Why are developed countries allowed to sell weapons to undeveloped countries? Why is it legal to commercialise the defense industry? Isn't this morally wrong? Aren't we making money out of the blood that is being spilled from these weapons?
Starting with your second point: If Iran would like to stop developing a nuclear weapons capability and get into selling conventional arms and equipment, the world would have no complaint.As for the substance of the question, I would first respond by asking instead, Why are "undeveloped" countries allowed to buy weapons? Are such countries not allowed to defend their sovereignty and unity, to enforce their laws and defend their human or civil rights, or to protect their citizens against brigands, pirates, terrorists or other threats? Are they not allowed to begin the development processes in all of these areas, because they have no means of defense or maintaining order?One answer grabs hold of the statistics on the international trade in arms and equipment, as if to prove perhaps how awful the sales side of the problem is. That answer is bogus. These statistics combine big-ticket, high-technology arms sales to wealthy countries and smaller contracts to sell basic communications and mobility equipment and support and advisory services to the smaller, less-affluent nations. Official sales by most nations are based on policy and legal considerations. The United States, for one example, has a very tight, rigid legal/regulatory system¹ to control what arms and equipment may be exported from the USA to other countries, and the system's criteria are adjusted according to the needs of each recipient and the threat they face.The US and other countries have long sought to create an international law regime of regulations governing the international traffic in arms. The United Nations, this year, adopted "a multilateral treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons."² The lists of countries supporting, opposing and abstaining is instructive.² In the US, the adoption came under fire from the gun lobby -- See UN Small Arms Treaty: Do you agree with using the UN to subordinate the Second Amendment? ¹ Directorate of Defense Trade Controls International Traffic in Arms Regulations US Commerce Dept's Export Administration Regulations Page on Doc ² Arms Trade Treaty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm...
What is the best way to sell film ideas to the industry?
This may not be the answer you are looking for, but the best way is to develop ideas yourself into full scripts, get an agent, and start shopping the ready-to-shoot screenplay.There are more ideas out there now than Hollywood has time to produce. And as a whole studios are not very big on taking new ideas and doing anything with them. Too risky.Safe movies, from a production point-of-view, already have a built-in audience that is interested in seeing this film. That includes remakes, sequels, or using an original source (e.g. a book or comic) into a movie.The remaining scripts come mostly from directors who write their own work, so no help to you, and the handful of scripts bought on spec from talented screenwriters struggling to get into the market.No one has interest in an undeveloped idea, except maybe these penniless screenwriters trying to produce new scripts for this tiny slice of the market. They are not really a market you will have much luck targeting with your business plan of selling ideas.
The Protection Dog vs Natural Guard Dog debate (will a dog naturally protect its owner?)?
Most pet dogs will NOT naturally protect their owners: Fact. Anyone who disagrees with this is kidding themselves. The most a pet dog owner can expect of their dog is for it to give a warning bark at the approach of a stranger. These people who swear their dogs will protect them from attack? Have they ever had their dog tested for courage? I very much doubt it. Most untrained dogs when faced with a threat from a stranger will turn tail. Many women have been raped or even killed whilst out walking with their large dogs and not so long ago a woman was raped and left for dead while her two large dogs sat and watched the whole thing going on. A dog nipping someone in the backside is NOT protection , neither is hysterical barking. A fear biter dog is not protection. People misread their dogs intentions, or decipher them wrongly. Very rarely do you hear of an untrained dog actually protecting an owner from a full blown assault. They are few and far between. We all like to think out pet dogs adore us and will give their lives for us but its just not realistic to expect this of an animal that is from birth, conditioned to be friendly to humans and never bite or show aggression towards them, and then suddenly become its owners bodyguard in times of trouble. Only Rin-Tin-Tin and Lassie did things like that! A PPD has to possess the right temperament to be trained in such work and these dogs are not your average run of the mill bred dogs. They also cost a lot to train and to purchase, depending on what grade they are trained up to. A dog will always put its own interests and safety first, unless trained to do otherwise. Jmo. More info about attacks on women walking their dogs>>>>>http://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=sea...
How do archaeologist get funding for projects?
