Role Model Review

For this assignment I have chosen a leader that is in charge of overseeing the over 300,000,000 people of the United States of America, (The World Fact Book, July 2010) the 44th President of The United States of America, Barack Obama. The primary duty of the president of the United States is to make sure that all United States laws are carried out and that the federal government is run effectively. Although the president may not introduce new legislation he does hold the awesome power to veto all bills that are approved by the legislature. In addition, the president has the weighty role of commander in chief of the armed forces. As the nation's chief executive, the president oversees foreign policy, making treaties with foreign nations and appointing ambassadors to other nations and to the United Nations. He also appoints members of the Cabinet, as well as Supreme Court justices and federal judges. As you can tell the job of the president of The United States is full of responsibilities and is a job that should not be taken lightly. When president Barack Obama was elected to office in 2008 it was an election of epic proportions. That year there was not only the first African American running for president, but also the first female. After the primary elections it was clear that the race for the 44th president was going to be between Republican candidate John McCain and Barack Obama. President Barack Hussein Obama II has a story that American dreams are made of. He claims to have been raised with values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others. He was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. His father was from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas. He was raised with the help from his grandparents. His grandfather served in Patton's army and his grandmother was a secretary at a bank. Barack worked his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans. (whitehouse.gov) President Obama has claimed to be a Christian, but there has been many who would question this because of his Muslim roots. President Obama has been quoted as saying that he has attended the same Christian Church for the past 20 years. (The associated Press) This is after he was accused of being an Islamic terrorist because his father as well as his step-father were both Muslim. President Obama and his family were in fact members of The Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago until he had a disagreement with his pastor. (The associated Press) There are things that President Obama has endorsed throughout his campaign and throughout his presidency that I do not agree with. I do not agree with his issues on abortion, even though he did stop federal funding of it. I am also not a fan of his health care reform. I believe that there are other ways than what he is proposing to make sure that the American people have affordable health care and health care coverage As with any leader there will always be things that everyone dislikes and things that only some people like. This is after all a free country that is driven by freewill and democracy. Personally I can see why people would hold president Obama to the standards of a role model and even a hero. His story is truly amazing and is an example of the American dream. I however would not say that he is a perfect person to be a role model. As I mentioned before I do not agree with a lot of his policies or that he has a Muslim background. I also do not agree with the thought of a public official being thought of as a role model for children when he openly discusses his battle with nicotine. There are really none of us that are perfect, but as Christian's we are to strive to be Christ like. Throughout the past few years I have watched as president Obama has delivered public addresses and wondered if he were turning religion and faith into the same thing. The only way that he can talk about religion is to talk about his faith, but never specifically mentioning what he has faith in therefore turning faith into an irrelevant flourish of sentimentality that one can choose to wrap around social justice or dispose of completely. I feel that this is bringing religion down to the lowest common denominator. I cannot look at a man as a role model that tries to make Christianity politically correct.

