The U.S. - A Legitimate Democracy Essays (1401 words) -

The U.S. - A Legitimate Democracy? us a legitimate democracy The U.S. - a Legitimate Democracy? In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic political system has certain characteristics which prove its legitimacy with their existence. One essential characteristic of a legitimate democracy is that it allows people to freely make choices without government intervention. Another necessary characteristic which legitimates government is that every vote must count equally: one vote for every person. For this equality to occur, all people must be subject to the same laws, have equal civil rights, and be allowed to freely express their ideas. Minority rights are also crucial in a legitimate democracy. No matter how unpopular their views, all people should enjoy the freedoms of speech, press and assembly. Public policy should be made publicly, not secretly, and regularly scheduled elections should be held. Since legitimacy may be defined as the feeling or opinion the people have that government i s based upon morally defensible principles and that they should therefore obey it, then there must necessarily be a connection between what the people want and what the government is doing if legitimacy is to occur. The U.S. government may be considered legitimate in some aspects, and illegitimate in others. Because voting is class-biased, it may not be classified as a completely legitimate process. Although in theory the American system calls for one vote per person, the low rate of turnout results in the upper and middle classes ultimately choosing candidates for the entire nation. Class is determined by income and education, and differing levels of these two factors can help explain why class bias occurs. For example, because educated people tend to underezd politics more, they are more likely to vote. People with high income and education also have more resources, and poor people tend to have low political efficacy (feelings of low self-worth). Turnout, therefore, is low and, si nce the early 1960s, has been declining overall. The winner-take-all system in elections may be criticized for being undemocratic because the proportion of people agreeing with a particular candidate on a certain issue may not be adequately represented under this system. For example, a candidate who gets 40 percent of the vote, as long as he gets more votes than any other candidate, can be elected?even though sixty percent of the voters voted against him(Lind, 314). Political parties in America are weak due to the anti-party, anti-organization, and anti-politics cultural prejudices of the Classical Liberals. Because in the U.S. there is no national discipline to force citizens into identifying with a political party, partisan identification tends to be an informal psychological commitment to a party. This informality allows people to be apathetic Print | Prev | Next if they wish, willingly giving up their input into the political process. Though this apathy is the result of greater freedom in America than in other countries, it ultimately decreases citizens' incentive to express their opinions about issues, therefore making democracy less legitimate. Private interests distort public policy making because, when making decisions, politicians must take account of campaign contributors. An interest may be defined as any involvement in anything that affects the economic, social, or emotional well-being of a person. When interests become organized into groups, then politicians may become biased due to their influences. Special interests buy favors from congressmen and presidents through political action committees (PACs), devices by which groups like corporations, professional associations, trade unions, investment banking groups?can pool their money and give up to $10,000 per election to each House and Senate candidate(Lind, 157). Consequently, those people who do not become organized into interest groups are likely to be underrepresented financially. This leads to further inequality and, therefore, greater illegitimacy in the democratic system. The method in which we elect the President is fairly legitimate. The electoral college consists of representatives who we elect, who then elect the President. Because this fills the requirement of regularly scheduled elections, it is a legitimate process. The President is extremely powerful in foreign policy making; so powerful that scholars now speak of the Imperial Presidency, implying that the President runs foreign policy as an emperor. The President is the

Cinderella Man_Analysis of the Great Depression Essays

Cinderella Man_Analysis of the Great Depression Essays Cinderella Man_Analysis of the Great Depression Essay Cinderella Man_Analysis of the Great Depression Essay Analysis of the Great Depression In a world where every day is worse than previous, Jim Bradford manages to prevail and also inspire his community with his rags-to-riches career; which ended up awarding him the nickname Cinderella Man. This essay will talk about how many people in the great depression lived in poverty, how they coped by food rationing and through it all the persevered with the help of faith. The movie, Cinderella Man vividly describes life in the Great Depression; Cinderella Man gives us a picture of the suffering of ordinary Americans. We see unemployed men who are desperate for work, homeless camping out in Central Park and people lining up for free food. At first the Bravados are living in modest conditions with Jimmy occasionally taking up a fight for some extra money. Then Bradford breaks his right hand and begins to lose some matches so badly his license is taken away. These factors combined with the increasing price of gas and milk descend his family into grim poverty in the early days of the Depression. A scene in the movie after the family had moved into a smaller apartment shows the ever increasing pile of bills and past dues. Poverty hits any of the ordinary citizens hard, often unemployment and raised amounts of debts and bills threaten to turn many Americans onto the streets. Many families found themselves in a food crisis. The price of milk for many seemed unaffordable and out of reach because of low income, so most families turned to food rationing. A particularly moving scene in the movie was when Jimmy gives his portion of meat, however scarce to his daughter for her to have a fuller tummy. Also, an important thing was to find ways for food to last longer. Mae, Jimmys wife waters down the milk so that it could feed more people for less money in the film. The Bradford family found honest ways of surviving, however many resorted to less moral ways such as stealing. Throughout the entire film, Jimmy never wavers in his faith. Even when times seemed impossible, the community got together at church to pray for a better outcome. At the end of the movie, when Mae cannot stand to watch her husband supposedly going to his death she rushes to the church to find solitude with God. She is happily surprised to find a church full of people gathered to pray for her husband. She is touched to see how many people that he has inspired to fight back poverty and to show that you should never give up. Cinderella was a servant turned princess that overcame the barriers poverty with the help of love, Jimmy was a man who persevered through the tough times and won the hardest match when all the odds were against him. The film paints a full-length portrait of a good man coping through the hardest of times in North America, yet it still manages to bring the viewers eye to his good traits and how he kept his integrity throughout the entire film. Jimmy Bradford overcame poverty and fought his way through the denial of the people around him that thought he was not good enough. He inspired many to not waver in

