Trade Agreements and the Environment

Global Trade and Environment Introduction There is a great relationship between trade and environment. However, this relationship is complex and has been highly debated globally. It is essential to understand and address this relationship in order to provide the sustainable development of trade in different parts of the world. For this reason, the United States of America and the European Commission (EC) have been actively involved in linking the correlation between trade and environment, both at the community and global level in different discussions, negotiations, and encouragement of sustainable trade activities. This study will comprise two parts. The first part will be devoted to the relationship between trade and environment, and the second part will respond to the country level questions with a focus on the United States of America.

Thomas Friedm The World Is Flat - 1021 Words

Thomas Friedman – The World is Flat Introduction â€Å"Tom, the playing field is being levelled, and you Americans are not ready for it† These words by Nandan Nilekani, the former CEO of Infosys proved to be the basis of the book â€Å"The World is Flat† by Thomas Friedman. The video starts with Thomas Friedman, a veteran award winning American journalist, speaking of his visit to Bangalore in India to work on a documentary based on outsourcing, and how his meeting with the then CEO of Infosys influenced him in writing his book where he analyzes globalization and lists out the various factors that led to a â€Å"flat† world. Mr. Friedman then continues and briefly summarizes the first three chapters of his book and how he derived them. The World is Flat†¦show more content†¦This era witnessed individuals/small groups going global irrespective of the color or race. As a result of this, the size further shrunk from small to tiny and almost flattened the world. The second chapter of the book is about the 10 â€Å"Flatteners† i.e. the 10 forces, events or trends that triggered this change. Flattener #1- 11/9/89 or The collapse of the Berlin Wall: Mr. Friedman argues that the fall of the Berlin Wall was really the decline of communism and in turn the rise of capitalism. With the advent of the Windows powered computers, people from different parts of the world could connect with each other which made it possible to see the world as a â€Å"single flat plate.† Flatter #2: 98/9/95 Netscape: Friedman believes that this was the essence of people to people connectivity and hence a huge flattener. He says that Netscape going public played a key role in commercializing internet and making it accessible to everyone across the globe. The other flatteners mentioned are Work flow software, Uploading, Outsourcing, Offshoring, Supply-chaining, Insourcing, Informing and Steroids. He illustrates these concepts with examples and provides a strong explanation to support his argument. In my opinion, his discussion of the UPS, or in his words â€Å"the guys in funny brown shorts†, is very strong. He then moves on to the third chapter of the book, titled â€Å"The Triple Convergence†, which talks about the way in which all the ten flatteners

