Introduction to Law and Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to Law and Economics - Essay Example In the light of this fact, Jennifer John-Yar Bukrs’ critique of health care funding and the notions of the privatization of health care assume a whole new meaning in the sense that even while affiliating to the provisions of the Canada Health Act 1984, it is viable and possible to make the system more efficient and equitable by resorting to an affordable and efficient privatization of the delivery of the health care services, thereby sparing resources that could be spent on other social imperatives like education and infrastructure. The way the Canada’s health care system is burgeoning, it is bound to take a toll on the government spending on other social welfare programs (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2008). The rate at which health care costs are augmenting, it is getting quite evident that the territories and the provinces will need to allocate a significant portion of the budgets to healthcare, to the detriment of other areas like infrastructure, education and social welfa re. If one considers a 25 year horizon, the Canadian healthcare system is simply not sustainable unless a significant portion of the healthcare delivery is privatized to make the system more efficient (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2008). When it comes to the standards of health care, Canada tends to stand amongst some of the top nations of the world. Yet, equity in healthcare is an issue that is gaining marked relevance in the current debates on health care. The high standards of health care that are extended by the Canadian health care are not accessible to all sections of the Canadian society. Though there are scarce financial barriers to health care in Canada, there do exist cultural and language barriers to health care in the nation (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2008). Thereby if the healthcare system in a nation is not able to facilitate an equitable access, this further augments the social barriers. In that context, the privatization of some specific aspects of the healthcare will readily help ameliorate the inequities existing in the health care system. Irrespective of the inefficiencies creeping into the health care system the salient aspect of the Canadian health care that makes it stand high above many other nations is the fact that Canada tends to view access to healthcare as a right and not a commodity (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2008). However the irony is that the right to health care is becoming such a gargantuan onus that it is impinging on the extension and provision of many other rights like education and social welfare. Thereby a partial and efficiency oriented privatization of the delivery if not funding of the health care services could act as a viable way to divert more resources to other social imperatives. The nature of the health care in Canada is to a large extent imminent on the criterion resorted to for determining efficiency. However, in a pragmatic context the efficiency in health care ought to be determined on the basis of the amount of resource s and funding dedicated to the cause of healthcare to the quantum of services accrued and the volume of improvements facilitated in the health care system. In that context efficiency needs to be the determining factor in deciding as to the aspects of the heath

Melodrama And Women Analysis Film Studies Essay

Melodrama And Women Analysis Film Studies Essay Representation has eventually changed the lives of each individual in distinct ways. Television is the form of power through which different kinds of representation is depicted. Many modes of representation have made the individual a subject through power and discourse, melodrama, has influenced the individuals life in a tremendous way. Melodrama is not only associated with television but with other forms of representation such as radio and films. It is claimed that modernity is created through melodrama; it is through melodrama through which the modern citizens is formed and it is what makes them the subjects of power. The individual have became a subject of modernity through the notion of melodrama. Hence, melodrama is a source of power that has converted the ordinary individual into a subject; sequentially, a subject of their own lives. In this paper we will discuss the ways in which power has dominated the lives of the individual through television. We will argue that melodrama h as taken a different turn in the Egyptian society, it is revealed that Egyptian modernity is created by portraying the quality of feelings of the women particularly as stated by Abu-Lughod it may be one way in which Egyptian television serials attempt to create a modern sensibility (Abu-Lughod p 116). The melodrama of the Egyptian society deals more with emotions when compared to the soap operas of the American culture; this may be the reason why women are so emotionally involved with melodrama. Women are the leading subjects of melodrama, it is through that which they construct their personal lives, as stated by Abu-Lughod, its placing of strong emotion in the everyday interpersonal world(Abu-Lughod, p 117), ultimately, it is demonstrated that melodrama affect the emotions of the women in a highly remarkable way. Melodrama is a type of representation through which the society is formed, thus, having a major influence on its people. Melodrama has been having an effect on the majorit y of the population who are subjects of television and modernity. Abu Lughod introduces the impact that television and specifically soap operas have on the Egyptian population. It is specified that television have an impact on the entire population regardless of their culture and religion, thus, she puts forward the influences which television has on the Egyptian culture, doing it so with the concept of melodrama. Melodrama has led the individual to make them the subjects of their own life, having rather a big impact on the personal life of the individual; it has turned out to be a method for the women of the society to classify their own emotion through melodrama. Abu- Lughod has linked melodrama with the women of the Egyptian society and she also indicated that emotion and women are interrelated when it comes to melodrama. Television melodramas have turn into a factor which has informed the individuals' lives. Abu-Lughod encounters the instances in which she discusses the life of a woman who becomes the heroine of her own melodrama through the circumstances of her life. Melodrama, therefore, individuates the person and makes them the subject of their own life as stated by Abu-Lughod this link is through the ways she made herself the subject of her life stories (Abu-Lughod p 123). Amira as a Muslim woman has come to view herself as a subject of her own melodrama which is constructed through h er everyday problems. She discusses the way in which she became the subject of her own life; power has consequently made her the subject. She illustrated that her life became a melodrama because she was never supported by her family, especially by her brother-in-law who refused to help her when she needed it the most. She verified that the themes of her story was money, with all the men trying to take over her possession, in this way she was subjected by melodrama of her own life. Abu-Lughod has described the many ways in which television and melodrama have affected the lives of the ordinary citizens. It is specified that women have been more predominately influenced by the melodrama, because they have linked melodrama to their lives, and therefore, have presented themselves as the subjects of the melodrama. Melodrama, hence, is a mode of representation which has constructed modern sensibility; in short, it has made the individual more aware of their self identity. Ultimately, women as Abu-Lughod illustrate it that women are more emotionally attached to the melodrama of the television, they try to relate it with their own lives, through which they are highly influenced by the melodrama. Women are victimized by the problems of their lives which has forces them to become the subjects of their own melodrama, as demonstrated by Abu-Lughod when referring to Amira, the melodramatic heroine, innocent and good, is wronged and victimized. (Abu-Lughod p 124) Melodrama, from the perspective of the modern sensibility is a mode which constructs and encourages the individuality of ordinary people, hence, in a way it produces s sense of individuality for the ordinary citizen and makes them more aware of their own identity. Melodrama has come to designate the lives of the ordinary people and especially for the women who have constructed an emotional attachment to the television. Television has become as essential part of the society as a whole, it has affected different cultures in distinct ways. In Islam, television is classified as a movement which made Islam more central to everyday life and politics (Abu- Lughod p 125). Abu-Lughod has signified that sexuality has made a big difference in modernity. With the support of Foucaults work she has illustrated that sexuality is what defines the modern self, as Foucault suggested in his work, the discourse on sexuality has been crucial to the development of the modern self; one become the subject o f ones sexuality (Abu-Lughod p 116). This statement of his seem to go against the female gender, because it has implicated that is it ones sexuality through which one is subjected to power, hence according to him, this may be the reason as to why women are emotionally involved in melodrama. The goal of the characters of the soap opera is not signify poetry or folktales, but rather to represent the common citizen. Even though the seriels of Egypt are short in length, they represent the value of emotional and moral lessons within the society, thus, it is due to this they are being labeled as melodrama. Television melodrama, in Egyptian society is a mode of technology which forms new forms of individuality as Foucault put it forward television melodrama in Egypt might be understood most directly as a technology for the production of new kinds of selves (Abu-Lughod p 116). It is indicated that the characters of the melodrama tend to provide a model which represent the subjectivity of the individual. In Abu-lughods work, Modleski has denoted the relationship between the television and women everyday work, she portrays that the television represent a mode of emotionality for women which thus enforces them to take in account the desires of each member in the family. The focal point of the soap opera is that it challenges the women of the Egyptian society to privatize their feelings, as said by Modleski, soap operas exercise women viewers abilities to read how intimates are feeling (Abu-Lughod p 117), hence giving them a chance to individuate themselves and make them more aware of their own identity. It has been indicated that melodrama has a great influence on the individual in very distinct ways, for example, it is denoted that melodrama tend to affect the brain, hence, having a psychological impact on the individual. The psychological effect of the melodrama ultimately leads to have an emotional affect on the individual. Melodrama has thus influenced the lives of the women in a highly tremendous way. Ultimately, melodrama has dominated the lives of every individual in many different ways. Television, radio, films are a mode representation that is interrelated with the women lives in many ways. It is through melodrama that the women have became more self aware of their own lives. The problematic issue in the work of Abu-Lughod is that it deals more with women and how melodrama affects them, however, it is not only the women who are influenced or affected by this form of representation. Men are children are also impacted by the melodrama, for example, children tend to become aggressive and violent when they watch violence in the television. The problems lie in the fact that Abu-Lughod did not take into account the influence that melodrama has on the entire population, hence, she has considered the relationship between women and melodrama. If her work demonstrated the impact that melodrama has on the entire population of the Egyptian society than it would have been better to underst and the role of the melodrama more thoroughly.