Dwight Eisenhower Fast Facts

Dwight Eisenhower Fast Facts Dwight Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) was elected to the White House in 1952. He had served as the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and was a hugely popular figure in the United States. He was able to carry 83% of the electoral vote. Ironically, he never saw active combat despite his many years in the military.   Following is a list of fast facts for Dwight Eisenhower.  For more in depth information, you can also read the Dwight Eisenhower Biography. Birth: October 14, 1890 Death: March 28, 1969 Term of Office: January 20, 1953 - January 20, 1961 Number of Terms Elected: 2 Terms First Lady: Marie Mamie Geneva Doud Chart of the First Ladies Dwight Eisenhower Quote: No people can live to itself alone. The unity of all who dwell in freedom is their own sure. ~Second Inaugural AddressAdditional Dwight Eisenhower Quotes Major Events While in Office: End of the Korean War (1953) Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Interstate Highway System Created (1956)Eisenhower ordered Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce integration (1957)Eisenhower Doctrine (1957) States Entering Union While in Office: Alaska (1959)Hawaii (1959) Related Dwight Eisenhower Resources: These additional resources on Dwight Eisenhower can provide you with further information about the president and his times. Dwight Eisenhower BiographyWant a more detailed look at Dwight Eisenhowers life from his childhood through his time as president? This biography provides detailed information to help you gain a better understanding of the man and his administration. Overview of World War IIWorld War II was the war to end aggression by ruthless dictators. The allies fought for humane treatment of all people. This war is characterized by extremes. People remember the heroes with fondness and the perpetrators of the Holocaust with hatred. Brown v. Board of EducationThis court case overturned the doctrine of Separate but Equal that had been allowed with the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896. Korean ConflictThe war in Korea lasted from 1950-1953. It has been called the forgotten war because of its placement between the glory of World War II and the agony caused by the Vietnam War. Chart of Presidents and Vice PresidentsThis informative chart gives quick reference information on the presidents, vice-presidents, their terms of office, and their political parties. Other Presidential Fast Facts: Harry TrumanJohn F. KennedyList of American Presidents

Economic Development and Poverty Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Economic Development and Poverty - Term Paper Example However, this does not fulfill the requirement of a national food banking programme. Initiating from Tamil Nadu in the year 1960s, the programme now has taken a huge form and is operating in all primary and government aided schools. In the sections to follow, pros and cons of the policy are discussed with a justifying case and future recommendations. Background to the Mid Day Meal Scheme The background to the Mid Day Meal programme in India was set when Tamil Nadu’s Former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj asked a small boy the question, â€Å"Why are you herding the cows? Why don’t you go to schools?† and he replied, â€Å"If I go to school, will you give me food to eat? I can learn only if I eat.† (Akshaya Patra n.d) This innocent answer by the child set the stage for the introduction of Mid Day Meal with its first operations in Tamil Nadu. The programme was covered under the aegis of National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) and i mplemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme across the nation on August 15th, 1995. Elated with the positive response for the scheme in terms of school enrollments, retention and reducing hunger, the Supreme Court of India passed the following mandate in November 28, 2001, â€Å"We Direct the State Governments/ Union Territories to implement the Mid Day Meal scheme by providing every child in every Government and Government assisted Primary School with a prepared mid day meal.† (Akshaya Patra n.d) The provisions of the scheme were revised in the year 2004 covering children of class I-V and comprised of following provisions (India Government 2010): Cooking cost @ Re 1 per child per school day, Transport subsidy raised from Rs. 50 to Rs. 100 per quintal, Management costs @ 2% of the cost of grains, subsidy and assistance and Supplying mid day meal to drought affected areas during summer vacations. Again in the year 2006 revisions were made related to the calories counts and per child cost was increased to Rs. 1.80. Revisions regarding other nutritional contents are shown below in the table. Nutritional Content Norm as per NP-NSPE 2004 Norm as per NP-NSPE 2006 Calorie 300 450 Protein 8-12 12 Micronutrient Not prescribed Folic acid, Iron, Vitamin C, etc. Source: (India Government 2010) Objectives of Mid Day Meal Scheme The Mid Day Meal scheme in India serves three major purposes (India Government 2010) of: 1. Improvising upon the nutrition of children studying in class I-V in Government, state, local bodies and other government aided schools. 2. Bringing children of disadvantaged sections to schools by encouraging them to attend school regularly and allowing them focus on classroom activities through hunger elimination. 3. Providing support in the form of nutrition to undernourished children of primary level in drought affected areas during the summer vacations. Monitoring and control The supervision of the Mid Day Meal Scheme is jointly undertaken by the De partment of School Education and Literacy and Ministry of Human Resources Development. The overall control mechanism comprises (India Government 2010): Local level supervision The monitoring of cleanliness, timely procurement and distribution, wholesomeness and equity is done by members of local Panchayats and Gram Sabha representatives on a periodic basis. Transparency of information The Right to Information Act requires schools and centers to display