Myths And Myths Of Vampires Essay - 1078 Words

My entire life I have believed in the Supernatural world and all the myths that have been around for thousands of years. My favorite myths are about Vampires, Werewolves, and all the Greek and Roman Myths. I believe in the supernatural because, it’s something different then what happens in your everyday life. I like to think that there s more to life than what people tell you and there’s still a lot of the world that hasn’t been discovered yet, so who know’s what actually out there and what’s not. I believe in a lot of the myths about Vampires, because a lot of them are the same. In all the myths Vampires can live forever, only a few things can kill them and they drink blood. The only difference in the myths are can sunlight hurt them or not , in a few myths it is said that vampires can die or lose most of their abilities if the go outside during the day. But, some myths say that if a Vampire feeds within a 24 range out going outside they will be f ine but only for a few hours. There’s a lot of myths about Vampires like who they are, how they act, and what they look like. I think about all the myths and believe in most of what they say, because the myths have never been proven wrong or never been proven right. There’s not a lot of different myths about Werewolves, but I think that they’re one of the coolest creatures to hear stories about. Some stories say that the person can transform their whole body into a wolf, but some of the new legends are that only part of theShow MoreRelatedVampire Vs. Vampire Myth2146 Words   |  9 Pages Vampires within literature and film traditionally follow a similar archetype of what a vampire consists of and the traits they harbor. Many European and Western vampire narratives share similar appearances, habits and afflictions. Most readers and viewers are extensively familiar with what they believe a vampire to be most often comparing these vampires to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dracula is the quintessential example of modern vampires and has a significant and lasting impact on the genre of vampiresRead MoreVampires in Myth and History Essay1372 Words   |  6 PagesVampires in Myth and History Vampire myths go back thousands of years and occur in almost every culture around the world. Their variety is almost endless; from red eyed monsters with green or pink hair in China to the Greek Lamia which has the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a winged serpent; from vampire foxes in Japan to a head with trailing entrails known as the Penanggalang in Malaysia. However, the vampires we are familiar with today, although mutatedRead MoreVampires : The Myth, Legends, And Lore1466 Words   |  6 Pagesbe unpopular, but in time will become popular again. Vampires have always been one of those things along with zombies. Zombies are something that many people believe that can become real one day, but when it comes to vampires they are just fantasy. 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Vampires have been in the minds of people since the early ninth century and, perhaps, even before that. The fact that the stories are still common after all these years brings out the question of, why? What makes these vampire stories so popular? The answer may be in the material itself. Taking a wide selection of vampire stories, including Brahm Stokers classic, reveals a long list of similarities. Of courseRead MoreThe Myth Of Vampires And Frankenstein s Monster2077 Words   |  9 PagesVampires, mummies, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster have been a part of literature for seemingly eternity, but these creatures have not laid dormant in the world of literature. The classic monsters are constantly evolving, relying on misconceptions or pop culture’s new ideas to push them along in the way they behave and are perceived. The perception of vampires has evolved from being hellish creatures to the icon of love stories in modern literature. The powers vampires contain has been steadilyRead MoreVampires : Myth And Metaphors Of Enduring Evil, By Bram Stoker1307 Words   |  6 Pagesperfect Victorian while being able to express oneself sexually without shame. In other words, many women had sexual desires, but could not express them because of the society’s standard of women. To support this, Lois Drawmer wrote in his article, â€Å"Vampires: Myth and Metaphors of Enduring Evil†, â€Å"development of the womens movement received a backlash in the resurgence of reactionary ideology of â€Å"deviant† female sexuality† (Drawmer 1). Feminism was frowned upon because of the social and sexual standardsRead MoreThe Narrative Of The New Zealand1495 Words   |  6 Pageslives of three vampires, Viago, Deacon and Vladislav as they struggle to try to cope with the complexities of modern life. Living in a flat in Wellington, these m odern day vampires are faced with the mundanities of everyday life, and things such as paying rent, trying to get into nightclubs and overcoming flatmate conflicts prove to be extremely difficult. What We Do in the Shadows is unique in that it combines parody and cinematography, while also using a mixture of two genres, vampire and mockumentaryRead MoreThe Mystery Of The Vampire1583 Words   |  7 PagesThe vampire is the popular character in folklore from early civilization to modern life. The vampire appears in people mind with the passion of immortality, fear, love and mystery. People are attracted with vampire because the superstition of the vampire has done for centuries. Are they real? What are they? Where they come from? There are a few of thousand questions about the beliefs of vampire during many centuries. People don’t stop their curiosity with vampire- the legend that emulates the worldRead MoreThe Superstitious And Mythical Figure Of The Vampire988 Words   |  4 PagesThe superstitious and mythical figure of the vampire has been seen throughout all era’s off history. It is a figure of mythology that is transcendent in an abundance of cultures and regions. The most significant aspect of the vampire is its ability to redefine itself throughout history and continued to stay relevant to society. The most modern and commonly known definition of vampires is a preternatural being know to be a corpse that resurrects from the dead and lives of the living, by draining humans