Wondrous Strange :: Character Analysis, Kelley Winslow

Life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. â€Å"It is believed that in life no one can change your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change† (de Angelis, Barbra). The struggles that the main character, Kelley Winslow, faces strongly affects herself, as well as drives the plot for the reason that she struggles with the decisions she makes, she encounters physical hardships as well as mental that allows her to eventually find her identity. Some people may say that a person has not found themselves; however, you do not find yourself. People create ones self. During the process of creating ones self, you have to know what you fear, and what you cannot live without. Kelley learns what she is afraid of, and who she does not want to lose. â€Å"†¦fear of losing him, sorrow of what he has already risked for her† (Livingston 274). In the novel Kelley finds out that she is adopted. â€Å"Emma†¦ Was I†¦ adopted† (Livingston 222). In continuation to this, Kelley learns from her aunt, Emma, that she is adopted. She also leans more about where she came from, who her birth parents are, and about faerie history. This proves that Kelley wants to know more about where she came from, which leads to making her own identity. In order to create herself, Kelley needs to know more about her heritage. She also learns what she likes, and does not like and what she wants to do with her life. â€Å"Kell ey was speechless. She dreamed of this†¦ This is it. This is my big break!† (Livingston 5), â€Å"Kelley was a Faerie princess. In defiance of the Faerie king, she had taken up her destiny on her terms" (Livingston 316-317). This shows that she accepts herself, in addition to gaining her goals. Kelley Winslow goes went through a huge development, and journey in finding herself, even through the many obstacles she faces. Decision is a mental process you conduct to result in a making of a selection of a choice. Kelley Winslow had made various decisions throughout her life, which had made an impact on her characteristics. Kelley says, â€Å"Hey! Do you need help?" (Livingston 32).

Neil Postman Essay

I think Postman’s main argument is that Television is not meant for education solely which is reflected in various different academic studies in his article. That tv can have educational qualities while being entertaining but that it is not the means to end, edutainment is what Postman dubs Sesame street early on. As seen with the research he has duly noted is very conclusive. When we watch tv the average tv watcher only retains 20 percent of what they have watched. Just from reading that it made me realize how many hours I have wasted on Netflix binge watching certain tv shows just to find out what happens. To know I only have retained 20 percent of what I have watched, from each episode is sad. Another point Postman points are that once an hour has passed we retain even less. Which means if I was to go back and re-watch all of the tv shows I have binge watched on Netflix that I would find things I had totally forgotten and possibly forget them again later on after not watchi ng them. Which to me seems like wasted time for entertainment. Even though at the time it doesn’t seem like a waste of time. As Postman points out in the topic of â€Å"The Voyage Of The Mimi†, the government was willing to shell out massive amounts of moment. A few million actually to get a new program going that is using books as a supplemental visual aid along with video games. While the main attraction is the tv program. Visual aids are usual a snippet of a specially made tv program or movie. To think that books are supplemental visual aids are very sad. Postman also argues that even though he does not find Sesame Street non educational he is the unpopular opinion that â€Å"kids will only learn to love learning and school if school is like tv.† Education has taken many hits then and even today. With social media easily at our fingertips it is easy for us even to think that by watching videos we can learn, when really it takes much more than that. Books can be opened and reread over and over again at your own pace. Tv programs where education a paramount can be re-watched but it isnâ€⠄¢t the same and cannot necessarily be slowed down to the pace we always need. Another student pointed out in class their child  has a v-tech tablet, which I agree with her, is useful and helps very much to young children. The classmate also pointed out how the time on it is monitored which is very important as well. An educational tablet is a fun and useful took for kids and I think can be a great learning tool, like Sesame Street. Except, I think that it is more educational, than say a tv program. It is entertaining but it is reminiscent of a children’s toy that helps kids to learn as they grow which has always been sold in the market place for years. Many parents are always looking out for the latest and greatest to help their young children learn as early as possibly before even entering school. â€Å"Thou Shalt Have No Prerequisites† a tongue in cheek commandment but very true as well shows that while a class may have prerequisites a tv show does that, showing that continuity and sequence does not matter for tv programming. Integrating â€Å"Three Media†, or more commonly known as â€Å"multi media presentation†, is not new has always been used modestly to enhance learners education. Years ago the Office of Education supplied funds to WNET for a program titled â€Å"Watch Your Mouth†, which is a series of televised dramatizations of students having programs with the English language while having social issues. While the show was very good, there exists that solid fundamental evidence that the show in any way helped the learners to improve their use of English where in writing or speaking. Which serves as further proof that the Education system was deeply flawed for believing that a tv series specially made for the classes would show any sort of improvement. Leading back to the point that while television is fun and can be educational it is best to leave the majority of tv watching outside of the classroom, except in specific cases where it does not take up too much of the valuable class time. Can social media be used for the greater good in the classroom and to help political and environmental awareness while not taking away from the learning process if used in a high school social experiment? If so explain how?