How Convincing is the distinction Dewey makes in A Common Faith Essay

How Convincing is the distinction Dewey makes in A Common Faith between 'religion' and 'religious' - Essay Example The development of such beliefs thus developed the concept of religion. Dewey explains that religion is set of cultural systems that provides for the type of relationship that exists between humans and their creator. As a cultural system, Dewey explains that religion has a set of rules and guidelines that influence the nature of the relationship that exist between humans and their supernatural beings. As such, religion is not a liberal concept since it has specific ways of behavior and communication that exists between man and his creator. Historical religions had ways of forgiving sins and seeking the intervention of the supernatural being in cases where the humans were in need. The unique characteristic that compels humans to eat particular foods, dress in particular manner and adopt particular postures during worship make religion dogmatic thus cultural. In his distinction between religion and â€Å"religious† Dewey observes that the society is dynamic, the fact that culture changes should influence the nature of religions thus resulting in the creation of equally dynamic religions that will consider the societal factors and features prevalent at specific times. In his argument, it bec omes retrogressive to confine people to a particular way of doing things while there are other evidently better ways of doing the same things. Dewey thus advises for the development of a religious society instead of a society that ascribes to religions. In fostering his campaign, Dewey asserts that the need to infuse faith and beliefs in religion is vital since it helps link individual to the supernatural being without necessarily having to undertake dogmatic cultural features. Faith is a belief; Dewey thus explains that the most vital belief hat every religion propagates is the existence of a supernatural being who is deserving of praise

The Korean Consumption Behavior

The Korean Consumption Behavior Introduction The rapid economic development and the opening of the international market, Koreans consumption behavior is increasingly developing along developed countries (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan) consumption patterns. The opening up of the Korean economy led to the increased purchasing power of banks and this allowed them to recover from the 1997 financial crisis faster than other countries that were affected. When the country recovered, the demand for foreign products increased, especially for luxury goods. The Korean central bank claimed that nearly 20% of household spending on goods was made up of imported products. This was only for January, the first month of the year in 2002 (Don, 2002). In particular, Koreans of younger and younger generations are starting to become their luxury markets main consumers. Once a traditional country that viewed luxury items as impractical and wasteful, Korean consumers are now more in tuned with the trends in the luxury industry and are more wi lling to engage in status symbols competition with each other. Koreans could be said to have faced many changes over the last decades, which primed the economy and citizens for a surge in individualism now, and enhanced their pride in the ability to afford and buy luxury items. According to Nueno and Quelch (1998), the rising demand for luxury brands in Korea can be explained by the rising wealth in the whole of Asia and its emerging markets. The luxury goods industries, facing decreased demands from the traditional markets they serve, such as Europe, which at that time, was dealing with recession and minimal population growth, started to shift their focus on affluent Asian consumers who perceived Western luxury brands as signs or symbols of good taste (Nueno Quelch, 1998). Among the Asian markets, Korea was one of the markets largely focused on by the globaal luxury brands (No, 2003). As younger and younger citizens of Korean gain more spending power, they increasingly became consumer trendsetters. Specifically, the trends and styles they follow are the ones from the Western countries (Louis, 2002). Individuals in their 20s are becoming the dominant consumers of the global luxury brands available in Korea, outpacing the middle-aged consumers (Park, 2000). Global luxury marketers became aware of this and they started to form strategies that would specifically attract this demographic of consumers. This is a far cry from their traditional target market, especially since they also started to cater to the young Korean consumers who certainly have money, but can be considered to be only belonging to the moderate-income bracket. There are specific factors shaping Koreans consumption patterns when it comes to the luxury market. Specifically, the factors are personal values; social recognition and demographics of young Korean consumers shape their purchasing decisions in the luxury market. Personal Values The variable of personal values has been widely used to illustrate the underlying dimensions characterizing consumer behavior and received significant amount of attention of researchers. According to Vinson et al (1977), who empirically measured the effects stemming from personal values on consumer behavior, personal values play an important role in shaping consumer behavior towards specific goods. Sukhdial et al (1995) particularly looked at the effects of personal values on consumer behaviors toward the luxury brand market. The authors found that personal values are critical in determining whether a consumer will buy or not buy luxury cars. Individual values and social-related values make up the personal value variable. Individual values are consumer ethnocentrism and materiality (Ha, 1998; Park, 1999; Sharma  et al., 1995). Social-related values are conformity, vanity and the need for uniqueness. All these variables are discussed below. Consumer Ethnocentrism The variable of ethnocentrism determined the consumer behavior of Koreans with regard to luxury goods. Previous research illustrated that individuals who are highly ethnocentric are those with greater affinity with overseas products, which are produced and manufactured within culturally similar countries. As such, a high level of ethnocentrism discourages Koreans from purchasing global luxury brands. According to Shimp and Sharma (1987), consumer ethnocentrism can be defined as the beliefs held by American consumers about the appropriateness, indeed morality, of purchasing foreign-made products (p. 280). Various literature have expounded on the role of consumer ethnocentrism with regard