrian. â€Å"Lissa and Adrian. Together. You can't be serious. Your Majesty.† â€Å"If they're both here together, I think they'll come around to it. They already have a certain charisma around each other. Plus, both of Adrian's grandmothers came from branches of the Dragomir family. He has more than enough blood to help her carry on the Dragomir line.† â€Å"So does Christian Ozera.† In one of their more disgustingly cute moments, Lissa and Christian had looked up his family tree to see if he had enough Dragomir genes to be able to pass on the name. When they found out he did, they'd then starting naming their future children. It had been horrible. I'd left after Lissa told me they'd name their third daughter after me. â€Å"Christian Ozera?† That condescending smile of hers tightened. â€Å"There is no way Vasilisa Dragomir is going to marry him.† â€Å"Well, yeah. Not anytime soon. I mean, they're going to go to college and – â€Å" â€Å"Not now, not ever,† interrupted Tatiana. â€Å"The Dragomirs are an ancient and exalted line of royalty. Their last descendent is not going to attach herself to someone like him.† â€Å"He's royal,† I said in a low voice that was on the verge of becoming my scary voice. For whatever reason, her insulting Christian made me angrier than her insulting me. â€Å"The Ozera line is every bit as important as the Dragomirs and Ivashkovs. He's royal, just like Lissa, like Adrian, and like you.† She snorted. â€Å"He is not like us. Yes, the Ozeras are one of the royal houses, and yes, he has several respectable distant cousins. But we aren't talking about them. We're talking about the son of someone who purposely became a Strigoi. Do you know how many times that's happened in my lifetime? Nine. Nine in fifty years. And his parents were two of them.† â€Å"Yes – his parents,† I said. â€Å"Not him.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. The Dragomir princess cannot associate with someone like him. That position is simply too prestigious.† â€Å"But your nephew is the perfect choice,† I said bitterly. â€Å"Your Majesty.† â€Å"If you're such a smart girl, then you tell me – back at St. Vladimir's, how are they treated? How do your classmates view Christian? How do they view Christian and Vasilisa together?† Her eyes gleamed knowingly. â€Å"Fine,† I said. â€Å"They have lots of friends.† â€Å"And Christian is fully accepted?† Immediately, I thought of Jesse and Ralf grilling me about Christian. And yes, there were plenty of people who still avoided Christian like he was already Strigoi. It was why he'd had no partner in culinary science. I tried to hide my thoughts, but my hesitation had given me away. â€Å"You see?† she exclaimed. â€Å"And that's just a microcosm of society. Imagine it on a bigger scale. Imagine how it'll be when she's active in the government and trying to get others to support her. He'll be a liability. She'll make enemies just because of him. Do you really want that to happen to her?† It was exactly what Christian had feared, and I denied it now as much as I had to him. â€Å"It won't happen. You're wrong.† â€Å"And you're very young, Miss Hathaway. You're also delaying your flight.† She moved toward the door. The guardians across the room were by her side in the blink of an eye. â€Å"I have nothing more to say and hope this will be the last time we ever have a discussion like this.† Or any discussion, I thought. She left, and as soon as etiquette said I could go, I sprinted off to catch my plane. My head reeled as I went. How insane was that lady? Not only was she convinced that I was on the verge of eloping with Adrian, she also believed that she could work some kind of arranged marriage with him and Lissa. It was almost impossible to figure out which part of that conversation had been the most ridiculous. I could hardly wait to tell the others what had happened and have a good laugh over it. But, as I returned to my room to get my bag, I reconsidered. There was already so much gossip about me and Adrian going around; I didn't think I should be fueling the fire. I also didn't think Christian should hear about this. He was already insecure about his position with Lissa. How would he feel if he found out the queen was already making plans to get rid of him? So I decided to sit on the information for a while, which was hard because Lissa was practically waiting outside my door when I got back. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"I thought you'd be on the plane?† â€Å"Nope. They delayed it by a few hours.† â€Å"Oh.† Going home suddenly sounded like the best idea ever. â€Å"What'd the queen want?† asked Lissa. â€Å"To congratulate me,† I said glibly. â€Å"Over my Strigoi kills. I didn't expect that from her – it was kind of weird.† â€Å"Not that weird,† she said. â€Å"What you did was amazing. I'm sure she just wanted to recognize you for what you did.† â€Å"Yeah, I guess. So what's going on? What are we going to do with the extra time?† There was excitement in both her eyes and her feelings, and I welcomed a change in subject. â€Å"Well†¦ I was thinking. Since we're at the Royal Court†¦ don't you want to check it out? There's gotta be more to it than a bar and a coffee shop. Seems like we should know this stuff if we're going to be living here. Besides, we've got a lot to celebrate.† The full force of our situation hit me. I'd been so distracted by Victor that I hadn't even really let things sink in: We were at the Royal Court, the center of Moroi leadership. It was nearly as big as the Academy, and there had to be more to it than the all-business side we'd seen so far. Plus, she was right. We had a lot to be happy about. Victor had been put away. She'd gotten a sweet college deal. Only my alleged affair with Adrian had been a downside, but I was willing to put that aside as Lissa's contagious excitement seized me. â€Å"Where's Christian?† I asked. â€Å"Doing his own thing,† she said. â€Å"You think we need him along?† â€Å"Well, he usually is along lately.† â€Å"Yeah,† she admitted, â€Å"but I'd kind of like just us to hang out.† I sensed the thoughts behind her decision. Our brief conversation just before she'd gone to see the queen had made her nostalgic for the old days, back when it had just been the two of us on our own. â€Å"No complaints here,† I said. â€Å"How much can we cover in three hours?† A mischievous grin lit her face. â€Å"The essentials.† I could tell she had something special in mind, but she was trying to keep it in hidden. She couldn't block me out of the bond, but she had learned that if she didn't think too hard about certain things, then I wouldn't pick up on them easily. She liked being able to think that she could surprise me sometimes. Trying to hide big issues or problems from me never worked, though. We set back out into the cold weather, with Lissa leading the way. She steered us away from the administrative buildings, off toward some others set at the farther end of the Court's grounds. â€Å"The queen lives in that first building,† Lissa explained. â€Å"It's not exactly a palace but the closest we have. Back when the Court was in Europe, Moroi royalty used to live in castles.