Sunday, July 26, 2020
Fun things to do while bored this summer
Fun things to do while bored this summer Do you ever have those days where youre just bored out of your mind? Thatâs normal, but Iâm here to suggest some things to do to shake off the boringness. Hereâs a list! Leave your living space! ~ What are you doing just sitting there? Go out and explore your campus! You arent paying all that money just to stay in your dorm/apartment. Im sure you can find something fun to do while seeking new adventures. Try a new local restaurant ~ Lets face it: sometimes when were bored we go straight for the food. Some local favorites in Champaign include Destihl, Chopstix, and Scottyâs! Read ~ It can be any bookâ"even a comic book! Jam out to some new songs! ~ New songs are constantly being released. Who knows, maybe youâll discover a new favorite song or even an interesting genre. The possibilities are endless! I know these arenât major things to do to get out of a slump of boringness, but it may help! Have a great rest of your summer, Illini! college summer Nisha Class of 2022 The first time I visited Illinois, I knew that it was the school for me! I am on the pre-med track, majoring in Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Friday, May 22, 2020
Sonnets 18 and 130 Defending and Defying the Petrarchan...
Sonnets 18 and 130: Defending and Defying the Petrarchan Convention During the Renaissance, it was common for poets to employ Petrarchan conceit to praise their lovers. Applying this type of metaphor, an author makes elaborate comparisons of his beloved to one or more very dissimilar things. Such hyperbole was often used to idolize a mistress while lamenting her cruelty. Shakespeare, in Sonnet 18, conforms somewhat to this custom of love poetry, but later breaks out of the mold entirely, writing his clearly anti-Petrarchan work, Sonnet 130. In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare employs a Petrarchan conceit to immortalize his beloved. He initiates the extended metaphor in the first line of the sonnet by posing the rhetoricalâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Although Shakespeare appears to be conforming, he still elevates his work above the exhausted conventions of other Elizabethan sonneteers. Instead of objectifying his lover through trite comparisons, he declares that she is too beautiful and pleasant to be compared even to a day of the most enjoyable season of the year. While most consider the realm of nature to be eternal and that of humans to be transitory, Shakespeare accentuates the death of a season and imbues his sweetheart with everlasting life. He ingeniously inverts the scheme of things in order to grant his love perpetual existence through his poetry. Unlike Sonnet 18, Shakespeare utterly abandons the poetic convention of Petrarchan conceit in Sonnet 130. In this poem, Shakespeare denies his mistress all of the praises Renaissance poets customarily attributed to their lovers. The first quatrain is filled exclusively with the Shakespeares seeming insults of his mistress. While Sir Thomas Wyatt authors a poem entitled Avising the Bright Beams of These Fair Eyes, in the first line of Sonnet 130, Shakespeare affirms that his mistresss eyes are nothing like the sun. John Wootton, in a poem published in Englands Helicon, boasts that his love has lips like scarlet of the finest dye, but in Sonnet 130 , Shakespeare is sure that his beloveds lips are not nearly quite as red as coral (11; 2). Michael Drayton, in his poem, To His Coy Love, begs his lover, Show me no more those snowy
Friday, May 8, 2020
Much Madness Is Divinest Sense - 963 Words
Amelia Hughes ENG 102 November 21, 2012 Much Madness is divinest Sense Emily Dickinson is was a talented and unique poet; some might even call her strange or mad. This poem, in a way, represents her life that was far from what was considered normal. In the 1800s, a certain type of behavior was expected from people, especially from women. Women cooked, cleaned, and nurtured their families, while under the control of men. It was not looked upon well when women strayed from this status quo. Emily Dickinson did, and this poem demonstrates this rebellion. This poem is short in length, like most of Emily Dickinson s other poems. It contains the use of perfect rhymes, imperfect rhymes, and end rhymes. An example of the perfect rhyme isâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬Å"Perhaps Dickinson was negatively referring to being ââ¬Å"handledâ⬠or controlled by marriage, or worse, in an insane asylumâ⬠(Victoriana Online). This seems to be the central focus or message of this poem; escaping the chains of men, society, or anything else that restricts a person from being themselves. Emily Dickinson was a very important poet of the nineteenth century, even though she did not have any of her poems published under her name until after her death. She did have some published anonymously and she put poems in letters to her friends after her isolation. Dickinson s writing obviously did not stop at this though. ââ¬Å"Upon her death, Dickinson s family discovered 40 handbound volumes of nearly 1800 of her poems, or fascicles as they are sometimes calledâ⬠(Poets Online). She wrote all of these poems for herself with seemingly no intent to get rich or famous off of them, but just to use her intelligence or express her emotions that could not be expressed during this time period. ââ¬Å"Much Madness is divinest Senseâ⬠is a very good representation of Emily Dickinson and her life; it was full of intelligence, creativity, and rebellion. Emily Dickinson did not assent with the majority, she demurred and created her own status quo. Works Cited ââ¬Å"Emily Dickinson.