to the behavior and attitudes of consumers when it comes to goods imported abroad (Shimp and Sharma, 1987; Durvsula  et al., 1997; Brodowsky, 1998). Studies are also aware of the significant role that consumer ethnocentrism plays on consumer behavior when dealing with products made abroad; as such, they focus on the possible impacts with regard to the evaluation of the products manufactured in countries of cultural similarity on consumer behavior (Watson and Wright, 2000). There are also studies that determined the product-specific impacts of foreign-made products (Kim and Pysarchik, 2000), and impact on foreign brand personality (Supphellen and Grà ¸nhaug, 2003). Some studies specifically looked at Korean consumers behavior as affected by their level of ethnocentrism. Some studies (Ha, 1998; Park, 1999; Sharma  et al., 1995) illustrated negative influence effects of consumer ethnocentrism on purchasing imports. Those with high level of consumer ethnocentrism are more likely to shun foreign-made goods. In addition, Park (1999) determined the critical influence of consumer ethnocentrism on attitudes toward imported clothing in the Korean market. The study found that there is a negative relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and attitudes toward when it comes to buying global luxury brands. Materialism Materialism refers to a persons penchant for accumulating goods and money. Some cultures view this trait as positive and desirable (Diener Biswas-Diener, 2002). According to Belk (1984, 1985), materialism is a personality-like trait that differentiates a person when it comes to his or her possessions. A materialistic person will view possessions as essential to their identities and survival, while a non-materialistic person will view these possessions as secondary or even worthless. Richins and Dowson (1992) claimed that materialism refers to a group of centrally-held notions about the significance of possessions and their roles in ones life. As such, being materialistic propels an individual to acquire more and more material objects. Under this definition, Richins and Dowson (1992) stated that materialism is a key factor that shapes an individuals consumption behavior and patterns, especially the type and quantity of goods they would buy. As consumption patterns also became globalized, consumption behavior became largely shaped by transitional and multinational firms marketing efforts. Consumers worldwide are becoming more material as they start having difficulties discerning which is a need and which is a want. Global marketing efforts make it hard for consumers to believe that they can forego something they want. One pattern that emerged is that people start to value material lifestyles and value well-known/popular brands that showcase their prosperity (Solonom, 2004). With their market doors expanding to global trade, and with their disposable income increasing, Korean consumers are one of the prime examples of such consumers. Koreans are now in the brink of materialism. They want the lifestyle that is being portrayed by the media that are highly fictional, romanticized and dramatized. According to Yoon (2003), spreading of materialism among the Koreans, particularly the younger generations, has been conspicuous starting from 1995. Nearly two decades later, it can be observed that Koreans are increasingly viewing money as the representation and sign of success, and as a result, are increasingly attracted to global luxury brands, which are the epitome of wealth and achievement in life. They buy these goods merely to show off to others. Specific studies such as the ones by Fournier and Richins (1991), Richins (1994) and Wong (1997), have illustrated the significant and positive relationship between that of materialism and conspicuous consumption. According to these studies, materialism encourages success-orientated consumption and purchase of goods. Fournier and Richins claimed that two causes for increased level of materialism is the idea that one can display his or her status through his or her possessions and the idea that they can affirm themselves through these possessions. According to Richins (1994), individuals who are highly materialistic have higher tendencies to put more importance of expensive goods and would be the ones most likely to publicly display these items to show their success and social status. Bearden and Etzel (1992) categorized goods into publicly-consumed and privately-consumed. Wong (1997) took these categories and performed a study to determine which category will be prone to conspicuous consumption. Wong found that individuals are more materialistic towards publicly consumed goods and therefore, these goods are more likely to be consumed conspicuously. Public goods are the goods that can be used or consumed in public view and not commonly owned or used, such as household items. Global luxury fashion brands are one of the top goods in the public goods category, which is why materialistic individuals will put prime importance into the acquisition of these brands or goods. Materialists would consume these goods primarily for displaying them publicly so as to announce their status and successes in life. In this light, Ziccardi (2001) defined luxury brands as less about the item, and more about the brand and what it stands for. Koreans, especially the young ones can be considered the ones who are status-oriented, and would showcase this personality through their possessions. According to Wong (1997), comparing East Asian consumers with American consumers, it can be said that East Asian consumers are the ones more materialistic. American subjects buy these expensive goods not because they are putting prime emphasis on the public meaning of luxury consumption, unlike their East Asian counterparts (Wong Ahuvia, 1998). Most studies used the concept of materialism to pinpoint that Asian consumers, who are shaped by the value of collectivism will more sensitive to the public meaning of luxury consumption than did Western consumers, and this will influence their buying patterns. As such, materialism promotes Koreans purchasing intentions toward global luxury brands. Conformity Literature claimed that conformity is one of the most significant factors shaping purchasing patterns when it comes to publicly consumed products. As such, Wong and Ahuvia (1998) put forward that consumers in Confucian culture are more likely to purchase luxury good based public reputation of the members of the group they belong to in comparison to their Western counterparts. Therefore, conformity promotes purchasing intentions of Koreans toward global luxury brands. According to Bearden and Etzel (1982),, reference group influences are different between publicly and privately consumed goods as well as between luxuries and basic necessities. Conformity is described as one of the most significant factors