† I made a face. â€Å"You make that sound like a good thing.† â€Å"Stone walls? Turrets? Even you have to admit that sounds pretty neat.† â€Å"Yeah, but I bet they had crap Internet access.† Lissa shook her head at me, smiling, and didn't dignify my comment with a response. We passed some other buildings that had the same ornate stonework as the others but were tall and built in a style that reminded me of apartments. She confirmed as much. â€Å"Those are town houses, where people who live here year-round stay.† I eyed them, wondering what they were like on the inside, and a happy thought came to me. â€Å"You think that's where we'll live?† The thought caught her off guard, but she soon grew just as excited as me. She, too, liked the idea of us having our own place, free to decorate it and come and go as we wanted. I rather liked the idea of Dimitri living with us too, but here at Court, he wouldn't be with her 24/7. For that matter, I actually wouldn't need to be with her 24/7 either. Would they let me live with her? Or would this be another chance to show I wasn't needed? â€Å"I hope so,† she said, oblivious to my worries. â€Å"Top floor with a view.† I mustered another smile. â€Å"And a pool.† â€Å"How can you think about a pool in this weather?† â€Å"Hey, if we're fantasizing here, we might as well go the whole way. I bet Tatiana's got one. I bet she wears a bikini and has hot guys rubbing her down with suntan lotion.† I expected another eye roll, but Lissa just grinned as she led me into a building that was near the town houses. â€Å"Funny you mention that.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. She was about ready to burst with her secret. I was this close to pulling it out of her mind. I would have, too, if I hadn't been so stunned by our surroundings. It was sensory overload: delicate music, fountains, plants, people in white robes, everything gleaming and silver†¦ It was a spa, a full-fledged luxury spa hidden away in an old stone building here at Court. Who would have guessed? A long granite receptionist's desk guarded the entrance, so we only had a partial view, but what I could see was pretty sweet. Women sat along a wall getting pedicures and manicures. Moroi men and women were getting haircuts and color. What looked like a maze of halls could just be seen in the back of the salon, with a directory of arrows pointing to other sections: massage, sauna, facials, etc. Lissa grinned at me. â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"I think Adrian was right about the Court having all sorts of secrets.† I gave a mock sigh. â€Å"And I hate having to admit that he's right.† â€Å"You've been so down about the field experience and†¦other stuff.† She didn't have to mention Mason's death and the Strigoi fight. I read it from her mind. â€Å"I figured you could use a treat. I checked their openings here while you were with the queen, and they were able to squeeze us in.† Lissa walked up to the receptionist and told her who we were. The woman immediately recognized our names but seemed surprised to be letting a dhampir in. I didn't care, though. I was too bedazzled by the sights and sounds around me. Compared to the harsh, practical lifestyle I usually led, this sort of luxury almost defied belief. After checking in, Lissa turned to me, face eager and radiant. â€Å"I got us set up to get massages with these – â€Å" â€Å"Nails,† I interrupted. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I want my nails done. Can I get a manicure?† It was the most exotic, completely useless thing I could imagine. Well, it wasn't useless for ordinary women. But for me? With the way I used my hands and subjected them to blisters, bruises, dirt, and wind? Yes. Useless. I hadn't painted my nails in ages. There was no reason. Half the nail polish would probably chip off after one practice session. A novice like me couldn't afford that kind of luxury. And that was why I so, so desperately wanted one. Seeing Lissa wear makeup had awakened that longing in me for some beautification of my own. I accepted that it could never be a regular part of my life, but if I was in a place like this today, then by God, I wanted my nails done. Lissa faltered a little. She'd apparently had big plans for this massage thing. But, she had a hard time refusing me and spoke to the receptionist again. It sounded like the receptionist had to do a bit of juggling with her schedule, but she said she could make it work. â€Å"Of course, Princess.† She smiled happily, entranced by Lissa's natural charisma. Half the time, Lissa didn't even need spirit to get people to help her. â€Å"I don't want to be an inconvenience,† Lissa said. â€Å"No, no. Definitely not!† We soon found ourselves sitting at adjacent tables while Moroi women soaked our hands in hot water and started scrubbing them with weird combinations of sugar and seaweed. â€Å"Why the manicure?† Lissa wanted to know. I explained my reasoning to her, about how I hardly had time for makeup anymore and how the abuse my hands went through made any sort of pampering impractical. Her face turned thoughtful. â€Å"I never thought about that before. I just figured you weren't into it lately. Or, well, that you didn't need it. Not with your looks.† â€Å"Whatever,† I said. â€Å"You're the one guys worship.† â€Å"Because of my name. You're the one that guys – like a certain one we know – actually want for other reasons.† Gee, I wondered who she could be referring to. â€Å"Yeah, but those other reasons aren't very noble.† She shrugged. â€Å"The point's the same. You don't need makeup for them to drool all over you.† Then I felt the weirdest thing through the bond. I saw myself through her eyes. It was like looking in a mirror, except she only had a profile view of me. But when she looked at me, she really did think I was beautiful. With my tan and dark brown hair, I seemed exotic to her. She felt pale and washed out compared to me, skinny next to my curves. It was surreal, considering how often I felt scruffy next to her luminous beauty. Her envy wasn't malicious; that wasn't in her nature. It was more wistful, an admiration of a look she could never have. I wanted to reassure her but had a feeling she didn't want me knowing about her insecurities. Besides, my thoughts were interrupted when the woman doing my nails asked what color I wanted. I picked a color that looked like gold glitter. Gaudy, perhaps, but I actually thought it looked kind of cool, and it wasn't like it was going to last long anyway. Lissa picked pale pink, a color as refined and elegant as she was. Hers got painted a lot faster than mine, though, because my manicurist had to spend so long softening my hands and filing the nails. Lissa finished long before I did. When we both had glamorous hands, we proudly held them up side by side. â€Å"You look gorgeous, darling,† she declared, affecting a sophisticated air. Laughing, we went off to the massage area. Lissa had originally scheduled us for extensive massages, but the manicure had cut into a chunk of that time. So we modified the full-body massage into a foot massage, which was just as well since we couldn't have put on robes or any other changes of clothes with our nails still wet. All we had to do was remove our shoes and roll up our pants. I sat down in a chair while my feet soaked in warm, bubbling water. Someone put something into the tub that smelled like violets, but I didn't pay much attention. I was too entranced by my hands. They were perfect. The manicurist had buffed and hydrated them to silky softness, and my nails had been transformed into gleaming gold ovals. â€Å"Rose,† I heard Lissa say. â€Å"Hmm?