Monday, September 30, 2019

Results and Discussion Sample

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The measurement that were recorded from the experiment focused more on how the orange peel affect the growth of the mung bean plant over the course of the experiment. Table 1. Effect of Orange Peel to the Mung Bean Plant Trial 1| Orange Peel Growth Enhancer| Commercial Growth Enhancer| Pot 1| Week 1| Week 2| Week 1| | The mung bean plant sprouted a little. | The mung bean plant grew faster after putting a large amount of orange peel. | The mung bean plant grew faster. Trial 2| Orange PeelGrowth Enhancer| CommercialGrowth Enhancer| Pot 1| Week 1| Week 2 | Week 1| | The mung bean plant sprouted a little. | The mung bean plant grew faster after putting a large amount of orange peel. | The mung bean plant grew faster. | Table 1 shows the growth of the mung bean plant during a two-week period in two trials. As the table shows, when you put little amount of orange peel to the plant and when you put a large amount of orange peel to the plant. The mung bean plant grows faster using commercial growth enhancer. But using the orange peel as growth enhancer is somehow effective. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Based from the data gathered, the researchers conclude that the orange peel can be a good growth enhancer to mung bean plant. It gives a fast reaction to the plant. It has the same effect with commercial growth enhancers on mung bean plant. Recommendations Based from the drawn conclusions, the researchers recommend the following: 1. Conduct more reliable test using varied plants and test whether the growth enhancer will really help in faster plant growth. 2. Apply different measurement of the materials. Since putting a lot the orange peel to the plant gives faster reaction, try to apply less amount of it and test it. 3. Make one or more of the growth enhancer, and with different measurement of the materials, test whether it is more effective if you apply more orange peel or if it still effective if you put less orange peel to the plant.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Native American Indians Then and Now Essay

Native American Indians Native American Indians have not changed much in hundreds of years. The Natives still have the same belief as they did from the beginning of time. They are still forced to live on reserved lands that do not seem livable and are in worse conditions now than ever before. Even though people think due to casinos that the American Indians have it made, the Natives are still being mistreated, many tribes are well below poverty levels, highest in death rates, have the most number of preventable diseases, the highest of teen suicide than anywhere in the Nation. Native American Indians traditions go back to the beginning of time. The Native religion is more about sacred and ceremonies. The Native people do not have a word for religion it is more a way of life to them than a religion. According to one researcher, â€Å"There is not one Native tradition to represent Native religion. Just as there are numerous Christian beliefs the Native people have many different beliefs. The Native ceremonies are so similar that it is impossible to discuss them as one† (Burbar, and Vernon 2006) The Natives have always been connected to the lands. Most of their ceremonies and sacred objects come from the lands and has everything to do with how they feel about them. Native people do not believe they can own the lands that people are merely caretakers of it. The Native believe that the land is a gift from the Creator, put here to give them tools for survival. They believe if they take something from the land that they must give thanks for the gift given. They do this by offering sacred herbs, prayer, and dance. Native American Indians The Native people give each member roles to keep the villages running smoothly. The Native men hunt and protect the village, while the women gather fruits, berries, and keep the camps, the children gathered wood, help clean hides, look after the younger children and clean the camps. One researcher studies tells stories of how some tribes are at certain times in the tribal life. â€Å"On the Northwest coast, young women were taught that the wives of Makah whale hunters must very still in bed while their husbands hunted, since their movement influenced the whale’s behaviors. In a Navajo story Black God had all animals penned up until his wife opened the gate. The animals escaped and thereafter had to be hunted, (Kidwell, 1998). All of this became threatened with the arrival of foreigners. With the foreigners coming and bringing there Christian beliefs the Native traditions were going to be challenged. With the start of the White Mans government the Natives faced having several ceremonial rights taken away for hundreds of years. The Natives were stopped from worshiping in manners they were accustomed. The Natives were forced to worship the Christian belief and if they refused they were put to death or imprisoned. Many of the Native traditional ceremonies were stopped completely. Two of those rights at this time were the Ghost Dance, and the Sun dance. The Natives found ways around this; they would go to places they knew white men would not to have ceremonies that had been band. Due to so many of the Native rights being taken away the Natives formed a group called â€Å"American Indian Movement† (AIM). AIM in the early years was called â€Å"Indian wars†. After fighting the government for several years and fighting for their right to religious freedom President Jimmy Carter signed the American Indian Religious freedom Act, Native American Indians (AIRFA). Burke, and Vernon, 2006), AIRFA was one of the very few times when congress gave the Natives the legislative right to worship in the manner he or she feels fit. (Burke, and Vernon, 2006). After a few more decades of being mistreated and having rights taken and treaties broken Aim reformed again. AIM’s early and best known leaders, Russell Means, Dennis Banks, Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt, these Native men formed together to fight for the rights of all indigenous peoples across the world. According to one research study, the â€Å"Trail of Broken Treaties† was â€Å"AIM’s first national pretest event of the 1970’s. AIM’s best-known and controversial protest action began February 1973 in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, a small town in Pine Ridge Reservation†, (Encyclopedia Race and Racism p. 82) better known now as the â€Å"Siege at Wounded Knee†. The siege lasted 71 days and when it was over several of the AIM members were arrested for causing riots. Many of the AIM leaders spent years in legislation, exile, or prison. One of the best known cases is that of Leonard Peltier. Peltier was imprisoned for killing two FBI agents. Several years later it was proven that Peltier did not receive a fare trial. Much of the evidence was not allowed in court and was suppressed from the jurors. After decades of trying to get Peltier freed from prison he was finally deemed the only American political prisoner in 1984. Peltier is still in prison to this day and the Natives are still fighting for his release. A more resent less known case August 22, 2008 of the Natives not receiving justice is the case of Robert Whirlwind Horse 23 and Calonnie Randall 26. These two Natives was struck and killed by a drunk driver Timothy Hotz while walking on a reservation road. This was Hotz Native American Indians fourth DUI, one year prior Hotz had his third DUI. After striking the Natives Hotz continued to drive home without stopping. The next morning Hotz noticed hair on his bumper and turned him self in to authorities. Mr. Hotz received 51 months for killing the Native men. This infuriated the Natives once again. (Means, Russell, Republic of Lakota 2009, April 22). Another case of a young native boy went to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and was upset at the justice received over Hotz actions and was outraged. He shot one bullet into the radiator of the BIA agent’s car and received 20 years imprisonment. The Natives are still being forced to live on reservations. The reservations are in such horrendous conditions almost all the reservations are in worse conditions than most third world countries, (Republic of the Lakotah, conditions); According to one Native â€Å"It is like living in Hattie’s†,(Means Russell). The Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is one such reservation. â€Å"The United States Government has not upheld many of it promises to the Lakotah people and the results to this is astonishing†, (Means, Russell, Republic of the Lakotah). Due to the conditions the Lakotah people are forced to live in has caused them to have the highest death rates than anywhere else in the Nation. Reservations across the country are well below the poverty level. (Figure 3 below) The average life span of a Lakotah Male is 44 years. (Figure 1 below) The Lakotah people have the most preventable diseases than anywhere in the nation. Much of the disease could be stopped if the government would allow the Natives have vaccines and medications. The teen suicide rates are the highest of anywhere in the nation.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Current event on macroeconomics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current event on macroeconomics - Article Example The article indicates that in 2013, North Carolina was the only state in US where the jobless were not provided with the extended benefits yet the state registered had one on the largest improvements in market performance as well as economic growth (John 16). US Bureau of Labor indicated that in the second half of 2013, the payroll jobs in North Carolina rose by 1.5% compared with 0.8% rise in jobs opportunities nationally. Similarly, the unemployment rate in the state dropped by 17% while the nationally it dropped by 12%. Despite the dropping labor force in North Carolina in 2013, it started to rise again in the first quarter of 2014. This article indicates that from June 2013 up to June 2014, North Carolina employment population ratio increased three times more than that of national average. Thus, it is an indication that by ending the extended benefits program, it led to job creation as well as job acceptance. Notable macroeconomic concepts that are covered by the article include unemployment and extended benefits programs. Extended benefits entail the payments that are available to employees who have exhausted regular employment insurance benefits. During the periods of high unemployment, the states provides weeks of benefits, a vital economic strategy that aims increasing the consumers purchasing power as well as the aggregate demand. After passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 and the signing by the President, the deadlines for the Emergency Unemployment Compensation were extended to December 2013. However, the act did not affect the number of weeks of benefits available under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation. According to the Department of labor, the federal government budgets reduction referred to as sequestration may affect the resident’s unemployment insurance benefits in the week ending October 6th. The government has directed the Department of labor to re duce by 7.2% the payments of individuals who are receiving the

Friday, September 27, 2019

Surveillance is increasingly being used in the workplace, what are the Essay

Surveillance is increasingly being used in the workplace, what are the cost and benefits for the business - Essay Example This study was conducted to investigate the implications of surveillance systems on companies such as the British Airways. It takes a look at the various ways in which surveillance systems affect consumers and personnel in actual scenarios. Looking at how surveillance is important or not for a business is significant because it proves to be a ‘necessary evil’ that may provide a lot of benefits than what is expected. But with the revision of rights of employees in the workplace, surveillance is now frowned upon as a form of breaching one’s personal space. When misused and abused, the utilization of surveillance in the workplace could lead to more complications such as lawsuits and other legal matters. Companies which are not built to handle these kinds of negative impacts may soon be well out of business, leading to great financial loss and ultimately to the closure of the company. On the other hand surveillance technology, if applied correctly will result to the o pposite; it may lead to customer and employee satisfaction which may lead to an increase on profit and therefore contributing to the growth and financial well-being of the company. This study was conducted primarily through research work with most of the references herein are taken from online sources which proves to be fairly reliable. One of the primary concerns of any business organisation is the satisfaction of their customers. The saying â€Å"the customer is always right† is universally followed by many of business companies around the world. Today, due to better definitions of labour codes a company must not only look upon the satisfaction of the customer but also of their employees. The employees are the backbone of any company for without them a company will be just a heap of unorganized set of ideas waiting to materialize. Though employees are important, there are quite a significant number of unscrupulous ones so a method must be devised to somehow monitor the activities of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Choose one of the topics from assignment Criteria Essay

