U.S. Totalization Agreement With Mexico Essay Example for Free

U.S. Totalization Agreement With Mexico Essay The focal point of this paper is to analyze the Totalization Agreement between the US and Mexico. It should be noted that the aspects of this analysis is not fundamentally policy analysis but it intended towards presenting arguments from the point of view of analytical framework. In this paper there would not be any bias or opinion presented rather a comparison would be presented in terms of arguments for and against the issue. It should be stated that in the context of globalization the Totalization Agreement is a very important aspect for the US. Totalization Agreement has the tendency of investment funds and businesses to move beyond domestic and national markets to other markets around the globe, thereby increasing the interconnectedness of different markets. Globalization better said is the shift in the direction of a more incorporated and interdependent World economy. Globalization has had the effect of markedly increasing not only international trade, but also cultural exchange. some intellectual define globalization as convergence of prototypes of manufacture and expenditure and a consequential homogenization of customs, while others strain that globalization has the prospective to take countless miscellaneous appearances. In economics, a wide description is that globalization is the union of prices, wages, products, profits and rates of interest in synchronization with developed nation norms. Globalization of the financial system depends on the position of international business, human migration, incorporation of pecuniary markets, and mobility of capital. The International Monetary Fund observes the increasing financial interdependence of countries all over the world through rising quantity and multiplicity of cross-border dealings, gratis international capital flow, and comparatively faster and extensive dissemination of technology. In contemporary economic scenario the prevailing trend is expansion in the global market. Global market expansion is nothing but a concept of serving customers beyond the limits of domestic market and in economic scenario considered a key growth strategy. Global market expansion is a business reality that every company encounters at some point in its evolution. Under such circumstances every business venture must balance risk with rewards, the risks when expanding internationally can be less predictable and in the same way the rewards can be more elusive. The companies, which are looking for sustainable ways to grow and diversify their revenue streams, consider global expansion as a strategic option. There are several factors behind the trend toward expansion in the global market. Companies require a global presence. For both offensive and defensive causes, companies cannot overlook opportunities outside their home markets. A company’s requirement for a global presence arises from two factors, their capability of leveraging domestic relationships outside their country and a requirement from domestic customers to support the company’s products internationally. A global expansion allows companies to replicate successful domestic strategies in international markets, potentially in markets with lower competitive intensity. Additionally Global market expansion provide the companies large untapped markets, advantages of low labor costs, savings of shipping costs, speed and efficiency of delivery system, etc. These factors make the Totalization Agreement between the US and Mexico more important. (Fletcher, 2006) The Totalization Agreement between the US and Mexico could be better understood in the light of the history behind it. For more than thirty years US has been establishing agreements relating to social agreement internationally keeping in mind that these agreements should coordinate with the program by the Social Security of the US. These agreements based on the aspects of programs related to Social Security of the US are cumulatively pronounced as totalization agreements. Under these agreements there are certain advantages. However, from the point of view of the US these advantages can broadly be divided into two parts. The first objective is to eradicate double taxation for workers employed in foreign nations. Without the agreement an individual would have to pay two times as tax on the earnings. The current report suggests that the benefit of Totalization Agreement between the US and other countries has help US workers working abroad at lot. The cumulative savings are estimated at $800 million per year. The second objective of Totalization Agreement between the US and other countries is to provide an individual who is part timer as a worker in either in the US or the foreign country the proportional tax benefit that is so important for the worker. In this context the agreement between US and Mexico becomes very important in the context of financial benefits. It has been estimated that once the agreement of Totalization is signed between the US and Mexico the workers from the United States in Mexico would be able to save about an estimated $140 million. These savings would be made in the parameters of Mexican taxes relating to health insurance and social security measures. However, it should be mentioned that this estimation is calculated on the basis of a 5 year term of computation. Again, in the perspective of humane benefit it would immensely help the workers who have been working