Global Financial Crisis: Causes and Effect Essay

The financial crisis that began in 2007 spread and gathered intensity in 2008, despite the efforts of central banks and regulators to restore calm. By early 2009, the financial system and the global economy appeared to be locked in a descending spiral, and the primary focus of policy became the prevention of a prolonged downturn on the order of the Great Depression. The volume and variety of negative financial news, and the seeming impotence of policy responses, has raised new questions about the origins of financial crises and the market mechanisms by which they are contained or propagated. Just as the economic impact of financial market failures in the 1930s remains an active academic subject, it is likely that the causes of the current crisis will be debated for decades to come. Financial Crisis The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these panics. Other situations that are often called financial crises include stock market crashes and the bursting of other financial bubbles, currency crises, and sovereign defaults. Major causes of Financial Crisis Imprudent Mortgage Lending: Against a backdrop of abundant credit, low interest rates, and rising house prices, lending standards were relaxed to the point that many people were able to buy houses they couldn’t afford. When prices began to fall and loans started going bad, there was a severe shock to the financial system. Housing Bubble: With its easy money policies, the Federal Reserve allowed housing prices to rise to unsustainable levels. The crisis was triggered by the bubble bursting, as it was bound to do. Global Imbalances: Global financial flows have been characterized in recent years by an unsustainable pattern: some countries (China, Japan, and Germany) run large surpluses every year, while others run deficits. The U. S. external deficits have been mirrored by internal deficits in the household and government sectors. U. S. borrowing cannot continue indefinitely; the resulting stress underlies current financial disruptions. Securitization: Securitization fostered the â€Å"originate-to-distribute† model, which reduced lenders’ incentives to be prudent, especially in the face of vast investor demand for subprime loans packaged as AAA bonds. Ownership of mortgage-backed securities was widely dispersed, causing repercussions throughout the global system when subprime loans went bad in 2007. Lack of Transparency and Accountability in Mortgage Finance: Throughout the housing finance value chain, many participants contributed to the creation of bad mortgages and the selling of bad securities, apparently feeling secure that they would not be held accountable for their actions. A lender could sell exotic mortgages to home-owners, apparently without fear of repercussions if those mortgages failed. Similarly, a trader could sell toxic securities to investors, apparently without fear of personal responsibility if those contracts failed. And so it was for brokers, realtors, individuals in rating agencies, and other market participants, each maximizing his or her own gain and passing problems on down the line until the system itself collapsed. Because of the lack of participant accountability, the originate-to distribute model of mortgage finance, with its once great promise of managing risk, became itself a massive generator of risk. † Rating Agencies: The credit rating agencies gave AAA ratings to numerous issues of subprime mortgage-backed securities, many of which were subsequently downgraded to junk status. Critics cite poor economic models, conflicts of interest, and lack of effective regulation as reasons for the rating agencies’ failure. Another factor is the market’s excessive reliance on ratings, which has been reinforced by numerous laws and regulations that use ratings as a criterion for permissible investments or as a factor in required capital levels. Mark-to-market Accounting: FASB standards require institutions to report the fair (or current market) value of securities they hold. Critics of the rule argue that these forces banks to recognize losses based on â€Å"fire sale† prices that prevail in distressed markets, prices believed to be below long-term fundamental values. Those losses undermine market confidence and exacerbate banking system problems. Some propose suspending mark-to-market; EESA requires a study of its impact. Deregulatory Legislation: Laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) permitted financial institutions to engage in unregulated risky transactions on a vast scale. The laws were driven by an excessive faith in the robustness of market discipline, or self-regulation. Shadow Banking System: Risky financial activities once confined to regulated banks (use of leverage, borrowing short-term to lend long, etc. ) migrated outside the explicit government safety net provided by deposit insurance and safety and soundness regulation. Mortgage lending, in particular, moved out of banks into unregulated institutions. This unsupervised risk-taking amounted to a financial house of cards. Non-Bank Runs: As institutions outside the banking system built up financial positions built on borrowing short and lending long, they became vulnerable to liquidity risk in the form of non-bank runs. That is, they could fail if markets lost confidence and refused to extend or roll over short-term credit, as happened to Bear Stearns and others. Government-Mandated Subprime Lending: Federal mandates to help low-income borrowers (e. g. , the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s affordable housing goals) forced banks to engage in imprudent mortgage lending. Excessive Leverage: In the post-2000 period of low interest rates and abundant capital, fixed income yields were low. To compensate, many investors used borrowed funds to boost the return on their capital. Excessive leverage magnified the impact of the housing downturn, and deleveraging caused the interbank credit market to tighten. Financial Crisis & U. S economy In 2008, the United States experienced a major financial crisis which led to the most serious recession since the Second World War. Both the financial crisis and the downturn in the U. S. economy spread to many foreign nations, resulting in a global economic crisis. On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment banks in the world, failed. Over the next few months, the US stock market plummeted, liquidity dried up, successful companies laid off employees by the thousands, and for the first time there was no longer any doubt a recession was upon the American people. Eleven months after the fall of Lehman Brothers, the U. S. remains in a state of limbo. Proposals for stimulus packages and other bailout plans have provided some relief, but it seems the most effective remedy thus far has been time. The facts are that approximately 6% of all mortgage loans in United States are in default. Historically, defaults were less than one-third of that, i. e. , from 0. 25% to 2%. A huge portion of the increased mortgage loan defaults are what are referred to as ‘sub-prime’ loans. Most of the sub-prime loans have been made to borrowers with poor credit ratings, no down payment on the home financed, and/or no verification of income or assets (Alt-A’s). Close to 25% of sub-prime and Alt-A’s loans are in default. These loans increased dramatically as a 9/30/99 New York Times article explained, â€Å"In a move that could help increase homeownership rates among minorities and low income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corp. is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders. † To allow Fannie Mae to make more loans, President Clinton also reduced Fannie Mae’s reserve requirement to 2. 5%. That means it could purchase and/or guarantee $97. 50 in mortgages for every $2. 50 it had in equity to cover possible bad debts. If more than 2. % of the loans go bad, the taxpayers (us) have to pay for them. That is what this bailout is all about. It is not the government paying the banks for the bad loans, it is us!! Principally Senate Democrats demanded that Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac (FM&FM) buy more of these risky loans to help the poor. Since the mortgages purchased and guaranteed by FM&FM are backed by the U. S. government, the loans were re-sold primarily to investment banks which in turn bundled most of them, taking a hefty fee, and sold the mortgages to investors all over the world as virtually risk free. As long as the Federal Reserve (another government created agency) kept interest rates artificially low, monthly mortgage payments were low and housing prices went up. Many home owners got home equity loans to pay their first mortgages and credit card debt. Unfortunately home prices peaked in the winter of 2005-06 and the house of cards started to crumble. People could no longer increase their mortgage debt to pay previous debts. Now, we taxpayers are being told we have to bail out the banks and everyone in the world who bought these highly risky loans. The politicians in Congress (mostly Democrats) do not want you to know they caused the mess. In the 2006 elections, the Democrats took control of the House and Senate. There are plenty of videos on the Internet showing many Democrats including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Democrat Christopher Dodd and House Banking Committee Chairman Barney Frank, responsible with overseeing FM&FM, assuring us that there were no problems with FM&FM right up to their collapse. Not surprisingly, virtually all the investment banks that are in trouble and being bailed out are run by financial supporters of Obama and other Democrats. Secretary of the Treasury Paulsen was head of Goldman Sachs. The new head of the $700 million bailout is also from Goldman Sachs. This is like letting the fox be in charge of hen house security. It was announced that our government will infuse capital into the troubled banks. This gives whoever is in power of our government the ability to force the same kind of abuses that have caused this massive banking crisis in the first place. Barack Obama has received more campaign donations that any other politician in the past three years from Fannie Mae and Wall Street. FM&FC have been virtually private piggy banks of campaign contributions for Democrats for the past 10 years. Yes, a token amount went to some Republicans. And there is plenty of blame to go around in this financial crisis, but the reason it happened was 100% caused by a Democrat run government that forced a liberal policy initiated by President Clinton and reforms primarily blocked by Democrats. One would never know this by watching the news or reading newspapers. Until the majority of our citizens understand whom (government liberals) and what (liberalism/socialism) caused this mess, we will allow our elected officials, through massive inflation, to lower the standard of living of those of us who are financially prudent and give our earnings to those who are not prudent. The big excuse for the bailout is that credit markets have frozen up. But it is not true. There is plenty of credit available for good credit risks. The only way this can be rectified is to allow the people who made the mistakes to take their losses. It is called taking personal responsibility for one’s actions. Already we see that the bailout has had virtually no effect on the markets other than to cause huge sell offs because smart investors see that the U. S. is adopting failed liberal socialist policies. Our government is following in the footsteps of Hoover and Roosevelt. We do not need to have another depression, but the government is taking the steps to make it happen. The taxpayer financed bailout should be reversed immediately as it will only encourage more irresponsible fraudulent behavior. Impacts of Financial Crisis on Global Economy For the developing world, the rise in food prices as well as the knock-on effects from the financial instability and uncertainty in industrialized nations is having a compounding effect. High fuel costs, soaring commodity prices together with fears of global recession are worrying many developing country analysts. Asia & Financial crisis Countries in Asia are increasingly worried about what is happening in the West. A number of nations urged the US to provide meaningful assurances and bailout packages for the US economy, as that would have a knock-on effect of reassuring foreign investors and helping ease concerns in other parts of the world. India and China are the among the world’s fastest growing nations and after Japan, are the largest economies in Asia. From 2007 to 2008 India’s economy grew by a whopping 9%. Much of it is fueled by its domestic market. However, even that has not been enough to shield it from the effect of the global financial crisis, and it is expected that in data will show that by March 2009 that India’s growth will have slowed quickly to 7. 1%. Although this is a very impressive growth figure even in good times, the speed at which it has dropped—the sharp slowdown—is what is concerning. China similarly has also experienced a sharp slowdown and its growth is expected to slow down to 8% (still a good growth figure in normal conditions). However, China also has a growing crisis of unrest over job losses. Both have poured billions into recovery packages. China has also raised concerns about the world relying on mostly one foreign currency reserve, and called for the dollar to be replaced by a world reserve currency run by the IMF. Of course, the US has defended the dollar as a global currency reserve, which is to be expected given it is one of its main sources of global economic dominance. Whether a change like this would actually happen remains to be seen, but it is likely the US and its allies will be very resistant to the idea. Japan, which has suffered its own crisis in the 1990s also faces trouble now. While their banks seem more secure compared to their Western counterparts, it is very dependent on exports. Japan is so exposed that in January alone, Japan’s industrial production fell by 10%, the biggest monthly drop since their records began. Japan’s output for the first 3 months of 2009 plunged at its quickest pace since records began in 1955, mostly due to falling exports. A rise in industrial output in April was expected, but was positively more than initially estimated. However, with high unemployment and general lack of confidence, optimism for recovery has been dampened. In recent years, there has been more interest in Africa from Asian countries such as China. As the financial crisis is hitting the Western nations the hardest, Africa may yet enjoy increased trade for a while. These earlier hopes for Africa, above, may be short lived, unfortunately. In May 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Africa’s economic growth will plummet because of the world economic downturn, predicting growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to 1. 5% in 2009, below the rate of population growth (revising downward a March 2009 prediction of 3. 25% growth due to the slump in commodity prices and the credit squeeze). Some African countries have already started to cut their health and HIV budgets due to the economic crisis. Their health budgets and resources have been constrained for many years already, so this crisis makes a bad situation worse. Due to its proximity to the US and its close relationship via the NAFTA and other agreements, Mexico is expected to have one of the lowest growth rates for the region next year at 1. 9%, compared to a downgraded forecast of 3% for the rest of the region. Europe & Financial crisis In Europe, a number of major financial institutions failed. Others needed rescuing. In Iceland, where the economy was very dependent on the finance sector, economic problems have hit them hard. The banking system virtually collapsed and the government had to borrow from the IMF and other neighbors to try and rescue the economy. In the end, public dissatisfaction at the way the government was handling the crisis meant the Iceland government fell. The EU is also considering spending increases and tax cuts said to be worth â‚ ¬200bn over two years. The plan is supposed to help restore consumer and business confidence, shore up employment, getting the bank’s lending again, and promoting green technologies. Russia’s economy is contracting sharply with many more feared to slide into poverty. One of Russia’s key exports, oil, was a reason for a recent boom, but falling prices have had a big impact and investors are withdrawing from the country. Africa & Financial crisis Perhaps ironically, Africa’s generally weak integration with the rest of the global economy may mean that many African countries will not be affected from the crisis, at least not initially, as suggested by Reuters in September 2008. In recent years, there has been more interest in Africa from Asian countries such as China. As the financial crisis is hitting the Western nations the hardest, Africa may yet enjoy increased trade for a while. These earlier hopes for Africa, above, may be short lived, unfortunately. In May 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Africa’s economic growth will plummet because of the world economic downturn, predicting growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to 1. 5% in 2009, below the rate of population growth (revising downward a March 2009 prediction of 3. 25% growth due to the slump in commodity prices and the credit squeeze) African countries could face increasing pressure for debt repayment, however. As the crisis gets deeper and the international institutions and western banks that have lent money to Africa need to shore up their reserves more, one way could be to demand debt repayment. This could cause further cuts in social services such as health and education, which have already been reduced due to crises and policies from previous eras. The current crisis The housing bubble started to burst in 2006, and the decline accelerated in 2007 and 2008. Housing prices stopped increasing in 2006, started to decrease in 2007, and have fallen about 25 percent from the peak so far. The decline in prices meant that homeowners could no longer refinance when their mortgage rates were reset, which caused delinquencies and defaults of mortgages to increase sharply, especially among subprime borrowers. From the first quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2008, the percentage of mortgages in foreclosure tripled, from 1 percent to 3 percent, and the percentage of mortgages in foreclosure or at least thirty days delinquent more than doubled, from 4. 5 percent to 10 percent. These foreclosure and delinquency rates are the highest since the Great Depression; the previous peak for the delinquency rate was 6. 8 percent in 1984 and 2002. And the worst is yet to come. The American dream of owning your own home is turning into an American nightmare for millions of families. Early estimates of the total number of foreclosures that will result from this crisis in the years to come ranged from 3 million to 8 million. So far (as of January 2009), there have already been almost 3 million mortgage foreclosures. Another 1 million mortgages are ninety days delinquent and another 2 million were thirty days delinquent. Therefore, a total of about 6 million mortgages either have already been foreclosed, are in foreclosure, or are close to foreclosure. Six million mortgages are about 12 percent of all the mortgages in the United States. The situation could get a lot worse in the months ahead, due to the worsening recession and lost jobs and income, unless the government adopts stronger policies to reduce foreclosures. Defaults and foreclosures on mortgages mean losses for lenders. Estimates of losses on mortgages keep increasing, and many are now predicting losses of $1 trillion or more. In addition to losses on mortgages, there will also be losses on other types of loans, due to the weakness of the economy, in the months ahead: consumer loans (credit cards, etc. ), commercial real estate, corporate junk bonds, and other types of loans (e. g. redit default swaps). Estimates of losses on these other types of loans range up to another trillion dollars. Therefore, total losses for the financial sector as a whole could be as high as $2 trillion. It is further estimated that banks will suffer about half of the total losses of the financial sector. The rest of the losses will be borne by non-bank financial institutions (hedge funds, pension funds, etc. ). Therefore, dividing the total losses for the financial sector as a whole in the previous paragraph by two, the losses for the banking sector could be as high as $1 trillion. Since the total bank capital in the U.  S. is approximately $1. 5 trillion, losses of this magnitude would wipe out two-thirds of the total capital in U. S. banks! * This would obviously be a severe blow, not just to the banks, but also to the U. S. economy as a whole. The blow to the rest of the economy would happen because the rest of the economy is dependent on banks for loans—businesses for investment loans, and households for mortgages and consumer loans. Bank losses result in a reduction in bank capital, which in turn requires a reduction in bank lending (a credit crunch), in order to maintain acceptable loan to capital ratios. Assuming a loan to capital ratio of 10:1 (this conservative assumption was made in a recent study by Goldman Sachs), every $100 billion loss and reduction of bank capital would normally result in a $1 trillion reduction in bank lending and corresponding reductions in business investment and consumer spending. According to this rule of thumb, even the low estimate of bank losses of $1 trillion would result in a reduction of bank lending of $10 trillion! This would be a severe blow to the economy and would cause a severe recession. Bank losses may be offset to some extent by â€Å"recapitalization,† i. e. by new capital being invested in banks from other sources. If bank capital can be at least partially restored, then the reduction in bank lending does not have to be so significant and traumatic. So far, banks have lost about $500 billion and have raised about $400 billion in new capital, most of it coming from â€Å"sovereign wealth funds† financed by the governments of Asian and Middle Eastern countries. So ironically, U. S. banks may be â€Å"saved† (in part) by increasing foreign ownership. U. S. bankers are now figuratively on their knees before these foreign investors offering discounted prices and pleading or help. It is also an important indication of the decline of U. S. economic hegemony as a result of this crisis. However, it is becoming more difficult for banks to raise new capital from foreign investors, because their prior investments have already suffered significant losses. In addition to the credit crunch, consumer spending will be further depressed in the months ahead due to the following factors: decreasing household wealth; the end of mortgage equity withdrawals and declining jobs and incomes. All in all, it is shaping up to be a very severe recession.