Choose one of the topics from assignment Criteria - Essay Example This is when trade unions negotiate on behalf of their members, which places workers in a much stronger position than one they would be in if they bargained individually. An example of such a union has been operating since 1919, named ILO (International Labor Organization), which defines its goal as: â€Å"The primary goal of the ILO today is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity†(International Labor Office 1999). Different opportunities are offered to the workers upon their joining of these trade unions. For instance: creating better employment opportunities, promoting productive practices, providing training to adapt to technological and institutional changes, enhancing social protection, increasing safety nets and promoting social dialogue, thereby providing incentives for the workers to associate with the unions (Budd 2004a). On the other hand, the business environment itself has become pretty competitive and effective, whereby social welfare is replaced with economic welfare (Paul, et al. 2001), consumers have become more important than workers, and the work is viewed as yet another input to the production process (Budd 2004a). This situation poses a threat to employment issues, as debates over labor unions, wages, family or sick leaves, or work standards are reduced to debates over labor costs and their effectiveness (Budd 2004a). Hence, the workers have a full right to join these trade unions and actively seek to maximize their utility in proportion to the work they do. Also, in an attempt to achieve decent work, work which is not just viewed as economic activity but also is given a human face (i.e. embraced psychologically, rewarded materially, and responsible ethically or morally) (Budd 2004a), workers should join trade unions which do not just increase their efficiency but also make them more motivated, focused, satisfied and skilled hence b ringing benefits to the organization as well. Therefore, union memberships should not be prevented by the employees. John W. Budd, the professor of Industrial Relations Land-grant at University of Minnesota, stressed the fact that employment objectives should not just be focused upon efficiency, but also should be focusing upon the two equally important factors, equity and voice (Budd 2004b). Undoubtedly in this competitive world, organizations should strive to utilize their resources as effectively as they can (efficiency), but a sole focus on efficiency ignores the psychological and social part of the employment relationship which means that workers should be entitled to fair treatment or rights (equity) and they should also have a say in decisions (voice) as they are more aware of current ground realities (Budd 2004b). Equity includes minimum standards like minimum wages, maximum hours, minimum safety standards, protection against unfair dismissals or favoritism, and restrictions on child labor (Budd 2004a), hence protecting the workers from abusive and unfair employment practices, which prevailed in the early 20th century, such as long hours at low wages in unsuitable hazardous conditions (Kaufman 1993). Whereas, voice includes: fair speech, protection against unfair dismissals or grievance procedures, and direct or indirect labor participation in the decisions (Budd 2004b). Workers’

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Workforce 2020 project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Workforce 2020 project - Essay Example activities will have to be diverted to improving the ecosystem, and promoting environmental care and safeguards, so that we can avoid, at the very least, environmental catastrophes. These events do not only affect our businesses but our personal lives as citizens of Mother Earth. In the year 2020, or roughly more than a decade from now, we can expect changes in many areas of our lives, from business to personal, and from the countryside to urban life. A challenging but demanding environment awaits Americans in this era of electronic gadgets, computers, climate change and global warming. â€Å"Even now it has become harder and harder to misinterpret the signs that our world is spinning out of kilter. Major cities in North and South America, Asia and Australia are nearly out of water due to massive droughts and melting glaciers. Desperate farmers are losing their livelihoods. People in the frozen Arctic and on low-lying Pacific islands are planning evacuations of places they have long called home. Unprecedented wildfires have forced a half million people from their homes in our country and caused a national emergency that almost brought down a government in another. Climate refugees have migrated into areas already inhabited by people with different cultures, religions and traditions, increasing the potential for conflict. Stronger storms in the Pacific and the Atlantic have threatened whole cities.† (Albert Gore’s speech, cited in Cruz, 2008) The existence of climate refugees is a big sign that more migration will happen in the days and years ahead. With more immigrants in our land, we are not assured of job opportunities for own citizens. And there is no assurance that American economy can generate more and more jobs for Americans and immigrants ten years from now. That is, except if we don’t create forecasts based on existing events and trends. We can prepare for eventualities, and initiate programs for the future of our business organization. Business

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Has the US lost the plot in Latin America Essay

Has the US lost the plot in Latin America - Essay Example He is described as one of the most important intellectuals of our time. "US Perspectives and Foreign Policy in Latin America" homes in on the Heritage Foundation. Wikipedia describes Heritage's stated mission as to: "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." "Venezuelan "Bolivarian Revolution" and Bolivia's "Movement Towards Socialism" lays down the ideological basis of the emerging economic models of both Bolivia and Venezuela. The Power and Interest News Reports (PINR) [url: http://www.pinr.com/ ] was chosen as the main source for its largely unbiased views. "Left versus Left'" offers glimpses of how a radical socialist criticizes other avowed leftists or center-left politicians. James Petras, a Latin American expert and self-described "revolutionary and anti-imperialist" activist and writer, was chosen for his controversial views and mastery of Marxist political economy. "Prognosis" lays down the conclusions of the main themes: (1) "Does the rise of left wing presidents in Latin America represent a threat to the US," (2) "Focus with a case study of Bolivia; the rise of anti neo liberal leaders - could they combine to create an alternative model for development Compare to empirical evidence and the rise of populism in the past;" and (3) "Examining the prospects of an 'alternative' to capitalism; the search for a non dependent model is back on the agenda because of the wave of anti American feeling and the rise of relations for example between Brazil and China." Has the U.S. lost the plot in Latin America "There is trouble ahead for Uncle Sam in his own backyard. Big trouble. It is one of the most important and yet largely untold stories of our world in 2006. George W Bush has lost Latin America. " -- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), April 2006 1 I. Introduction The BBC, the world's largest broadcasting corporation, ran a series on Latin America early this year. The BBC asserted that while the U.S. government has been busy implementing its war against terrorism in Iran and Afghanistan, its relations with Latin America turned sour, from Mexico down to Peru. Strong anti-American feelings, or what one Peruvian leader called "the neo-liberal economic model that has failed to benefit our nation", converted into a string of electoral victories by what the West perceives as left-leaning governments. 2 A "leftward" drift is apparent in Latin America's southern hemisphere since the start of the decade. In Venezuela, leftist Hugo Chavez garnered 56.93% of the votes in 30 July 2000. In Brazil, center-Left Luis Inacio LULA da Silva won 61.27% in the second round of elections in October 27, 2002. In Argentina, left-leaning Nestor Kirchner was sworn in as president on May 25, 2003 to a four-year term of office after his rival, Carlos Menem, decided

Monday, September 23, 2019

Nursing Profession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing Profession - Essay Example Additionally, they create and monitor nursing plans, advice patients and their families in proper care, and help individuals and groups to take steps towards improving or maintaining their health. In practice, there are several types of nurses: hospital nurses, office nurses, nursing home nurses, home health nurses, public health nurses, occupational nurses, nurse supervisors, and advanced practice nurses (APNs). To become a nurse, one must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass a national licensing examination. For APNs, they must meet higher educational and clinical practice requirements beyond the basic nursing education and licensing required of all other registered nurses (RN). More so, they are specialists who offer basic primary healthcare through diagnosis and treatment of common acute illnesses and injuries. Nursing has its hazards especially in hospitals and other facilities where nurses may care for individuals with infectious diseases. Thus, nurses must observ e strict guidelines to protect themselves against diseases and other dangers such as those posed by radiation, chemicals used for sterilization of instruments and anesthetics. The value of registered nurses The next part of this paper will discuss the nursing profession within the context of Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). CNA was established in 1908, and now it is a federation of 11 provincial and territorial nursing associations and colleges representing almost all registered nurses in Canada (CNA, 2011). According to the fact sheet on The Value of Registered Nurses, nurses are associated with saving lives, promoting health, and reducing costs to the health system. First, RNs through their skills and interventions, improve the quality of care and aid patients in getting better health outcomes. Secondly, they shorten length of hospital stays, reduce rates of medication errors and wound infections, and reduce waiting time by providing timely access to care. Thirdly, by increasing the number hours of care provided by RNs, the in-patient deaths and the adverse outcomes among residents in sensitive areas can be reduced significantly. Fourthly, by involving RNs in health promotion and prevention care among the patients, there can be improved mental and physical functioning, a reduction in depression, lower costs per person for prescription drugs, increased number of patients who quit smoking, and better management of chronic diseases (CNA, 2011). More so, home visits by RNs have been shown to improve child and maternal outcomes. Finally, by increasing the number of hours of care provided by RNs, there can be net cost savings through reduced length of hospital stays and avoided adverse outcomes (Needleman et al., 2006). Nurses offer solutions for cost effective health care According to the factsheet on Nurses Offer Solutions for Cost Effective Health Care, nurses are well positioned and work in all parts of the health system, thus they can offer innovations that reduce costs and enhance effectiveness of the health system. First, studies have revealed that by reducing nurse turnover, there can be a reduction in costs and improvement of nurse, patient, and system outcomes. This can be

