The Netherlands Essays - Benelux, Netherlands, Western Europe

The Netherlands The Netherlands is low-lying country in western Europe located west of Germany and north of Belgium. According to a 1993 estimate, the Netherlands had a population of 15,224,942. The overall population density was about 449 persons per sq km (about 1162 per sq mi) which makes it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. About 89 percent of the population live in urban areas. The largest cities are Amsterdam (population, 1992 estimate, 713,407), the country's capital; Rotterdam (589,707), one of the world's leading seaports; The Hague (445,287), the nation's seat of government; and Utrecht (232,705), a manufacturing hub. The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, which is spoken throughout the country. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government operating under an 1812 constitution with amendments. The hereditary monarch, who has had little power in running the government since the constitution was revised in 1848, acts as the head of the state while the principal executive official of the country is the prime minister. He is appointed by the monarch and heads a cabinet that is responsible to the States-General (legislature). The Dutch parliament, called the States-General, consists of a First Chamber, composed of 75 members elected to terms of up to six years by the provincial legislatures, and a Second Chamber, made up of 150 members popularly elected to terms of up to four years under a system of proportional representation. Either or both chambers may be dissolved by the monarch on condition that new elections be held within 40 days. The Second Chamber is by far the more important of the two; the First Chamber has little more than a ra rely exercised veto power over the legislative process. The Netherlands uses systems of proportional representation in electing municipal, provincial, and national assemblies. This allows even small political parties to win a seat. In the 1986 Second Chamber elections, for example, more than 25 parties took part and nine won seats. On the national level, the Netherlands has always been governed by coalitions of parties, the formation of which has often proved difficult. However, one such coalition was formed in 1994 between the PvdA (Labor), VVD (Conservative Liberals), and D66 (Social Liberals). The PvdA and VVD are parties that have both been around for quite some time. What made the 1994 election so big was the defeat of the CDA (Christian Democrats) by D66. This combination of parties proved to be quite advantageous to the Netherlands. It was the first government since 1917, when the suffrage was extended to all male adults, without Christian Democrats (Van der Brug 179). During the reign of this coalition, the economy of the Netherlands soared. Consumer spending increased and unemployment decreased to a low of 5 percent in the first quarter of 1998 There is no such doubt about the performance of the Dutch economy. Gross domestic product (GDP) has expanded strongly in the last two years - by 2.7 percent in 1996 and 3.4 per cent in 1997- and analysts expect GDP Growth to be even higher in 1998 (Mottershaw 9). With all of the economic growth that happening in the Netherlands, one would assume that the elections of 1998 would keep the same coalition together. However, in a multiparty system such as the Netherlands, things are never that simple. Governing parties may be collaborating partners in coalition, but, in the run-up to the election they increasingly become opponents competing for votes (Van der Brug 180). This competition for votes is exactly what took place in the 1998 elections. The popularity of the prime minister Wim Kok and his party, PvdA, won the party more seats which were taken from the D66. D66 also gave up some seats to other small parties such as the Socialist Party and the Green Left. The results of this recent election have caused a major stir in the country and around the world. Since the ?purple' coalition was created in 1994 D66 has played a pivotal role, bridging the gap between the two main parties. However, with their seats reduced by nearly half - from 24 to 14 - the party's participation in the ruling coalition is no