â⬠Poets.org: From the Academy of American Poets. Copyright 1997-2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/155 Dickinson, Emily,Show MoreRelated`` Much Madness Is The Divinest Sense `` By Emily Dickinson1086 Words à |à 5 Pagespervasive themes of immortality, death, and madness in her poems that would canonize her as an indelible American character. In ââ¬Å"Much Madness is the divinest Sense,â⬠Dickinson emphatically establishes a theme of madness within the context of the poem. This poem is rather difficult to read and not feel that it is inspirited by Dickinsonââ¬â¢s own life of reclusion, which many have presented as a symptom of her insanity. ââ¬Å"Much Madness is the divinest Senseâ⬠discombobulates the notion of whatââ¬â¢s crazyRead MoreSummary Of Emily Dickinsons Much Madness Is Divinest Sense1048 Words à |à 5 Pagesof madness is its inherent lack of a coherent logical basis and a stable, fixed image. Whether in life, on screen, or in print, madnessââ¬âthat concept that minds under the strain of neurological disease lack discernment and orderââ¬âstruggles and ultimately fails in all its vagueness to establish not only the line at which a person becomes mad, but what happens to their mind and personhood once they cross that imagined threshold. In Emily Dickinsonââ¬â¢s poem beginning, ââ¬Å "Much Madness is divinest Sense,â⬠theRead More Analysis of Much Madness is Divinest Sense by Emily Dickinson941 Words à |à 4 PagesIn Much Madness is divinest Sense (435), a definition poem, Emily Dickinson criticizes societys inability to accept rebellion, arguing that the majority is the side that should in fact be considered mad. The perception of madness and insanity are a common theme among Dickinsons poetry, as she fought against societys tainted view of herself as crazy. She focuses on how judgmental society is on non conformist views when she describes the majority as discerning (line 2). As similar to mostRead MoreCompare And Contrast Emily Dickinson And Much Madness Is Divinest Sense1404 Words à |à 6 Pagesââ¬Å"After great pain, a formal feeling comes.â⬠, and the objection that an outsider faces through the critical eye of society in her poem ââ¬Å"Much Madness is Divinest Senseâ⬠. Emily Dickinson created a paradigm of unconventional poetry sett ing a solid foundation for writers to come. Dickinsonââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"After great pain, a formal feeling comesâ⬠and her poem ââ¬Å"Much Madness is divinest senseâ⬠are two different yet similar poems that share common themes of solitude. Dickinsonââ¬â¢s use of imagery and diction create the idealRead MoreKnowledge and Individual Power974 Words à |à 4 PagesKnowledge and Individual power ââ¬Å"Knowledge is Powerâ⬠one of the most famous educational quotes to this day. Three poems, ââ¬Å"Crazy Courageâ⬠by Alma Villanueva, ââ¬Å"Theme for English Bâ⬠by Langston Hughes and ââ¬Å"Much Madness is Divinest Senseâ⬠by Emily Dickinson, convey an idea or a certain knowledge that an individual possesses that is essential to a persons individual power. Though the three poems express the same ideas they express them through different methods. These ideas and methods that the threeRead MoreCrazy Courage Essay590 Words à |à 3 Pageslooking down on them and branding them as different. [continues] ââ¬Å"Knowledge is Powerâ⬠one of the most famous educational quotes to this day. Three poems, ââ¬Å"Crazy Courageâ⬠by Alma Villanueva, ââ¬Å"Theme for English Bâ⬠by Langston Hughes and ââ¬Å"Much Madness is Divinest Senseâ⬠by Emily Dickinson, convey an idea or a certain knowledge that an individual possesses that is essential to a persons individual power. Though the three poems express the same ideas they express them through different methods. These ideasRead More`` Bartleby, The Scrivener, And Harlan Ellison s `` Repent, Harlequin !1256 Words à |à 6 Pagesgood sense of judgement because they are too perceptive to the world around them. In Herman Melvilleââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Bartleby, the Scrivenerâ⬠and Harlan Ellisonââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å" ââ¬ËRepent, Harlequin!