The Perfect Storm

Severe Weather Analysis THE PERFECT STORM Due: March 25, 2010 50 Points Using data from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and NCEP/NCAR (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research) and any other peripheral sources, please provide a discussion and analysis of the severe weather events surrounding the loss of the Andrea Gail and rescue of the Satori as presented in the book, The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger. You are given the following clues: 1. Dates: 27 October 1991 – 1 November 1991 2. General location: North Atlantic Ocean, latitude/longitude coordinates from text 3. Events as portrayed in the novel. 4. The NOAA special storm report for this event (below) From these initial data points, use maps, the library, the internet and your knowledge to develop a more fully synthesized description and explanation of weather events as they relate to the events experienced by the crew of the Andrea Gail, Coast Guard and yacht Satori. NOAA page for the â€Å"Perfect Storm† http://www. ncdc. noaa. gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/cyclones/pfctstorm91/pfctstorm. html The following websites will be useful to develop maps. http://www. cdc. noaa. gov/Composites/Day/ http://www. cdc. noaa. gov/cgi-bin/Composites/printpage. l To characterize the storm and its development, and to relate these factors to the story, you may map any variable/aspect of the days that these events were occurring. Consider and present factors such as storm intensity and track, fronts, jet stream and surface winds. I suggest using (mapping) some of the following variables: temperature, specific humidity (for moisture), vector wind and geopotential height (to show pressure disturbances) to represent the atmosphere at the surface, and possibly at other levels such as the lower troposphere (850 mb), middle troposphere (500 mb) and upper troposphere (300 mb). Based on what you know of storms, describe how the atmospheric environment contributed to the development of the weather systems that destroyed the Andrea Gail. You have been given the what, the when and the where – you must provide the why and the how. Deliverables: Technical memorandum: Minimum of 3 typed pages of text diagnosing the weather event and relating specific portions of the storm’s anatomy to the location of the vessels and events in The Perfect Storm, plus maps. Cite all references and images. The Perfect Storm Severe Weather Analysis THE PERFECT STORM Due: March 25, 2010 50 Points Using data from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and NCEP/NCAR (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research) and any other peripheral sources, please provide a discussion and analysis of the severe weather events surrounding the loss of the Andrea Gail and rescue of the Satori as presented in the book, The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger. You are given the following clues: 1. Dates: 27 October 1991 – 1 November 1991 2. General location: North Atlantic Ocean, latitude/longitude coordinates from text 3. Events as portrayed in the novel. 4. The NOAA special storm report for this event (below) From these initial data points, use maps, the library, the internet and your knowledge to develop a more fully synthesized description and explanation of weather events as they relate to the events experienced by the crew of the Andrea Gail, Coast Guard and yacht Satori. NOAA page for the â€Å"Perfect Storm† http://www. ncdc. noaa. gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/cyclones/pfctstorm91/pfctstorm. html The following websites will be useful to develop maps. http://www. cdc. noaa. gov/Composites/Day/ http://www. cdc. noaa. gov/cgi-bin/Composites/printpage. l To characterize the storm and its development, and to relate these factors to the story, you may map any variable/aspect of the days that these events were occurring. Consider and present factors such as storm intensity and track, fronts, jet stream and surface winds. I suggest using (mapping) some of the following variables: temperature, specific humidity (for moisture), vector wind and geopotential height (to show pressure disturbances) to represent the atmosphere at the surface, and possibly at other levels such as the lower troposphere (850 mb), middle troposphere (500 mb) and upper troposphere (300 mb). Based on what you know of storms, describe how the atmospheric environment contributed to the development of the weather systems that destroyed the Andrea Gail. You have been given the what, the when and the where – you must provide the why and the how. Deliverables: Technical memorandum: Minimum of 3 typed pages of text diagnosing the weather event and relating specific portions of the storm’s anatomy to the location of the vessels and events in The Perfect Storm, plus maps. Cite all references and images.

Darwinian Fundamentalism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Darwinian Fundamentalism - Term Paper Example However, this was not the crux of the battle that ensued between scientists and the church. Christians have traditionally believed that the origin of life traces back to the creation of Earth along with all the life forms by God, roughly 6000 years ago. Meanwhile, the scientists argue that the origin of life can be dated to millions of years ago, when life began to evolve by the process of natural selection. Besides the age of life-forms on earth, the most important clash between the two groups have been over the fact that according to the theory of evolution, life originated from completely inorganic sources, so to speak, from some complex chemical reaction of sorts, millions of years ago. In the course of this paper, I would like to examine the fundamental principles of both the sides also look into a rather interesting battle that has arisen amongst the scientists themselves. This concerns a Harvard Professor’s criticism certain supporters of the theory of evolution and his attempt to bring religion and science into coexsitance. Creationism ‘Creationism’ can be described in the simplest words as, a Doctrine or Theory holding that matter, the various forms of life and the world were created by god out of nothing, in the manner mentioned in the Genesis.1 The theory also stresses upon the centrality of God as the controller of everything. It describes God as omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. This is by far one of the few concurring ideas across different faiths which have represented God and his identity in different forms. They all subscribe to the belief that God has power over everything. They view him as the ‘Supreme Power’ who is both the creator and destroyer. According to the King James Bible, the Genesis, God created heaven and earth in the beginning, in a period of six days. Day 1: God said â€Å"let there be light†, and there was light. Day 2: God sad, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together u nto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. Day 3: And God said, let the earth bring forth grass and the fruit tree yield fruit. Day 4: And God created great every living creature. Day 5: And God said, Go forth and multiply each living creature after his kind: and it was so. Day 6: And God said, Let us make man in our image and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and every other thing that moved on earth. Creationists also stress on the divine nature of the Genesis and therefore place it on higher merit than Science. Some Creationists have gone to the extent of denouncing all forms of science and blatantly disregard all scientific evidences. The primary reason behind this strong dichotomy is the fact that Science in itself questions the existence of god for want of evidence and proof. Therefore, in most circumstances, there is a logical deduction that science and atheism are on the same page, so to speak. Creationists strongly back faith over the reasons given by science, stating that if it is in the bible then it must be true. This strong belief system has over time ‘evolved’ into a cult of sorts, which has adapted with the changing arguments of the evolutionists. For instance, by 1920, some of the creationists had managed to ban the teaching of Darwinism in schools, which gave rise to the famous ‘

