Thursday, March 26, 2020

The Mambo Kings Play Songs Of Love Essays - Gulf Of Mexico, Havana

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love Harper Collins Publishers 1989 407 Pages (No Bibliography, Pics, Maps or Index) The book that I read was rather pornographic. It was a story about 2 brothers and 6 other people who put together a band and played in clubs almost every night. After playing their gigs, they'd go off and get drunk and then go sleep with about 4 different girls every night. None of them were settled down because they always were going places and meeting new people. They started their band in a place called Havana, Cuba. They were very unknown until they met a guy at a bar one night named Desi Arnaz. He offered them a contract and signed them with jobs in the United States. So being young and free, they left with almost nothing to start their new life in the states. The first place they went to, which was later their favorite place, was Miami, Florida. They played in clubs late at night still bringing girls back to their hotel rooms. They started to get noticed. Oscar Hijuelos was the author of the book The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and also the book called Our House in the Last World. Oscar was born in 1951 in the city of Havana, Cuba and was born to both Cuban parents. He now currently lives in New York. I do like how the author wrote this book basically because it was easy reading. It was very long in some parts, but you could understand it easily. It never left you feeling as if you didn't understand a part. He wrote in sections and not chapters. There were only 3 sections in the book and so it was easier to follow because he didn't have to keep starting a new chapter. I read this book by dividing it into how many pages I'd read each day. I had to read about 28 pages in it a day and I kept that promise to myself. I read every day and I got the book done on time. In each section of the book, the author started off in a new club. He started it off at a different time every time. He had it start off one time at 11:23pm in a nightclub in Miami, and the other ones at 11:57pm and 12:02am. The brothers always seemed to be at a nightclub whether or not they were playing that night. The always got drunk and I liked how the author would show you just how drunk they were by their actions. I believe that there are actually two stories going on in this book. And they are about the same group of people. Because one of the stories is being told to you as the lives of musicians who go about their daily lives in the daytime, but then become drunk and sleazy at night when they go off and play in clubs. They always talk about wanting to settle down with a woman and have a family, but then at night, they go off and stay out until about 4am with a bunch of girls after playing in a smoke-filled room with a bunch of drunken men. "Like his music, the Mambo King was very direct in those days. He and Vanna Vane had just been out to dinner at the club Babalu and Cesar said to her, as she chewed on a piece of plantain fritter, "Vanna, I'm in love with you, and I want a chance to show you what it's like to be with a man like me."" Just on that quote, it initiates the fact that even the Mambo King wanted to get settled down. But right after that quote, she said no to him and so he went and slept with some stripper he met in a bar that night. Another quote that describes how they are at night is this one, "I saw her. A woman with a broken leg in a cast, standing up in a phone booth during a rainstorm in Atlantic City, the gales whipping against the glass, things so dark around them nobody could see, so that in the ferocity of the winds they started to kiss, his knee pressing between her legs, and this woman saying to hell with it and pulling up her sun skirt and down with her panties, down over her legs and down over the thick plaster cast, so that he lifted