ââ¬â¢ Said the Ticktockmanâ⬠the principal characters are ostracized by the societyââ¬â¢s they live in for this very reason. Being that both of the characters are mindful enough to r ebel against what society expects of them, they can be perceived as exhibiting a form of ââ¬Å"divinest senseâ⬠. When one looks at the phrase ââ¬Å"divinest senseâ⬠theyRead MoreGender And Its Effect On Society973 Words à |à 4 Pagesin ââ¬Å"Inannaâ⬠gives power to people who have felt as if their gender holds a restriction against them. As well does ââ¬Å"Hills like White Elephantsâ⬠, for the emotion spectrum that lays within stereotypical roles of men and women are flipped. ââ¬Å"Much Madness is Divinest Senseâ⬠reflects that difference is commonly rejected and how many fear to be free from thought. Awareness of the deeper meaning to writing is a reflection on the connection one has experienced to the work. Writes such as Enheduanna, DickinsonRead MoreOrigins of Madness in Humans Essay1251 Words à |à 6 Pagesocean of madness. Historically, madness had become a common occurrence with women due to several stress factors they must endure on a daily basis: finding a husband, baring children, raising children, find a suitable job, retaining femininity, and more. Aut hors Charlotte Gilman and Jhumpa Lahiri explored the psyche of two women who were facing very stressful situations. Gilmanââ¬â¢s The Yellow-Wallpaper, introduces her readers to an unnamed nineteenth century woman who is slowly falling into madness. TheRead MoreEmily Dickinson s Death And Made1091 Words à |à 5 Pagesit be in dark poems with beautiful meanings, or refreshing poems that are uplifting. Emily Dickinson did not live what seemed to be an adventurous or lively life. Many people thought of her as a recluse because she did not get out much. However, she wrote with so much knowledge of adventure and experience which not one person thought happened to her. She was able to come up with such vivid moments, ones where it were as if she dealt with them herself. This shows that either she had amazing and compelling
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Celebrity Status Free Essays
Celebrity Status ââ¬Å"Everything I do need a news crewââ¬â¢s presenceâ⬠ââ¬â kanye west. Think back to the early years and recall the one role model that was looked up to the most go ahead might have to go back as far as childhood. Ok got that amazing individual in mind? Now is that somebody a person who had a lifestyle in luxury, fascinates the media and the influences the public on day-to-day basis? (Commonly denoted as an individual with fame and fortune), implied with great popular appeal, prominence in a particular field, and is easily recognized by the public or also known as a celebrity or celeb. We will write a custom essay sample on Celebrity Status or any similar topic only for you Order Now Known fact most role models are celebrities but why? Celebrities are on TV, front page of magazines, and have their names big and bold in newspapers. Every time they turn their head or scratch their nose itââ¬â¢s going to make the headlines and believe it or not things that small from people with big reputation have a huge impact on the public people. Celebs are bad role models because they effect children, families, and can give the wrong meaning of celebrity status. Children the offspring, the next generation need to grow up healthy and with a excellent mental state and not a fantasy trying to copy the latest and greatest movie actor out. he child needs to be an individual meaning one person as him/herself, ââ¬Å"selfhoodâ⬠. Who knows the child could be a genius and invent something great that could be helpful for the future, but never know because they are to influenced by their celebrity role model. Having celebrities as role models can also throw a good chance of bad be havior in children for example lindsay lohan she effected thousands of young girls with then good girl gone bad incident made national back in 2004 after she made the movie mean girls then later got caught stealing and no penalties were issued. As a role model she portrayed that stealing was ok and being bad is cool plus you just canââ¬â¢t act bad, you have to be bad! It was just that easy to set the mind of a child off track and to follow the footsteps of a ââ¬Å"role modelâ⬠. As children get older the role model gets older and will still try to do everything they see their role model do because they think it cool or want to be just like them no matter what the action is going from sex all the way to drugs. Drugs are likely to be used before age twenty six by young adults, but when celebrities use drugs it raises the chances even more with teenagers when celebrities are caught red handed by he media. It gives the wrong impression because the whole incident turns into a phenomenon ââ¬Å"what drug did she/he useâ⬠ââ¬Å"how long has she/he been using itâ⬠it becomes more a reward then punishment because there are now the biggest topic of the month and really miss the point that person made a mistake in l ife and is now addicted when they needed to be taking out of the spotlight so child viewers donââ¬â¢t think twice of making that mistake; but its not that easy. It also gives the impression that everything will be perfectly using drugs and life goes on perfect example Charlie sheen. when Charlie got fired from two and a half men then left for rehab he came back the same man that left but came back with a hit catch phrase duh winning and was offered heââ¬â¢s job back plus endorsements. Celebrities that use drugs are a easy way to influence children to experiment and use drugs so why let them take it that far? The celebrity doesnââ¬â¢t care about their effect on children but their own. Family is the group of people who are willing to do anything for each other and wonââ¬â¢t let anything between, so why let a celebrity ruin that? Celebrity role models effect families nationwide by giving the wrong message