in Mexico for a shorter period of time in both US and Mexico as because this agreement would help them to receive the benefits. (King, 2006) It could well be stated that Mexico is a prominent partner of the US in terms of trading. In fact it is the second largest after Canada. This way it becomes important for the US to indulge in Totalization Agreement with Mexico. As it is Mexico is already under the Totalization Agreement with Canada making it mutually beneficial for both countries. The advantages and disadvantages of Totalization Agreement with Mexico have been heavily scrutinized and debated in recent years. Proponents of Totalization Agreement with Mexico say that it helps developing economies catch up to highly developed industrialized economies much faster through increased employment and technological advances. Critics of Totalization Agreement argue that it weakens national sovereignty and allows rich nations to ship domestic jobs overseas where labor is much cheaper. The main advantages of Totalization Agreement are as such, increased free trade between the two nations, increased liquidity of capital allowing investors in developed nations to invest in developing nations, conglomerates are having greater flexibility to operate across borders, global mass media binding the world together, increased flow of communications allowing vital information to be shared between individuals and conglomerates through out the globe, greater facility and speed of transportation for goods and people, reduction of cultural barriers increases the global village effect, spread of democratic ideals to developed nations, greater interdependence of nation-states, reduction of likelihood of war between developed nations , increases in environmental protection in developed nations. Along with the advantages there are also several disadvantages of Totalization Agreement, such as increased flow of skilled and non-skilled jobs from developed to developing nations as companies look for the cheapest labor, increased probability of economic disturbances in one nation effecting all nations, business influence of nation-states far exceeds that of civil society organizations and average individuals, apprehension that control of world media by a handful of conglomerates will limit cultural expression, greater possibility of reactions for globalization being violent in an attempt to conserve cultural heritage, greater danger of diseases being transported inadvertently between nations, spread of a materialistic lifestyle and outlooks that sees consumption as the path to affluence, international bodies like the World Trade Organization interfere with national and individual sovereignty, increase in the probabilities of civil war within developing countries and open war betw een developing countries as they compete for resources, decrease in environmental integrity as polluting corporations take advantage of weak regulatory rules in developing countries like Mexico. It could well be stated that in this competition organizations are gradually loosing their ethnic values and morals. Today competence of an individual or a corporate is judged by his or her ability to cope up with constant fundamental changes in the organizational structure. All over the world, organizations aligning new products engineering teams around ‘pit crew’ model. Cross functional teams to design, manufacturing sales and service engineer’s work along with the workers, who at some point of time have stake in the product. This ensures manufacturing and sales people having their say all through the design process and building up the manufacturing capability early on that is currant engineering. The goals are simple, such as speed, equality and competitive price. Commodities have become international for most industries and the impact of engineering is significant. In many organizations, the learning curve in engineering has become an unaffordable luxury. Competitive pressures mandate finding ways to reduce the total time required to introduce new products in the market. Competition along with more complex production and distribution environments requires identifying and reducing necessary costs, such as costs associated with development, manufacturing, distribution and service. However, it can be stated that totalization agreement would have a distinct effect on the Trust Funds but it would be a long termed and virtually negligible effect. It has been estimated that the social security of US bears a cost of about $100 million yearly. This has been the trend for the last 5 years. Thus the totalization agreement would enable the workers of both the US and Mexico to enjoy the advantage of cost benefit as the dual taxation would be eradicated. It should be mentioned in this perspective that the cost benefit of US during the year 2002 was around $198 million with Canada alone under the parameters of the totalization agreement. (Lamb, 2004) Thus in the conclusion it could be stated that there are both advantages and disadvantages in coming into a condition of totalization agreement with Mexico. However, when an international agreement is signed there are multiple aspects to be looked after and these are done keeping in mind the mutual benefits of the nations. References: Fletcher, R; (2006); Beliefs and Knowledge: Believing and Knowing; Howard Price King, H; (2006); Social Security Today; HBT Brooks Ltd Lamb, Davis; (2004); Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; National Book Trust.

Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? :: English Literature

Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? There are many reasons Nancy’s character is such an important one in the novel. One of these reasons is that when you first see her you are told that she wears a lot of make up and that she has a great deal of hair and she is ‘not very tidy about her shoes and stockings’. At that time this was not a respectable way to dress for a young, respectable woman, so it gives you the idea that she is a prostitute .At this moment you think that she is just a low- life woman trying to make a living. Even though most people would recognise Nancy for what she is, Oliver does not and thinks of her as a nice lady. This tells you that Oliver is meant to be innocent and does not have a clue on what is going on around him. Slowly as the story starts to develop, you get the idea that Nancy has another, more caring, side to her. You find out about this side on page 142 where she says to Bill Sikes that he’ll have to go through her if he wants to attack Oliver with his dog, Bullseye. At this point she also says to Bill that she doesn’t care if he splits her head against the wall but she still won’t get out of his way. This tells you that she is caring and does not want Oliver to suffer. Nancy feels sorry for Oliver because she recognises his innocence and does not want him to get involved in the criminal underworld as she did. She is reminded of how she got involved in the criminal underworld at such a young age and does not want Oliver to waste his life as she did. When this happens the reader starts to feel a bit sorry for Nancy. Nancy also helps to develop the story. It could have ended when Oliver meets Mr.Brownlow but Nancy kidnaps him, allowing the story to progress. After kidnapping him, she tries to reunite Oliver with Rose Maylie so this also helps the plot. By this stage of the story, Nancy’s life is near its end so Charles Dickens begins to build up sympathy towards Nancy. He does this by writing up a cruel end to her life. It starts with the Jew, Fagin, employing Noah Claypole (whom Fagin knows as Bolter) to go and spy on Nancy. Throughout the story, Dickens uses the word ‘Jew’ when referring to Fagin. This tells you that the anti-Semitic nature of the British does

Detrimental Effects of Social Networking

Social networking is all the rage with society. It is a main outlet for both personal and professional networking. Whether its job related and trying to put the word out for prospective employers or just connecting with a long distance friend via instant message, there aren’t too many people who have not taken advantage of this option to connect with others. There are not many households without the technology to take advantage of this option in communication. It seems to be the main form of contact within society today. The problem with this method of communication is that it does not allow for strong face to face interaction and allows society to in a sense to hide themselves. This inherently has led to a society with lower self esteem and has put a wall up with its users lowering standards of social interaction. It has had such a negative impact and should be used with greater caution especially within the teenage and young adult generation. Such sites as Facebook, Myspace and orkut have had an extremely negative impact on society and what should be perceived as acceptable. Social Networks and the ideas and activities associated with these networks have become profoundly detrimental to society today. It has escalated into much more impressive problems such as cyber bullying, intense obsession and lessened interpersonal communication skills. Let’s first examine a less extreme, but equally important problem with social networks. Interpersonal communication is imperative for growth and self confidence in an individual. Social networking and the sites associated with this practice have greatly diminished the growth process of interpersonal communication. Nurturing a younger group to be more secure with themselves and aid in shaping those who are to be the future leaders of our society is harder due to lack of communication skills. This lack stems from excessive use of these internet sites. Social network sites, chat rooms, instant messaging allows for the user to hide behind a screen name or online profile, lessening personal communication, instead using the computer as a crutch for relating with peers and new contacts. (Acar, 2008). These networks have made it possible for people to hide and not have to give 100 percent of themselves. It creates a negative impact when it comes time for important events such as interviewing for a job or giving an important speech for a class. Young adults are so in tuned with who is doing what and where others are dining out at for that moment versus developing the necessary skills to be a productive member of society. A theory known as the anxiety and uncertainty management theory (Gudykunst, 1985) deals with