Proposal Writing Services

Proposal Writing Services Proposal Writing Services Why Do We Need Proposal Writing Services Proposal writing services are very useful while speaking about any proposal writing, especially, if it is your first experience in this field. In order to write a successful proposal you have to be very well educated and highly experienced in this matter, however, if you write it for the first time it is but natural that you do not have the proper background knowledge to complete the task. Service papers are those to help you coping with all this mess. Proposal Writing Services Have No Boundaries! Our proposal writing services are ready to support you at any stage of your proposal. Whether you need to make your RFP/RFA analysis or review, whether you need to prepare your business proposal outline, whether you do not know how to arrange your proposal and need any design assistance, or maybe you have already written your proposal and just want a specialist to have a look at it; in all the above-mentioned cases you are welcome to use service papers. Even if you have written your proposal by your own, it is better to make an editing of it. A lot of attention is paid not only to the whole content of your proposal, but also to such points as grammar, typos, and structure. That is why it is recommended to use proposal writing services, such as proposals editing. We Take Full Responsibility for the Outcomes! Proposal writing is a very responsible task that may influence your future life; that is why you have to understand all the responsibility, which lies on you while your proposal writing and presenting. You see, there is a number of special RFP/RFA requirements, which you should meet while writing. That is why if you want to be sure that your work is of a proper level and meets all the demands, better use service papers. If we are speaking not only about studying process but also about real life where you have a lot of rivals, who just dream to annihilate you, it is but necessary to consult with the real profession al while your business proposal preparing. There are several main points, which should be included into your business proposal in order it to be competitive. While writing, you should target the company, which you appeals to; it means that you have to impress and convince the company that your business proposal is the only one, which suits. Service papers are here to help you targeting the destination of your business proposal.

7 Religious Christmas Quotes About Jesus

7 Religious Christmas Quotes About Jesus Christmas reminds us of  the trials and tribulations of Jesus Christ, and what better way to remember the reason for the season than religious quotes  that focus on the life of the savior.  The remarks that follow, both from the Bible and from prominent Christians,  serve as a reminder that good always triumphs over evil. D. James Kennedy, Christmas Stories for the Heart The star of Bethlehem was a star of hope that led the wise men to the fulfillment of their expectations, the success of their expedition. Nothing in this world is more fundamental for success in life than hope, and this star pointed to our only source for true hope: Jesus Christ. Samuel Johnson The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected. Luke 2:9-14 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were so  afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. George W. Truett Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries. Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Larry Libby, Christmas Stories for the Heart Late on a sleepy, star-spangled night, those angels peeled back the sky just like you would tear open a sparkling Christmas present. Then, with light and joy pouring out of Heaven like water through a broken dam, they began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The angels called it Good News, and it was. Matthew 1:21 And she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.

Police wasting time - Emphasis

Police wasting time Police wasting time The police often have a hand in giving out long sentences. Now theyre writing them. A potentially record-breaking 102-word single sentence appears in the Association of Chief Police Officers comeback to a government report on policing. Heres the offending passage (note do not attempt to read this before operating heavy machinery): The promise of reform which the Green Paper heralds holds much for the public and Service alike; local policing, customized to local need with authentic answerability, strengthened accountabilities at force level through reforms to police authorities and HMIC, performance management at the service of localities with targets and plans tailored to local needs, the end of centrally engineered one size fits all initiatives, an intelligent approach to cutting red tape through redesign of processes and cultures, a renewed emphasis on strategic development so as to better equip our service to meet the amorphous challenges of managing cross force harms, risks and opportunities. If you made it to the end: well done. This kind of meandering, jargon-heavy sentence would almost certainly lose most readers a quarter of the way through: 35 words should be the maximum length in such a document. Although a spokeswoman did hold her hands up on behalf of the police chiefs verbosity, she also posed the defence that the piece was written primarily to persuade civil servants. She claimed it was therefore written in a language familiar to them. The civil servants weve worked with certainly deserve a lot better. But if shes right about ACPOs audience, its little wonder that were all prisoners to paperwork.