† The lady had also put a clear coat of nail polish over the gold. I wondered if that would give the nails a longer lease on life. â€Å"Rose.† Sensing that Lissa wanted my undivided attention, I finally looked up from my awesome hands. She was grinning from ear to ear. I could feel that excited news burning in her again, the secret she'd had while we'd been walking over here. â€Å"What's up?† I asked. She nodded downward. â€Å"Rose, this is Ambrose.† I glanced absentmindedly toward the masseuse at my feet. â€Å"Hey, Ambrose, how's it – † I cut myself off before the words holy crap or whoa left my lips. The guy massaging my feet couldn't have been much older than me. He had curly black hair and muscles everywhere. I knew this for a fact because he was shirtless and offered us both a good view of his sculpted pecs and biceps. His deep golden skin was a color achievable only by excessive time in the sun, indicating he was human. The bite marks on his neck confirmed it. A pretty boy feeder. Very pretty. His attractiveness was almost unreal, though. Dimitri was gorgeous, but he had little flaws that made him that much more gorgeous. Ambrose was too perfect, like a piece of art. I didn't want to throw myself into his arms or anything, but he was certainly nice to look at. Lissa, still worried about my love life, had apparently thought this was exactly what I needed. Her masseuse was female. â€Å"It's very nice to meet you, Rose,† said Ambrose. He had a musical voice. â€Å"It's nice to meet you too,† I said, suddenly self-conscious as he lifted my feet out of the water and toweled them off. I was especially self-conscious of the appearance of my feet. They weren't gross or anything, since they weren't usually exposed to the elements like my hands. I just kind of wished they'd been polished up too if this male model was going to handle them so much. Lissa, astute enough to sense me being flustered, could barely stop from laughing. I heard her thoughts in my head: Cute, huh? I cut her a look, refusing to voice my thoughts out loud. He's Tatiana's personal masseuse. That practically makes you royalty. I sighed loudly to let her know she wasn't as funny as she thought she was. And when I say personal, I mean personal. I jerked in surprise, accidentally kicking one of my feet out. Ambrose's deft hands caught it before I hit him in his pretty face, thankfully. I might not have been able to communicate telepathically but I was pretty sure there could be no question to Lissa that the look on my face said, You can't be serious because if you are, you're in big trouble. Her grin widened. I thought you'd like that. Pampered by the queen's secret lover. Pampered wasn't exactly the word that came to mind. Looking at Ambrose's young, beautiful features, I just couldn't picture him getting it on with that old hag. Of course, that denial might have just been my brain's way of refusing to acknowledge that someone who had touched her was now touching me. Ew. Ambrose's hands were checking out my calves along with my feet, and he struck up a conversation about what elegant legs I had. His dazzling white smile never left his face, but most of my answers were curt. I still couldn't get over the thought of him and Tatiana together. Silently, Lissa groaned. He's flirting with you, Rose! she thought to me. What are you doing? You can do better than that. I went to all this trouble to get you the hottest guy here, and this is what I get! This one-sided-conversation thing was becoming a pain in the ass. I wanted to tell her that I'd never asked for her to rent out this guy for me. In fact, I suddenly had images of the queen calling me in for another meeting to yell at me for having a nonexistent affair with Ambrose too. Wouldn't that be perfect? Ambrose continued smiling as he rubbed the soles of one foot with his thumbs. It hurt – but in a good way. I hadn't realized how sore that spot was. â€Å"They go to such trouble to make sure you wear the right black and white clothes, but no one ever thinks about your feet,† he mused. â€Å"How are you supposed to stand around all day and still manage roundhouse kicks and cat stances in bad shoes?† I was about to tell them that he really didn't need to keep worrying about my feet, but something odd suddenly struck me. â€Å"Roundhouse kicks† and â€Å"cat stances† weren't top-secret guardian terms. Anyone could Google â€Å"martial arts† and find out about those kinds of things. Still, it wasn't the kind of topic I'd expect a Moroi to casually throw around, let alone a feeder. I studied Ambrose closer, noting the way his dark eyes so carefully darted around and observed everything. I recalled his fast reflexes in stopping my kick. I felt my jaw start to drop, and I shut it before I looked like an idiot. â€Å"You're a dhampir,† I breathed.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Vrio of Adidas

Company Wildberries – it is a large online store of fashion apparel, shoes and accessories, which has existed for more than 7 years. I chose this site because I had previously used the services of this website. Products in this online store are divided into categories. To view products by brands (brands), go to the tab â€Å"brand†. All products are sorted by price, color, size, popularity rating (rated buyers) and the date of receipt to the store. When viewing products by categories is also sorted by brands, but when viewing a product brand can be sorted by category.To view a product that you like, click the mouse on the image or name of the product. Select your desired color and size and click â€Å"Add to cart†. For convenience, the size and color of goods available for express delivery, handed back to the top. To return to a page with a showcase, click â€Å"return to the store† or â€Å"Close† button, if the card product opened in a separate wi ndow. If you want to move to another section, use the top or left-hand menu. To quickly find specific things you use the search form at the top of the page.To make a purchase, click on â€Å"Shopping Cart† in the upper right corner. There's always shows the number and value of items in your shopping cart. On the page with a basket, you can edit your order – change the number of products to