all the time; like its ok to live young wild and free or better like the new saying of 2012 Yolo so popular it made it to the dictionary. (yo-lo) you only live once. If a role model says itââ¬â¢s ok ââ¬Å"Yoloâ⬠itââ¬â¢s just the same as saying its ok to do anything crazy, itââ¬â¢s ok go head live fast because you once live once (Yolo). That saying is being promoted by celebrities and itââ¬â¢s pretty scary. kids have a reason to do something crazy and then are sent to the grave and left mom and dad to mourn the day with the feeling that life will never be the same. A role model should be a positive person and have nothing but good intentions Like a super hero and doesnââ¬â¢t want to harm anyone or do drugs also would lead by example those are true role models. No matter if theyââ¬â¢re popular or not that role model will always be above celebrity status! How to cite Celebrity Status, Essay examples
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
The Road free essay sample
Story Living in a post-apocalyptic world would leave one feeling terrified, alone, and on the brink of going mad, but it is hard to imagine these feelings to the actual extent. In the book The Road, McCarthy is able to draw the readers in for them to experience the real emotions of living in a post-apocalyptic world. The readers are able to feel this fear and realness because McCarthy impersonalizes the two main characters and clearly depicts the differences of life before and after the traumatic experience. When speaking about the two main characters in the book, McCarthy uses no names. The small boy is referred to as ââ¬Å"the boyâ⬠and the father of the small boy is referred to as ââ¬Å"the man. â⬠The author described these characters in such a vague way in order to make the readers stray away from thinking that this experience is unique only for the man and the boy. We will write a custom essay sample on The Road or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The reader can now understand that this could happen to anybody. Now the reader can put himself/herself into this role and experience every emotion and experiences to the fullest extent. Also, by giving little description of the characters, the reader can now focus on the relationship of the man and boy as a whole rather than on each separate character. The relationship intensifies the feeling for the readers and allows them to be a part of the bond between the boy and the man. The unknown details about the main characters, ironically, draw the reader in and allow him/her to experience the setting and relationships more thoroughly. Often in the story, there are anecdotes or objects found that make the characters think about the pre-apocalyptic world. The man and the boy visit the house they once lived in. The familiarity of the house sparks memories of their old life. The reader can now compare their house to the manââ¬â¢s house and realize how scary it would be to see their house in such a negative way. Also, the man and the boy find a coke in the beginning of the story. The man explains how that soda is probably the last soda they will ever see. The rarity of a soda puts things in perspective. In normal society, having a soda is a normal occurrence. The readers can now imagine that other regular occurrences in their life that they enjoy would also become an infrequent happening. The comparison that McCarthy makes between the pre-apocalyptic world and the post-apocalyptic world gives the reader the ability to vividly imagine this drastic change of lifestyle. McCarthy is able to paint out, not only, a story, but a dramatic experience. The reader is able to actually live through and feel the emotions of this strange world. They understand how alone and terrified the boy and the man felt throughout their journey. The emotional connection with the story that the readers have is reached with the unique way the author writes and tells this story.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
The Snuff Bottle
The Snuff Bottle In The Snuff Bottle, acts of theft result into levels of unavoidable revenge with several themes being illustrated by the author. The Setting of the story is in a village where poverty and crime seem to thrive. The struggles of survival are depicted as different family members strain to make ends meet. This analysis gives a detailed coverage of the themes portrayed by the writer which include poverty, crime, violence and revenge.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Snuff Bottle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More After the boy has recovered, he looks around and realizes that he is in hermitââ¬â¢s house. He does a through search of the house, from bookcases to bundles of medicinal herbs. After a moment, the boy discovers bottles which draw his attention, spotting a unique two-inch-high bottle, covered with mud. His curiosity to know the content of the bottle overrules him and decides to hide as he makes his way after of the house. This marks the start of crime and violence in the story. He stills the bottle from hermitââ¬â¢s house. The author also introduces Liu Yun whom he says that though he looked innocent, he was behind all forms of mischief in the village (Ying 49). This shows how young people