Genetically engineered trees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genetically engineered trees - Essay Example Evaluating the risks against the potential gain from this science can aid us in reaching a reasonable conclusion about the safety of engineered trees and the caution needed to pursue this science. The possibility of genetically engineered paper has been possible since 1998 when a team of researchers at Michigan State University engineered an aspen tree to produce higher-grade paper pulp (Lubick). The economic pressure to initiate large-scale transgenic tree plantations is enormous and according to Lubick, "[...] trees are the next big crop plant". The paper and lumber industry stands to reap hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from the increased pulp and wood production that is available from these trees (Lubick). The pressure from business, and the ability of the trees to cross pollinate for hundreds of miles, places us dangerously close to spreading the new genetic species globally on a massive scale. Critics argue that once the new genetic strains are turned loose in the wild, there will be no turning back. Trees that create their own pesticides may kill off desirable insects and leave the forest unable to support wildlife ("Genetic Engineering"). Trees that are resistant to pests and disease may take over parks and national forests with a "kudzu-like threat" ("Genetic Engineering").

Open Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Open - Essay Example An objective and critical look at the main arguments advanced in favour of death penalty shows that the arguments are flawed and not based on facts. For the purposes of objectivity, let us critically analyse the two main arguments advanced in favour of death penalty. To begin with, let us critically look at the argument that death penalty deters crime. This argument is actually one of the main arguments advanced by the proponents of death penalty in support of their view that death penalty is an effective form of punishment. The proponents of capital punishment contend that, by killing criminals through capital punishment, we deny the criminals any other opportunity to commit crime, hence reducing crime in the society; also, the proponents of capital punishment argue that through subjecting criminals guilty of grave crimes to capital punishment, we scare other potential criminals from committing such crimes in future. A critical view at this position, however, shows that capital punishment does not deter crime. This is because there is absolutely no scientific proof that capital punishment deters crime. On the contrary, studies in social sciences have shown that there is actually no correlation between death penalty and crime; studies in social sciences have actually shown that death penalty does not deter crime (Goel, web). For this reason, therefore, death penalty is an ineffective form of punishment because it does not deter crime. The second argument advanced by the proponents of capital punishment is the argument that death penalty is an effective form of punishment because it ensures that justice is done to both the offended party and the offender. The main argument here is that heinous crimes are extraordinary forms of injustice to the victims of the crimes; for that reason, it is only an extra-ordinarily grave form of punishment that can compensate for the grave

Problems with Cosmetic Surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Problems with Cosmetic Surgery - Essay Example The main conclusion of the work will be made through the definition of the major backgrounds for such situation.The aim of this work is to perform a clear research on the problems, which now exist in the cosmetic surgery but are often made invisible for usual consumers with the aim of getting higher profits and not loosing the face of the cosmetic surgery industry as it is. The main conclusion of the work is that cosmetic surgery hides vast amount of problems, which should be understood by those who considers the possibility of going through such operation. Cosmetic surgery at present has become a huge industry with enormous turnovers and fantastic profits. It is not a secret that famous people and movie stars got used to create numerous sensations with each cosmetic surgery performed. However, the problems which cosmetic surgery creates should not be underestimated, because the amount of those, who are openly satisfied with the results is lower than of those who are secretly dissatisfied with the results of the surgery and see no need in addressing the public for the solution of these problems. Thus, it is necessary to underline the present state of cosmetic surgery and to distinguish the main problems which it presents. Cosmetic surgery has now acquired the scales of the real commercial industry, and a certain portion of works and studies was devoted to the description of the problems which cosmetic surgery presents. However, not much has been said about commercialization and the background reasons for such cosmetic surgeries' popula rity. Why women strive so much for making cosmetic surgeries, and why even teenage girls undergo such operations The reasons are to be defined in this paper. The more money the person is able to earn, the more seducing challenges this person desires to meet. Cosmetic surgery has become the challenge, which many aging women want to meet as soon as they have enough money for that. They often make it the brightest event in their life, though not understanding that such surgery may present serious consequences. Cosmetic surgery nowadays gives more questions, than answers, and more problems, than solutions. Of course, many celebrities have gone through such surgeries, but very often it is seen at a glance that surgery had been done unsuccessfully - their faces sometimes look as if they constantly smiled or were constantly surprised. These are the consequences of the low-quality cosmetic surgeries, and far not all people understand, that they won't be more perfect than they are in their present state. One of the main problems of cosmetic surgery is that for the aims of acquiring extra profits, the industry does not provide consumers and patien ts with the fullest information about the possible negative consequences and obstacles. Cosmetic surgery is taken by most women as a casual daily routine action, without any serious attitudes and deep understanding of the issue. However, it is still surgery, similar to many others. The number of the operation per year constantly increase - it is stated that for example, in the UK the number of cosmetic surgeries is equal to 75,000 per year which is huge number for such small country, while the number of cosmetic surgeries in the US was more than 11.5 million in 2005. (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) However, as many operations are carried out by highly qualified specialists, there

How this class has affected me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How this class has affected me - Essay Example Moreover I was caused to accurately define my personal and professional roles in future practice. In this essay, I give a reflection of the course in light of the manner in which it has affected me. My reflection is based on a review and reference to the information within the readings of the course. In addition, I provide the justifications for the change of my professional roles and future plans based on the knowledge that I acquired during the course. Furthermore, I will give a detailed discussion on how the cause caused me to specifically decide to work with Child Protective Services. Anne Fadiman’s â€Å"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down† presents a narration of the struggles that a refugee family from Hmong culture in Laos. The book specifically describes how two different cultures collide. The scenario that is presented by the writer is within California’s health care system. In the book, the writer reveals the interaction between a Hmong child with her Doctors in America and demonstrates the social cultural problems and struggles in the provision of health care. Lia Lee is a favorite child and youngest of the Hmong family. The doctors find out that Lia is having a severe form of epilepsy. The author describes how cultural differences between the family and the American doctors acts to obstruct Lia’s treatment. ... This means that healthcare providers require understanding the culture of their patients and ensuring that it does not obstruct their moral and ethical roles of patient centered care. Barbara Myerhoff's â€Å"Number of Our Days† presents the work of a renowned anthropologist. Myerhoff was given a grant to investigate or study the process of human aging. As a result Myerhoff chose to base her study on elderly Jewish community from Venice in California. It is notable that the author and anthropologist decided that he would study and report on the indigenous community rather than on an exotic society. When reading Myerhoff’s story, I was changed by the ways in which she presents the lives and rituals of these Jewish and unique old people. More significant is the cultural value which enabled the old people to face and go through numerous problems and challenges of living. Among the problems that the author demonstrates that these old people had to face include poverty, lone liness, neglect, physical danger, poor and inadequate housing and poor health. Myerhoff’s story inspired me to play a role in helping people to overcome the problems that they face in their social environments and during care. The author depicts the agonies of aging in a manner which makes a reader to sympathize and have a desire to do something in alleviating human suffering. Through this book I appreciated the human spirit as indomitable. Moreover I was appreciative of the importance of cultural rituals in living and overcoming problems as presented by the author in wise yet funny approach. The above brief description of the two most influential readings on my life is a background to the illustration of how the anthropology cause affected me. At this point I need to

Gas Chromatography Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gas Chromatography - Term Paper Example It is also referred to as gas separator or aerograph. Gas chromatography is different from other forms of chromatography because the solutions are always in gas state as they travel through the column. Retention time occurs when different compounds separate in the column at different times. The gases have different eluting times due to the reactions between them and the column. The gases are now compared by their different retention times which give the gas chromatography the power to analyze the gases (Eli, pp. 217-220). Chromatography originated in 1903 by Mikhail Semenovich Tswett who was a Russian botanical scientist. He opened the way to gas chromatography. He used adsorbents like ethanol and calcium carbonate to elute carotenoids and chlorophylls this saw the use of the column chromatography. The foundation of the gas chromatography was later laid by the Nobel Prize winner John Porter Martin. In 1941, he used the liquid to liquid method and in 1944, paper chromatography which brought about gas chromatography. It later led to the formation of liquid-gas chromatography in 1950. This has led to the modern gas chromatography technique which is being used today as an important analytical technique in chemistry (Colin, pp. 161-165). The description of chemistry, physics and biology behind the gas chromatography technique can be explained ... This means it uses the inert gases like carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen and argon. For one to choose the carrier gas, he or she needs to identify the type of detector to be used. It has a molecular sieve that sieves out impurities and water (Casimir, pp. 139-142). The injector port is a column in which the samples are passed in the instrument. The samples are not supposed to be very large and they are to be introduced in the column as in the state of vapor. Large sample injections can cause the band to broaden thus lose resolution. The most accurate and common method used is that of injecting samples via a rubber septum using the micro syringe. The injector is characterized by a heated chamber which has a glass liner where the sample is passed through the septum. When the injector is using the splitter mode, the carrier gas normally enters the chamber and leaves it by three outlets. Then the sample becomes vapor which leads to the formation of the mixture of carrier gas, vaporized solutes and solvents. A small amount of the mixture goes to the column leaving most of it to exit via the split outlets. Components can not enter the column due to the septum purge outlet in the instrument (Sawhney, pp.211-215). The column is divided in to two sections; capillary and packed. The capillary is further divided in to two whereby there is the support or wall coated open tubular (WCOT, SCOT). The wall coated has a liquid coated stationary phase while the support coated one has thin layer of a supportive material that absorbs the stationary phase. The most efficient type of capillary is the wall-coated capillary. The fused silica open tubular column is considered to be the best as it is a type of the WCOT.