shaping publicly consumed goods. Taking this into consideration, Wong and Ahuvia (1998) claimed that those who abide by the Confucian culture will be those who are likely to put a great deal on the effects of their consumption of luxuries. When it comes to fashion, an earlier study by Rose et al (1994), claimed that individuals who have higher level of conformity will be those who are likely to consume clothing and display the brand out to the public. It is easy to assume that conformity is one of the most important predictors of buying luxury brands, particularly for fashion brands. Wong and Ahuvia (1998) differentiated luxury consumptions between Confucian and Western countries. They found that although both groups consume conspicuously luxury g oods, Americans buy luxury products because of their personal preferences, while those in East Asia, buy these goods because they want to conform to specific social norms. They also found that Southeast Asian consumers put greater emphasis on publicly-visible items because of their attached symbolic meanings and values. This suggests that East Asian consumers, who experience higher pressure to conform are more likely to buy publicly-visible luxury items, because they perceive these goods as directly representing their wealth and success. According to Lacsu and Zinhan (1999), East Asian consumers are more likely to buy luxury items, especially those that have social visibility. Because luxury goods shout success and wealth, and are especially different from mass market products, East Asians are more likely to conform to social pressure and experience higher drive to purchase these brands. The need for Uniqueness According to Workman and Kidd (2000), an individuals need for uniqueness significantly affects his or her behavior toward luxury fashion brands. According to Tian  et al.  (2001, p. 52) uniqueness is an important factor in consumer behavior. Uniqueness is defined as the trait of pursuing differentness relative to others through the acquisition, utilization, and disposition of consumer goods for the purpose of developing and enhancing ones self-image and social image. According to literature, consumers self and social image are largely derived from the symbolic meanings they attach to the products they purchase (Tian  et al., 2001). Therefore, consumers wanted something not generic and very similar to others. Luxury products have the great power of inducing the feeling of uniqueness among consumers. Aside from being insanely expensive, and the fact that all of them reigns worldwide, they are reputed to be of incomparable quality, having legions of counterfeits under their names. After all, imitation is the best form of flattery. One word to describe these luxury brands is iconic. Take for example, Gucci and its red and green stripes, these may just be your ordinary logo, but no, everyone wants a piece of it. The brand offers high fashion yet very commercial items, which is why everyone loves it. Chanel on the other hand as the next brand favored by most luxury consumers, is observed to stay in this position and relevant to the industry because it has a host of classically stylish goods. Koreans need for uniqueness promotes purchasing intentions toward global luxury brands. Those vying for uniqueness in their possessions are those more likely to be attracted to luxury goods, because uniqueness is precisely what luxury brands seem to offer to the consumers. There are many factors that verify this. First, luxury brands limited quality enables the buyers to feel unique and distinctive from others who use mass market products (Burns Brandy, 2001). According to Tian and Mckenzie (2001), those who value uniqueness are attracted to luxury products because they are scarce and they would not find just anyone owning the same. In this regard, luxury brands endeavor to preserve their uniqueness by not producing too many of the same design so as to avoid over-diffusion. This makes them very different from the mass market products. According to Dubous and Paternault (1995), employing an empirical test showed that consumers are attracted to luxury products through awareness, and negatively attracted through diffusion, which is a paradox under luxury brand management. Consumers are aware that luxury brands strive to uphold their prestige by being endorsed expensively by popular people, but they are not made to be owned by many people. As such, consumers need for uniqueness find that luxury products satisfy this need. Korean consumers general perception of foreign luxury brands in general follows this line of thought. They perceive that owning luxury brands differentiate them from others and make them unique because not all will have the same kind or brand. Even with the influx of global luxury brands in the Korean market, Korean market still have this notion that luxury brands are hard to access, and having it will make them one of a kind, because luxury goods have scarcity value. According to Gluck (2002), young Korean consumers purchase apparel and other fashion items in which they can use to express their individuality amidst a rather uniform society. Young consumers in Korea believe that they can express their uniqueness using foreign brands with scarcity value, which as a result, boosted demand for luxury brands in the Korean market. In addition, because luxury goods are globally characterized as having recognizable styles and designs, it is easy to showcase their uniqueness, social status and success even across the world. Young consumers are attracted to luxury goods to the promise of uniqueness as well as giving them a boost in their social images. Vanity According to Netemeyer  et al.  (1995, p. 612), vanity is the excessive concern for, and/or a positive (and perhaps inflated) view of, ones physical appearance and achievement vanity as an excessive concern for, and/or a positive (and perhaps inflated) view of, ones personal achievements. Vanity is the concern of an individual with his or her physical appearance because they use it to convey social status. As such, people who are vain will engage more in conspicuous consumption because this can show off their physical appearance and status (Netemeyer  et al., 1995). As of now however, no study has yet determined the relationship between vanity and fashion luxury consumption. However, it is hypothesized that Korean consumers vanity promotes purchasing global  luxury fashion brands. According to Durvasula et al (2001), vanity is described as ones strong emphasis toward ones outward appearance such as being overly concerned and fretful over ones clothing, from the style, to the quality and to the brand. According to Durvasula and his colleagues (2001), a persons belief or perception that others are looking at how he or she dresses, or what kind of luxury brands he or she carries, this will shape his or her decision in