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Netflix - Essay Example The brand took a bad hit when they increased prices the last time. 2. Netflix has made another positive step towards offering their original productions to the consumers such as â€Å"the house of cards† which has had high viewership rating which should project more segments the company can enter into. 3. The company has so far not been able to penetrate into Latin America because a great deal of the economy works on cash, with a cultural change of high acceptance and usage of debit and credit cards the brand could easily penetrate the market. 4. Netflix collects data from their subscribers, over the years this practice by other companies has received a lot of criticism. Eventually an increased regulation in this regard could result in restricting Netflix’s ability to use technology for data collection and making recommendations. Jacobs, Y. (2011). How I Predicted Netflixs Fall, And Why Its Prospects Are Getting Worse. 2013 Seeking Alpha. Retrieved http://seekingalpha.com/article/294587-how-i-predicted-netflix-s-fall-and-why-its-prospects-are-getting-worse Lawler, A. (2013). As ISPs Like Cablevision Cozy Up To Its Open Source CDN, Netflix Makes 3D And â€Å"Super HD† Video  Available. AOL Inc 2013. Retrieved http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/08/netflix-open-connect-3d-super-hd/ Steltar, B. (2012). A Turnaround at Netflix, as Its Mail Sector Shrink. 2012 The NewYork Times Company. Retrieved

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Life is like a box of chocolates Essay Example for Free

Life is like a box of chocolates Essay At first glance the quote life is like a box of chocolates seems rather silly. How could such a large and complicated concept such as life be compared to something as small and simple as a box of chocolates? There have been two opposing viewpoints in regards to the meaning of this quote, and each viewpoint comes about by a different analysis of what life and chocolates represent as well as what they mean in todays world. The conclusion to the question can only come about through a thorough examination of the quote itself along with its possible entailments to see what both groups of people deem important and what they choose to ignore. Both arguments seem to work well to counter the other and show the flaws in the other explanations theory. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, life is a state, existence, or principle of existence conceived as belonging to the soul. Most people, when questioned about life would not have a very clear or concise answer because life is not something that is wholly tangible. In general life is considered to be everything that happens to a person from the moment they are born to the moment they die. All of their interactions with the world and all of their thoughts and actions. There does not seem to be any plan or order to these events, just everything that happens. Everything. Life is a long process with good, bad and indifferent points. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, a box is a container, usually with four stiff sides, a bottom, and a lid to pack or put things in, and chocolate is a substance made by roasting and grinding cacao seeds. A box of chocolates would logically be a container which holds cacao products. A scientific dissection of a box of chocolates would show a box (usually rectangular or heart shaped) filled with anywhere from one to dozens of small, individually wrapped chocolates. Usually the type of chocolate and the filling of each individual varies inside a given package. In America however, a box of chocolates means much more then this simple addition of definitions and a direct visual analysis would lead one to believe. A box of chocolates, in our referent system, is a symbol. It generally symbolizes  love, and through metonymy, has been made to mean love. When a gift of a box of chocolates is given on Valentines Day, it more than symbolizes love, it actually means love. The meanings have become blurred over the years as chocolate has become a standard gift. It is not an original thought to give someone chocolate, but more a means of showing love. Not an act of love, but merely an expression of love. The first group of people generally finish the simile life is like a box of chocolates with the conclusion you never know what youre gonna get. This group views all the meanings of life and of the box of chocolates and found the best compilation to be that both in life, and in chocolates, there is randomness and a lack of order. When a person walks out of the front door of his house on a Monday morning, there is no way for him to know if he is going to find a hundred dollar bill tucked under his doormat, or a large meteor that has fallen and crushed his car. Its hard to know if a day is going to be a good day or a bad day, you just know that it will be a day. The same holds true for eating a box of chocolates. When you open a box of chocolates, there are rows of non-differentiated chocolates. They all look the same, and yet you know some are filled with cream, some with caramel and some with coconut. When you pick one up, much like when the man opens his front door, there is no way of knowing if you will get a good chocolate (cream) or a bad chocolate (coconut), you just know youll get a chocolate. For both examples it will not be easy to tell if it was good or bad until the chocolate, or the day, has been completed. You never know what will happen. The second group of people generally finish the simile life is like a box of chocolates with the conclusion a thoughtless perfunctory gift that nobody really wants. This group takes up an opposing analysis and says that the important part of chocolates is not the randomness of them within the package, but instead the symbol that people dont really think in life, but instead just perform as they are expected to. Since chocolates have come to mean love, people no longer do creative things to express their love. They simple buy chocolates. Once the chocolates are delivered, then what. People dont actually want the chocolates, they want the love. Since the chocolates  have assumed the meaning of love, the chocolates themselves go to waste. Who wants to eat their love? Instead of being eaten immediately, as chocolates are truly intended to be, they are showed to friends and relatives, and eventually put on a shelf or in a cabinet. They will get eaten if someone shows desire, but its not important. Under this interpretation, life is pointless and merely for show. People dont do things because it is what they feel that they should, people do things because they are expected to (just as the lover is expected to give chocolate). It is better to put up an lofty facade, then to be true and honest to the people around you.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Genetically Modified (GM): Pros and Cons

Genetically Modified (GM): Pros and Cons Food is a vital source for the survival of mankind. The current global food crisis has become too significant a problem that we cannot avoid this issue any further. Several solutions are made to salvage the situation like educating the nations on eating habits, population control and providing food and financial aid to poor countries that face hunger and famine. However, enforcing birth control and changing eating habits is possible but difficult to change the mindset of billions of people within the near future, what we need is an immediate response to tackle this exponentially increasing problem. The most efficient solution to solve the global food shortage issue might be the reliance on science and technology, the growth and consumption of genetically-modified (GM) food. Despite many controversies regarding the use of GM food, it could be the best answer to handle this global food shortage. In this is article, the pros and cons of GM food will be evaluated along with reference fro m two developing countries China and Philippines which will describe their use and attitude to GM foods. The creation of GM food can play a rather significant role in solving the problem of food shortage worldwide. GM food are produced quicker and an additional advantage of GM food to food that are grown naturally is with the help of genitical enhancement, certain food are manufactured to grow more nutritiously than when produced naturally, for example, golden rice genetically developed to provide Vitamin A will help reduce Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) commonly contracted in developing countries as a result of malnutrition (Curtis; McCluskey; Wahl, 2004). Another example that shows a plus point to the suppor of GM food is drought-resistant crops. They are created to allow crop yield without being too sensitively affected by erratic climate changes. This means that crops can still be grown and harvested to feed people even when rain doesnt come. Kenya, for example, has been experiencing drought for the fourth consecutive year. In addition to the lack of rain, the unpredictability as to when rain will come causes confusing and inefficient planting and hence, poor harvesting. With the use of genetically enhanced drought-resistant crops, they will not face problems like poor harvest. (Integrated Regional Information Networks, 2009). Furthermore, since GM crops are produced more quickly than naturally grown crops, crop yield will increase significantly which benefits farmers and most importantly, reduce the problem of food shortage. However, there is an argument that contradicts the point in GM crops helping the increase of crop yield. It is asserted by Mexican Research Scientist, Dr. Antonio Serratos (2008) that production of GM food is unpredictable resulting in the evolution of a mutated version of the actual species. The unpredictability also questions the production of GM crops being more efficient than traditonal methods. As refered from the example before regarding the creation of drought-resistant crops, the essence of drought-resistant can also be transfered to weeds. Hence, evolving weeds into drought resistant weeds. This will then result in an increased use of fertilisers or even fertilisers of higher potencies to get rid of the GM weeds which instead do more harm to the ecosystem than by traditional breeding. Therefore, an increased in enhanced weed could also lead to a reduction in crop yield. On the other hand, the following argument faults the unpredictability of genitically enhanced crops. Plant Scientist from the John Innes Centre, Dr. Giles Oldroyd (2008) argue that science, by definition is predictable. When one gene of an organism is transfered into another organism it is done thoroughly and sensitively to ensure accuracy. Furthermore, a case study of conventional growing of crops requiring nitrogen fertilisers. The use of nitrogen fertilisers have many adversed effects such as deaths in Mexico and depleting natural resources (fossil fuels). This natural method of crop growing is doing harm to the environment and debates that the perceived unpredictability of genetically enhanced crops are harmful. Dr. Oldroyd also believes that the use of biotechnology is necessary to prevent issues from food shortage due to the expansion in world population and climate change. My first example of a developing country is the Philippines. It is one of the pioneers in Asia to use GM crops where mainly corn was substituted with GM Insect-protected (Bt) corn which has assisted farmers in controlling invasion of insects on the corn without the use of agricultural pesticides. The following example will explain how the use of GM crops is more convenient and profitable than conventional cropping. Jerry Due is one of more than 50, 000 Filipino farmers in the Philippines that embrace the use of GM corn. Due had less problems dealing with corn borers. Furthermore, he has had an increase of an estimated 20 to 30 percent increase in yield since he started using GM grains two years ago. This also reflected positively on his income, he is now confident in being able to save sufficient money to send his son to school and support his throughout his studies. In addition, Due stated that another advantage to the use of the Insect-protected corn is that they need not burn the residue in their harvest where it is necessary for naturally bred corn, instead they simply leave the residue in the field where it will naturally deompose and become fertilisers. Hence having more time to spend on his family and also reduce negative impacts to the environment. (Monsanto, 2005) However, there were much domestic debate for Philippines to allow GM crops to be grown in the country due to mainly religious reasons. Philippines is mainly a Roman Catholic country, it has encountered fierce disapproval from environmental groups as well as many Catholic bishops when the Philippine government approved growth of GM crops in the country. Mr. Gloria Arroyo, Filipino President state that the Vaticans approach to GM crops is postive and has allowed the country to cultivate them however, the Vatican states otherwise. The Vatican were still in the midst of discussion, studying the implications and ethics of using GM crops (Mantell, 2003). Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales Archbishop of Manila informed President Arroyo to eliminate sale of GM rice products that were imported from the United States as they pose dangers to the peoples health as well as the environment. He stated that â€Å"As a church institution, we have moral obligation to protect the interest of Gods people and their inherent right to safe food and healthy environment† (Rosales cited by Digal, 2007) The government sees the necessity of GM crop being grown in the country which will help its people economically as described that it had to weigh the consequences between the idealogy of faith and desperation over food deficit. My second example of a developing country and its use of GM food isChina, the country with the largest population in the world.With over 1.3 billion people and an expected population of 1.4 billion by late 2010s, this is a massive nation requires an incredibly large supply of food to feed its people (Rosenberg, 2008). The China government is very supportive of food biotechonology because they understand the urgency of the immediate availibility of food and the additional nutrional content that GM food can provide. It has policies of self-sufficiency which resulted in China being the fourth largest producer of GM crops globally. The government also believes that more efficient agricultural production techniques need to be practised and GM crops have proven to show superiority over conventional crops with higher yield, pest resistance and longer shelf life. The people in China has a relatively positive attitude towards the use of biotechnology on food where only 9.3% of respondents in a survey display negative opinions towards the use of biotechnology on food. This could be partly due to positive influences from the countrys government regulation and media coverage . Moreover, the benefits of GM food are considered outweighed to its so-called healths risks and implications. The general benefits which are key factors to developing countries like China are the availibility of food, the nutritional enhancement and last but not least, the economic advantage to the use of food biotechnology. A consumer-attitude analysis was done in China and results show that Chinese consumers are willing to pay an average of 16% appreciation for GM soybean oil and 38% appreciation for GM rice over natural alternatives (Curtis; McCluskey; Wahl, 2004). Another survey was done to show that at least half of the survey respondents have heard of GM food and about half urveyed that were adequately informed about GM food define GM food as safe for consumption. Only about 20% of overall surveyed feel that GM food is considered unsafe (Zhong; Marchant; Ding; Lu, 2002). This shows that the chinese consumers are not ignorant as to what GM food is all about. The reason as to why chinese consumers are willing to pay premium for GM food is that they are willing to experiment new products. They have great trust in the governments judgement on food safety and the price change between GM and conventionally grown food is not a factor big enough to prevent them from buying (Curtis; McCluskey; Wahl, 2004). In conclusion, this article has shown perspectives from two developing countries and their postive attitude towards the use of GM food apart from religious reasons. Most importantly, this essay has evaluated and shown that the use of biotechonology on food as a response to tackle the food crisis faced worldwide has been relatively successful with reference from the two developing countries discussed. Genetically modified crops play a very important role in increasing efficiency in production of food for the world, perceived health risks dangers, for example, mice that were fed with food that underwent biotechnology had severe health damages (Zhong, Marchant, Ding, Lu 2002) need to be cushioned and the embracement of enhanced crops ought to be look upon by the entire world. Bibliography: Curtis K; McCluskey J; Wahl T. 2004, AgBioForun â€Å"Consumer Acceptance of Genetically Modified Food Products in the Developing World† Digal S. 2007, AsiaNews â€Å"Stop US GM Food, says Cardinal Rosales† [Accessed on 27/11/09] from http://www.asianews.it/view4print.php?1=enart=8509 Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) 2009, Prevention Web â€Å"Kenya: Drought-resistant crops encouraged† [Accessed on 28/11/09] from http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=10731 Mantell K. 2003, Science and Development Network â€Å"Philippines announces Vaticans approval of GM food† [Accessed on 27/11/09] from http://www.scidev.net/en/news/philippines-announces-vaticans-approval-of-gm-foo.html Monsanto Company, 2005, â€Å"Filipino Farmers Reap Advantages of Genetically Modified Organisms† [Accessed on 27/11/09] from http://www.monsanto.com/biotech-gmo/asp/farmers.asp?cname=philippinesid=jerrydue Rosenberg M. 2008, About â€Å"China Population† [Accessed on 28/11/09] from http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/chinapopulation.htm Zhong F; Marchant M; Ding Y; Lu K. 2002, AgBioForum â€Å"GM Foods: A Nanjing Case Study of Chinese Consumers Awareness and Potential Attitudes†