buy custom History of Japan essay

buy custom History of Japan essay Japan before Perry, is a short history by Conrad Totman. The book explores the history of Japan. It mainly focuses on Japanese civilization as well as its origin. More specifically, the book analyses themes and patterns of Japanese society in various successive ages. Such ages include classical, medieval as well as modern ages. The book also addresses issues of how Japan society is today. For example, in terms of population, economic and societal transformations, cultural changes as well as the rise of nationhood. Historical happenings are also presented in this book. They include major interpretations of the Japanese history and how it came to be. One major historical incident presented is the rise of Samurais who were being led by a Shogun. Shoguns stared to rule after the war of Gempei war against Minamotos and Tairas. Emperors ceased to rule and were replaced by Shoguns. This historical incident can be traced in the life of Yoshitsune who was a known worrier and contributed in the war against Tairas marking the turning point of the Japanese history. However, he did not earn himself a honorable place in the Samurai government as he fell from glory for various reasons. Therefore, this piece of writing explores reasons as to why Yoshitsune fell from glory exploring various aspects addressed in the book Japan before Perry The flow of Japanese history can be seen in the book. It stipulates that Japan has moved through various epochs of civilizations. More specifically, the author incorporates the happenings in Japan before the intrepid. This was the period in which Uraga lost their dominion in summer 1953. In addition to Kamakura history, the book also analyses other political dynasties such as the Tokugawa. Kamakura: Reasons for Yoshitsunes Fall and the Rise of Shoguns Kamakura is one of the political eras that Conrad Totman highly addresses. Kamakura was under the reign of Yoritomo of Minamotos. During this era, Minamotos used to fight with their key enemy, the Taira. Yoritimo was a bother to Yoritomo who used to act as his deputy. Surprisingly, the two brothers had great differences that made it hard for them to fight together against their enemies. Yoshitsune was a great worrier. He helped to shape the history of Japan. However, by 1192, Yoshitsune had committed suicide. The main cause of his death was because of the rivalry that existed between him and his brother, Yoritomo. Yoritimo and Yoshitsune failed to reach an agreement to work together. This brought a sense of suspicion between the two brothers. Instead of focusing on their key enemy, the Taira, they started to fight with each other. Yoritimo was not happy with the strength of his brother to defeat Tairas on several wars. He felt threatened and started a series of attacks against his brother. Notably, Yoshitsune had great ambitions of taking the lands that were under the control of Yoritimo which previously belonged to his father. Although at a time the two had agreed to work together, the rivalry remained forever. Yoshitsune could not recognize Yoritimo as the head of the clan. Moreover, he could not fight together with his brother. He decided to act alone. He resolve d to fight Taira individually and capture Kyoto before Yoritimo could. Sure enough, he defeated Taira in several battles. However, the rivalry between the two had risen up and Yoritimo was up to eliminating Yoshitsune (Totman, 1981). Yoshitsune was determined to accord himself honor and power. Yoritimo organized an assault at Hiuchiyama by his loyalist Koremori. However, Yoshitsune was aware of the treachery and the planned betrayal and escaped. Yoshitsune stunned Tairas when he defeated tem at the battle of Ichi no tani. With 10,000 men, Taira thought that he could not shake their foundations. To their utter surprise, he threw them into a state of confusion shattering their morale. He took their commander, Antoku and their ships that were anchored at the shore. This cleared the way for other battles for Yoshitsune such as the assault on Yashima. Yoritomo was not happy with Yoshitsune success. He started to take a cautious approach. He spent the rest six months sorting family members who had opposed his leadership. He fought at the battle of Tonamiyama that proved his turning point. He was able to tactfully and skillfully fight the Taira defeating them miserably. The forces were divided leading to heavy losses. He forced them to flee as their clan had been completely demoralized. Taira experienced heavy loss at the battle of Kurikara. They were unable to organize themselves even after several months. In deed, they later found themselves under the siege in Kyoto. They forced the Taira to flee the city marking the end of the rivalry between Minamoto and Taira. After the war of Ichi, Yoshitsune returned to Kyoto where he acted as Yoritomos deputy. While in this place, the rift between the two brothers was evident. He ordered several decrees that led to termination of violence within the territory. Moreover, he forbade drafts and war taxes. Another major evident that there was rivalry between the two bothers is seen when Yoritomo declined to endorse the court titles that were granted to Nariyori by Yoshitsune. He became very irritated when the court went ahead and approved them against his wish. At this time, Yoritomo did not have any form of influence to the court. His deputy, Yoshitsune was responsible for matters related to the court and the decisions they made. However, after the end of Gempei war, Yoritomo was made the Shogun of the clan with the end of the emperor leadership (Totman, 1981). This