purchasing luxury brands. Social recognition therefore plays the key in individuals decision to purchase luxury brands. Social recognition Although personal values such as materialism and conformity can stimulate individuals to purchase luxury goods because of what they represent and symbolize, they might not be the only factors why luxury goods consumers are attracted to these products and brands. According to Nueno and Quelch (1998), consumers feel that owning luxury brands allow for information to spread with regard to the owners social status. These luxury products can help the consumers say what they cannot publicly announce, which I that they are wealthy and successful. The ownership of these goods allows them to claim their social status and prestige without saying it outright. Consumers believe that the nature of the global luxury brands allows others to recognize the brands and this will be a vehicle for the owner to communicate to others their success. This nature plays a crucial role in shaping ones decision to purchase luxury brands. In particular, Koreans view global luxury brands as the embodiment of prosp erity and social status, which is not really that different from the perception of the Westerners. Because others will recognize one brand, consumers will experience higher intention of buying this brand. Demographics Demographics play an important role in the purchasing decision of consumers when it comes luxury goods. Demographics include age, income and purchasing frequency. According to Louis (2002), younger people are more attracted to luxury goods and what they offer. In Korea, the younger generations are those who have higher purchasing intentions when it comes to global luxury goods. They are what most lable as consumer trendsetters and they try to uphold this image, by having the IT things According to Dubous and Duquesne (1993), income is a very important factor when it comes to luxury goods purchases. As widely known, luxury goods are not cheap. Therefore, monthly income or at least monthly pocket money of the young people plays a significant determinant. By having the means, consumers will be more inclined to buy luxury goods. Once consumers become loyal to a brand, it is already easy for firms to market the goods to them. In fact, it has been said that attracting new consumers are more difficult than maintaining existing ones in the industry of luxury goods. Veblens theory and East Asian consumption patterns (projections in South Korea) Emergence of the mass production phenomenon in the modern era allowed for economic crises, the resolution of which should be through mass distribution and mass advertisement. A direct consequence is the transforming of the household from being a unit of production to that of a unit of consumption (Kearl Gordon, 1992). This transformation also led to a new form of consumer ethic, which replaced Webers Protestant ethic of self-discipline. It also goes against the principles put forward by Weber, such as purposeful activity, delayed gratification and thrift. In this modern era, different patterns of over spending can be observed such as: orgy of spending (McKendrick et al., 1982), hedonism (Bell 1980; Campbell 1987); impulse spending (Kearl and Gordon 1992), and then the different marketing promos and strategies of firms to make people buy such as, buy now, pay later and more others (Packard 1957). It can be said that majority of these characterizations can be explained by Veblens (197 9) and Simmels (1904, 1950) seminal work on modern consumerism. Veblens most well-known principle related to his term conspicuous consumption which describes the unnecessary purchase of services and goods which are bought for the sole focus of displaying and advertising wealth. This is done in the endeavor to maintain or attain a certain level of social status. Such goods are now collectively known as Veblen goods, which is a group of commodities. The fact that these goods are placed at such high prices is the very thing that makes them attractive to conspicuous consumers. Conspicuous consumption was certainly not limited to the western countries, in East Asia, for example, girls in affluent families would have their feet broken and tightly bound so that they grew to have tiny lotus feet.  Ã‚  These were thought to be very fashionable since the women who had them were unable to survive without the help of servants. This was a sign of wealth taken to the extreme. Today, there are still many examples of conspicuous consumption and the studies on general modern consumption are so intricate, that almost all walks of life are targeted with todays mass media. Adverts and billboards are everywhere telling the public whats cool and whats not. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Moet Chandon sell a lifestyle. Moet Chandon advert states Be Fabulous and shows two beautiful well-dressed women climbing out of an expensive car with a bottle of champagne in one womans hand. An advertisement like this is basically trying to show the public what status could be achieved by purchasing a bottle of Moet Chandon. The term Keeping up with the Joneses comes to mind, as studies show that many consumers purchase goods just to show off and maintain a certain status amongst their friends. Veblen goods arent just restricted to clothes as the purchase of certain magazines, purely for the status they offer. Being seen reading a magazine like Robb Report or Conde Nasts traveller may give the impression that one can afford what is featured in the magazine. Veblen also spoke about the way dress can prove many things. The wearer can give an impression that they can spend without much thought on the price. Veblen goods are still very much around, such as designer handbags, expensive wines and thousand-dollar watches. The luxury watch is an ultimate example of a Veblen good as the consumer really buys into the allure of a higher status. Companies like Rolex, TAG Heur and Omega have all used celebrities such as Roger Federer, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Craig in his bond suit. Even though its purpose is very practical and can help with everyday decision making. These watches are aimed a business men with a high salary who identify or would like to identify with the sports star s and actors wearing these watches at the back of TIME magazine and the like. A Louis Vuitton bag for example just wouldnt be viewed the same without the high price tag. Todays fast fashion and mass production also encourages conspicuous consumption. However mass production has changed the outlook on mans life and has created a singular type of existence which can be viewed as almost humiliating and that the products are what drives man. The trends we see from designers on catwalks are translated as quickly as possible into high street stores. It is not surprising that with the emphasis on