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Awake the Irish to the Physical Existence of Their Diabolic Environment

A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift as a way to express the horrific conditions Irish people underwent throughout the 1700’s (McNeil, 2010). Swift describes the evil, unjust and cruel treatment Ireland experienced due to its tyrant the forceful England. He develops a persona, the fictional character, with the intention of leading the Irish towards the truth and reality of their deprivation. The persona alone is insufficient in making the narrator seem reasonable. Thus, the persona utilizes irony that serves the purpose of attacking, exposing and scorning the Irish people. Yet, in order to make cannibalism sound like a practical ironic solution the author wisely uses his wit to imply that cannibalism cannot be more savagely cruel and unethical than what the Irish are permitting their oppressor to do to them. Swift’s use of the persona, irony and wit awakens the Irish to the physical existence of their diabolic environment and convinces them that they should take action in order to cease the circumstances. Fictional persona conceals Swift’s true identity helping him portray to the readers the significance of Ireland’s problems and allowing them to see the truth and reality. The persona identifies a very intelligent, serious and concerned Irishman. He seems to be monstrous for proposing something cruel and evil very calmly as if it is a typical thing to consume the flesh of an infant. In general, the proposition to eat infants makes his proposal diabolic. He proposes: â€Å"at exactly one year old that I propose to provide for them, in such a manner as instead of being a charge upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribu... ... and wit in order to influence the readers to approach his essay and his proposal with sincerity. However, all he really wanted the Irish to do is buy Irish goods, tax their absentees, become wiser and economical with money and be less indolent. Upon closing, his essay Swift asks the property owners to be more lenient on their people. Swift’s essay presents the Irish with a fanatical solution in order to make them realize the horrible and inhumane circumstances they underwent throughout the 1700’s. Works Cited McNeil Bertrand, Jennifer. "The Ireland of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal." Suite101.com. 14 Nov. 2010. Web. Jan. 2012. . Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." Masters of British Literature, Vol. A. New York: Longman, 2008. 1288-294. Print.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Athletic Training Career Essay -- Sports, Health and Physical Educatio

"Here she comes around the last curve she's just about to break the world record for fastest mile run by a woman. Almost there, and she's done it! But wait, she's on the ground, gee whiz I think her knees gave out!" How is this girl going to get better? What should she do to fix this? An athletic trainer would be able to answer these questions and help this girl get back into the best physical condition possible so she could run again. The following are key parts of the Athletic Training career, including, but not limited to: requirements of education and colleges that offer programs; basic job titles and responsibilities; employers; benefits, hours, annual income; extending the job experience. An Athletic Trainer is by definition "a medical professional who prevents, assesses, treats, and rehabilitates injuries." These professionals are recognized by the American Medical Association, and are part of the Allied Health Services. Athletic Trainers must be mature enough to handle emerge ncy circumstances, such as an unexpected injury, distraught athletes and parents. They must know how to prevent injury, or evaluate an injury in order to care for and rehabilitate the injured party ("Defining" 1). Now, every good career person must have an education, and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a well known college for becoming an Athletic Trainer. It has a competitive, nationally accredited, Athletic Training program so that after the first two years of college a student must apply for a position. It also has an excellent fitness facility. Curriculum generally includes "assessment and evaluation, acute care, general medical conditions and disabilities, pathology of injury and illness, therapeutic exercise, therapeutic modalities, r... ...r career extensions or changes among Athletic Trainers. The time it would take to add another degree to a resume would depend on the type of degree or certification required and the college or university attended. However, adding more degrees tends to make a person more qualified and wanted in higher paying positions, just keep in mind that higher paying positions also take more time. Athletic Training can be a very rewarding career if someone is ambitious enough to go far. The author of this paper no longer wants to become an Athletic Trainer anymore because higher pay is harder to achieve, and an extreme amount of time would be needed to get into the highest pay bracket. I think this career would be better for single, healthy people, or an athletic family that does not mind the parent being away for periods of time on, whichever, weekends, days or nights.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Importance of Thrasymachus in Plato’s Republic Essays -- Plato Rep

The Importance of Thrasymachus in Plato’s Republic   Ã‚      Dr. Malters’s comments: This student does two things quite remarkable for an undergraduate student. In his compact essay, not only does he display an in-depth understanding of complex perspectives on justice put forth by the protagonist Socrates, he deftly explains how Plato has artfully made rude objections by a seemingly minor character early in the dialogue function as a structuring device for nearly all the important ideas examined thereafter. In Plato's Republic, the character Thrasymachus provides an intense yet short-lived appearance in the discussion of justice early in the story. Though he seems to almost completely withdraw from the discussion for the remainder of the book, his early arguments provide a major impetus in Socrates' search for justice and prove to be an ever-present force contributing throughout the entirety of the work. After Socrates refutes the primary arguments of Justice from Cephalus and Polemarchus, Thrasymachus jumps into the discussion as a "wild beast" "as if to tear [Socrates] apart." He quickly insults the interlocutors and shows a high disdain for philosophy. He claims to know what justice really is without having to go through all the "asinine" arguments, simply stating it as "the interests of the stronger." He is clearly basing this view on simple observations of various rulers of his time. After Socrates refutes this argument by using examples of doctors and captains working for the benefit of their patients and sailors, respectively, Thrasymachus comes back with the argument of shepherds fattening sheep up for their own profit instead of for the benefit of the sheep. After this, Thrasymachus seems to w... ...onceived notions of philosophy determined by the mere appearance of things. After Socrates examines the five regimes of the soul as they move from aristocracy to tyranny, he is eventually able to show how the tyrant becomes a slave to his own appetites and proves most wretched of all leaders. This finally completely refutes Thrasymachus' argument that the unjust is better off than the just. He sums up the matter when he says that they "break away smartly.. .but [in the end] trot off uncrowned. "He goes on to say "as for the unjust, at the end of the race, most will be caught and whipped." Thrasymachus is indeed "caught" by Socrates in the beginning of the Republic, and by the end is whipped into wisdom of true justice from Socrates' enduring argument. Work Cited Plato, the Republic, translated by Allan Bloom. New York: Basic Books, 1991.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Field Hockey Essay