Transportation and Security administration Research Paper

Transportation and Security administration - Research Paper Example The thesis statement this paper would be holding is â€Å"By focusing on risk reduction through pro-active measures such as broader intelligence gathering, knowledge management, and enhanced coordination with international partners, TSA will make equipment as not the only answer to Homeland Security of our Nation. It has been observed that our airports are very vulnerable to a terrorist incident. Most of us have also experienced the security at our country’s airports and are well known of the fact that the specific aspects of airport security are specific vulnerabilities as well. With the problem identified, the goal of this paper is to provide a solution in identifying different security capabilities for security at airport that affect the citizens of this nation; besides just equipment. One must understand that the current strategies are not enough in making this country safe through airport security. Currently, body scanners, pat downs, biometrics, cast scopes, explosive t race detections and imaging technology are used to ensure efficient solution for the current problem which has caused a lot of controversies in the past (TSA). Thus, there is a need to provide viable courses of actions. This paper aims to do the exact same, i.e. providing remedy for this bad course by changing the operational mission of the TSA, and focus on risk reduction through pro-active measures such as broader intelligence gathering, knowledge management, and enhanced coordination with international partners. ... aper investigates the impact of post-9/11 airport security measures on air travel as well as the process of screening baggage and passenger screening measures. These two being one of the major changes in security has worked towards reducing the level of passengers flying. The evidence is provided that baggage screening was the basic factor in reducing this number and thus had more effect as compared to contemporaneous price changes, airport-specific shocks, schedule changes, or other factors. TSA deploys more AIT units. (2011). Airport Security Report, 19(23), n/a-n/a. This article mentions the effort made by the TSA regarding the issues raised by the security measures used at the airport. According to this article TSA has introduced AITs that worked towards reducing the concerns of passengers regarding their privacy. Outline The thesis statement this paper would be holding is â€Å"By focusing on risk reduction through pro-active measures such as broader intelligence gathering, kno wledge management, and enhanced coordination with international partners, TSA will make equipment as not the only answer to Homeland Security of our Nation. It has been observed that our airports are very vulnerable to a terrorist incident. Most of us have also experienced the security at our country’s airports and are well known of the fact that the specific aspects of airport security are specific vulnerabilities as well. With the problem identified, the goal of this paper is to provide a solution in identifying different security capabilities for security at airport that affect the citizens of this nation; besides just equipment. One must understand that the current strategies are not enough in making this country safe through airport security. Currently, body scanners, pat downs,

Course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Course work - Essay Example Due to this, an external management consultant was engaged to review the entire company in general and its IT development function. From the results of the review, the executive board commissioned the management consultant to identify appropriate techniques for business and requirements analysis activities for the company. The process of checking on the availability of products remain unclear and may require secondary scenarios such as what exactly would happen if a selected product is not available or if the selected product is available but not in sufficient quantity to serve the quantity selected by the customer. In the latter case, the system must know whether to remove the product from the customer’s order or supply a partial order. Inspection of the use case diagram and developing all scenarios in detail allows the analyst and the users to understand detailed system requirements and will be able to accurately specify requirements. Depending on the complexity of order processing for the different customer sectors, additional systems to be developed would either be a separate system per customer sector or additional system processes for the sectors with different processes from the home sector system. Based on the rich picture, other potential systems that might be developed are a warehousing system, an inventory and stock control system, a sales monitoring system, and a supplier management system. For the Home Sector Order Processing System, further investigation in needed to determine processes for unavailable products or available products but with insufficient quantity to fill customer orders. If products are unavailable, how will reordering from suppliers be conducted? The entire process for inventory and stock monitoring and control needs to be investigated if it will be integrated into the order processing system. For insufficient quantities, will orders be partially filled or cancelled altogether? What happens if order processing