keeping up with the latest trends, which ties into fitting in with society consumption of clothes has reached an all-time high. The quality of clothes however, is less of a feature than the over-all look of the item. In the Victorian times, garments had to be made of the best lace, but with todays technology, garments can be made to look more expensive than they really are. Keeping up-to trend with accessories such and bags and shoes is still very expensive to do. Designers put their signature touches on shoes and bags, which make them more lust after. Christian Lo uboutins shoes have the signature red sole, Louis Vuitton may feature an LV and a Mulberry bag could carry their characteristic tree on the logo. To be seen with any of these items offers a instantaneous status that comes with it. Korea is now considered an epitome of such societies. When Korea was only beginning to industrialize, conspicuous consumption among most people can be said to be still tacit and defensive. An explicit display of conspicuous consumption was criticized for being impractical and imprudent, notwithstanding the persons social status. This trend is now gone. Today, many Korean people compete based on social stature and symbols, and this encouraged new patterns of consumption. Even during religious rituals, Koreans cannot help but compete with each other by showing off how many their goods are or expensive as a sign that they have higher status. Conspicuous consumption, behavior does not just exist within the leisure class, however throughout every class and individual in our society. The want to consume is nothing new, people work and live to consume, people are what they consume. As seen with celebrities today, they consume the best cars, the best clothes, the biggest houses. Veblen explains a man of wealth is the one who consumes without restrictions on anything. This type of consumption is what Veblen describes as conspicuous waste, the manner in which people dress is always seen and noticed, especially when celebrities are displaying them. With conspicuous consumption, the consumption and wealth must be displayed and noticed. Many celebrities, who are members of the leisure class, show off their homes, cars, clothes, and other items. Veblen argues this is harmful to our society, these luxuries and types of consumption are only for the leisure class, and one is expected to live this certain lifestyle in order to keep the ir standing in the leisure class. A man of the leisure class must consume certain goods and give away certain types of rewards or gifts to with hold his position within the leisure class. Koreans are very much in this phase right now, outpacing the Americans it seems. Koreans are proving that the emergence of the leisure class coincides with the beginning of ownership (Veblen 22). Before the early 20th century, Korea was ruled by the Yi Dynasty and had clear distinction of the class system with the ideologies of Confucian Tradition: In this context, women were a form of ownership. Women were seen as a status symbol, a trophy wife, for which men of the leisure class could own and show off. When we own people, we own material or production, so by owning something one can exploit his earnings. Like ownership, most women of the leisure class are considered vicarious leisure. Veblens vicarious leisure is defined as people who live the life as though they are a member of the leisure class however dont get all the material that comes with it because they are living through the wealthy. Throughout the barbarian stages, men were considered the breadwinner and worked while the women stayed at home while women were considered to live through their spouses. T he women of the household were not suppose to work and were expected to be more showy about their leisure than men, they were expected to be beautiful and represent the households wealth. Literature in the early 1980s showed that conspicuous consumption of products were positively linked to vulnerability to the influence of peers and the opinions of others. According to Bearden and Etzel (1982), conspicuous consumption is more likely when purchasing publicly consumed luxury products than privately consumed luxury products. Conspicuous consumption ate up a significant part of the income of the urban population compared to the rural population. Urban citizens are more concerned about their appearance and status, and are more susceptible to buying things that would serve the purpose, regardless of the cost. Discussion This study aims to understand the relation of conspicuous consumption and status competition in Korean women. This section explore the spending behavior of women in Korea, which are found as new phenomena under prosperity in South Korea after the 1997 financial crisis, hence post IMF period. Under current government forms and of Neo liberalism, we are able to recognize the irony that contest the very hegemonic idea of neo-liberalization, which is silent but hyper conscious in the minds of Korean women. This fact is elaborated in relation to the patriarchal ideology deeply rooted in the tradition (neo-Confucian) minds of Koreans and although times have moved on, the representation of body in Korean women in Korean society today remains valid. Here I am able to explore conspicuous consumption of the body as a whole, and how consumption on appearance is conceived in the minds of young women today. Implementation of appearance of Women in the Post-IMF, Neo-liberal Korean Society The transformations in post-IMF Korean society accorded with accelerated transition to a postmodern consumer society. An author proclaimed in 1999, The present Korean society is a heaven for consumers (Yoon 1999, 189), and the trend of consumption for self-distinction and expression of self-identities has been ever intensifying. Concerns over body in this era of culture became a widespread set of phenomena after the IMF crisis. Healthy lifestyles became a social trend in the 2000s when numerous self-help books were published to tell consumers how to pursue them. Women are increasingly drawn into consumption of not only of luxury consumption, but beauty products and care services as well. More women have been resorting to improve their appearances for which purpose smart or classy clothes and creative or original hair styles had been sufficient in earlier decades (Lee 2006, 73). Especially for young women, their gender and class statuses are estimated no longer primarily by their individual characters and resources, but rather by their appearance. Increasingly, Koreans of all ages and genders view their appearance as something that can be improved through ever developing. Not being fashionable or know

The origin of hurricanes and predictability of hurricane tracks

