The Republic Of Panama Essay Example for Free

The Republic Of Panama Essay Thesis statement. Some economists believe that the Republic of Panama could become the next world business center but others are skeptical about it. Panama is a country in Central America that borders both the Caribbean and the Northern Pacific Ocean between Colombo and Costa Rica .The geographical coordinates of panama are 900 N and 8000 W. Panama has an interesting history as a former colony of Spain starting from the 16th century up to 1821 when it broke ranks with Spain to affiliate with Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela to form the Gran Colombia. This lasted up to 1830 but nevertheless, Panama remained under the control of Colombia. It was through the US backing that Panama was able to break free from Colombia in 1903 when in return, the Panama government signed a treaty with the US to usher in the construction of Panama Canal by the US army corps of engineers. The construction lasted from 1904 to 1914 and upon completion; the canal was to remain under the US control. It was until 1977 that an agreement was signed and subsequently ratified to complete the transfer of the Panama Canal from the US’ stewardship to Panama’s. This was after the deposing of the dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989 that the entire Panama Canal was transferred to Panama together with the areas supporting it, and the US military barracks – an exercise that was completely consummated at the turn of the 21st century. Panamanians have a project underway to double the canal’s capacity (Rigole, 2003).This project is already underway since it began in 2007 and is expected to come to conclusion at the end of 2015. The strengths of the Republic of Panama. Panama’s climate is that of tropical maritime and is hot, humid and cloudy with a protracted rainy season starting from May to January and January to May being the dry season. Based on this, Panama, a country that has 24.4% of its total land as arable land, has a steady food supply since it produces in large scale grain crops such as maize, rice, wheat, cassava, potato, sorghum, millet, and industrial crops such as sugarcane, coffee, tropical timber, peanut, oranges and sesame. Other foodstuffs that are indigenous to Panama include beef (and this is due to the large scale cattle rearing activities in the country), and fishing. The fishing industries thrive herein due to the preponderance of shrimps and lobsters. Although the agricultural output of Panama is not large enough to sustain large scale exports, yet it is reliable enough to sustain steady food supply to sustain the entire population of Panama. An economy that can sustain its population’s food demand stands a higher chance to develop economically to become a business center than its counterpart that lacks these prospects. The economy of Panama is fairing well with the major exports being melons, bananas, water melons, lobsters and shrimps, sugar, coffee and clothing. Of these total exports, the principle market is the US which is now procuring 44.5%. Its imports on other hand entail machinery and transport equipments, chemicals and chemical products, mineral and mineral products, electrical and electrical products and foodstuffs. Panama’s principle source of imports is the USA which makes up 27% of this. The currency used in Panama is balboa, with its mainstay of economy being the industrial sector which account for the 67.1% of the economy. The economic dominance of Panamanian industry is due to the fact that Panama is a country rich in mineral resources such as limestone, deposits of coal, molybdenum, copper, salt and clay. The industrial sector is mainly driven by the processing of paper and paper products, food and beverage processing, textiles and clothing, petrol refining, petroleum products, chemical refinery, light assembly and tourism. America, Spain, Netherlands Costa Rica, Japan, and Sweden form the major trading partners of Panama. The gross domestic product of Panama is 15.5 billion according to the 2005 estimates while the Purchasing Power Parity which is also known as the GNI was American dollar (USD) 7,310. The consumer price inflation remained at 2.8% according to the 2006 estimates. At the same time, unemployment was rated at 13.6% (Institute of Central Business, 32). Given the geographical size of Panama, it enjoys a favorable population of 3,287,500 according to 2006 estimate, and a steady population growth rate of 1.6 % according to 2006 estimate. The population occupying the urban area is rated 58%. However, this should always be checked against the availability of natural resources. A country that has a big population pitted against scarce national resources always experiences lapses in foreign investments since socio economic problems such as unemployment, overcrowding, explosion of diseases, and insecurity are always likely to ensue. Debts are always likely to set in as the government seeks to rectify the situation through foreign borrowing. Such states are always subject to inability to fund the public sector and government projects. Foreign investors shy away from such situations since the securities of their investment in such situations are always in danger of default. At such a time, the government will mostly seek to reverse the situation by selling its securities but this only worsens the situation since this will also lower the worth of these securities Panama’s population distribution is also fairly balanced. The age bracket between 1-14 years makes up 30% of the total population while the bracket representing 15-59 makes 61%. The bracket representing 60 and above accounts for 9%.The age distribution of Panama provides it with adequate labor force since the most productive age group falls under the bracket that ranks the highest. A country or any geo political entity that is about to be considered world business center must have a large working power. A country with a dense transport system, Panama has 116 airports of which 54 have paved runways, a comprehensive road network covering 11,643 km of which 4,028 are paved, 800 kilometers of waterways including the 82 km Panama Canal. In addition to the above, there are 5,764 merchant marines being served by 3 ports and terminals; the Balboa, Colon and Cristobal (Woods, 161). Panama enjoys a fairly balanced political leadership that has taken the form of liberal democracy. The government is well balanced with a clear system of separation of powers whereby the executive, the legislature and the judiciary are clearly separate and autonomous to exercise their duties without interference from any arm. In addition to this, under the aegis of the judiciary, the civil law system and the judicial review of the legislative acts recognize the importance of the International Court Justice. Panama plebiscites after every five years- a process which sees the president and his vice president either being installed into or exiting power depending on the verdict of the majority votes (Schreck, 189). International trade and investments thrive well in democracies and not in communist societies since the former entrenches the concept of free market or the liberalization of the market. Liberalization of the market allows free global flow of capital. Weaknesses of the Republic of Panama Reasons against the notion that Panama cannot arise to become the next world trade center are diverse. The most prominent one argues that as a country, it is still suffering the historical financial crisis of the 80s. In 1980, Panama had a high foreign debt that had accrued as a result of high import rate against the export rate. The explanation behind this was that its high consumption was on imports since there were no local industries. Since 1983 the country has been registering pluses, but the present situation is still tough since Panama has a standing debt which claims 81.2% of its GNP. Although this according to established economies is not very large, yet strictly speaking, Panama will not be able to extricate itself from debt since its debt- to- export ratio is high. The only recourse is to have the 1989 Braddy Initiative to offer Panama an extension implemented, but even this will take 39 years for Panama to clear the debt (World Bank, 217). Other social and health underpinnings can still stand in the way towards the establishment of Panama as world business center. Panamanian medical services are still below the World Health Organization’s standards since out of 10,000 patients, there are 17 doctors (2004 report).On another front, out of 1,000 people, only 13% are landline telephone subscribers. Similarly, out of 100 people interviewed, 16% were internet users, and out of 100 people interviewed, 4.6% were personal computer users. No form of foreign or domestic investment can effectively take place without proper social amenities, communication and communication services. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Institute of Central Business Studies. Mesoamerica. US: University of Virginia, 1982. Rigole, Mark and Langlois, Claude- Victor. Panama. Panama: Ulysses Travel Guides, 2003. Sarah, Kristina. Frommer’s Panama. Central America: John Willeys and Sons, 2007. Woods, Sarah. Panama. Panama: Bradt Travel Guides, 2005. World Bank. Poverty Assessment in Panama: Strategies for Poverty. Panama: WB Publication, 2000.