I’ve never been known to be athletic. Most of my friends are quite the athletes and many of them are at D1 schools playing what they’re good at. Typically, athletes begin at a very young age and become skilled at their sport. Unfortunately, I was not raised to be an athlete; my parents never enforced it and at the time I never asked. It bothers me that they never thought of letting me try soccer, basketball, swimming, or gymnastics. However, I took matters into my own hands and tried out for Field Hockey. Picking up a sport at a young age is probably easier than picking it up your sophomore year in high school. I was influenced by many of my friends who I met my freshman year to try out. They had been playing field hockey since they were in the sixth grade. I decided to give it a shot since my friends said they were willing to help me out and teach me. Also because my childhood best friend, Caitlyn, was also trying out. My friend, Emily Cole, is a field hockey goddess to everyone who knows the sport. She is one of the best in the nation and knowing she would be there to help me get the hang of it was comforting. Once pre-season rolled around, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. I don’t think I have ever been that sore in my life but once we started the season I was playing at the Junior Varsity level. I felt out of place because my friends were on Varsity. At one point during the season Caitlyn was a swinger playing both Varsity and Junior Varsity. It was a wakeup call, I could not believe she was playing with the Varsity team when both she and I had just started playing this sport together, I felt envious. It made me realize that nothing will ever get handed to you and that if you want something you have to go after it. My whole sophomore year, I worked on my stick work and learned the rules. I promised myself that I would be on the varsity team the upcoming season. Summer 2010, I would go running every day and work on everything I needed improvement on. I would remind myself about what it felt like not being on the Varsity team. During pre-season I proved to the Varsity coach that I did have what it took to be on the team. My original mile time was ten minutes my sophomore year. That year it was under seven minutes. Coach A was never the one to show any type of emotion but I knew she was proud. After a week of pre-season, we had to have practice indoors because it was raining and it was also the day Coach A had the uniforms out. She told us to stretch out and that meant practice was over. We all sat and stretched out and she said, â€Å"Returning varsity from last year, grab your uniform† and once every one had grabbed their uniform she said, â€Å"Gabby, you can go pick your number† I had never been so content! It felt amazing knowing that I finally had a spot on a team and even though I’ve never been much of an athlete, I did it. Once the season began, I was ready to play at the varsity level. My JV coach would always try to coach me because he knew that I had potential to be better than what I was demonstrating. I played left forward and playing left forward as a righty wasn’t easy. In order to be good at that position, you had to know where to place your stick at the right time to get a deflection into the goal. Field hockey is a sport in where you have to be aggressive which was what I lacked. The few times that Coach A gave me the opportunity to show her what I was about didn’t work out to my favor. I would miss balls that my nine year old brother could stop. That year I did not start and despite how much fun it was bonding with the older girls it wasn’t sitting on the bench. Our 2010 Field hockey team went undefeated and won a State Championship title. We did receive rings that year but it never felt right wearing that ring because as much as I was on the team I felt like I never did anything to deserve it. That year made me question why I even bothered in the first place. The rest of the school year, I put a lot of thought into whether or not I should try out for the team next year. I never once thought positive about the upcoming year, I felt used and not needed on the team. Most of my friends on the Varsity team were graduating and the only one left was Emily, the all-star. Therefore I could not settle to play like an average plater, I was expected to step up. It was my senior year, why go through all that trouble and quit? I wasn’t sure returning the upcoming season was the best idea but I did it anyway. I could not allow myself to quit knowing I had made it that far. Every day after practice, I would ask Emily to stay and help me whether it was with conditioning or stick work. I had no other option but to step up and help my team. There were finally spots which I could fill in for; the only problem was they were big shoes to fill in. I knew that if I wanted to start this year, I would have to put aside all of my fears and work harder than ever before. In the beginning of the season I did not start. At that point, I was on the verge of just quitting because it was clear that everything I was doing was not working. It wasn’t that my coach didn’t believe in me, it was obvious I didn’t believe in myself. My team and I entered post season undefeated. Our coach always said that depending on how your warm up goes that’s how you will play. My warm up went fairly well that day and my coach decided to put me in. I knew that this game was important and I had to leave all of my emotions on the bench. We were down by two and Emily had got a hold of the ball in the circle, I ran to where I was supposed to be on the right post at the right time with the right angle and it deflected into the goal so perfectly. It was one of the best feelings I had ever felt. I remember my team jumping on top of me and my coach yelling, â€Å"I knew you could do it!’ I felt so much more confident and a sense of relief. It made me realize why I was playing and why I didn’t quit. As the season went on I was so glad that I had made the right decision, I became one of the leading top scorers and became part of the starting lineup for the rest of the season. We kept our title by winning another State Championship. This time around I was proud to wear the ring that was given to us. Every year after our season ends we have a banquet where our coach gives us all a little gift and talks about each one of us. I remember Coach A saying she was so proud of who I had become on the field and knew all along I had it in me. All I could say to her was thank you for being the coach that she was and believing in me. This experience taught me that nothing comes easy. There are things that you will go after but never fully grasp. It taught me that in life not everything goes your way. You will get pushed to the ground but it is up to you if you get up and keep fighting. Even though Field hockey was never on my list of sports that I wish I had played, I’m so grateful for the friends I met who pushed me into playing this sport. It just goes to show that you can really do anything you set your mind to. It just depends on your attitude and how you go about the things that are thrown at you. Many people take the easy way out and just quit but holding on even though the road is rocky for most of the way is true ambition. It all depends on the kind of person you are or want to become. My coach always said, â€Å"Quitters never win and winners never quit.†

Agriculture and Technology Essay

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1) Summary of Character Traits a) School smart (Maya is smart. When she moves to San Francisco from Stamps, Arkansas, she is skipped a grade. b) Caring sister (she always talks of her devotion to Baily) c) Determined (she wants to get a Job with the streetcar company and she keeps bugging them until they finally give her a Job) d) Proud (she lives with the Junkyard kids instead of going back to her father’s; she slaps Dolores for calling her mother a whore) 2) Appearance a) African American, tall, skinny, small and squinty eyes, big feet, large ap between her front teeth, black hair 3) What The Character Wants a) Maya wants, ultimately, for her family to be happy. She wants the segregation of blacks to end (she is disgusted when young white girls call her grandmother by her first name). 4) How the Character Changes a) After being raped, Maya stops talking as much b) After spending time living in the Junkyard, Maya learns tolerance, which will help her through out her life. She matures from a young girl to a mother, as well. c) Becomes more mature once she gets her Job with the street ars 5) Key Statements About the Character a) â€Å"Ritie, dont worry Ocause you ain’t pretty. Plenty of pretty women I seen digging ditches or worse. You smart. I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind. † (p. 56) b) â€Å"In those moments I decided that although Baily loved me he couldn’t help. 0 1 knew that because I loved him so much I could never hurt him† (p. 73) 6) Key Actions a) Father comes to Stamps and takes them to their mother b) Moves back to Stamps, then to SF c) Drives home from Mexico d) Slaps Dolores br;  e) Stays with the Junkyard people f) Gets pregnant 7) What Others Think Of the Character a) When they are younger, Baily really looks out for Maya. As they grow up, and after she spends time with her father, they drift apart. b) Her grandmother loves Maya very much, and knows that she is a very smart girl with a lot of potential. c) Her mother seems to care much more about her than her father did. Thesis Statement: Maya Angelou faces many hardships, yet manages to overcome them all, in her autobiography, â€Å"l Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. br>Maya Angelou faces many hardships, yet manages to overcome them all, in her autobiography, â€Å"l Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya is a strong willed, often stubborn, outgoing, somewhat outspoken, and rather intelligent girl. She becomes very tolerant due to some of her experiences. She also matures faster mentally than many other girls her age because of her situation and experiences. From the time she was young and through adolescence, Maya considered herself ugly. She was a tall, somewhat lanky African American. She was skinny, and felt that her eyes were too small and squinty. She was also ashamed of her large feet. r; Throughout the story, Maya is discouraged by the segregation of the blacks. For a long time she is denied the Job that she wishes to have because of the color of her skin. Also, she wants her family to be together and to be happy. She is separated from her parents at a young age and lives with her grandmother and uncle for most of her childhood. When she is with her parents, she tends to feel secondary. There is always something a touch more important that she and her brother Baily. autobiography, â€Å"l Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. When the book begins, Angelou is a young child, a mere three years old. As she grows up, though somewhat sheltered by her grandmother’s position as a general store owner, her eyes are opened to the current ways of the South. Blacks are lesser people that whites, and that was the way it was for her. On several occasions she watched in horror as young girls called her grandmother by her first name, when they should have been respectful and at lease used â€Å"Miss†. Once breaking the segregation barrier for herself, she gets a Job with the Streetcar Company. Having a Job, and the responsibility that comes with it, she mentally matures faster than the other children her age. While living with her mother he first time, Maya is molested by her mother’s boyfriend. After this, she becomes almost completely silent. She avoids talking as much as possible, which is a contrast to her previous behavior. Maya spends time living with other children in a Junkyard after her father asks her to leave. He asks her to leave because she and his girlfriend, Dolores, get into a fght and Dolores hurts Maya. After spending time with those children, she learns tolerance and matures more. Also, after becoming pregnant and realizing that she is responsible for another human life, she matures even more and becomes more responsible. br>Maya and her brother Baily were very close during their childhood and most of their adolescence. Baily was always proud of Maya for her intelligence, even though at times she wished she could have forfeited it for good looks. Baily expresses his pride by saying, â€Å"[Maya], don’t worry Ocause you ain’t pretty. Plenty of pretty women I mind than cute behind. (p. 56) After being raped, Maya wishes to protect her brother. She doesn’t want anything to happen to him because, according to her, she isn’t as good of a person as she should be. Through out her life