Low pressure systems form at mid latitude temperate zones as a result of the convergence of warm and cold air masses. Low pressure systems generally form over the polar front where the polar maritime air (a cold air mass) and tropical maritime air (a warm air mass) meet. Air currents in this area within the Northern Hemisphere will flow counter-clockwise due to the rotation of the earth and surface friction. Air flows accumulate at the centre of the system, and the warm air rises because it is less dense, leading to low pressure at the surface. It contains more moisture than the polar maritime air and as a result, when it ascends, it condenses and produces clouds and rain. Cirrus type clouds are the first clouds that are usually created at this point. A circulation of air rotates in an anticlockwise motion due to the coriolis effect. The tropical maritime air swirls around the polar front, the system matures and eventually a warm and cold front is created. At the warm front, the warm air rises over the cold air, the cirrus clouds develop to be cirrostratus, altostratus and nimbostratus clouds which eventually will lead to heavy rain because of the condensation of the warm air. Towards the edge of the warm front, conditions are more stable and pressure stops decreasing as much. No longer is there so much condensation and therefore there is less rain. Polar maritime air is fast, dense, and strong. Eventually the air pushes in and forces the warm air off the ground, creating instability. The pressure increases, as the air ascends rapidly, cumulonimbus clouds form bringing in heavy rain and storms[1]. The cold front consists of heavier and denser air and displaces the warmer and lighter air, because of this, it moves faster than the warm front and it will ultimately catch up with it. Warm air is forced off the ground by the cold air, and once this happens, an occlusion is created. Uniform air begins to fill the gap between the warm front and the cold front and this is where the low pressure system begins to die away. At tropical latitudes, if sea surface temperatures are above 27 degrees c[2], then the low pressure system will grow. If the conditions are right, tropical thunderstorms may develop to become a hurricane. Low pressure systems often begin to rotate around a central area of low pressure. This is known as a tropical depression, if the depression increases in intensity so that winds reach at least 39 mph, it's categorised as a tropical storm. If wind speeds reach and average of 74 mph[3], it known as tropical cyclone or hurricane. Hurricanes/ tropical cyclones mainly develop in the region between 10 and 20 degrees North of the equator (Goldenberg, 2001). When a storm grows to become a hurricane/tropical cyclone, it is described as a non-frontal low pressure system[4] and can reach up to 340 miles across in diameter[5]. Hurricanes absorb energy from the warm water of the ocean, and a thunderstorm will continue to grow so long as there is a fuel source i. e a supply of moist air and heat. This source is normally found above the water in tropical waters. When the heat supply is cut off i. when the hurricane begins to migrate northwards (or southwards), over colder water, it will weaken and die away. Heat from the oceans is the primary source of energy for hurricanes, [6]and so, the greater the heat of the SST [7]the more intense and frequent hurricanes in that area will be (Goldenberg, et al, 2001). Hurricanes don't usually develop far inland due to the lack of moisture. [8] If there is no moisture, then clouds are not likely to form. Cloud formation results in the generation of latent heat. Latent heat is the heat needed to initiate a change of phase i. to a state of higher energy, e. g. from solid to liquid, or liquid to gas, in this context though, it's from liquid to a gas. As clouds are not generated as much, then not much latent heat is released. the majority of hurricanes originate and stay within the oceans, though they do occasionally travel inland, and the effects they can have on the environment, society and on the economy of the affected area are potentially devastating. The coriolis effect, which is a product of the earth's rotation is the reason that storms rotate and why a hurricane has a typical swirling formation. The rotation of the storm causes air to be drawn into the extreme low pressure at the centre (eye) of the storm. As the air rotates, the air ascends. The rising air is very moist, the higher the altitude, the colder the temperature, and so, it condenses forming clouds. Hurricanes aren't found within 0-5 degrees north and south of the equator ((300 miles (500 kilometers)) of the equator because the coriolis effect is at its weakest at this point, so the storm doesn't have enough spin, and there isn't enough force to maintain low pressure in the centre of the system. Meteorologists can predict hurricanes in two main ways : through the use of seasonal probabilities and tracking of hurricanes that are in existence at a current point of time using modelling techniques[9]. Annually, scientists work out how many storms are likely to develop into hurricanes/tropical storms and they also calculate how many are likely to make landfall. Using statistical techniques such as CLIPER[10], past data, and by sending aeroplanes into the centre of storms they can determine wind speeds, temperatures and can predict the intensity of a hurricane, and how many people it is likely to affect. Many scientists try and determine the paths of hurricanes, and it's a difficult duty because not all hurricanes have defined paths, however; the typical characteristics and properties of the weather and ocean in a specific area allow scientists to have a rough idea to which path a hurricane is likely to follow. If the path is predicted then warning and protection can be provided for those that could potentially be affected and this is the best way to prevent a social, economic and environmental disaster from happening. Hurricanes form in various areas depending on the various times of the hurricane season (Reading, 1990). Tracks can be predicted efficiently however, accuracy seems to be an issue in many cases. Models have become more accurate (NOAA,2004) and prediction techniques have improved (Aberson,2001), however there is still a large uncertainty and error is still an issue. It is easier to predict exactly where a hurricane is going to make landfall the closer to landfall the storm is. So the further the hurricane is away from land, the more error there is when trying to work out its path (NOAA,2004). This is mainly due to natural changes in the storms physical characteristics. It has been determined by NOAA, that, 5 days before landfall there is an average of 350 miles of error, and one day before landfall there is a 100 mile error, [11]which is a major problem because a difference of that mileage could determine whether or not whole cities or villages need to be evacuated or not, and if there is an error, it could be devastating.