remove unwanted or move the selected item to your list of pending items. Defer goods can only registered users. If you view the basket, not registered, you will be offered to login to register or place your order without registration. Order is shipped, If you are reading the inscription: Thank you for your purchase!Your order is accepted. In the near future you will contact our operator to refine the order and conditions of delivery. Methods of payment:Bank transfer Bank transfer from any bank operating in Russia, you can pay: The handling fee is required for the activation order Pre payment required for the activation order Debt The remainder value of the order, the service of EMS or other express company, has no collection services The cost of the entire order is partially or completely Approximate date of transfer of money between banks is no more than 2-3 working days.When paying by bank transfer will be charged the fee for bank transfer of funds, which is an average of 3% of the order value. Crediting funds occurs within one working day after they are received in our bank account. Receipt suitable for payment at any bank operating in Russia, the manager sends to the specified customer e-mail or by fax, after discussing all the options and confirm the order or after approval of the method of delivery. A receipt will be sent duly filled, indicating the amount of the payment, your data and details of the company. You can also print a receipt from your personal account.WARNING! When filling out receipts by hand, be sure to check the spelling of the name of our company and contact details, otherwise the money will be credited to the bank to â€Å"unclarified Accounts† and in case you do not have time to send in proof of payment, the funds will be credited back. Allowed to write in the payment â€Å"for the order number †¦ â€Å". Payments from businesses will not be accepted and will be credited back. Bank card You can pay by credit card: The handling fee is required for the activation order Prepayment required for the activation order DebtThe remainder value of the order, the service of EMS or other express company, has no collection services The cost of the entire order is partially or completely Also, you can pay by credit card in Moscow paragraphs ex works. Credit cards can only be through the Internet, through e-payment system ASSIST. Login to the payment terminal is in your personal account. Pay only orders made with registration. The minimum payment is 150 rubles. The maximum payment amount is 10 000 rubles. I like thi s site because the orders are delivered on time and the quality of things rather high.

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 - Essay Example However, the Indian Removal Act 1830 evidently violated the US constitution as the Indians were removed from their land by force. Overview To illustrate, â€Å"the Indian Removal Act of 1830 was the culmination of a decades-long struggle between white and Native Americans over who would control vast tracts of territory that had been Native American lands for many centuries† (Tucker, 2011, p.381). As per the provisions of the Act, tens of thousands of the Native Americans were forcibly removed from the east of the Mississippi River. This Act made the prior treaties between the US government and the Native American groups void and the government tried to form new treaties that would better serve the interests of whites. The Act directly affected the Five Civilized Tribes including Choctaws, Cherokees, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles as they were the main inhabitants of the east Mississippi river. This agricultural land was extremely fruitful for crops like cotton, and many sou therners including some wealthy planters strongly desired the ownership of the land. Although the US Supreme Court had ruled that Native American tribes were sovereign nations and hence State law would not apply to them, President Jackson ignored the court decision and executed forceful removal of Native Americans from their land. Although the Indian Removal Act 1830 was an inhumane course of action that hurt the constitutional rights of people lived at the east Mississippi, it had also some positive effects on American Indian group. The Act and thereby forceful removal of Indians from their territory assisted them to escape from the depredations of whites to some extent. In addition, this change benefited the American Indians to resettle in a region where they could administer themselves without any external pressure. At the same time, the forceful removal adversely affected the economy as well as the social interest of the American Indian group. The American Indians had possessed fruitful agricultural fields until the time of the Act and therefore the forceful removal caused them to experience huge economic losses. In addition to the land loss, they were also forced to leave their homes and livestock behind and this situation caused them to lose what they had built over thousands of years. Historians reveal that this group was relocated to an area which no one needed that time. From an economic point of view, the nation lost several million dollars as part of this law enforcement. Furthermore, this arbitrary law amendment questioned the constitutional rights of American Indian group in the United States. Undoubtedly, the Indian Removal Act 1830 curtailed the fundamental human rights and constitutional rights of the American Indians. Out of the seven principles of the constitution, the seventh principle has specifically defined individual rights.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

MIH512-Demography and Health (Module 2-CBT) Essay

MIH512-Demography and Health (Module 2-CBT) - Essay Example The reliability of the data presented is excellent because the U.S. census bureau administers the site. Another good site is found at the University of Virginia. The URL for the site is http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/. The name is referred to as the Historical Census Browser. Data for each census from 1790 to 1960 is available. This resource is outstanding because the data is organized neatly in charts and graphs. There also is a function called â€Å"MapIt† that will create a chloropleth map for any data set. The data would be very accurate because the University of Virginia is a well-respected institution of higher education. Poor information would lessen their academic standing. A third site with census data is the Tiger mapping service of the U.S. census bureau. The URL is http://tiger.census.gov/. This information is excellent but the maps are difficult to produce. The service is slow and the maps do not offer much flexibility as far as manipulating data and copying. The information is dependable because it comes from the U.S. census bureau. A great site for gathering census data on the country of Brazil is found at URL http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/. The IBGE is the Brazilian equivalent of the U.S. census bureau. It differs in that this agency seems much more concerned with gathering statistical data on agricultural and geographical data and not just population data. The site has an official feel to it and it is obviously administered by a governmental agency. The major drawback is some of the reports and statistics are not presented in English. The home page has an English option, but other parts of the site are not yet translated. A second site that gives census statistics for foreign trade is the U.S. census bureau at URL http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c3510.html. Though this census information is specific to foreign trade with the U.S. it still is a good,