The advantages and disadvantages of robots Essay - 1

The advantages and disadvantages of robots - Essay Example In simple terms robots can be defined as a mechanical device that may resemble sometimes a human and is capable of performing several tasks or often complex human tasks which may be programmed in advance or perform on command. The following report includes the discussion about the advantages of robots in this innovative and technological world. The report also includes the description of the disadvantages of robots. Finally a conclusion has been drawn in the report related to the research done. There are several advantages of robots, as they are machines which can perform several tasks and actions which humans cannot do. Robots can work 24/7 without any need of salary and food, and they can also perform tasks with accuracy and consistency. Robots are advantageous because they can perform tasks faster than humans along with more accuracy and consistency. Robots can be used in doing several tasks like in production, household etc. using robots in the industrial sector have several advantages as they can help in improving the quality of products and also will reduce the wastage or breakages. Robots can be very advantages in business terms as they can increase the level of production and can also decrease the cost per unit of production as compared to human labour (Gray, 88). This is because they have the ability to work constantly without any breaks, vacation, and sleep and also has a potential to be more productive than any human worker. Robots also has the advantages of work place safety, as the workers are moved to the supervisory role and the humans don’t have to perform dangerous actions in several hazardous settings. Robots may also lead to savings as higher workers safety also leads to savings. This also leads to lower level of concerns for the workers insurances by employers. Robots also perform each and every task faster than any human which helps in saving of time. Robots measurements and actions are more

GOPIO Round Table event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

GOPIO Round Table event - Essay Example The UK GOPIO Round Table is expected to be held in Greenwich at Miami Beach Convention Center. The venue was preferred due to the following factors; the convention centre has ultra modern conference facilities that are well spacious to accommodate large attendances. The facilities have the best hospitality and catering services (Gathani, 2004Pg 21). They also boast of a better accommodation services. Besides, the placating weather brings a suitable ambience that ushers you to a conference zone. The targeted capacity of the venue is about fifty participants with in mind of the up-coming event. Nevertheless, the facility can host more in case a need of expansion arises. The convention is expected to commence at 2pm on daily basis and ends at 7pm. The time provided is ample enough to cater for each and every presentation scheduled plus other related program. Owing to that, here is a list of the expected speakers in the event; Sunder Katwala, the Director of British Future Think Tank, Lord Khalid Hameed, Priti Patel (MP), Prof. JoyaChatterjee (author of the South Asian Diaspora Handbook 2012), RakeshRawal, a CEO and Lord Karan Billimoria. Presentations and demonstrations are also expected from a section of the audience (Gathani, 2004Pg 34). For the sake of marketing, there is a Google Plus page for this event: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c2vlbfed8le4n5bpi7jc0cvvrhg. More information on the event is also available on the Eventbrite page: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gopio-2014-roundtable-tickets-11103537981?aff=es2&rank=0&sid=10a11c42b8e811e3b7d122000a9f3045. The various tasks to be done were designated to departments. An operation committee was established comprising of four members and was expected to carry out the following roles: Link all the existing five departments and ensure that each performs its own role. Carry out catering and its supervision; maintain the venue, keeping the registration details,