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Segmentation: Marketing

What are the weaknesses of mass marketing, as opposed to segmented marketing? What advantages does a company gain from market segmentation, as opposed to treating the market as single entity? MASS MARKETING:- Mass marketing is a market strategy in which firm or industry treat market with single offer or one strategy. In this marketing term wide range of customers and audience are concentrated. As there is no segmentation and focusing concern so large amount of customers are possibly exposed to the product.For example as audience is focused on radio, television and newspapers in which large and broad audience are targeted by the companies and industries towards their product. Mass marketing is the opposite of segmented marketing as it focuses on high sales and low prices. Mass marketing aims is to provide services and products that will appeal to the whole market. Segmented marketing targeted a specific or particular segment of the market for example specialized services or goods with few or no competitors.WEAKNESSES OF MASS MARKETING AS OPPOSED TO SEGMENT MARKETING:- Mass marketing focus to produce one type of goods and services to consumers, it is possible to reduce the level of risk involved in implementing this marketing term by market research although there is always a danger that demand for the product may fall. To determine any risks that may occur, a business must continuously examine the life cycle of their products and to analyze their product portfolios, this should ensure that the business goods continue to satisfy the market. The high cost of fixed capital costs that are incurred may prevent many businesses from operating a market. * Developing a product that would appeal to a mass market is difficult as it must appeal to all customers. Appealing to individual customers would be very challenging for the business. * Businesses in mass marketing can be defenseless to fluctuations in demand. A decrease in demand would lead to unused spare capacity tha t would effectively increase the unit cost per product. SEGMENTATION:- Market segmentation is the concept in which markets certain group or people are targeted and focused.Researcher has shown that racial similarity, role congruence, labeling intensity of ethnic identification, shared knowledge and ethnic salience all promote positive effects on the targeted market. In market segmented we have seen that their customers and consumers are loyal and strongly affinity to the particular brand or product. As in market segmenting the market is divided into individual markets with similar wants and needs as on the products consumption. Broadly markets can be divided according to a number of general criteria, such as by industry or public versus private.Although there is difference in industrial and consumer market segmentation but both of them have similar objectives. Why segmentation? One of the main reasons for using market segmentation is to help companies to better understand the needs of a specific customer base. Mass marketing assumes that all customers are the same and will respond to the same advertising. By looking at ways in which potential customer groups are different from each other, the marketing message can be better targeted to the needs and wants of those people.Often. Dividing consumers by clearly defined criteria will help the company identify other applications for their products that may not have been obvious before. These revelations often help the company target a larger audience in that same demographic classification, improving market share among a specific base. Segmenting the market can also serve to identify smaller groups of people who make up their own, previously unknown subsets. SEGMENTATION OR SINGLE ENTITY MARKET:-Segmentation is much more valuable market strategy as compare to the market as a single unit because it’s much more hard and difficult to focus and know about the demands and needs of, customers and consumers if they are spread in a larger quantity. Market as a whole is difficult to handle if the areas of it are specifically are not defined and segmented well enough to know about them. There are all sort of customers found in market, each of them are different in needs and wants, and their budgets and choices also differ, so to reach and fulfill their necessities market must be segmented and defined sufficiently.Is it possible to segment a market too far? What are the potential disadvantages of segmenting a market? Choose a market to provide examples of these potential disadvantages? Market segmentation is one of the best market strategies to apply and survive in market conditions. As in it product and services are enhanced and polished for the specific audience who demand, need and purchase them. In big wide world of billions of different types of people each and every company or industry first of all have to segment and target the specific group to at least introduce their product and check th e result from audience as it goes in profit or loss.But if the segmenting occurs again and again and went to deep in the specification and selection then it will be quit a difficult issue to solve and face, because there are certain criteria for segmentation if those will not be fulfilled then segmentation will give negative effect, some of them are given as follow:- * It is potential to measure. * It must be large enough to earn profit. * It must be stable enough that it does not vanish after some time. * It is possible to reach potential customers via the organization's promotion and distribution channel. It responds consistently to a given market stimulus. * It can be reached by market intervention in a cost-effective manner. * It is useful in deciding on the marketing mix. As it’s obvious that each an everything, strategy or planning have its own positive and negative side as well, so we can only try to minimize those disadvantages by research and investigations. Some of the disadvantages of over segmenting market are given below:- * The segment will be simply too small to be addressed economically or meaningfully. * Customers are misinterpreted on their needs by too much segmentation. As there is always competitor market segment also working in market which will increase the costs and lesser profit margin of your product. * Further segmenting introduce new products in market which need higher mass of advertisement to make its place in market, which will be needing lots of market research and risk as well because of new entry in market. The type of segmentation you use will depend on a lot of factors including the cost not only of conducting the research, but also of implementing the solution and the business impact.Consequently ideally for each segment or group you want to know what the economic value and the economic potential for each group is and have some idea as to whether this is increasing or falling. Consequently most quantitative segmentat ion studies are detailed and complex. A more cost-effective approach is to develop groups based on qualitative research. Typically a business wants to minimize the number of segments it has as each costs money to target properly (database marketing and digital printing techniques allow for far finer targeting without too much additional cost).With small numbers of big segments, a good researcher will be able to identify these groups within a programmer of qualitative research. This will not gather economic data, but it enables deeper insight into each group and, if monitored over time, provides core information about how segments change and develop. For example:- As we have seen that APPLE products and software’s are well known in market and are consume by thousands of customers around the world. They target the lead class of public with higher prices and best services in return.There applications can only be installed by APPLE STORE as from which soon of them are free and ot hers are paid as well as they bound their customers to do so. But if to maintain or increase their prestige, they will further segment there applications only to be installed after payment, then it will be too much expensive to afford that market term which will for sure affect their sells. As in market their competitors are developing day by day and offering really cheap amount for the look alike product and services as compare to them. The application provided by them are also free and approx. similar as given on APPLE STORES.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