The Health & Safety of Migrant workers within the UK Construction Essay

The Health & Safety of Migrant workers within the UK Construction Industry - Essay Example The migrant workers on the other hand, have responded on the extreme reflecting their over anxiety, thus to some extent distorting the reality. The Health and Safety management in the construction industry has become more important than ever with the number of construction projects continuing to grow at a rapid pace both for new build and refurbishments. The labour profile also keeps changing as more and more workers enter the industry. Accidents resulting in fatalities and injuries to the workforce continue unabated and in fact, are on the increase with the result, the Government is very concerned and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) works with the Government on an ongoing basis. An action framework has been agreed to between the Government, the HSE, employers and the trade unions (Hughes and Ferrett.2008, p 143). Occupational health and safety are of concern in all the branches of industry, business and even information technology companies. It is all the more important for the construction industry. It is necessary to examine the foundations of the health and safety management systems. Occupational health and safety is important in all kinds of work. If it is a low hazard occupation, the organization may have a single competent manager to supervise the health and safety of the workers. On other hand, in a high hazard industry, there is a health and safety practitioner assisted by the engineers of different branches such as civil etc, lawyers, medical doctors, nurses, trainers, work planners and supervisors (Hughes and Ferrett .2008, p 1). The Construction industry contributes 8 % to the GDP of UK, making itself the largest industry in the country. 10 % of the working population is engaged in the construction industry having an annual turnover of  £ 250 billion. Although the U.K. construct ion industry is world renowned, it is one of the most

Gas Chromatography Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gas Chromatography - Term Paper Example It is also referred to as gas separator or aerograph. Gas chromatography is different from other forms of chromatography because the solutions are always in gas state as they travel through the column. Retention time occurs when different compounds separate in the column at different times. The gases have different eluting times due to the reactions between them and the column. The gases are now compared by their different retention times which give the gas chromatography the power to analyze the gases (Eli, pp. 217-220). Chromatography originated in 1903 by Mikhail Semenovich Tswett who was a Russian botanical scientist. He opened the way to gas chromatography. He used adsorbents like ethanol and calcium carbonate to elute carotenoids and chlorophylls this saw the use of the column chromatography. The foundation of the gas chromatography was later laid by the Nobel Prize winner John Porter Martin. In 1941, he used the liquid to liquid method and in 1944, paper chromatography which brought about gas chromatography. It later led to the formation of liquid-gas chromatography in 1950. This has led to the modern gas chromatography technique which is being used today as an important analytical technique in chemistry (Colin, pp. 161-165). The description of chemistry, physics and biology behind the gas chromatography technique can be explained ... This means it uses the inert gases like carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen and argon. For one to choose the carrier gas, he or she needs to identify the type of detector to be used. It has a molecular sieve that sieves out impurities and water (Casimir, pp. 139-142). The injector port is a column in which the samples are passed in the instrument. The samples are not supposed to be very large and they are to be introduced in the column as in the state of vapor. Large sample injections can cause the band to broaden thus lose resolution. The most accurate and common method used is that of injecting samples via a rubber septum using the micro syringe. The injector is characterized by a heated chamber which has a glass liner where the sample is passed through the septum. When the injector is using the splitter mode, the carrier gas normally enters the chamber and leaves it by three outlets. Then the sample becomes vapor which leads to the formation of the mixture of carrier gas, vaporized solutes and solvents. A small amount of the mixture goes to the column leaving most of it to exit via the split outlets. Components can not enter the column due to the septum purge outlet in the instrument (Sawhney, pp.211-215). The column is divided in to two sections; capillary and packed. The capillary is further divided in to two whereby there is the support or wall coated open tubular (WCOT, SCOT). The wall coated has a liquid coated stationary phase while the support coated one has thin layer of a supportive material that absorbs the stationary phase. The most efficient type of capillary is the wall-coated capillary. The fused silica open tubular column is considered to be the best as it is a type of the WCOT.

Traveler Transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Traveler Transportation - Essay Example n, reduction of traffic congestion, improvement of the neighborhood quality of life and provision of equity in transportation accessibility oppose the practical goals of sufficient organization of multimodal transportation infrastructure within metropolitan areas. Traveler transportation, having its peculiar features, represents a rather complex field of work for the transportation professional. This paper proposes the insight into the main differences of traveler transportation from the freight one, highlights some of the difficulties arising in the process of traveler transportation planning and discusses the present day issues faced by the professionals in traveler transportation. On the one hand, traveler and freight transportation have much in common. On the other, traveler transportation is more complicated for statistical studies, modeling travel-demand impacts and transport system regulation than freight transportation is. It has some specific features not characteristic with freight transportation. The complexity of travel behavior and recent issues in the field turn traveler transportation planning and modeling into a really challenging task. F. Witlox and B. Van Broeckhoven (2002) in their report on quality attributes in passenger and freight transportation state that there is much similar between the two fields. Comparing the characteristics of the traveling people, their families and aims of trips with the characteristics of the shippers, consignees and goods transported, they find that though the specific characteristics and conditions differ, they play a similar role in decision making and the major factors considered are almost the same: cost, time, flexibility and frequency. They add the comfort factor for passengers, noting that some goods also need very careful or quick transportation. They also distinguish a number of other factors of less importance, such as, for example, tracing and tracking for freight transportation. But in both cases