Price Elasticity of Demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Price Elasticity of Demand - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that in a business aiming at maximizing revenue, the PED has to be exactly 1. A PED higher than 1 reflects a very elastic product where the quantities demanded are largely affected by the price change. The figures in the paper reflect the way the various curves will look like in different scenarios. Mylan Laboratories Mylan Laboratories is a pharmaceutical company in Pittsburgh. The company announced an increase in the prices of their drugs. One client claimed that the company increased the price of a drug referred to as lorazepam from an initial $11 to $85. The man who had been a worker at an oil rig was involved in an accident and is now dependant on those drugs to relieve the pain. He is on a government scheme that entitles him to $1,000 every month. He usually uses around 100 pills every month and he has taken out a loan in order to finance his drug requirements. This move is seen as a means of fleecing the citizens as the pharmaceutical companies await the government to remove patents to some drugs that have long been on the patent list. There are others who are claiming that the move is in anticipation of the new health care bill. The pharmaceutical industry has been under a lot of strain caused by the AIDS pandemic and companies have been criticized for failing to reduce their prices to the benefit of millions of people living with the disease in Africa and Asia. The major point of criticism was the patents that protect these much-needed drugs hence driving costs of the medicine up. Pharmaceutical products are very inelastic as they are considered as necessities. Therefore, the price elasticity of demand for them would not exceed 1. In this case, Mylan Laboratories has increased their prices by close to 600% and this will have an effect on the demand as many people cannot afford the extra expense that is accompanied by the price increment. There are a number of factors that will inform the elasticity of the deman d. First, the availability of substitutes is a major determinant. With the presence of generic drugs that are supplied by competitors, the increase in prices of the patented Mylan Laboratories’ drugs may decrease the demand. The substitutes’ closeness to the Mylan Laboratories’ drugs, their uniqueness and their prices may be the greatest deterrent to Mylan Laboratories increasing revenues from the sale of the drugs even at the increased rates. The second determinant is the cost of switching to the other drugs. Many consumers of drugs are usually covered by insurance companies. If the company is responsible for the purchase of drugs, this might make it impossible or expensive for the consumer to change to other drugs. The price of the patented drugs is too high for the citizens and there has been no significant increase in income. Another problem that may hinder the change in demand for the drugs may be brand loyalty. Some consumers are attached to certain brands such that they become insensitive to price changes. This might be so for the people with greater disposable incomes who still may find the increased prices still within their means. Another determinant of the PED is the time the consumers will take immediately after the increase. Some consumers may wait for some time in order for them to resume buying the product.

Case Study Australia's Airline Industry Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Australia's Airline Industry - Case Study Example This enabled virgin Blue to grow rapidly and became the second largest domestic airline carrier in Australia. Air New Zealand on the other than, is a flag carrier and one of the national airline companies located in Auckland, New Zealand; This airline operates a number of scheduled flights to 24 international and 26 domestic destinations in 15 countries across Europe, Oceanic, Asia and America. It is a member of the star global Alliance having joined in the year 1999. It was originally known as Tasman Empire Airways Limited; where the government of Australia was in ownership by the year 1965. Latter the name changed to Air New Zealand as it is called today. It operates along haul fleet consisting of Boeing 747,767,777 as well as Airbus A320 aircraft on international routes. Qantas airline is one of the Australian airlines based in Sydney Australia. This airline is the oldest continuously operating airline in the whole world. Currently the airline is considered to be a four star airli ne. 2) Summary of current political, social, legal, economical and environmental issues influencing the company Political/ Legal The legal/political segment is an arena were the interest groups and the organizations compete for resources, attention and voice of overseeing the law and regulations guiding the various interactions among nations, This represents how organization try very hard to influence the government and how the governments control them. For instance Blue Virgin is concerned about all the government regulations that affect the business as a whole. This helps the company to effectively achieve its goals considerably since political and legal environment are business friendly to the company (Lowe 2008, P. 126) Social Social-culture is concerned with the society cultural value and attitude. Since attitude and values forms the main cornerstone of the society, then they often drive economical, political/legal, technological and demographical changes and conditions. This m arket segment has a direct effect on the overall performance of the company as it relate passenger who use the companies services from different cultural back grounds with varying attitudes (Robinson 1997, P. 31).. Economical Economical environment refers to the direction and nature of the economy in which a company competes. A firm must forecast, scan, monitor and assess the health of its economy so as to have a higher advantage over competitors in the same economy. As for the case of Blue Virgin it is important to analyze the economy before coming up with any decision that would help it to achieve its goals in such a competitive environment. Technological This includes activities and institutions involved with translating and creating knowledge of new services and various brands in the market. The benefits of these efforts suggest the findings by early adopters of new technology to help in achieving a greater market share as well as high returns. For instance Blue Virgin do verify that the it is continuously scanning the external environment in order to identify the potential substitutes for technologies that are being used and also acquiring new technology which gives it a very high competitive advantage over its competitors (Lowe 2008, P. 126). Environmental The general environment of Virgin group t is composed of dimension in the broader society which influences the company as a whole (Park 2001 P. 134.