A Study of the Conversion Options for the Bataan

Introduction Between 1993 and 1995, M. E. T. T. S. undertook a study of the options for converting the Bataan Nuclear Power Station to fossil fuel (coal or natural gas) combustion. One aim of the study was to find another market for Philippine and Australian coal or natural gas (LNG). The essential question regarding the Bataan Reactor is: how to obtain a financial return from a very expensive power station that * has never produced electricity; * is costing the Philippinec State a sizeable sum in interest; and * has environmental, safety and social concerns over its use as a nuclear power station.The retrofitting of the turbine generator with a fossil fuel fired steam raising system was suggested as a means of utilising part of the plant, and obtaining some return for past and future expenditure. The report/proposal examined some options for fossil fuel firing, and compared those options with nuclear operation. Background The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1984, whilst construction commenced in 1976. It is a Westinghouse light water reactor, that uses pressurised water as it heat exchange medium between the reactor and the steam generators.Its design thermal capacity is 1876MW(t), whilst its rated power output is 621MW(e)1. The technology that is incorporated into the plant is essentially early seventies, but has been modified to incorporate more recent safety devices, such as those recommended by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after evaluation of the Three Mile Island incident. The plant, which was in the process of commissioning at the time of the EDSA revolution, has not been fired, although nuclear fuel was delivered to it storage facilities.Maintenance has continued, with the integrity of the plant and ancillaries being ensured. Conclusion of Study The Philippine Government has previously stated that the Philippines will have nuclear power, but that power will come from new plant and not the Bataan reactor. President Ramos announced on the 8th October 1994 that the Reactor would be converted to a 1000MW combined cycle gas plant. (Although an announcement for a specific conversion scheme has been made, it is still considered that there is time for other options to be considered. )We found that conversion is technically possible, but economically unwise. New and dedicated coal or natural gas fired power plants would give much higher efficiencies, and thus would give the Philippines much better value per peso spent on fuel consumed. The M. E. T. T. S. ‘s study concluded that the only way of obtaining a reasonable return from the Bataan ‘machine' is to use it as a nuclear power plant. Our report specifically came to the following conclusions: * That the use of the present ‘nuclear' turbine/generator in a fossil fired system would be highly wasteful of energy (fuel), A new pulverised coal power station and/or combined cycle natural gas power stations at other site(s), would be a better investment in terms of fuel efficiency and levellised power costs, * The Bataan site is inappropriate for coal fired plant, due to environmental constraints and materials (coal and ash) handling problems, * More assessable sites could be found for combined cycle natural gas fired plants around Manila Bay, and Batangas, * The Bataan reactor has been maintained in a good condition since mothballing, and The reactor is of basically sound design and construction, and could with modest expenditure become one of the most modern and safest light water reactors in East Asia. To fire the plant as a nuclear facility, the sea water intakes to the condensers would need to be cleaned (with some equipment being replaced), some of the reactor monitoring systems would need to be further upgraded, whilst the second power transmission system would need to be reconstructed. Staff would need to be retrained and re-licenced.A description of the study is presented in the attached article by Clarke, Ebeling and Cordero . The article was presenred at The First Philippine International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management, Manila, January 1995. Options for the Conversion of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to Fossil Fuel Firing Dr. Michael C. Clarke, Director, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Mr. Douglas R. Ebeling, Associate, M. E. T. T. S. Pty. Ltd. , Sydney, Australia Eng. Donato L. Cordero, Engineering Manager, Bataan Nuclear Power Plant The following Executive Summary of a major report formed the basis of a paper presented at the 1st Philippine Conference on Energy Efficiency and Demand-side Management, Manila, January 1995. ) Capital costs and power generation costs are summarised in Table 1, for one coal conversion option, and the conversion of the plant to natural gas fired, combined cycle operation. For comparison purposes figures are also presented for the refurbishment, commissioning and running the plant as a nuclear power station. Electricity costs from n uclear operation are considerably cheaper than for ither the two conversion options. If power costs was the only criteria for operating the plant then nuclear firing would clearly win. Both coal and natural gas conversions will have environmental consequences for the region. By the installation of best available technology and the application of best available practice, the impact will be minimised. The cost of technology and practice however will increase the cost of electricity produced by the plant. Table 1. SUMMARY TABLE, FOSSIL FUEL CONVERSION OPTIONS, BNPP – Revision, March 1995 CONVERSION TO COALCONVERSION TO N.GASNUCLEAR COMPARISON POWER OUTPUT MW(e)8001700 620 ENERGY OUTPUT GWH5,600 (With FGD – 5400)12,2004,613 CAPITAL COST $USm750 (With FGD – 1070)1385380 (UPGRADE) Electricity Cost ? US/kWH4. 82 (With FGD – 5. 94) 5. 24, 4. 34 (FP $230/170)3. 50 Electricity Cost P/kWH1. 21 (With FGD – 1. 49)1. 31, 1. 09 (FP $230/170)0. 88 CAP. COST/POWER OUT0. 94 (With FGD – 1. 34)0. 810. 61 CONSTRUCTION TIME42 MONTHS4218. 24 FGD Flue Gas Desulphurisation (+ Selective Catalytic Reduction) FP Fuel Price, Natural Gas ($US230 /tonne for LNG, $US170 /tonne piped gas) – (Coal $US 55 / tonne) Notes on Table 1For comparison purposes, the two fossil fuel conversion options and the nuclear comparison have each had the electricity cost based on a pay-back period of twenty years. In each case (for the table) it has been assumed that the full capital cost has been borrowed. When financing packages are being considered, different pay-back periods are likely to be used. The periods are likely to increase with increasing debt. With the natural gas conversion option, an equity contribution would probably be included, since a BOT financing scheme may be used, that ties gas production, reticulation and use into one commercial package.The electricity costs for coal and natural gas conversion are based on a reasonably optimistic scenarios , where no excessive ancillary capital works are charged against the plant. If environmental or other factors require such works, then increase in the electricity cost would occur. It is further considered that the plant required for conversion would be sourced from low cost countries; China, India, Australia, the Philippines etc, as far as possible. The costings for conversion are further premised on the use of the site allocated for construction of PNPP 2, in that it is supplied at no cost, and is geologically stable.If the time required for the construction and commissioning is crucial, then the upgrading of the plant as a nuclear station is clearly the preferred choice. Further, the financial analyses indicate that the nuclear firing of the plant offers the cheapest electricity. Given that the nuclear fuel price is likely to remain stable over the foreseeable future (as against likely rises for coal and natural gas), the nuclear upgrading# and operation offers greater financial certainty to investors. # M. E. T. T. S. ‘s estimate for upgrading the nuclear plant to 1997/8 standards is $US380m.It is backed by further external assessment, and includes new safety features. $US300m is the cost of a basic upgrading based on calculations carried out by the National Power Corporation. SUMMARY – COAL FIRING The conversion of the PNPP I plant to coal firing has some advantages. Coal technology is well proven, and only a small variation in the normal use of that technology is required to convert the plant. The power station will have a capacity similar to the design capacity for the nuclear plant, and will not be the largest plant in the new echelon of Luzon's power facilities.The plant of 800 MW(e) capacity will be relatively inexpensive at a capital cost of $US505m – without Flue Gas Desulphurisation, Selective Catalytic Reduction, or excessive expenditure on coal or ash handling and ignoring the previous expenditure on the nuclear system. A con struction and commissioning period of 42 months is envisaged. The coal option however offers unique co-economic opportunities. The ash waste product would be valuable if used in ancillary industry. By using the Lahar produced by the Pinatubo eruption as an aggregate, with the ash, iron oxide and cement, valuable building materials could be produced.The disadvantages include designing and fitting an environmentally acceptable coal fired power station into the Bataan region. The materials handling alone will create many environmental, management and operational difficulties. The infrastructure requirements for materials handling will also raise engineering and environmental questions that will need to be solved before construction begins. Other environmental questions concerning emission reduction and control must also be answered before work can commence.Another major disadvantage is the requirement for premium fuel, that is expensive in 1994, and in all probability will become relat ively more expensive as the demand for ‘clean' coal increases in the future. SUMMARY – NATURAL GAS FIRING (COMBINED CYCLE, GAS TURBINE) Natural gas provides the cleanest option for the conversion of the Bataan power station to fossil fuel firing. It further offers the most flexible power output to the grid. Options exist for running a part (or whole) of the plant as a single cycle peak load provider, or running the whole plant as a base load facility.The environmental hazard that would be created by such a plant is low compared to coal. Thermal pollution to the sea would be greater than the nuclear option, in that if a 1700MW(e) plant was built with 46% efficiency, the waste heat would be 2000MW(t). This heat would be partially dissipated into the atmosphere (250MW) as against to the sea (1750MW). The additional heat discharge to the sea would be about 500MW(t). NOx emissions can be successfully controlled by modern technology.Steam or water injection, ammonia addition or innovative combustion designs will produce acceptable (but not zero) NOx emissions. At 1700MW(e), the power station would be the largest in the Philippines, and would certainly require a review of the Luzon energy plan. The total consumption of natural gas over a twenty five year period would be 2. 5 TCF; over half the entire Philippine projected resource from Palawan. Over a billion dollars in capital would be needed to build the plant, plus an additional substantial sum to supply the fuel; either as LNG or pipeline gas.The security of a large gas holding area would need to be addressed. Such a holding area and power station would make a relatively easy target when compared to a coal fired plant with coal yards or nuclear facilities. The installation of the gas turbines could be achieved in eighteen months, but the construction of the steam generators and carrying out modifications to the existing plant would take a further twenty four months. From the preliminary financial anal ysis, the construction of a new combined cycle power station makes better financial sense. A NUCLEAR COMPARISONUnder the four headings (Technology, The Environment, Social and Political Concerns, and Economy) that were used to examine the coal-conversion option, a brief summary has been made of the nuclear option for comparison purposes. Technology Light water reactors are a very common type of nuclear reactor. They have good safety records, and most have high capacity factors. There development has been continuous, with technology now being available from Japan, Korea, France, the United Kingdom as well as the United States. They are used in close proximity to the Philippines (Japan, Korea and Taiwan) and have been armarked for use in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Bataan unit is 1970/80's technology. It is however essentially the same as new units, and could be readily upgraded to 1990's standards. The Environment The reactor will produce thermal pollution (waste heat) that will be d isposed of, off Napot Point to the South China Sea. An environmental impact assessment cleared the plant for its designed heat disposal, and found that localised heating of the sea would not be excessive, given the strong currents that would ensure dispersion of the hot water.No other polluting emissions could be expected from the nuclear power plant. (Accidental emissions of radioactive material, are most unlikely. Once the plant was upgraded to 1997 standards, one accident in a million years could be expected. ) Social and Political Concerns The perceived problems at the Bataan power plant are its greatest liability. These problems include seismic instability, claims of faulty workmanship and the lack of experience of the operators. Many geological and seismic inspections have been carried out on the site, with the result being that no significant risk is apparent.To convince Philippine Society of the seismic safety of the plant, an educational programme would need to be carried o ut that emphasised the sites stability, and the high seismic safety factor of the plant (0. 4g). Part of the process of refurbishment and upgrading, would be quality assurance on all systems and components of the plant. Modern QA techniques would need to be used to provide the certainty that all significant parts of the plant meet the highest safety and operational standards. Initially foreign experts would be needed to run the plant. The retraining ofPhilippine staff would take considerable time and money, with the retrained staff spending a number of years assisting in operating similar plants in neighbouring countries. Economics By comparison with the costs of conversion to coal or natural gas, the refurbishment and upgrading of the plant for nuclear operation would be significantly cheaper. A maximum price of $US300m (including staff training) is a fair limit, compared to fossil fuel conversion alternatives. The nuclear option should have the shortest lag time in terms of upgrad ing and commissioning.If foreign staff were used to initially man the plant then a period of eighteen to twenty months would be needed for full operation. This relatively short period, may be valuable in that the some of the expensive, old or temporary oil fired power plant could be retired early. Fuel costs, plus operation and management costs for LWRs should cost no more than ? US 2/kWH (0. 54 Centavos/kWH). If the interest on the $US 300m was 12%, with a pay-back period of twenty years for the capital, then a further 0. 9? US/kWH would be added to the power cost.The total power cost would be 2. 9? US/kWH (0. 78 Centavos/kWH). If consideration was given to running the Bataan power station as a nuclear plant, then the environmental and economic benefits (as well as safety) should be emphasised, to overcome social and political opposition. THE PHILIPPINES AND THE NUCLEAR CYCLE The Philippines would be an importer of nuclear fuel and an exporter of spent fuel. The fuel that the react or would use would be lightly enriched. As the uranium 235 is consumed, some plutonium is formed, part of which is also used up as fuel.The spent fuel rods contain a depleted amount of uranium 235, a little plutonium but mostly non-fissile uranium 238. These fuel rods can be reused in heavy water type reactors (CANDU) that are running in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, as primary fuel. All the wastes would be processed by those countries, whilst the Philippines would receive a financial return for its used nuclear fuel. This is a win-win situation. The sale of the used fuel rods could bring the net production cost of electricity (fuel plus operations and management) to under ? US 1. 5/kWH. PLANT SECURITY AND THE NUCLEAR OPTIONUnfortunately there is an ongoing insurgency situation in the Philippines. The insurgency problems are no longer major, and in all probability will recede. All major plant however does need a security system. The Bataan plant was constructed with good external, perime ter and internal security systems. There are commonly perceived notions that Nuclear Plants are susceptible to terrorist attack. These notions are based on a lack of understanding of the compact nature of nuclear plants, and the presence of very considerable containment structures for the reactor and fuel stores – especially American designed LWRs.The plant is easy to guard, and would be able to resist attack with light weapons, including rocket propelled grenades etc. The damage from such an attack would be limited to the knocking out of ancillary plant and structures, including the transformer yard, the auxiliary fuel tanks and administration building. Notes 1. The above power cost figures are based on 1997 projected fuel prices, 12% interest, 85% availability, and 20 years amortisation.. The price of coal and natural gas are considered to be more liable for major increases, than nuclear fuel.The Asian demand for both coal and gas is expected to outstrip supply in the comin g decade. 2. The estimated construction time includes planning and design, equipment construction, site modification, plant erection and commissioning, and staff training (coal and natural gas conversion). If major ancillary works are required (eg. major wharves, ash and coal pipelines, shipping channels etc), then both an increase in the construction time and costs could be expected.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Teresa of Avila Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teresa of Avila - Essay Example She was born on 28th March 1515. Early in her young age Theresa was caught between the strict but honest father and romantic mother. She was caught between detached discipline and over attachment to worldiness. Though she lead an ordinary life , the sense of sin never left her, as she was drawn more and more into the worldly things like flirting and rebelling. At the age of 16, just to discipline her, her father had to send her to the Augustinian nun’s convent for education. Though she hated it first, she found the place less strict than her father; but due to illness she had to leave the place after 18 months. When the time came to choose between marriage and religious life, she chose the later because that was the only safe place for a person tempted by sin. She left for the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation at Avila were she was almost a loner. She started to learn and practice mental prayer to keep Jesus Christ always with her. But there were enough distractions in the convent. Nuns from the rich families were more attentive to their physical appearance than to their inner spiritual life. The prestige of a nun was measured not by piety but by money.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Naloxone's Drug Profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Naloxone's Drug Profile - Essay Example Many greater doses are needed when using oral administration for any pharmacologic effect. Naloxone is absorbed in the liver, mainly through glucuronide conjugation, and eventually excreted from the body system in urine. Part Three Because of the penetrating biotransformation in the liver, Naloxone is ineffectual when taken orally, and because of this, it is dispensed exclusively for parenteral use (Robertson et al 512-5). Section 2 Part One Naloxone is available in both parenteral and oral formulations. In Australia, Naloxone comes as a sterilized solution for intramuscular, intravenous, and subcutaneous administration in three strengths (1milligram, 0.4milligram, and 0.02milligram) for every milliliter in the sterilized solution. Every milliliter of the one-milligram strength has 8.35 milligrams of NaCl. In Australia, Naloxone may be referred to by different brand names such as TARGIN or buprenorphine. They are offered in four strengths, which are 5/2.5 milligrams, 10/5 milligrams, 20/10milligrams 40/20 milligrams, and TARGIN tablets that come in boxes that have blister packs of 20 to 28 tablets. Packs of 20 tablets are only available until current stocks deplete (Kelly and Koutsogiannis 375) Part Two A Naloxone hydrochloride is injected either intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, or orally. Intravenous administration has proved to work faster than all the other forms of administration, hence its recommendation for use in emergency cases. As such, it is preferred in emergency circumstances. In intravenous infusion Naloxone, hydrochloride may be diluted in dextrose injection 5 per cent or sodium chloride injection 0.9 per cent (O’Malley-Dafner and Davies 212). Products from parenteral drugs ought to be examined visually for any complication such as discoloration prior to administration. Naloxone hydrochloride dose should not be mixed with any alkaline solution, preparations containing bisulfite, high-molecular-weight anions, metabisulfite, an d long-chain. There should be no addition of chemical agents or drugs to this solution unless one knows its outcome on the solution’s chemical and physical and stability. Section 3 Part One After a parenteral administration, Naloxone quickly disperses in the body system, freely crossing the placenta. The binding of plasma protein follows, but has been reported to be rather weak. Although the principal binding component is plasma albumin, plasma constituents also undergo naloxone binding. Part Two The drug’s distribution volume in plasma, which is 3litres per kilogram (this is more or less equal to 210 litres for a 70kilogram person versus five to six liters of blood in the same person, which would seem rather large). However, to get transported, the drug is usually bound to plasma proteins for transport (Martin 415). Naloxone is 61.5 per cent in fetal plasma and 54 per cent protein bound in adults. Part Three The usual adult dose is 0.4 to 2 milligram per dose of intra venous, and intramuscular, or subcutaneously administration and it may sometimes be repeated at two or three-minute intervals. Therapy is done if there is no response after accumulative dose of 10 milligrams. Naloxone is given intracisternally in loading doses. 0.1 milligram/kg/dose is given to children and infants who are less than or equal to five years or less than or equa