gave them the license to control court decisions hence control Yoshitsune. In March 1185, he prepared to go to war against Yashima. He prepared a fleet of ships that were to depart at Watanabe. However, during his preparations, he committed one mistake that haunted him later and caused his fall from power. He greatly argued with Kajowara Kagetoki who was one of the retainers of Yoritimo. The point of argument was about the strategy that he was to use in his attack missions at Yoshima. He insisted on sailing on a stormy night despite the condition of the weather. His men declined the orders and only few ships followed him (Totman, 1981). Upon reaching Yoshima, he landed at Shikoku set to start the war. Fortunately, he was later joined by other men who strengthened his army to fight against the Taira. This contributed to their eradication something that later led to establishment of Minamotos power. With the end of the rivalry, Yoritimo was granted the title of Shogun. At a time, Yoshitsune decided to divide his forces into two. One was to pursue Taira while the other was to go to Kamakura to derail the actions of Yaritimo. He wanted to seize the capital as well as the emperor and establish a new court in the north. Unfortunately, the information reached Yaritimo who acted promptly to stop the planned mission. Yukiie was the betrayer as he decided to communicate the planned attacks to Yoritimo. After the mission failed, Yoshitsune decided to take full command of Kyoto. He took the emperor into custody as he set fire in 1184 to the Hojujidono. Yoshitsune fall from the glory was further contributed by the fact that he had differing view points with his brother. He was following traditions by returning the sacred three things to the emperor. Yoritimo as the new leader wanted the sacred thing to be in his possession. This heightened Yoritomos anger and decided to kill him. As the leader of Samurai government, he wanted the three sacred things to stay away from the emperor whose rule had been ended (Totman, 1981). However, Yoshitsune thought that Yoritomo wanted to break the tradition and establish a totally new government (Turnbull, 1998). In deed, he could not understand what his brother was trying to do with the sacred things Although Yoshitsune won several wars, his brother Yoritomo as the leader of the clan declined to award him titles. This may have made him angry and increase the degree of rivalry. For example, after the Dan no Ura and Icho no Tani battles, Yoritimo did not seem to recognize his effort. This may have made Yoshitsune to decide to thwart his leadership. Moreover, Yoritomo refused to allow Yoshitsune to enter Kamaruka when he came accompanied with a prisoner Taita Munemori. Evidently, Yoshitsune noted his brother sense of hostility. He sent a message to Hiromoto, one of Yoritomos counselors. In his letter, he protested his loyalty to Yoritomo and the entire Minamoto family. This marked the beginning of hostility between the two parties as he passed three weeks in the village of Koshigoe. He opted to return to Kyoto. Yoritomo nullified the titles he had given Yoshitsune as the governor of Iyo Yoritomo. This increased suspicion between the two brothers. In deed, Yorimoto decided to get rid of Yoshitsune. He argued that his behaviors had become increasingly treasonous. Yoritomo had commanded Noriyori to expedite the order but he protested on behalf of Yoshitsune something that landed him in exile. This made Yoshitsune to become very careful and always evaded any tricks as he knew his life was in jeopardy. Yoritomo was to be blamed for deteriorating relationship between him with his cousin Yoshinaka and Yoshitsune. This made the two to oppose the future Shogun. Yoritomo had established loyal forces even in Minamoto. While in Kamakura, Yashitsune learned that his life was in danger. He decided to go to Go-Shirakawa to fight with his brother. However, while here with his army, he was attacked by some of the Minamoto clansmen who were loyal to Yaritimo. This made them to abandon their plans of going to the western provinces. While here, another blow hit him, the number of armies who supported him was decreasing day by day. By December, Yaritimo had taken control of his army and even had his name changed. He had also put into custody his mistress Shizuka. However, they were unable to capture him. He decided to go to Mutsu where he met Fujiwara Hidehira who had died and left a will that stated that he should be the next governor of Mutsu. Unfortunately, a conflict broke between Fujiwara and Kamaura authorities something that made Yaritimo to know his whereabouts. On 1189, Yoshitsune and his old friend were help up in Fujiwara Motonatis mansion. Yoshitsune decided to kill his wife and commit suicide. Even in his death, Kujo Kanezane states that Yoshitsune was a great worrier. He had a character that can be admired and praised by generations to come. Conclusion As stipulated above, through the analysis of the life of Yoshitsune and reasons for his fall, one can clearly understand how Shoguns came to be. Yoritomo was the first Shogun after they had fought series of War trying to end the rule of emperors. Totman chronologically analyses various epochs in Japanese history (Totman, 1981). He focuses on establishment of the Shogun and its lineage as well as the changes in the imperial capital. Notably, Kamakura was the centre of action for establishment of the Shoguns. In his view, Kamakura marks an age of political fluidity and cultural dominance. Thus, although Yoshitsune and Yoritomo had great differences, they helped to shape the political history of Japan. Buy custom History of Japan essay