Breast Cancer Treatment Essay -- essays research papers fc

Breast Cancer Treatment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only lung cancer kills more women each year in the United States than breast cancer does. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that over 184,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women in 1996 (ACS Breast). Although these statistics are alarming, there are a number of treatment options available for those that are diagnosed with breast cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The best way to treat any disease is to prevent it. Since little is known about breast cancer, there are no established rules for prevention. The ACS recommends that women age twenty and older perform monthly breast self-exams, and it also suggests clinical examinations every three years (ACS Breast). Mammography is also a wonderful tool for detecting tumors; however, there is conflicting data on when and how often women should have mammograms. What is known is that mammography is the best way to determine if a palpable lump is actually cancerous or not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Treatment methods for breast cancer can be lumped in two major categories; local or systemic. Local treatments are used to destroy or control the cancer cells in a specific area of the body. Surgery and radiation therapy are considered local treatments. Systemic treatments are used to destroy or control cancer cells anywhere in the body. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy are considered systemic treatments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. Although there are many different types of breast cancer surgery, they all fit into a few basic categories. An operation that aims to remove most or all of the breast is called a mastectomy. If at all possible, doctors shy away from mastectomies due to the side effects which include loss of strength in the closest arm, swelling of the arm, and limitation of shoulder movement. If a mastectomy must be performed, the physician will often suggest post surgical reconstruction of the breast (Kushner 37).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another type of breast cancer surgery is called breast-sparing surgery. This category would include lumpectomies and segmental mastectomies. In this situation, doctors remove only the tumor and make an attempt at sparing the rest of the breast tissue. These procedures are often followed by radiation therapy to destroy any canc... ...nbsp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contrary to the negative press commonly attributed to breast cancer, there are viable treatment options for those diagnosed with this terrible affliction. The push for increased research in breast cancer is even coming from the White House. President Bill Clinton mentioned his support for increased funding for research and prevention in his recent State of the Union Address, and he urged insurance companies to pay for more mammograms. Hopefully, with the support from the White House, new treatments can be found for breast cancer, and maybe with a little luck we will have a cure by the turn of the century. Works Cited American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer. Document 004070. American Cancer Society. For Women Facing Breast Cancer. 1995. Kushner, Rose. If You've Thought About Breast Cancer. Kensington, MD: Rose Kushner Breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advisory Center, 1994. LaTour, Kathy. The Breast Cancer Companion. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993. National Institutes of Health. National Cancer Institute. What You Need to Know About Breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cancer. Revised August 1995.