Friday, March 6, 2020

Global Regulatory Regime for Environment The WritePass Journal

Global Regulatory Regime for Environment Introduction: Global Regulatory Regime for Environment ). Previous Environmental Laws: Law governing the environmental aspect of society is known as environmental law. Many such laws have been passed in the United States in the past such as the National Environmental Policy (1969), the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1972), and the Endangered Species Act (1973). The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 aimed to ensure that all activities whether federal or private must be assessed and evaluated on the pretense of their effect upon the environment and their subsequent influence upon the surroundings around them. This meant that any project in the United States excluding those performed by the President or Congress were to be assessed to ensure that they did not cause immense harm to the environment. This act was implemented when concerns for the environment began to increase and people became more conscious of the effects that their actions caused upon the environment. The Clean Air act of 1970 aimed to ensure that the air remained clean and emissions an d the release of gases was controlled in order to prevent toxic emissions or the release of a high amount of antioxidants Industries and factories were given permits in order to control the amount of emissions they could release and they were heavily penalized if they exceeded the specified amount of emissions allowed to them. There were also days on which emissions were not allowed from factories and businesses were made to seize production in order to let the air remain clean for specific periods of time (Avant et al, 2010). While the above mentioned laws were specific to the United States, there have been laws which governed the whole world at large. Some of these laws are known as customary laws and have become such common practice that it is considered necessary for all countries to be bound by them. These laws are often upheld by authorities such as the United Nations. Such laws are usually laid out after world conferences in the United Nations and examples include the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, World Commission on Environment and Development, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. and the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Protocols are also made between countries which are subsidiary agreements made from the main treaty. These smaller agreements govern certain aspects of the main agreement and put forward additional requirements that must be followed in addition to the main agreement. Some of the most popular protocols include the Kyota Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Bierman Bernd, 2009). Accordingly, many international organizations are also made which seek to implement such environmental goals of which some of the most popular ones include International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Hence, there are many platforms for making international laws and global regulatory regimes in order to promote the environmental cause. Moreover, such actions have been taken before and there are many laws in place governing such issues. (Keohane, 2010). Benefits and Prospects of Adopting a Global Regulatory Regime: Hence, the prospects of adopting a global regulatory regime are quite high as many countries are now mutually concerned regarding the environment and the effects that businesses and industries have upon their countries. Moreover, due to high awareness levels and a lot of media coverage, individuals, businesses, and specifically multinational organizations seek to focus upon the implementation of safe and fair practices for the environment and seek help and support in this regard. There are organizations and international committees which work for this cause and serve as a platform to bring many countries of the world together to discuss important issues Accordingly, as it is often said that brainstorming and consultation can lead to better solutions, the adoption of a global regulatory regime allows the leaders and prominent personalities of the world to mutually decide what is beneficial for their country and the world at large (Keohane, 1984). As the whole planet technically belongs to all individuals and the actions of one country are likely to affect the whole planet, it is also important for there to be a mutual consensus regarding the practices prevalent in different countries across the globe. For example, the USA’s excessive use of aerosol sprays has depleted the ozone layer and this has eventually affected global warming in the whole world. In the same manner, the excess of pollution in the air and other toxic chemicals affect processes such as rain, global warming, and the prevalence of clean water for multiple countries who share borders and water facilities through the use of rivers. Hence, while one country may adopt principles to govern the environmental aspect in their own country, they may not be completely aware of the effect that practices in their own country are having upon other countries and vice versa. Thus, it may be more beneficial to discuss these problems together and on a global platform in order to come up with mutually feasible solutions (Scott, 1998). Accordingly, the feasibility and previous implementation of a global regulatory regime for the environment may be high, yet it is a highly difficult procedure and program to successfully implement and ensure that it is abided by. Thus, there may be several problems associated with the adoption of a global regulatory regime and the attempt to implement it in all countries of the world (Wilson, 1991). Problems with the Adoption of a Global Regulatory Regime: One of the most troubling problems of adopting a global regulatory regime or attempting to implement it is the setting up of an authority to ensure implementation and supervise the regime. It is literally impossible for a regulatory committee to be physically present in all parts of all countries governed by the regime, thus it becomes nearly impossible for such committees to supervise and check whether the laws governing this regime are followed in all parts of all countries. Accordingly, it