BP and US Government Negotiations Analysis

BP and US Government Negotiations Analysis Zacharia Dainkeh An evaluation and critical analysis of the decision making process and the negotiations and agreement between BP and the US government including other relevant parties positions regarding the out of court settlement with respect to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States of America On the 20th of April 2010, the Golf of Mexico was rocked by an explosion from the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, and caused serious environmental and economic damage. In response BP provided a swift response to remedy the crisis by employing the services of Entrix, a renowned environmental consulting firm in the United States to evaluate the oil spill impact. Since Entrix is specialised in assessing crisis such as the impact such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Even though the U. S. administration attempted to distance itself from British Petroleum in handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,   the willingness for both parties to work together in assessing the nature and scope of the level of harm caused by oil spill, shows as a notable exception. BP is a British owned MNC/oil company that leased the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned and operated by Transocean, an offshore drilling oil company. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is as of yet the biggest environmental disaster to have rocked the United States in its history. That precipitated scores of negotiations to settle financial claims of the affected parties, immediately after BP had claimed responsibility. Taken together, the rulings meant that BP was on the hook for a fine of up to $13.7 billion under the Clean Water Act alone. Billions more could be levied from a federal Resource Natural Damage Assessment. Following the 2010 catastrophic BP oil spill off the coast of New Orleans, in the Gulf of Mexico, which instantaneously led to a criminal investigation by the U.S Department of Justice? It would be recalled that this dreadful event induced a quagmire of complex legal proceedings against BP, Transocean and Anadarko for a violation of two Federal Acts of government. At the initial stage the path towards settlement was doubtful, after the September 2014 ruling, during which BP was held to be grossly negligent It was estimated that over 3.19 million barrels of oil was spilled from the disaster off the coastal areas of Southern United States in the Gulf of Mexico. the Clean Water and Oil Pollution respectively. By and large, the rationale of this paper will critically focus to unravel the complexity of the decision making and negotiating process(s) that eventually yielded a compensation settlement to those affected. Beach defines negotiations as actions aimed at helping the parties in a n egotiation to overcome high transaction costs, enabling the achievement of mutually acceptable outcomes that would otherwise not be reached. (Beach, 2012). It is the responsibility of senior management leaders to facilitate negotiations in times particularly in time of crisis, which is considered as part of a strategic management decision making process and shaping the agenda by determining relevant issues to be discussed. Before then, a risk assessment should have been done which will provide an advance warning of any unknown or known recommendation in preparation for the negotiating team of respective parties. The first section seek to identify the relevant parties to the negotiated agreement between British Petroleum (BP) and the (U. S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), which includes relevant claimants and the purported parties responsible for the damaged and the two main dominant party of the final negotiations that derived from the Deep-water Horizon oil spill. This case study will proffer unravel how wide range of issues are addressed in the current literatures of oil spill devastations in relation to the negotiations process and application of the definition and relevant theory to this case study with a supporting argument to justify the dominant party position. The second part of this paper an attempt to illustrate and describe alternative perspectives and approaches that could have been explore by other relevant parties to improved their bargaining outcome that may have reduce or prevent the scale of relative dominance observed as displayed in the decision making and negotiating process that eventually resulted to the structured settlement reached in this case. In the third and final section, the main focus will proffer to provide meaningful suggestions as to the method and approach in future scenario and advise based on the conclusive assessment and analysis of the negotiated parties, with respect to their decision making and negotiating process and its (their) outcome with the relevant lesson learnt based on the BP oil spill structured settlement. Finally, a conclusion will closed this paper with reference drawn from the respective dominant parties, decision making process; lesson learned and proffer solution on lesson learned from the case study, followed by a summarized conclusion. This   paper seek to evaluation and critically analyze the decision-making and negotiated agreement processes between the relevant affected parties with main focus on the two major parties; namely: (British Petroleum-BP), the responsible party for the damages and the relevant claimants main representative on the final negotiated agreement the United States Department of Justice. Furthermore, an analysis of the settlement stages and process towards the structured settlement will also be assessed. An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the interconnected interest of MNC such as BP financial strength, investments, influence and association with the U.S economy and government socioeconomic, environmental and political interest with a need for a balance and an objective assessment that will unravel the true winners and losers of this negotiated agreement. The parties to the agreement are from two separate angles, namely the claimants and responsible partie(s), the claimants are as follows: The United States of America Government represented by The U. U. Department of Justice (USDOJ were the main and dominant party that represented all claimants in the negotiations that concluded the structured settlement reached with BP), U. S. Coast Guard, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, media, Oil Industry, Environmental activist and organizations, Fishermen, Tourist-driven Communities, Tourist Driven- Business, Tourists, Oil spill, Cleanup Workers and Home owners and developers. Whiles the responsible parties are British Petroleum (BP owner of the well), who happens to be the dominant responsible party, justification for the dominant parties will be explained later. BP was also the main party that negotiated as the responsible party with the USDOJ, and Transocean (owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon), both of whom were name d as the responsible parties by the U.S. Coast Guard. For clarity purposes, it is important to understand that among the above mentioned parties the dominant parties in the out of court settlement were BP and the United States Government. This was so because BP owner of the well, with vicarious liability, is the main responsible party and the United States Government as a democratically elected government, for obvious reasons, its part of its responsibilities to not only represent the claimants, but to create a balance between the interest of the victims and the responsible party and to ensure that an appreciated deal is reached in the interest of the victims and the responsible party within an acceptable redress, but   are forced to take one side and be tough with BP to ensure that an adequate compensation is paid that commensurate to the damaged and loss caused. As the main representative of all claimants. It was believed that the government has the required expertise to accurately determine the financial means and compensate those that lost their jobs, property etc by reimbursing them with financial assistance from the responsible party,   If they pay the bills, theyre welcome at the table, said Peter Tuttle, an environmental contaminant specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who is coordinating NRDA activities among Interior Department bureaus. From a superficial glance, the ambition behind this legislation was to redress two major concerns: 1) unbearable delays and 2) fiercely problematic legal battles in subsequent oil spill catastrophes (see Issacharoff and Rave, 2014: 399). The prevailing perspective of relevant actors were mixed as the process continued. To some, the entire agreement was very important especially on the part of BP and the United States government in getting the balance right in an attempt seek its national interest and to protecting its investors (MNC) and BP is keen in regaining back lost confidence from its investors and those residing in the affected areas. With such deal in place, BP was seen to have provided assurances to its current and potential investors that they are willing to sincerely honour their own part of any agreement reached in compensating those residing in the Gulf in case of any environmental harm done whilst they continue to carry out their activities within the Gulf Coast. Why not, some will hold this argument that the fact that BP was willing to stepped aside and allow the establishment of an Independent Claim Facility, it was an efficient move geared towards properly assessing claims and counter claims made by BP to an extent it was ascertained that BP doesnt have what it takes to quantify or properly determined and estimate the damage claims as such responsibility doesnt fall within its functions and was asked to refrained from the matter of surveying and working claims. The Feinberg claims facility though at some point was deemed to have worked more than its predecessor, it also faced serious condemnation on its objectivity in handling the whole process as it was paid by BP and there was a possibility that its more committed to it employer. Criticisms were also made against Feinberg Law firm that the way it handled the process was too slow and marred with delays, tough and unfair in handing out monies. Both claims were denied by BP. Other actors said BP agreed for an out of court settlement because they want to settle the victims far less than what it would have cost them had the matter settle in court. They deliberately and cleverly agreed to allowed the court to monitored the compensation process creating an atmosphere in the minds of the victims that what they are doing is in line with whatever agreement they could have reached in court, but in reality, it was very clear that BP with its financial might, was just too smart and powerful with its n egotiating team for the Golf Oil Spilled victims as the out of court settlement seriously cut down their financial responsibility to the victims. Surprisingly they used the same court they refused to go to monitor the process. Whatever the outcome was, the fact is that, it was always going to be very difficult in determining oil spill disasters against these multi billions oil companies if laid down rules and regulations arent put in place that can stand the test of times. For instance, the International Tankers Owners Pollution Federation states: the tendency to react to political, media public perception and pressures rather than basing decisions on technical realities, is a special problem that can also escalate the cost of any incident beyond what would be considered reasonable under the International Compensation Convention( ITOPF). This is a terrifying one sided analysis with a sense to purely exonerate oil companies that they are often treated unfairly by he mentioned parties during oil spill disasters. Taking these words in to serious consideration one would be tempted to ask whether BP compensation was commensurate to their purported damaged caused in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Guif of Mexico? As there is no laid down straight formula to determine such payments according to the International Tankers Owners Pollution Federation. With incidents and circumstances of oil spill changes from one to another and in most cases depends on close factors say for instance the type of oil, the location of the spill and characteristics of the affected area as well as the effectiveness of the preventive measures and genuine commitment of the management, we shall continue to face problems, if well established rules arent put in place to asses oil spills. The oils and gas industrys was and is said to made significant moves in developing advance technological ideas relating to the extraction of oil in the Deepwater Horizon, but make no mistake, their ideas doesnt stand the test of times. And in terms of developing robust pre-emptive measures to tackle potential oil spills and hold oil companies objectively responsible for potential reckless actions, there is more than meet the eye with the current pre-emptive measures. Whilst some analysts would agree that the $ 500 million from fines and penalties from BP and Transoceans meant to improve precautionary measures through well research based materials with development in education and training was a brilliant move; its also true that large cooperation the likes of BP have well experienced total legal practitioners whose main focus is to always look for loopholes within the ambit of the established laws to minimise financial effect of the company. Currently, laws and policies within the lo ss of multibillion companies for any potential reckless actions against society and people residing in their areas of operations needs reforms to block the use of escape routes in mitigating liability irrespective of political influence. It is imperative that to flesh up my argument by looking at the current liability rule for civilian nuclear power with respect to the Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity, which clearly shows the important disparities between the Price Anderson Acts and what the Administration considered supporting in their 2010 discussions with Congressional Staff. From those discussions, it was established that the Price Andersen value total damaged loss at about $ 12 billion in 2011, which was later assumed by analysts may not be sufficient to address future financial damage of any nuclear incident and is also lacking the required precautionary measures. The said Act is also considered to be unfriendly in tackling potential spill situations as it failed to efficiently address the regular payment of premiums for insurance nuclear power plants activities as it only pay in to compensation funds when disaster occur at a nuclear power plant facility and in such situations, such monies exceed the initi al $ 375 million stated operator damage responsibility fees. Its also very important to lay down very clear quality rules and regulations with the clean understanding to check and confirm that the well genuine established preventive measures are correctly adhere to for firms operating in the insurance scheme. With the seldom oil spills, theres a lack of well reliable information to reference in appropriately and fairly determining potential premium for disaster victims. With this in mind, there should be an independent body with continuous free access to check and determine high level of safety with punitive measures for firms that fails to efficiently adhere to the agreed standard rules of operation. The need for sharing information of defaulters in public is also necessary as it will raise genuine concerns within companys shareholders, in the first instance, they will learn about the poor way administration is protecting the credibility of their company. This will move genuine investors to question whether company administrators are genuine enough to operate within the agreed standard laid down rules as part of it operations commitment in the Deep water Horizon. In conclusion, agreed parties can base their strength in the knowledge of the industries and it expertise to form the industry rules and regulations; whilst the government could ask for joint experience guarantee safety as a requirement for any firm to demand authorisation act of boring a hole in the Deepwater Horizon.