Walkable Streets; Good City Forms Annotated Bibliography Essay

Walkable Streets; Good City Forms Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example It even states that if transport policy makers start considering walking as a major transport mode, they can create policies that can promote the act of walking. Joe Cortright in his research named â€Å"Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Home Values in US Cities† states that the level of walkability of a particular city have various advantages and the main advantage is increase in value of homes (Cortright 2). He states that homes that are situated in areas that score high in walkability and have retail stores and shopping outlets located near to them are up for sale at very high prices as compared to those homes that are located in areas that score low on walkability. In his research he uses the method of Walk Score algorithm to determine the price of a particular home in relation to the location’s walkability. Ray Tomalty in his research named â€Å"BC Sprawl Report: Walkability and Health† tried to figure out the impact of design of neighborhood on the trends of walking and bicycling in the region of BC and the overall impact of activities of walking and biking on the health of the members of the BC society (Tomalty x). Through their research they figured out that there was a connection between an individual’s behavior, issue of obesity and stress and the level of walkability and the act of walking. They even figured out that if the degree of walkability of a particular area is increased through programs, the amount of walking activity even increases. Duncan, D.T, D.R Williams, J Aldstadt, J Whalen, K White, and M.C Castro. "Space, Race, and Poverty: Spatial Inequalities in Walkable Neighborhood Amenities?" Demographic Research. 26 (2012): 409-448. Print. Dustin T. Duncan and fellow researchers conducted a research named â€Å"Space, Race, and Poverty: Spatial Inequalities in Walkable Neighborhood Amenities?†. In this research they tried to figure out the link between demographic characteristics

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Finance Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finance Paper - Essay Example The Mission statement of the firm â€Å"is to build the premier specialty retailer of jewelry by  offering consumers high quality products at compelling values through an empowering shopping experience.† Values The Company emphasizes in great customer satisfaction and delivering that satisfaction through high-quality products. The key element for the company is to make the customer feel special and give them a shopping experience that will leave them in awe. From a business perspective, the company has developed â€Å"Code of Ethics† which list out some key values that the company strongly believes in. For instance, each individual should be treated with fairness, compassion and respect. The company also believes in strong foundation of complete, efficient, and accurate recording methods to the government. Strategy The marketing strategy for the company is effective and is consisted of penetrating the online market and attracting its customer. The company is expected to earn around 75 cents(earnings per share), which is 34% from the previous annual year. The organization’s strategy is to penetrate the market segment by selling their products at a lower price than the traditional jewelry stores. The company possesses two key competitive advantages. One competitive advantage is to cut the cost of buying diamonds only if there is a guarantee that the customer will purchase them. In essence, the customer cannot breach the contract, which enables it to be cost-effective and makes them unique compared to traditional jewelry stores. Blue Nile Company utilizes pull marketing strategy as it uses clever pricing strategy to accomplish its goals. The company believes in being just 10% better, a no nominal feat in these harsh economic times. Moreover, the company emphasizes in brand recognition and enhancing consumer traffic through their online website. The focal point remains through the search engines such as Google, YAHOO and Bing.com. The company offers incentives through internet by persuading customers to subscribe to their newsletter, which gives them special insights about promotions, sales, and coupons. The company invests little in brick-and-mortar advertisements and billboards. Without a doubt, the management team is vital towards the success of the organization. Diane Irvine, the CEO and the President has created a culture that thrives on â€Å"thinking outside the box.† It is astonishing to see how a company is flourishing in this business without owning diamond mines, a feat that may seem impossible. Ms. Irvine along with Susan Bell and Marianne Marck acknowledged that certain months are extremely busy for the stores. Thus, the decided to have a strategy in which they launched new, creative desings for the jwererly around that time period. In essence, the management team was ready to face the challenges of the customers head-on. Moreover, Irvine and her team excelled in customer service by returning custome rs demands and shipping their packages in timely manner. Furthermore, the management administration staff placed high priority in consultation and pursued the engagement rign business to the fullest, which made them highly profitable. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS BALANCE SHEET Period Ending Jan 2, 2011 Jan 3, 2010 Jan 4, 2009 Assets Current Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 113,261  Ã‚   78,149  Ã‚   54,451  Ã‚   Short Term Investments -    15,000  Ã‚   -    Net Receivables 2,328