Greek Mythology and Athena Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Athena Essay On the top of Mt. Olympus lived one of the greatest g o d d e s s e s , A t h e n a . A t h e n a w a s k n o w n a s a g o d d e s s o f w a r, w i s d o m a n d a r t s . S h e i s p o r t r a y e d a s s t r o n g , f a i r a n d m e r c i f u l . S h e h e l p e d m a n y w a r r i o r s o n t h e i r j o u r n e y s . S h e w a s g r e a t l y a d m i r e d b y h u m a n s f o r h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o m a n . A t h e n a w a s a l s o v e r y i n t e l l i g e n t a n d t h o u g h t f u l ; s h e r a r e l y l o s t h e r t e m p e r  a n d p u s h e d f o r a s o l u t i o n t h a t w a s b e n e f i c i a l . A s y o u r e a d o n y o u w i l l f i n d t h a t A t h e n a w a s a g r e a t a s s e t t o t h e O l y m p i a n s a n d h a d f a r m o r e p o s i t i v e a t t r i b u t e s t h a n o t h e r g o d d e s s e s . The birth of Athena was more than an unusual one. Her m o t h e r w a s M e t i s a n d h e r f a t h e r Z e u s . Z e u s r e i g n e d o v e r a l l t h e gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus. It is no wonder that a god this powerful and dominant would need no woman to bear his  o f f s p r i n g . Z e u s w a s t o l d b y h i s m o t h e r a n d F a t h e r t h a t M e t i s w o u l d b a r e c h i l d r e n . Z e u s w a s n o t h a p p y a b o u t t h i s ; h e f e l t i t w o u l d j e o p a r d i z e h i s p o s i t i o n a s r u l e r. W h e n M e t i s w a s a b o u t t o g i v e b i r t h , Z e u s s w a l l o w e d h e r a n d i n t h e p r o c e s s g a i n e d h e r i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d w i s d o m . A t t h e t i m e Z e u s t h o u g h t i t w a s a g o o d i d e a b u t i t w a s n o w c a u s i n g h i m p a i n . H i s h e a d a c h e b e c a m e s o s e v e r e t h a t h e w o u l d d o a n y t h i n g t o r e l i e v e i t . H e gave permission for another god to hit him in the head with an axe. When he did this, out popped Athena full grown and w e a r i n g a s u i t o f a r m o r . A t h e n a b e c a m e h e r f a t h e r ’s f a v o r i t e . S h e r e m a i n e d h i s a l l y b u t a l s o h i s p r o t e c t o r. S h e p r o m o t e d h i s i n t e r e s t s a n d s e r v e d a s h i s a d v i s o r. A t h e n a a l s o i n h e r i t e d s o m e  i m p o r t a n t t r a i t s f r o m h e r m o t h e r a s w e l l ; w i s d o m a n d j u s t i c e were two of the big ones. A t h e n a w a s t h e g o d d e s s o f w i s d o m a n d w a r . S h e w a s normally depicted holding a spear, but she was known more for h e r r o l e a s m e d i a t o r a n d d i p l o m a t t h a n f o r a c t u a l l y f i g h t i n g i n b a t t l e . H e r d e c i s i o n s w e r e h i g h l y e t h i c a l a n d s e l d o m m o t i v a t e d b y h e r s e l f i n t e r e s t o r b e l i e f s . M a n y o f t h e G r e e k m y t h s t e l l  tales of her giving help to various gods, goddesses and hero’s a s t h e y w e n t i n t o b a t t l e . A t h e n a h a d g i v e n P e r s e u s h i s m o s t h e l p f u l t o o l t o s l a y M e d u s a , h i s s h i e l d . A n y o n e w h o l o o k e d t h e m o n s t e r d i r e c t l y i n t h e e y e s w o u l d b e t u r n e d t o s t o n e . A f t e r h e b e h e a d e s M e d u s a h e g a v e i t t o A t h e n a t o d e c o r a t e h e r a r m o u r. A l s o o n t h e v o y a g e b a c k f r o m t r o y s h e p r o t e c t e d U l y s s e s . T h e most help she gave though was to Hercules. She stood by his s i d e a n d w a s a g r e a t c o m f o r t t o h i m . A f t e r h i s p a s s