is not possible or easy to maintain a proper check and balance on the laws governing this global regime and it is not possible to detect offenders easily. If there is no proper way to uphold the regulations in the regime, the regime is likely to be highly ineffective (Wilson, 1991). Moreover, there needs to be a proper way to punish countries which do not follow the regime properly and do not uphold the laws described in it. It may be highly difficult to decide upon a punishment for such countries and even more difficult to implement such a punishment. It may also be easy for countries with higher levels of influence to avoid punishment. Another very tantalizing aspect is to decide upon the judiciary who will preside over such cases and maintain a fair and balanced system. This is highly difficult to implement on a global scale (Sim Teoh, 1997). The costs associated with implementing the system and maintaining a committee for check and balance purposes will be quite high and may be considered unnecessary by many countries. This may also be considered a waste of time and effort by many world leaders and it is highly difficult to arrive at a mutually agreed upon decision. Moreover, the drafting of policies governing the global regulatory regime is likely to be a highly rigorous process which is likely to take a lot of contemplation, argument, and debate. There are not likely to be many occasions on which all countries agree or cooperate and such procedures cannot be forced upon countries which do not agree. Treaties are made by mutual consent and obtaining mutual consent is likely to be the major problem prevailing in the implementation of such policies (Feigener, 1997). Many countries argue and debate for long periods of time concerning the applicability of customary laws towards themselves. Many countries want to be free from having to abide by such laws and put up issues in United Nations meetings. Hence, if the application of customary laws becomes a matter of debate, the adoption of a global regulatory regime is likely to become a matter of intense or perhaps never-ending debate (Sadiq Governortori, 2010). There are costs associated with the implementation of environmental controls and these costs are likely to be high. Hence, all countries may not be willing to implement these costs within their respective country as it may be burdening upon their budget and they may have other concerns for which to allocate their national budget to. Due to the associated costs, many countries refrain from indulging in environmentally friendly practices and this includes countries such as the United States of America.   Moreover, many world leaders may consider these extra costs to be unnecessary and burdensome for the economy. It will obviously take extra expenditure on the part of each country separately in order to ensure that regulatory practices are implemented within their own country. Hence, many leaders consider this to be unnecessary expenditure and do not express their consent to indulge in such excessive expenditure. One of the most important reasons for the difficulty in adopting a global environmental regulatory regime is that the circumstances of all countries are different. While the citizens of some countries are educated and aware of the need for an environmental cause, the citizens of other countries are not aware of such problems and have other bigger problem plaguing their nation. Moreover, while some developed countries have the resources and equipment needed to implement environmental controls, other poorer nations of the world completely lack such facilities and cannot support such regimes. Environmental problems affecting different countries are also of diverse natures but it is widely known that developing countries require even more regulatory controls than developed nations as the atmosphere in their countries is highly dangerous for the citizens of the country and leads to many deaths annually. Moreover, awareness programs and other initiatives are required in such countries in order to at least make the situation satisfactory if not excellent. However, these goals and others concerning the environment seem to be a long way away from being fully achieved (Baumgartner Winter, 2013). Conclusion and Recommendations: While it is not easy to adopt a global regulatory regime, countries can hold annual conferences in order to discuss environmental issues and attempt to mutually solve the environmental concerns arising (Nielson Jensen, 2013). Countries who do agree upon implementation of environmental controls can sign treaties and agreements in order to make the implementation of such procedures official. They can also attempt to have talks with the leaders of other countries and provide support for the successful implementation of environmental controls and regulatory regimes in these countries. Support can be through manpower, delegations, or financial aid in order to help other countries conform to the laws governing environmental concerns. However, countries who do not agree upon the implementation of such controls cannot be forced to consider them (Henri Jornalt, 2010). Serious offenders or countries which are severely damaging the environment can be reprimanded through boycotts from other countries, cutting off of trade, foreign aid, or through other means. However, it is necessary to consider the country’s circumstances before such severe consequences are applied   and talks should be carried out in order to solve such issues (Fuerist Mcallister, 2011). Hence, a global regulatory regime can be applied towards some countries of the world but is extremely difficult to apply on all countries of the world and can be considered impossible to some extent.[1] However, there are manners in which countries can take initiatives as a combined body to help the environmental cause and promote the campaign against environmental harm caused by industries and businesses worldwide (Tessitore et al, 2010). References Abbott, K. (2012) The Transnational Regime Complex for Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Anderson, R. (2010) â€Å"Who Controls the Off-Switch?’ Smart Grid Communications International Conference. 96-101 Antweiler, W., B. Copeland, M.S. Taylor. 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