Car Killer

Electricity is always part of our lives in the late 1990's, as GM's efforts to put electric cars on the market are reasonable, as people will start using electric cars as they think . In that way, the car will be a higher model than other models with zero emissions and stylish design, GM EV 1 is ruthless and has no gas and no oil at all. Many people think this car is the answer to the smog problem we are facing, but we will prevent global warming and solve the planet's environmental problems more. At the end there is a murderer. If this murderer is a human being, he will never run. He or she always walks very slowly, but he always keeps up with the victim, regardless of whether he is running or taking a car. This killer is always very creative about killing. Murder is not the same. The murderer like to make it interesting. The murderer finally died in the movie, and the heroes felt they won, but the murderer actually did not die many times, and there was a sequel to the new group. Di fferent stereotypes of the same name Serial killer is a foresightful serial killer. A foresight continuous killer thinks I saw a vision that they heard that sound and ordered murder. For example, David Barkowitz, known as Sam's Son claimed to have killed six young ladies and their boyfriend, as though they had parked in New York's Lovers' alley, and thought that the dog was alive did. In the hole of the wall. His apartment told him to do so. Foresight continuous killers often suffer from serious mental illness. The second type of serial killer is task oriented. The motivation for these serial killers is to eliminate certain types of people. They never saw the vision of listening to that sound or ordering to kill. Instead, they believe that the victims are unwelcome and that they will kill a noble mission. The victims of job-oriented serial killers may be homosexuals, prostitutes, members of a particular religion, or members of a particular race or ethnic group There are two serial k illers, an organizational serial killer and a disorderly serial killer. The systematic serial killer is very smart and has a plot of murder. They usually have murder weapons, they contract, they carefully leave no evidence, but take souvenirs. Some people may also leave trademarks or exceptional clues to discard the detectives. Psychiatric patients are usually systematic continuous killers. Psychiatric patients usually know the difference between right and wrong. On the other hand, an unorganized serial killer kills people whenever there is a chance; they are cluttered, leaving clues like fingerprints, blood, and even semen. Psychiatric continuous killers are often confused with crime and are more likely to be arrested. These serial killers are often not in contact with society.

Tabacco use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tabacco use - Essay Example 250 billion this has outpaced the growth in national income and foreseeable future. Tobacco is mostly used by the young generation or the youth in the community. This population are the most focused group that have become addicts of the use of tobacco. The role of population in the community depends highly on upon the goals of the initiative, the context and leadership of the community, and the capabilities and resources available. T population is responsible for development aspects that address long term needs and promotes the community development. This would require a long term outlook on drug usage as well as paying particular attention to the group in the early years. Integrators role is not one size fits all, but rather must be flexible to adapt in response to the needs of the needs of the community or population it serves (McGuire, Leypoldt & Ward, 2007). The population availability is important to be considered since they provide basis for research of the effects of usage of tobacco I the community. With the growing population the government of the USA has passed the health care reform bill that have created incentives for health care organizations to manage more health and financial risks that are associated with the use of tobacco in the society. Discussion The youth group are found beyond any boundaries of any community therefore they exist within the available neighbourhood. But in some areas there are geographic boundaries that separate these communities, but the only thing that makes the difference is the difference in the state regulation within these geographical boundaries. The group’s characteristics do not change despite the geographical boundary. This community is not limited to any setting since the state regulation lies within the US statutes therefore the effect of limit is not available. The group of teenagers that are highly involved in the use of tobacco are located in Miami in Florida since it is a beach that is more exposed to drug importation. Community assessment can be done at any time and to some extend the community need assessment so to provide local stakeholders with the information they need to prioritize their most pressing needs and to identify approaches to address the available concerns. The population of the Miami was found to be 399,457 in 2012 compared 362,563 in 2000. This has indicted a population increase of 10.2% from 2000 to 2012. When discussing the demographic of the community it is important to consider the language that is being spoken in the discussed community. There are 25% of people speaking English, 67% speaking Spanish, while 46.7% are married. Understanding the community requires basic demographic results, many of which are available in the US Bureau of the census. The comparison of this population within the periods will enable the community to assess short term trends in the age and distribution of the available resources in the society. To assess the community values you are as well required to have an up-to-date profile of the community. The data available should be able to compare city level information. After identification of key questions that regards the geographical boundaries of a community it is important to answer through the community needs assessment, considering the best data collection option that can be used to verify