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Freedom and Social Political Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Freedom and Social Political Philosophy - Essay Example Social-political philosophy, therefore, refers to discipline infrastructure that aims to solve and discover problems that are deeply rooted in the society and affects human beings either directly or indirectly. It seeks to create a relationship between the society and man. Social-political philosophy is considered universal, prescriptive or largely theoretical in context (Simon, 2002). Social-political philosophy concerns the existence of man in the society. It helps identify the nature of human beings and evaluates how they are able to relate to the society. It deals with man’s relationship and conducts with the society at large. The questions posed by social-political philosopher’s targets issues such as democracy, rules and the purpose of the state. The person’s metaphysical orientation is one of the element s that determines political philosophy various questions that a social-political philosopher asks are vital in the creation of rules and laws associated with man and aimed at establishing the re3lationships that coexist with the society. The culture and experience of a philosopher determine how they are able to respond to the many questions raised and targeting man and society (Russell, 2000). A philosopher relates their ideas to those who came before them and the current issues affecting the society as a man’s dwelling place. Soc ial-political philosophy and political science functions together through political science are associated with answers that are descriptive (it says, ‘what is not and what is’). Political philosophy, on the other hand, utilizes the evaluative and analytical method in dealing with most of its issues. The paper seeks to discuss a social-political philosophy theme in the society. Freedom and justice are some of the themes in the social-political philosophy. The idea of freedom is recognized as ambiguous, indefinite and open to a lot of misconception.  

Monday, September 23, 2019

Midterm Paper about Concept for Nursing Theories course Term

Midterm about Concept for Nursing Theories course - Term Paper Example One of the main concerns of end-of-life care is the provision of quality care for end-of-life patients, which can be difficult to define for all involved stakeholders. For the society and many health care professionals, death is a sign of failure, and they are hesitant to allow people to naturally die from their illnesses. End-of-life care is critical, because nurses have to balance conflicting goals, such as helping patients and their families deal with the process of â€Å"letting go† and helping patients experience quality of life, while still living. End-of-life care will also contradict the goal of some patients and their families to extend life, even when illnesses are already terminal. This paper explores the concepts of end of life and end-of-life care and its definitions. It will determine the criteria for the concept of end-of-life, how it is addressed in literature, tools for measuring the concept, antecedents and consequences, and it will also provide three cases f or end of life care. Review of Literature End of Life Concept Karlsson and Berggren (2011) define end of life, as the phase of patient life, where â€Å"curative care is no longer possible† and survival time is considered â€Å"short† (p.374). Epstein (2010) is concerned of end of life’s implications on the quality of caring provided to dying patients. For him, the health care staff should be concerned of end of life’s implications to â€Å"dissatisfaction, conflict, and moral distress† (p.577). It is inferred that he defines â€Å"end of life† as a critical phase of care delivery, as the end of care looms. Reinke et al. (2010) agree with Epstein (2010) and affirm the necessity and urgency of the issue of quality care when end of life is concerned. Reinke et al. (2010) define end of life as the care response to the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and concerns of dying people (p.753). End-of-Life Care Concept Lippincott Willi ams and Wilkins (2007) define end-of-life care in terms of palliative care, where the latter aims to prevent and relieve suffering and to advance the patient’s comfort and quality of life (p.3). There is no goal of hastening or delaying the patient’s death, and instead, stakeholders accept death as part of the natural cycle of human life (p.3). Poor (2001) also defines end-of-life care as a concept of palliative care, where it refers to the â€Å"comprehensive care of patients with a terminal illness who are nearing the end of life† (p.6). The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a more detailed definition of palliative care: â€Å"the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment† (as cited in Poor, 2001, p.6). Some of the important goals of palliative care are to control pain and to respond to the psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the patient (Poor, 2001, p.6). The WHO provides the following characte ristics of palliative care: 1) Life and death are normal processes; 2) Death is not delayed or encouraged; 3) Pain control and control of other upsetting symptoms are important; 4) The spiritual and psychological components of care are included in the care plan; 5) There is a support system for patients to live a quality and active life; 6) and there is also support system for the family of the dying patient, so that the former can cope with the upcoming realities of death (as cited in Poor

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Media in Goa Essay Example for Free

Media in Goa Essay I can proudly say that I was the first television journalist to start work from Goa, till then Channels from Mumbai Delhi only sent their camera team and reporters for any major news event happening here. A decade later today its great that we have a number of local television channels and a 12 hour news channel as well. In that regard Goa Newsline was our first major step towards setting up of this industry in Goa. After 2 years of Newsline a number of other channels had jumped into the news making fray and the rest as you all know is there for all of us to see. I completed my Masters Degree in Communication studies from the Department of Communcation Studies University of Pune as there was no Journalism related course in Goa then. After that I interned with Zee News Noida and underwent practical training in Electronic News Media . Thereafter I joined Asian News International (ANI) and joined them as a Correspondent Camera-person for the state of Goa. Thereafter I joined Aaj Tak and worked for them as their Goa Correspondent, My father Mr. Waman Prabhu is also a journalist and was in the print media. As the electronic media fever caught up he joined Zee News as Goa Correspondent and together we covered Goa in all its splendour for these national channels. In this entire process there was a feeling that Goa was not being given due coverage on National TV and all the snippets that were shown of Goan Festivals and Events were not doing justice to the actual event. There was so much that was happening in Goa yet the national channels were just not interested. All that mattered to them was the Goan Carnival Christmas and New Year in Goa. And we all know that there’s so much more that the rest of the country needs to know about Goa. That was the time when the thought of a Goa