The Diary Of Anne Frank By Anne Frank :: essays research papers

In 1942, when the Nazi's began to invade their country, the Frank family went into hiding in an attic of a warehouse. The Franks' daughter, Anne, kept a diary through out their horrible ordeal. Minutes before the Frank's were captured in their hiding place after a two-year stay, Anne wrote in her diary the words, 'In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.'; Even though Anne suffered so much her courage and character only grew stronger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before Anne Frank went into hiding, she led a blissful and joyous life. She was always surrounded by friends and her family was well to do. She was torn away from her happiness and placed into the harsh and cruel reality of the Nazi agenda at only thirteen years of age. All this only because she was Jewish. She stayed locked up in the attic of the warehouse for almost twenty-five months, never being able to step outside. Such repression and life of fear would make almost any teenager completely depressed and more miserable that words could express. However, Anne managed to keep hope for a better tomorrow and her respect for the human race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anne made a very powerful statement in her last words. To truly believe such a thing after being abused by the Nazis is quite remarkable indeed. I am very sure that most people, including myself, would have thought that the world was a completely corrupt and humans are naturally cruel if they'd have gone through such times. I believe that Anne has the ability to say such a thing because of her great unselfishness and love for all of G-d's creatures. I also believe that if Anne could have written in her diary after she had gone to the concentration camp, she would have said the exact same thing.

Any Animal That Attacks a Human Should be Destroyed at Once :: Animals Violence

An animal that attacks a human being should not be abolished. In any type of case in law, you always have to have justification and be fair, why can’t animals have it? Most animals attack when we attack them, it might have even been an accident. In any law case, no matter high or low, you always have to have reasons for why or at least how it happened. You don’t just say to the lawyer, â€Å"That person harmed me, destroy that person at once.† You wouldn’t, would you? Animals have to be justified to our standards! The animal could have even done it accidentally. Some of the animals might think of us as food. They try biting us, but once they find out we are not food, we don’t just go to them and kill it. It’s an accident. Everyone makes mistakes. Most animals attack when they are attacked or frightened by us. For example, take a look at a snake. Not long ago, I read an information book about snakes and it said, â€Å"We think that snakes deliberately harm us because it is our habit, but think a bit more deeper, we are the ones who harm or frighten them first.† Now take another example and compare it. If someone tried to attack us, what we would do without even thinking is obvious, defend ourselves. Well so do animals. They are only defending and protecting themselves! On the other hand, however, what if it is situation between life and death? If it is a situation between life and death, and you have to kill it, then go ahead. If you are about do die, and a big tiger is going to kill you, you don't just let it eat you, you try to think of the last solution, which is killing it. Therefore, one can conclude, besides the fact that if you are in a situation between "life and death", and have to kill it, it doesn’t give us the right to destroy it other times.

Forever war Essay

Forever war is a novel base on scientific fiction with both contemplative and action laden of interstellar wars between the enigmatic Tauran species and humanity, it has themes like brutality of enigmatic the wars and those involved in wars and reasons why a solder may return home many centuries after the war. The novel is all about a university student, William Mandella, who is called up for elites United Nations task force that is being gathered for war against the Taurans, a strange species realized when they abruptly attacked human colonists ships. Besides being sent for scouting/ reconnaissance purposes, politics of vengeance are also a reason for their formation The army consists of very educated individual with good physical and mental health and the theme of forever war begins in the training camps when very many casualties occur due to the live weapons and the harsh conditions in the training camps. The recruits undergo grueling training on earth and there after on Charon. The newly recruited solder leave for action and travel through worm hole like phenomena (collapsars) that lets ships to envelop many light years within a divided second. However there are relativistic effects realized due to the frequent traveling though the collapsars at almost light speed. The initial encounter with the unarmed Taurans far way from the planet becomes a massacre as the non resisting enemy is wiped out. Mandella painfully reflects how typical that encounter was for man kind past records with interaction with other cultures. From soldier’s point of view, that first expedition only lasted only some months but due to time dilation, several years had passed upon returning to earth. As they return along the long journey, they are attacked by Taurans who have highly advanced weapons while they cannot arm themselves. Marygay, a fellow soldier and a companion and lover to Mandella resume to civilian life but after some time they realize that they cannot fit in the society that has greatly evolved beyond what they can comprehend. The war veterans escape and resume to the army upon realizing the world government is officially encouraging homosexuality to prevent food wars and control overpopulation. They enlist to the army even though they realize that the military does not treat solders with much value but are used as machines. This further displays the Joe idea behind forever war in the Mandellas life and those of other soldiers. Mandella, through luck is able to survive four years of service to the military that can be termed as a number of centuries due to time dilation and as a result he attains higher ranks not from his personal imbibitions but through seniority as he is the oldest surviving soldier in that war. Despite of this Mandella is separated from his lover Marygay who has been his companion on earth since the time of his youth this is by the inevitable and unfriendly military machinery. After engaging in war for many thousand years from the earth, Mandella and other soldiers battle in trying to survive the last conflicts of war. During the past time mankind begins to clone himself and the results of cloning are also called man. Through a special form of communication, the clones are able to communicate with the Taurans who eventually are able to bring peace. It is then realized that the Taurans are clone who could not communicate with the pre-cloned man there leading to misunderstanding meaning that the war was a colossal mistake especially by the trigger happy community. The worst thing in the war from Joe’s point of view is that one is fighting a strange enemy in such a hostile environment and being trained efficiently to fuel yearns for blood. There are also problems when fighting in the clumsy combat in very low temperature besides traveling long distances in the black holes (collapsars). There are many ways a soldier can meet his death while fighting under such conditions there by leading to time dilation that results to the title of the book forever war. The progressions of displaying life as a combatant both in the combat situation and during training are unforgettable and gripping. The author has set a lot of understanding as a soldier during the Vietnam War in to the novel. The two main strengths put in the book are the depiction of progressive alienation of the combatants from the rest of mankind (humanity) and the psychological experience of being a combat that fortunately ends in a sorrowful revelation that the war they were engaged in was merely a blunder. In the novel, the armed forces stuff seemed well presented throughout. There is a particular attention grabber where by when the electricity does not work, the army alternatives is edged weapons. The military implication was well developed though the science in it may be kind of rubbish. Any one who doubts war could be as a result of an enemy that never was should consider the a recent event as the United States army panic stricken response to the international criminal court and their bizarre setting up of a national missile defense, this project will be costly in terms of monetary terms but will be to defend the US against a risk that is vanishingly not likely to become apparent . At the end, Mandela traces his love that had been lost for any years and the other humankind is identified as a race of the bisexual psychic clones. The Forever War doesn’t have happy termination as Mandella and Marygay find each other as the book end with the announcement of their first baby boy, they are in a prison planet where by the genetic curiosity has forced the human race to abandon its humanity in favor of monstrous liaison in the company of its former foe. REFERENCES Joe Haldeman: The Forever War, retrieved on 21st September, 2007, available at www. strangewords. com/archive/forever. html Joe W Haldeman (2003) The Forever War, Econo-Clad Boos publishers, US Review by Nicholas Whyte, retrieved on 21st September, 2007, available at www. nicholaswhyte. info/sf/forwar. htm Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, retrieved on 21st September, 2007, available at www. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Forever_War

Importance of Reading Essay

On many of the other pages of advice on this site I have emphasized how important reading is as far as learning English is concerned. However, there is a further, very important reason why ESL students should try to develop their reading skills: Educational researchers have found that there is a strong correlation between reading and academic success. * In other words, a student who is a good reader is more likely to do well in school and pass exams than a student who is a weak reader. Good readers can understand the individual sentences and the organizational structure of a piece of writing. They can comprehend ideas, follow arguments, and detect implications. They know most of the words in the text already, but they can also determine the meaning of many of the unfamiliar words from the context – failing this, they can use their dictionary effectively to do so. In summary, good readers can extract from the writing what is important for the particular task they are employed in. And they can do it quickly! Educational researchers have also found a strong correlation between reading and vocabulary knowledge. In other words, students who have a large vocabulary are usually good readers. This is not very surprising, since the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to read extensively, and if you read extensively you are likely to be or become a good reader! So if you want your child to be successful at school encourage him or her to read. Reading non-fiction in English is probably the most important, but English fiction and any reading in the mother tongue – if done extensively – will help your child develop the reading competence that is essential for academic achievement. The graphic below illustrates the interdependence of vocabulary, reading ability and academic success. Source: http://esl. fis. edu/parents/advice/read. htm Reading enables the mind to think over objects of interest, which enable a person in making informed decisions, its food for the soul, for it nourishes the human intellect in probing things deeper, analyzing things, and provide guidance to people, to instances they have not yet been exposed to life. You see and remember new words and are given examples of how they are used, expands vocabulary. Why Is Reading Important? 1. Reading is fundamental to function in today’s society. There are many adults who cannot read well enough to understand the instructions on a medicine bottle. That is a scary thought – especially for their children. Filling out applications becomes impossible without help. Reading road or warning signs is difficult. Even following a map becomes a chore. Day-to-day activities that many people take for granted become a source of frustration, anger and fear. 2. Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job. Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part of job performance. There are reports and memos which must be read and responded to. Poor reading skills increases the amount of time it takes to absorb and react in the workplace. A person is limited in what they can accomplish without good reading and comprehension skills. 3. Reading is important because it develops the mind. The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. Reading helps children [and adults] focus on what someone else is communicating.