interpersonal communications with different cultures, but it also provides helpful insight into communication with strangers as a whole. According to Gudykunst’s (1985) theory face to face communication with strangers or other people not known personally or professionally by the individual lessens anxiety and increases social skills necessary for growth as a human being; thus trying to relate through a computer is proven detrimental to social growth and diminishes interpersonal communication skills. The extreme continual use of these networks as a social means is going to lead to a profound number of angst ridden individuals trying to function in society. Social network sites, chat rooms and online communities have created an obsession factor. The online community is so hyped up and popular, if you don’t have an online profile one way or another you are not considered as part of that â€Å"in crowd† when it comes to online communities. It’s likened to the new pair of basketball shoes youth must have in order to fit in at school. Some people have become so obsessed with being online it has shaped their life and consequences have proved to fatal. This leads into the obsession factor of these networks. Short of being a drug, some people are so hooked on online gaming and competing against others or building their farm or getting a high score, the real world takes a back seat. Normally playing a game wouldn’t be a bad thing; however the fixation of beating or â€Å"one upping† your other 65 friends in an online game has had detrimental effects. This was proven when a Jacksonville Florida woman age 22 was playing Farmville on Facebook and was thoroughly engrossed in the game. Her 3 month old son was distracting her and as she stated â€Å"interfering with her game† to a point that she violently shook him which resulted in the infant’s death. (Jamison, 2010). Internet addiction is a very serious condition. Social networking sites contribute o this by adding games and online activities that entrance the user to become a habitual user and assist in the addiction. It’s been stated that internet users are becoming addicted the same way an addict becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol. (Renee, 2010) Another facet of social networking that is becoming a trend that most definitely needs to be stopped is cyber bullying. Cyber bullyin g is using digital technology and online forums to harass another individual. (McQuade, Colt, & Meyer, 2009) Networking has opened a new door for teenage criminal activity and given them the opportunity to harass and hide behind a screen name. Online communities allow users to â€Å"pose† as someone else, becoming misleading and deceptive to the person being harassed or bullied. A strong supporting case of this was the Megan Meier case, where a young girl was in belief that she was talking to a boy who was interested in her, only to find out it was an ex friends mother was in fact portraying herself as a boy seemingly interested in Megan to gain her trust and then began taunting and teasing the 15 year old Megan who then took her life because of such intense harassment. Cyber bullying is such a horrific occurrence and just one more thing that teens are faced with, and social networking is the gateway for the heinous act. Another facet of cyber bullying is occurring with Facebook, where there is bullying or teasing because of lack of friends. Facebook shows users how many friends each other have. If one person has a lower amount, teens are known to harass and chide them for it (Zay, 2011) While there are many users of social networking that have benefitted, the cons of this communication far outweighs the pros. It has produced a less educated more stressed society and this is most prevalent in teens and young adults. To secure a more educated, socially aware and confident society, these networking sites and mediums should be used sparingly and the younger generations should develop relationships more fluidly through face to face communication to enhance self esteem and strengthen moral skills.ReferencesAcar, A. (2008). Antecedents and Consequences of Online Social Networking Behavior: The Case of Facebook. Journal of Website Promotion, 3(1/2), 62. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Gudykunst, William. (1985). A model of uncertainty reduction in intercultural encounters. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. 4(2), 79-97. Jamison, K. (2010, October 27). Farmville addicted mom shakes baby to death. Retrieved from Games.com: http://blog.games.com/2010/10/27/mother-shakes-baby-to-death-for-interrupting-farmville/ McQuade, S., Colt, J. P., & Meyer, N. (2009). Cyber Bullying: Protecting Kids and Adult s from Online Bullies. Westport. Renee. (2010, September 5). The Addictive Nature of Social Networking Sites. Retrieved from Online Conference on Networks and Communities; Department of Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology: http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/05/the-addictive-nature-of-social-networking-sites-has-facilitated-the-downward-spiral-of-communication-skills/ ZAY, S. (2011). What Sticks & Stones Can't Do, Facebook Will-and More!. USA Today Magazine, 139(2790), 56. Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Should You Keep a Wild Turtle