Archaeologists in academia are funded primarily through grants. In the US, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is one such public grant agency. The amounts funded are typically fairly small, however the archaeologist gets to choose what he wants to research and where. In contract, archaeologists in the private sector are typically funded through contracts from developers or land management agencies (like the Bureau of Land Management) who are required to comply with environmental protection laws. In these cases, the archaeologist does not get to choose where he works, but funding is significantly more generous, often involving dozens of people for months of field work. If you are writing about professional archaeologists, I advise that you contact one and go talk to them. You will learn in one hour more than you ever could on the internet and your writing will be much stronger.
What are the benefits of international free trade in developing countries?
Think of it as selling lemonade in a cul-de-sac as opposed to selling it on a busy street. Tons more customers on the street, right? International free trade means that developing countries don't only get to sell to their neighboring third-world countries anymore, but to the entire "rich" world.
What would sell the idea of hybridizing golf courses with disc golf for both sportsman to play?
Nothing.The golfers do not want disc players on their course.If you want a beautifully manicured 7,000 yard disc course, you’ll need to find some investor willing to invest 100 million or so to buy 150 acres of land and develop it. And then you’ll need to invest a million or more in upkeep every year. And you’ll need to charge your disc players somewhere between 30 and 100 dollars for their round.The ONLY way you could convince golfers to allow their golf course to be used for disc golf is if doing so lowered their costs. So for example, on Mondays when most private clubs are closed, if they allowed disc golfers on the course for $200 a round, that money would offset the course costs and lower the fees for the golfers. Good luck finding disc golfers willing to pay those prices though.Any other solution involving low prices and high quantity of disc golfers reduces the access the golfers have to the course, and they’re not going to go for that.
If I make a drug discovery, should I sell the idea to a pharmaceutical company or build a pharmaceutical startup based on that idea?
If you discovery a new drug, the best option is to go with the route that will best support the progression of the molecule.The industryspeak for this process revolves around what is known as the Drug Target Product Profile (TPP). Essentially, it describe what the drug is supposed to do and what is required to make it viable. Included in that discussion are details around the chemical properties of the drug as well as the expected indication.What’s the drug and what is its purpose? If it’s a small molecule or a conventional biologic with a clear mechanism of action, you should just patent it and shop it to the highest bidder. Large biopharmas are equipped to do the next rounds of testing and a useful molecule can quickly be evaluated. If the drug is ready to go straight into clinical testing, forming a startup from scratch might be a slower option and not ideal for the development of your proposed drug. Northwestern essentially sold the rights to Lyrica and made over $1 billion in royalties. Alternatively, you can build a small virtual company that will do some of the preliminary testing before it gets quickly brought out.If you’re talking about a discovery where the biology is still uncertain, then you’re going to need to do some work. New modalities and targets don’t rest well with veterans and you’ll need to demonstrate that your mechanism of action is legitimate. Generally, if it’s a new mechanism of action, you’re better off developing that knowledge in academia. There are a lot of unknowns with a new target and no company is going to waste their time on target validation when there are so many derisked targets out there.If you’re looking at novel platform, then you’re looking at a startup. You don’t want that IP locked in an University so you’re better off making a new company to retain the IP. A larger company will have their own technology development group and it’s much easier for them to rebuild your tech internally than to acquire new IP. Thus, if you’re working with a new class of drugs or a new strategy for drug discovery, startup is likely the better way to go.
If a person has a plethora of business ideas, is there a way to profit from selling and licensing these unproven/undeveloped concepts?
Ideas tend to be pretty plentiful when it comes to "business". Execution is really the key there. Now on the other hand, technical ideas can certainly be documented, protected and licensed without ever having any business developed around it. Patents from university research through a tech transfer program for example.
If you had a great idea, and you know few companies that will surely be happy to buy it (the idea), yet patent request can take years to be approved, what would be the right way to handle (other than implement it yourself)?
Contrary to what invention promotion companies (that are mostly scammers) advertise, companies 99.999% of the times don’t buy undeveloped inventions, especially from unknown individuals.I don’t know where you are writing from, possibly India, but here in USA, inventors usually get business partners to raise money together for the idea by presenting a business plan to prospective investors.Venture capitalists usually say “ideas are dime a dozen”. So your one idea is unlikely to excite them. That’s a fact you need to know.