Recovery Model - Marriage and Family Therapy Practice

Question: How are postmodernism and social constructionism related to the recovery model? The importance of the recovery model to marriage and family therapy practice. How you believe application of concepts from the recovery model will make you a more effective MFT. Answer: Introduction Recovery is the process of growing beyond the ill effects of an illness and achieves a healthy, satisfactory, and self-directed way of life so that individuals can attain their full potential. The concept of recovery could be trailed back to the 19th century when John Perceval, the son of Englands prime minister narrated his personal experience of recovery. Today, a revolution of recovery is occurring in the field of mental health. An individual recovers by following a certain approach (i.e. a recovery model) which can be different for every different individual. Recovery model is an approach towards improving the mental health of a person. In this approach, recovery is not seen as a set outcome but as a journey of personal experiences that helps a person in developing hope and a sense of self-empowerment (Jordan, 2003). Recovery model The interest in the recovery model has increased among the mental health services over the past two decades. Evidence of such interest can be seen in countries like USA, New Zealand, Britain, and Australia. In Ireland, the Mental Health Commission formed a committee in February 2004 to incorporate the recovery model in mental health services. The committee emphasized on the strategic priorities of the Mental Health Commission that included promotion and implementation of best standards in mental health services and also focused on the enhancement of knowledge and research in the field of mental health. Australia has integrated consumer and care involvement in delivery and service planning in their mental health services but has not yet made significant progress in the terms of execution. Different countries have different jurisdictions, so it is not possible to implement the same kind of guidelines in every country (Busuttil Liu, 2008). Various steps were taken in different countries such as the British Department of Health emphasized on the support provided by the mental health system to the individuals going through the recovery process. Recovering individuals are enabled to choose their own settings and have unhindered access to the community resources such as housing, work, education, or whatever they think is necessary for their recovery. While in New Zealand a list of competencies based on the recovery model was developed for the staff in mental health services. In the USA, the concept of recovery was incorporated rather early (in the nineties) as compared to some other mental health systems. Several self-help groups were formed such as Alcoholic Anonymous along with many others that helped people to recover from addiction to the after-effects of a severe mental illness. Similarly, in Australia GROW is an organization which developed in 1957 in Sydney. It is a support and mutual-aid organization that helps peo ple in prevention of and recovery from grave mental illness (Dutton Ashworth, 2015). Recovery is a continuous process in which an individual regains its capability to learn, work and live as per their full potential. However, there is no generalized definition of recovery and it has different meaning for different individuals. For some people, recovery is a way of achieving a productive, fulfilling, and satisfactory life while for others; it simply implies reduction or complete diminution of symptoms (Sohler, Jerant, Franks, 2015). A recovery model basically works on four concepts i.e. hope, empowerment, self-responsibility, and social connections (Jacob, 2015). Hope- It is the belief of an individual that recovery is possible and things can get better. A person needs a sense of hope during the time of depression. Without hope there is no real possibility that things will lead in positive direction. It motivates people and gives them a vision that this state of despair will elude and better times will arrive. Hope creates possibilities and constructs a framework for healing to initiate. Empowerment- People need to believe in their own capabilities to move forward and grow behind the ill effects of an illness. They need to focus their hope on things that they can achieve for themselves rather than on fixes or cures that somebody else will give them. They need to be encouraged and concentrate on their strengths rather than their weaknesses. Self-responsibility- This is comparatively a difficult stage for the individuals going through recovery process as they have to take charge of their lives and their needs. They have to try and learn new things, let go of the feeling of anger, disappointment and despair related to their illness. Mental health professionals should encourage their client to fulfill their needs on their own instead on depending on others. Social connection- In order to recover, people needs to find a meaningful role in the society. A meaningful role helps recovering individuals in ending their isolation and recover from