get introduced to criminal behavior like stealing of books. Although Yun is only three years than the boy, he extremely likes girls in the village. His mischievous behavior had ruined his dream and failed to finish school. As a result, he spends most of his time drinking, smoking, singing dirty songs and hanging in the streets (Ying 49). As the story progresses, we learn about the disappearance of cigarettes from the factory and the police are out man-hunting those behind the crime. According to workers at the factory, they had witnessed a group of young boys break into the factory. The boyââ¬â¢s mother warns that they are likely to be captured and jailed if they didnââ¬â¢t own up their evil deeds. At the mention of this, the boy affirms that he was not part of the gang but Li whom he says that he was behind the whole idea of stealing cigarettes from the factory (Ying 52). After investigations, the culprits are captured and it turns out clearly that they did not steal cigarettes alone but everything else they laid their hands on. Similarly, Liuââ¬â¢s visit at the boyââ¬â¢s home ends up violently when they reach the pond site. Although he never read books, he claims to have come to borrow books. As they are walking towards the pond, Liu pushes the boy bullishly from behind, causing him to land on the muddy ground and have his clothes socked in water and books covered with mud (Ying 53). The boy responds by hitting him back although it is not enough to make him lose his stability. Towards the end of the story, Liu and Big Brother and caught by Public Security officers for being in possession of criminal evidence (Ying 61). They are taken in custody as the boy is lef t with the responsibility of taking care of their mother. They are tried and Big Brother is found guilty of serious crimes including suicide attempt. As result, the judge passes a death sentence for Big Brother while Liu is sentenced to labor reform camp.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, poverty is seen throughout the narration. The story begins with a boy who has fainted and finds himself in hermitââ¬â¢s house who serves a healer. When he becomes conscious he easily identifies where he was from the stack of yellowing books and medicinal pungent smell. The author mentions that the place is only visited by the sick who never consider going back after getting better, a fact that never stops the hermit from serving them. The description of the house depicts poverty which has affected most people in the village. The old man who rescues the boy li ves in a dark house with tattered wallpapers (Ying 50). Additionally, the house is full of furniture which has old varnish that only existed in cracks. Many people trust the old man as their healer regardless of his living standards and stinking house. He is intercepted time and again on the road to examine and diagnose sick people in the village. He however hates hospitals and has a negative attitude towards them. Additionally, Big Brotherââ¬â¢s description of the familyââ¬â¢s financial status demonstrates how poverty has found its way in the family and rooted in the society. Big Brother spends most of his time taking care of other peopleââ¬â¢s children and laundry. He confesses that it was not his wish but it was away of making ends meet. He notes that they were only left with their fatherââ¬â¢s wages and pension which was not enough to meet their daily needs (Ying 49). As a single man who wishes to marry in future, Big Brother understands that money was paramount for him to think of marriage. Poverty is further manifested through the kind of meals served. The boyââ¬â¢s mother serves him with soya beans without oil which she considers to be expensive. This illustrates the low quality of meals which the family survives on. Additionally, family members have to carry mats and bamboo beds outside after every dinner in order to allow houses to cool to reasonable temperatures to allow sleep (Ying 54). The description of this scenario depicts a case of poverty facing the society. The author notes that the boyââ¬â¢s mother had a close eye on him, monitoring his single move. She always went along supervising his homework, his time to be in and out of bed, meals and visiting the toilet. The boy further remembers their dad who used to take them fishing and make them laugh especially when he was in his highest spirit (Ying 53). The boyââ¬â¢s mother gets touched so much when the boy comes back with a bleeding noise caused by Liu. She nurses him gentl y although the boy is not willing to mention his attacker. However, it turns out clearly that there is a game of vengeance that ties the boy, Liu and Big Brother.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Snuff Bottle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More After Liu has injured the boy, his mother notes that Big Brother was not going to spare him (Ying 53). Although Big Brother has not mentioned anything about the evening when he had gone out to discipline Liu for hurting his brother, the boy knew that the encounter must have been quite ugly. The theme of revenge is also seen from the relationship between the boy and the old hermit. While the boy is having fun at the beach, he comes stealthy and grabs him painfully, causing him to scream. He does this out of a clear conscience that it was the boy who had stolen his bottle. In general, the story carries a wide range of themes which revolve around the lifestyle of villagers in Ch ina. Work Cited Ying, Hong. Another Kind of Paradise: Short Stories from the New Asia-Pacific. Shanghai, China: Cheng Tsui, 2009. Print.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries
The Economic Struggles of Landlocked Countries If a country is landlocked, it is likely to be poor. In fact, most countries that lack coastal access are among the worldââ¬â¢s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and their inhabitants occupy the ââ¬Å"bottom billionâ⬠tier of the worlds population in terms of poverty.* Outside Europe, there is not a single successful, highly developed, landlocked country when measured with theà Human Development Indexà (HDI), and most of the countries with the lowest HDI scores are landlocked. Export Costs Are High Theà United Nationsà has an Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States. The UN-OHRLLS holds the view that high transport costs due to distance and terrain detract from landlocked countriesââ¬â¢ competitive edge for exports.à Landlocked countries that do attempt to participate in the global economy must contend with the administrative burden of transporting goods through neighboring countries or must pursue costly alternatives to shipping, such as air-freight. The Wealthiest Landlocked Countries However, despite the challenges that most landlocked countries face, a few of the worldââ¬â¢s wealthiest countries, when measured by GDP per capita (PPP), happen to be landlocked, including: Luxembourg ($92,400)Liechtenstein ($89,400)Switzerland ($55,200)San Marino ($55,000)Austria ($45,000)Andorra ($37,000) Strong and Stable Neighbors There are several factors that have contributed to the success of these landlocked countries. First, they are simply more geographically fortunate than most other landlocked countries by virtue of being located in Europe, where no country is very far from a coast. Furthermore, the coastal neighbors of these wealthy countries enjoy strong economies, political stability, internal peace, reliable infrastructure and friendly relations across their borders. Luxembourg, for example, is well-connected to the rest of Europe by roads, railways, and airlines and can count on being able to export goods and labor through Belgium, the Netherlands, and France almost effortlessly. In contrast, Ethiopiaââ¬â¢s nearest coasts are across borders with Somalia and Eritrea, which are usually beset with political turmoil, internal conflict, and poor infrastructure. The political boundaries that separate countries from coasts are not as meaningful in Europe as they are in the developing world. Small Countries Europeââ¬â¢s landlocked powerhouses also benefit from being smaller countries with longer legacies of independence. Nearly all of the landlocked countries of Africa, Asia, and South America were at one time colonized by European powers that were attracted to their vast size and plentiful natural resources. Even when they gained independence, most landlocked economies remained dependent on natural resource exports. Tiny countries like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Andorra do not have the option of relying on natural resource exports, so they have invested heavily in their financial, technology, and service sectors. To remain competitive in these sectors, wealthy landlocked countries invest heavily in the education of their populations and enact policies that encourage business. International companies like eBay and Skype maintain European headquarters in Luxembourg because of its low taxes and friendly business climate. Poor landlocked countries, on the other hand, have been known to invest very little into education, sometimes in order to protect authoritarian governments, and they are plagued by corruption that keeps their populations poor and bereft of public services ââ¬â all of which precludes international investment. Helping Landlocked Countries While it may appear that geography has condemned many landlocked countries to poverty, efforts have been made to soften the limitations posed by a lack of sea-access through policy and international cooperation. In 2003, the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries on Transit Transport Cooperation was held inà Almaty, Kazakhstan. Participants designed a Program of Action, recommending that landlocked countries and their neighbors, Reduce customs processes and fees to minimize costs and transport delaysImprove infrastructure with respect to existing preferences of local transport modes, with a focus of roads in Africa and rail in South AsiaImplement preferences for landlocked countriesââ¬â¢ commodities to boost their competitiveness in the international marketEstablish relationships between donor countries with landlocked and transit countries for technical, financial, and policy improvements Were these plans to succeed, politically-stable, landlocked countries could feasibly overcome their geographical barriers, as Europeââ¬â¢s landlocked countries have done. * Paudel. 2005, p. 2.
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