News Channel crossed our minds and we both along with my younger brother Pravesh went ahead with a Goa News Channel. It was a tough exercise. Covering Goa for national channels was completely different.. for a local news channel the same had to be done in a local perspective. We started with a half an hour news bulletin which covered all aspects of the state the political,social,religious and sports aspect of Goa. It was Feb 2002 Goa Newsline was a valentine gift to the people of Goa. Because till then they could only rely on the erratic Doordarshan round up of events which happened every week. When we started Newsline we opted for Konkani as our news language because it was a language tht could connect us to the people of Goa. It was sheer hard work because our effort was to deliver todays news today-all over Goa. We wanted the people could watch the news at home before they read it on the papers the next day,that was the USP of our news. We dealt with time constraints as there was no highend editing software at that time with us. But yet we managed fine all the morning/ afternoon events were incorporated in our news bulletin. Yet another hurdle that we faced was initially people were reluctant to air their views on Camera, the concept looked good on national tv but it was difficult to accept it initially. Politicians too hesitated over how and what they spoke on local tv but gradually the transformation took place And once the news began there was a flood of appreciation that motivated us to perform better. We had no high end machinery and no spacious studio. Yet we had to deliver CD’s to over 23-24 locations everyday at a given time and the manpower—just the three of us. My father wrote the newsscript, Pravesh did the shoot and edit on camera and I read the news and pitched in for the filming of events as well. It was an effort that met with a lot of praise and also its share of criticism. I am glad that happened then as we complete ten years of Newsline this February. Goa Newsline was what everybody living here needed because audio visual media has its own power –the power of delivering an event happening in some place of Goa that you can relate to right in your home. It was a novelty in the beginning and we had endless lists of people who wanted us to cover their events -some interesting some trivial. It wont be wrong to state that Goa Newsline started the chapter of Electronic TV Journalsim in Goa and that it continues to have a loyal viewership in this day and age of Direct Transmission to Homes like Dish TV etc. It’s a challenge now to maintain the erratic cable connections when you have a no hassle set top box installed on your tv providing you crystal clear transmission but people here have still maintained their cable connectitons nly to watch the news programmes that are aired on these cable channels. So in a way it is also right that the cable industry in Goa is surviving on the hefty fees that these channels pay them and the connections which have not yet been replaced by Dish TV for the sake of Goan News updates. I feel the cable network industry should in turn protect the interest of the news channels in order to strengthen the chances of their survival.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Impact of Globalisation on Architecture

Impact of Globalisation on Architecture What is meant By the Term Globalisation, and How Does It Have an Impact on the Practice Of Architecture? Introduction In any age of change, debates on conflicting ideologies often dominate discussions. The struggle to adapt often results in shaping the social, political, economic and cultural paradigms. In architectural context and urban designs, much has been argued on the ideology of modernism and traditionalism and, more recently, on globalism and regionalism. These ideologies have been tacitly acknowledged, yet their practices have often been considered non-conforming. To effectively argue for an ideology such as globalism, one needs to take into consideration the consequences and impacts based on prevailing evidence, as well as deliberate on opposing views. In the following discussion, the researcher shall discuss globalization and its impact on architecture with reference to various architectural styles that are considered global and assert that globalization has positively affected architectural styles of the world. Discussion Globalization is an umbrella term that refers to a complex and universal phenomenon that has affected varied dimensions including economics, politics, science, history, geography, environment, culture, management, international relations, and professional practices etc. Depending on the context it is used in, globalization can be defined as the growing interdependence of the world’s people †¦ a process integrating not just the economy but culture, technology, and governance. People everywhere are becoming connected-affected by events in far corners of the world.† United Nations Development Program (1999:1). From this definition, one understands that globalization is not only a phenomenon that is understood and appreciated by Western cultures but it is also fast becoming embedded in other regions of the world. Globalization has a daunting influence over almost all aspects of public and private life (Kiggundu 2002). Consequently, it is not surprising that it has also proliferated to architectural practices as well. To understand the influence of globalization on architecture, one needs to first understand the influence of culture on architecture. According to Lewis (2002), architectural history is filled with movements of opposing cultural and aesthetic diversity, which form the basis for architectural philosophy and design ideology. This is because governments, companies and people of nations around the world are the main sponsors of architectural designs and styles, which they use to symbolize their rule and identity. Thus, the Romans developed the magnificent coliseums and temples with the view to depict their empires grandeur (Lewis 2002). The classical Roman architectural designs points to the hegemony of its people who have been the determinism of hierarchy and values of the Roman culture (Tzonis, Lefaivre and Stagno 2001). Furthermore, one also observes that the classical Roman style of architecture depicts cultural hegemony. This trend of cultural influence over architectural design is not isolated in history. During the 19th and 20th century, to establish their identities in colonies they set up, the French and English had controlled the architectural styles of many regions of the world including China, South East Asia, Africa and America. Monumental designs, which have been developed and set in these regions, speak of their colonial rule and changing policies. Regarding colonial cultural hegemony, Metcalf (1989 qt. Wright ) writes, Administrators hoped that preserving traditional status-hierarchies would buttress their own superimposed colonial