the state of depression. The ability to form a bond with others helps in regaining their roles in the society. It has been depicted in the history of mankind that mentally ill people were treated harshly in the society. Be it the cave painting or depiction of Renaissance era, mental illness has always been shown as socially constructed disease. Normality is a cultural concept. If a person deviates from the set of agreed-upon beliefs, he is considered as abnormal. Every society has their cultural norms. When a person violates these norms, he is considered as a deviant. However, deviance is not a property of the acts the person commits, but a result of application of rules to a deviant (Stam, 2001). Consider a person talking who allegedly talks to God. He would be considered as a schizophrenia patient if he an old, homeless person, while on the other hand if such things are reported by a Pope, the events would be seen from a different perspective. This clearly indicates towards the social construction of mental illness (Holmes, 2007). Mental health care involves patients, clinicians, carers, public and purchasers; and all these groups have a different perspective towards mental healthcare and this makes mental healthcare a complex activity. These perspectives could be contradictory and to plan an efficient recovery model, an understanding of the difference between these perspectives is required. One such example is the difference between the ideas of the modern and postmodern world. Postmodern therapies focus on analyzing common opinions and investigating their value in a persons life. Some common postmodern therapies are the narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy and collaborative language therapy. Postmodern therapies can assist patients in managing their mental health and reduce symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression, addiction, schizophrenia, etc, (Cosgrove, 2003). A person can develop several mental issues due to the crisis in his family or marriage and sometimes these issues can lead to mental illness such as ADHD, stress, depression or anxiety. So to a recovery model holds great importance as far as marriage and family therapy is concerned. The therapist plays a vital role in a choreographing a recovery model. The person seeking help from a mental health caregiver is prone to have a failed marriage and might be criticized in the society for not taking up the responsibilities. A recovery model helps him to gain self-confidence and empower himself so that he can overcome his mental illness and regain his position in the society (Negash Sahin, 2011). The implementation of concepts from a recovery model will help a person to become more effective marriage and family therapist. Having knowledge of concepts of recovery model enables the person to reach the root cause of the problem. MFTs can easily relate with the clients and help them efficiently with the help of a recovery model (Webb, 2011). Conclusion Recovery is a journey of personal experiences through which an individual overcomes the after-effects of his mental illness to lead a satisfactory, empowered and healthy life in order to attain their full potential. A recovery model is an approach towards improvement of mental health. The recovery model encourages a person, gives him hope and makes him believe that he can grow beyond the effects of his illness. By following such models, MFTs can also treat their clients efficiently as they would have a better understanding of their clients situation and are in a better position to work at the root cause of the problem. References Busuttil, A. Liu, C. (2008). Developing a recovery psychological model for patients undergoing KPro surgery. Acta Ophthalmologica, 86, 0-0. Cosgrove, L. (2003). Feminism, Postmodernism, and Psychological Research. Hypatia, 18(3), 85-112. Dutton, P. Ashworth, A. (2015). The natural history of recovery from psychological trauma: An observational model. Medical Hypotheses, 85(5), 588-590. Holmes, J. (2007). Social constructionism, postmodernism and feminist sociolinguistics. Genl, 1(1). Jacob, K. (2015). Recovery model of mental illness: A complementary approach to psychiatric care. Indian J Psychol Med, 37(2), 117. Jordan, K. (2003). A Trauma and Recovery Model for Victims and Their Families after a Catastrophic School Shooting: Focusing on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Psychological Effects and Needs. Brief Treatment And Crisis Intervention, 3(4), 397-411. Negash, S. Sahin, S. (2011). Compassion Fatigue in Marriage and Family Therapy: Implications for Therapists and Clients. Journal Of Marital And Family Therapy, 37(1), 1-13. Sohler, N., Jerant, A., Franks, P. (2015). Socio-psychological factors in the Expanded Health Belief Model and subsequent colorectal cancer screening. Patient Education And Counseling, 98(7), 901-907. Stam, H. (2001). Introduction: Social Constructionism and its Critics. Theory Psychology, 11(3), 291-296. Webb, L. (2011). The recovery model and complex health needs: What health psychology can learn from mental health and substance misuse service provision. Journal Of Health Psychology, 17(5), 731-741.