Israel's Right to Nuclear Weapons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Israel's Right to Nuclear Weapons - Essay Example The persecution reached a peak in Adolf Hitler's Final Solution, which led to the Holocaust and the slaughter of approximately 6 million Jews from 1939 to 1945† . In Holocaust the persecution and genocide was accomplished in stages. Legislation to remove the Jews from civil society was enacted years before the outbreak of World War II. Where the Third Reich conquered new territory in Eastern Europe and Russia, ghettos were established to contain and marginalize Jewish communities. Specialized units called Einsatzgruppen murdered large numbers of Jews and political opponents in mass shootings and mobile gassing units. In countries occupied by the Nazis, Jews were interned before being deported to death camps, often crammed into freight cars and transported hundreds of miles by rail, then killed in gas chambers. These historical events had its impact on the building of â€Å"collective insecurity psyche† of Jews. And that was the time when Jews decided that â€Å"(they sh ould) act in such a way that the Jews who died in the gas chambers would be the last Jews to die without defending themselves.† To add to the above building sense of insecurity when Israel was declared as independent state May 14, 1948 in the heart land of Arab dominated region, none of the Arab Countries liked the situation. Resultantly Egypt, Jordan, Syra, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invaded but failed to achieve success. In 1949 separate armistice was made with each state in which Jordan occupied the West Bank and Egypt occupied Gaza. Therefore, Israel was made to realize stark reality of existential intolerance of its neighbours. In 1956 during the Suez crisis Israel made tremendous success against Egypt and its allies, Britain and France not only failed in the operation but

Rama as an Empire Builder Essay -- essays research papers

Rama as an Empire Builder The story of the Ramayana reminds me much of the hard times that USA is in today. I see many similarities between Rama and the USA. Rama is a warrior against evil, and so the United States are claiming. He creates a strong army, which fights by his side until the end. He has allies that contains people such as Sugreeva whom he helped to retain his kingdom from his evil brother. So Sugreeva felt a strong feeling of loyalty towards Rama and it made him fight to the end by Rama’s side. Loyalty is the most important characteristics that an army can have. The ideological stand point here is good vs. evil. Rama and his allies are the good battling against evil. Rama had allies who understood his cause and went in to fight with him to the end. Since Rama was a hum...

Barriers Essay

When attending college withers a new student or old, there will be barriers in the way. These roadblocks can appear in various ways during a student’s career in college. The barriers can be anything from money, or attendance, and even time management. The key is to recognize the walls and overcome them to succeed. First, issue for many students is money. It’s not cheap to attend college, but colleges have many ways of helping out their students. One way, is students can obtain grants from various places. Grants are checks that students can use and don’t have to pay back the money. On the other hand, there’re loans which is money a student can use, but has to pay it back. Another, important source of money is scholarships. Scholarships work like grants but students have to earn them and have to meet certain requirements to keep them. An alternative way from student aid is to pay out of pocket for school, so like work wages or maybe an allowance. Just keep in mind there are a lot of options to help pay for college so don’t let finances be a oadblock. Second, mountain in the road is attendance. Always show up for class and on time attendance is very important college as well as life. Students who attend class on regular bases have a better chance of passing the class than those who don’t. Also, colleges have stipulations when it comes to attendance too, if a student misses too many days of class than the college can kick the student out. This rule applies for tardiness as well show up to late too many times and the students gone. Lastly, showing up to class helps getting good grades which can lead to getting scholarships. Finally, a big barrier in the way to success in college is time management. If students don’t learn how to balance a work load and a course load then college is going to a rough time. Second, a student must put some time back for studying without study time student won’t pass classes. Besides, work and class time there also transportation that can hinder time. It is always good to know when to get to ollege and how to get there; by bus, a car, and possibly a friend. That ride it takes to get to school factors in as time management how long will take to arrive at school. Before a student attends college learn some time management skills and it will be a lot easier to balance a schedule. One can deduce that there are many different roadblocks in the way to success in college. Don’t let the barriers win Just recognize them and overcome the barriers. Stay focus on studies and earn the degree to become a proud college graduate.