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

European Central Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

European Central Bank - Essay Example In fact, it seems that the bank has been fashioned along the lines of Bundesbank. The bank was the result of the Treaty on European Union, which is also referred to as Treaty of Maastricht. Despite the fact that the bank was established on June 1998, it started operating six months later on 1 January 1999. This was when the euro was introduced as the bank had been set up with the euro in mind. The euro, as indicated above, came after the establishment of the European central bank. It is the official currency that has been adopted by a total of 16 members of the European Union, out of the twenty seven that are members. The states which have adopted this currency as their official currency belong to what is referred to as the Eurozone. The countries are Austria, Belgium, and Cyprus among others. There have also been cases where the currency is used by non-member countries since its inception in 2004. This is with or without formal agreements with the member states of the European Union. It is estimated that about 237 million Europeans are currently using this currency. About 175 million people have adopted euro or currencies that are pegged to this. This is especially so in Africa, where the bank has a following of over 150 million presence. For the few years that the euro and the European central bank have been in operation, their performance can only be described as a success story. When the euro was introduced, many people had the impression that it is going to increase the rate of inflation. That maybe explains the reason why some of the states were initially reluctant to adopt it. But the opposite has been achieved. The central bank, which is mandated to manage the euro for the nations that share this currency, has been able to control the rate of inflation and maintain it at a point below but close to two percent. The success story that is the euro and the European central bank is attributable to several factors. Some of them are prudent financial management and successful control of the inflation rate. Objectives of the Study Throughout this study, the writer will be guided by one major objective. That is the analysis of the factors that have led to the success of the European central bank and the euro in general. To achieve this, the writer will be guided by various specific objectives. It is through the address of these specific objectives that the writer will effectively address the major objective of the study. The specific objectives are as outlined below: 1. successes of the European central bank 2. factors leading to this success 3. challenges facing the European central bank 4. successes of the euro 5. factors leading to this success 6. challenges faced by the euro 7. performance of the economy of the Eurozone Performance of the Eurozone's Economy Some of the successes of both the euro and the European central bank can be reflected in the successes of the economies of the Eurozones. Tumpel (2009) is of the view that there have been palpable changes in the economy of these nations as soon as they adopt the euro and come under the jurisdiction of the European central bank. One of the areas that these economies have excelled in is the creation of employment (Noyer, 2007). Over the course of the past ten years, the employment rates at these economies have increased. The improvement may be conceptualised as a reflection of the progress that has been made as far

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Political, Social and Economic Reasons for the Decline of the Western Essay

Political, Social and Economic Reasons for the Decline of the Western Roman Empire - Essay Example This essay presents a thorough analysis of possible political, social and economic factors, that could be considered as reasons to the decline of Western Roman Empire to different extent The political reasons surround the Barbarians, wars with Germanic tribes, growing power of Attila the Hun and the Hunnic Empire, and eventually the fall of the Western Roman Empire. In 15 AD the army of Garmanicus Caesar marched to Teutobergensis Saltus, The massacre had been performed by the joint coalition of German warriors. The Germanic groups spread all the way from Rhine in the west to River Vistula in the east and from Danube in the north to the Baltic seas in the south In AD 450, Attila threatened the empire and started preparing for an attack on Gaul and later invaded it. An alliance was made between the Romans and the Goths and in the Battle of Chalons, Attila is forced to retreat. In AD 452 Attila finally invaded Italy, where he laid the foundations of the republic of Venice. With the victory of Attila in Italy, the power of the Western Roman Empire weakened. The long tension over the Rhine-Danube frontier contributed a significant amount to its failure. The social reasons for the decline of the Western Roman Empire are often given as declining population, diseases, succession of emperors. Diseases had been a major problem for all empires and the Roman Empire surely suffered as diseases and plagues started spreading . Another reason is that of the people in empire being poisoned by the water that was carried through lead pipes. The succession of emperors has indeed played the most important part in the decline. The first Roman emperor had established that the emperor will designate the next emperor and based on approval by the senate, the emperor will take the thrown. This rule was followed for only the first few emperors and