Language Acquisition and Development

A huge variation in the rate of vocabulary and language development can be observed   in children , and parents/caretakers should not expect all children to develop at the same rate .The development of speech is dependent on the environment that the child is brought up in especially the social interactions the child has with the members of the household. A child who is spoken to often and is exposed to the daily routine of the house/ neighborhood develops its own interpretation and relation between words and actions. Kids typically try to use the type of communication conventional in their community for example a child brought up in a active Spanish household may start waving its arms to communicate before actually forming the words when it sees the people in its orbit doing so. A child brought up in a silent household may not speak early as it has negligible exposure to the use of verbal or non verbal communication. The Motor function development in the child also impacts the rate of speech development. Children who are read to often or encouraged to speak are seen to make better effort at communication rather than those children left to their own devices. It is also found that children of working parents, who are left in day care, adopt the speech mannerisms they are exposed to in the day care center. There are instances when children develop speech when they find they are not getting what they want or need and vice versa. There also needs to be allowances made such as the health of the child and its behavior patterns.   The development of speech is also dependent on the interest displayed by the child in learning and participating in activities like play or reading.   Therefore we can see that children develop at different rates depending on their environment and internal biological development. The exposure that a child is given compounded with the pace of motor functions impact the age of speech for different children. References Wegner, Lynn (2007).Screening for Speech and Language Delay in Preschool Children: More Answers Are Needed. Pediatrics. 533-534. Nelson, Heidi D., Nygren, Peggy, Walker, Miranda, & Panoscha, Rita (2007). Screening for Speech and Language Delay in Preschool Children: Systematic Evidence Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Pediatrics, 298-319. Wertsch, James 1985. Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.   

The Political, Social and Religious Situation of Palestine...

The Political, Social and Religious Situation of Palestine During the First Century AD The situation in Palestine at the time Jesus began his teaching was very unstable and ready for trouble. This was mainly because of the Roman invasion, and because they still occupied the land. This meant that there became definite different groups of people, who had different beliefs and attitudes towards one another. Overall, there were five different groups of people, who had differences between themselves. I shall explain the five groups and state their beliefs and attitudes, which led to trouble. The first group is the Romans. They had conquered many lands before the region of Palestine (now part of†¦show more content†¦They tried to make life hard for the Romans and they were violent. Through doing this there was a constant Roman army presence. I think that the Zealots had a right to rebel, because I would not be happy if my country was taken over by another country, and then the other country expected me to pay tax to fund them. The next group of people were called the Pharisees, their main aim was to try to live strictly by the laws of God (i.e. the Torah). The Pharisees believed in angels, resurrection and an after life. Most of them were good sincere men trying to do good, but some (the ones Jesus criticised were practising the religion in a showy way - doing it for attention and to win praise (hypocrites). Half of the Jewish ruling council (the Sanhedrin) were Pharisees and they voted for Jesus death. They disliked other religions and tried to keep away from them and be purely Jewish (the name Pharisee means separate one). This lot would have presumably disliked Roman rule and so, as you can see many of the people at that time disliked the Romans. Another group was called the Sadducees; these were priests who served in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Sadducees were very rich and powerful, so to stay that way, they were friendly with the Romans, just as they had been with the Greeks. In addition, their leader was seen by the Romans as the Jewish leader. TheirShow MoreRelatedWhy Islam Spread so Quickly4006 Words   |  17 Pagesquestions. Homework: Analyze the remaining documents and answer the questions that follow. Day 2 – 45 Minutes Step Four (continued): Discussion of Documents Option One: Working in pairs or threesomes, have students discuss the answers to the first set of Document Analysis questions they did for homework. Using a different-colored pen than they used for homework, they may add to their answers. After five minutes, open the discussion of that document to the full class. 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