order. Architects, in turn, acknowledging that resistance to new forms is often based on affections for familiar places, tried to evoke a sense of continuity with the local past in their designs. (Wright 9) After the two World Wars, economic decline and rise of national universalism led to capitalism. European and American architects, according to Lewis (2002), rebelled against the classicism and demanded a new regime for international designs to be adopted with the new industrial, technological, social and political order; hence, emerged the modernist style. Modernism, according to Ibelings (1998), formed the basis for building, during the post-war era. Modern architecture progressed with faith in reason. It introduced the concept of internationalization in architecture, whereby designs of offices, schools, hospitals and housing have been based on multifunction. This style, however, has been fast replaced by postmodernism in which concepts are set on universally accepted ideologies. The post-modern style has become more dominant, partly because of the deterioration of modernism and partly because modernism could not convey the language of people who inhabited buildings and houses built by modern architects. Buildings are to function as vehicles of ideas and activities within it (Ibelings 1998). They need to reflect the aesthetic and inspiration of the people who live in it. It is during this post-modern era that emerged the concept of universalism to express and accommodate symbols of technological development, national progress, economi c integration and internationalization. As a result, during the late 20th century, a wave of architectural styles emerged that reflected the age of globalization. This international style emerged which had been synonymous with standardization, systemization, mass production, functional logic and economies of scale. The new functional type of architectural design has adopted the global culture of commerce and design. The global architectural style triumphed over the historic classical as it is based on the rationale of universalization. The global architects argue that the stylistic buildings during the modern age surpass its classical, constructivist, modernist and colonial counterparts because it facilitates the vernacular expression and allows regional and aesthetic inspiration to integrate into designs (Umbach and Bernd 2005). The global consumers manifest their expectations and ideologies are influenced by market opportunities, business agendas, standardization, franchises, and brands. Buildings are characterized by skyscrapers, towers, malls and branded buildings. The Petronas Towers, Sears Towers, World Trade Centre, Shanghai World Financial Centre and Canary Wharf, for example, all depict consumerism and universalism. Thus, the global architectural style has come to dominate the global arena. The global architectural style has also come to influence the architectural practice. As architect firms cater to international markets, they expand to profit from far away markets, even though the majority are based in the Western countries. They base their designs on a general framework of globalization and post modernism. They are more influenced by the local cultures. Their designs often reflect both, the local elements and universal designs. Oriental buildings, for example, are often based on Feng Shui principles, even though the monument is based on technological and modern architecture. Similarly, high-rise buildings in the US will have used glass, stainless steel and such metals, which depict the nations industrial past. While the above discussion depicts a positive picture of globalization and its influence on architectural style, there are contenders to it as well. Anti-global forces, such as humanists, claim that globalization has eradicated that which is essentially cultural of a place. By introducing functional, standardization and open space urbanism, cities of the world have replaced their historical skyline with ugly steel and concrete. Furthermore, the efforts to standardize and systemize have eradicated cultural identity that is the essence of a nation or state. Instead, today architectural designs are dominated by political hegemony and economic dominance. Buildings of today, like the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Dubai Airport and Thai Airports, all seem to belong to one style. Malls across the world, for instance, reflect similar functionality, devoid of humanism or cultural identity. Nevertheless, their argument cannot reason with the fact that global designs have purpose and help in conservation of the environment through effective utilization of spaces. It is this new style that provides habitation spaces without compromising land use (Scarpaci 2005; Umbach and Bernd 2005). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that globalization has positively influenced architectural practices and styles. It reflects the culture of modernization, systemization, standardization and functional logic. It also depicts cultural integration, harmonization of spaces and universal consumerism. No doubt, the classical school of thought considers globalization of architecture as infringement over individuality and cultural identity. Nevertheless, they must contend that globalization has in fact alleviated localization through vernacular designs. The writer contends that globalization has replaced the individual aesthetic and cultural uniqueness. One must also acknowledge the fact that globalization has mass produced architecture that once had been a profession of individualism and unparalleled skills. Yet, globalization has benefited more through creative and functional architectural styles, as compared to the classical buildings that benefits a few group of high elites only. References Ibelings, H. (1998), Supermodernism: Architecture in the Age of Globalization, NAi Publishers. Kiggundu, M. N. (2002), Managing Globalization in Developing Countries and Transition Economies: Building Capacities for a Changing World. Praeger: Westport, CT. Lewis, R. K. (2002), Will Forces of Globalization Overwhelm Traditional Local Architecture? Washington Post. November 2. Metcalf, T. R. (1989), An Imperial Vision: Indian Architecture and Britains Raj. Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press. Scarpaci, J. L. (2005), Plazas and Barrios: Heritage Tourism and Globalization in the Latin American Centro Historico. Tucson: The U of Arizona. Tzonis, A., Lefaivre, L. and Stagno, B. (eds) (2001), Tropical Architecture: Critical Regionalism in the Age of Globalization. Academy Press. Umbach, M. and Bernd, H. (eds.) (2005), Vernacular Modernism: Heimat, Globalization, and the Built Environment. Stanford: Stanford University Press. UNDP. 1999. Human Development Report. 2 Vols. New York: UNDP and Oxford University Press Wright, G. (1991), The Politics of Design in French Colonial Urbanism. Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press.