It’s a common enough event: Someone finds a freshwater turtle—possibly a tiny hatchling—and they consider keeping it as a pet. But is it a good idea to keep a wild turtle? Are they difficult to care for? It is even legal to do so? A Simple Answer It is absolutely not a good idea to keep a wild turtle as a pet. Whether or not it is legal varies based on the rules in your state or province, but in any case, removing a turtle from the wild can have negative consequences to its population. This is due to some unique biological characteristics of turtle populations: Turtles Grow Slowly Turtles invest a lot of time and energy in developing a strong, heavy shell to protect themselves from predators. As a result, they do not start breeding until late in life. Even a large mammal like a whitetail deer can breed when it reaches a year old, but snapping turtles have to wait five or six years. Some exceptionally long-lived species start even later—eastern box turtles and Blandings turtles don’t breed until they are 10 and 16 years old, respectively. Few Turtles Reach Adulthood After the long wait to breed, a box turtle or a spotted turtle will lay up to six eggs; larger species will lay more. Unfortunately, the chances are high that an egg will be dug out and eaten by a raccoon, or that a hatchling will be picked up by a passing crow. In fact, its practically an anomaly when something like this doesnt happen. Overall, the probability that an egg or hatchling will actually make it to adulthood is vanishingly small. Humans Put Turtles in Danger Human activities are already putting a lot of pressure on many turtle populations. The hard shell evolved to protect turtles from predators does little to prevent being killed by a car. As road networks grew and fragmented turtle habitats over the last half-century, roadkill has been the fate of innumerable adults. Adding insult to injury, poaching is rampant to feed the illegal domestic pet trade and international exports. All of these factors result in a diminishing turtle population. Thus, the loss of adult individuals has a disproportionate effect on the entire population and contributes to the decline. The turtle you picked up may be alive, but if you take it home, it can no longer contribute any breeding effort. As it relates to its own species, it may as well have been killed. Is it Legal to Own a Wild Turtle? Collecting turtles in the wild is prohibited in many jurisdictions, either for at-risk species or for all kinds. Additionally, the sale of young turtles less than four inches long has been prohibited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1974. This is due to the risk of turtles carrying (and transmitting) the Salmonella bacteria, which can make us ill. Can I Buy a Turtle instead? Turtles advertised for sale in online classifieds are usually labeled as captive-bred, which, in theory, can be legal in some states. However, the captive-born or captive-bred label is often a lie to sell wild-caught, poached turtles. There is no effective way to verify these claims as it is impossible to tell a captive-born turtle from a wild one. The Challenges of Keeping a Turtle Ultimately, keeping a pet turtle is not as simple as it seems: Turtles may have very specific food requirements. Sure, some species will be satisfied with store-bought dried shrimp meals, but others require snails, aquatic insects, and similar hard-to-find items.Turtles can require a lot of space, especially when they grow to adulthood. Large freshwater species will need a sizable aquarium, which comes with associated high costs and maintenance necessities.Heat sources and UV light setups are necessary to keep turtles healthy, and the heat and moisture levels have to be tightly controlled. Because of these complicated needs, most wild-caught turtles quickly die in captivity. And if you manage to keep yours alive, remember that most species can live a long time. Are you ready to provide complex care for decades to come? How Can I Help Wild Turtles? If you find a turtle crossing a road, the best response would be to allow it to cross safely unimpeded. Remember: Do not put your own safety at risk! If there is a risk of cars coming, you can move the traveling turtle along across the road, in the direction it was headed to. Place it down well off the road shoulder. If the turtle appears to have come from a wetland visible from the road, don’t return it there. That turtle will likely have to cross the road once again, on her way to another wetland or to a nesting site. A large snapping turtle crossing a road should be allowed to move on its own. Do not pick it up by the tail, as this could cause injury. To avoid getting bitten, a shovel or rake could be used to very gently push it off the road.