i n g s h e w e l c o m e d h i m i n t o t h e g a t e s o f M t . O l y m p u s . A t h e n a c a m e d o w n f r o m M t . O l y m p u s a n d w a l k e d b e t w e e n t h e t w o a r m i e s a n d m a d e b o t h s i d e s s w e a r t o k e e p p e a c e , s h e d i d t h i s t o p r e v e n t t h e T r o j a n Wa r . U n f o r t u n a t e l y o n e o f t h e s o l d i e r s w e n t a g a i n s t h i s o a t h a n d l e t l o o s e h i s a r r o w ; t h i s w a s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e  T r o j a n Wa r . A t h e n a e x p r e s s e d h e r a n g e r t o w a r d t h e s o l d i e r b y helping the other side to victory. In one of her most well known adventures Athena took shape of men, women and children to l e a d w a n d e r i n g O d y s s e u s . T h i s a l l o w e d h i m t o r e t u r n h o m e s a f e l y t o h i s f a m i l y a n d c h i l d r e n . Athena is one of the three virgin goddesses, referred to as a v i r g i n b e c a u s e s h e w a s a b l e t o r e m a i n u n s w a y e d b y A p h r o d i t e . Aphrodite is the goddess of love, marriage and motherhood. M o t h e r l e s s h e r s e l f , A t h e n a u s u a l l y p l a c e d P a t r i a r c h a l principles above motherly bonds. Athena not only gave to the w a r r i o r s b u t t o a l l h u m a n s . H e r r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s w e r e g i v i n g w i s d o m , i n v e n t i o n s , i n s p i r a t i o n s a n d p r o t e c t i n g t h e A t h e n s . O n e o f h e r g r e a t e s t g i f t s w a s h e r k n o w l e d g e o f t a m i n g h o r s e s , s h e taught the people of Cyrene and word soon spread. She also  c r e a t e d t h e p o t t e r y w h e e l a n d m a d e t h e f i r s t v a s e o n i t . S h e w a s a l s o a g r e a t w e a v e r a n d l o v e d t o d e c o r a t e . S h e w a s a g o d d e s s o f m a n y t a l e n t s a n d a n e x p e r t a r t i s a n . N o b o d y e v e r c a m e c l o s e t o s u r p a s s i n g h e r w o r k a l t h o u g h a y o u n g m o r t a l w o m a n n a m e d A r a c h n e ’ s p u t h e r t o t h e t e s t . T h e c h a l l e n g e w a s t o s e e w h o w a s t h e b e t t e r w e a v e r. A r a c h n e ’s t a p e s t r y h a d o f f e n d e d h e r g r e a t l y,  i t d e p i c t e d Z e u s a s a d u l t e r o u s . A t h e n a r i p p e d t h e t a p e s t r y t o s h r e d s a n d A r a c h n e e v e n t u a l l y h u n g h e r s e l f . O n c e A t h e n a h a d cooled off from what had happened, she transformed the woman i n t o a s p i d e r o u t o f p i t y. T h e w o m a n w a s n o w a b l e t o w e a v e b e a u t i f u l s p i d e r w e b s f o r e t e r n i t y. In the past Poseidon and Athena had a fight to take over a c i t y i n G r e e c e . To s e t t l e t h e a r g u m e n t , t h e y e a c h h a d t o g i v e a  g i f t t o t h e c i t y. T h e o n e w i t h t h e b e t t e r g i f t w o u l d b e c o m e l e a d e r o f t h e c i t y. P o s e i d o n g a v e a s p r i n g o f w a t e r t o t h e c i t y, b e c a u s e i t w a s s a l t w a t e r i t w a s o f n o u s e t o t h e p e o p l e . A t h e n a g a v e t h e c i t y a n o l i v e t r e e . F r o m t h i s t r e e t h e y c o u l d e a t , m a k e oil and have wood for fire. By ruling of the city, Athena’s gift w a s b e t t e r t h a n P o s e i d o n s . I n h e r h o n o r t h e y n a m e d t h e c i t y A t h e n s . T h e r e i s a l s o a p a l a c e d e d i c a t e d t o h e r i n A t h e n s . H e r s y m b o l s a r e t h e o w l a n d t h e o l i v e t r e e . T h e o l i v e s , t a m i n g o f t h e h o r s e a n d h e r c r e a t i o n o f t h e p o t t e r y w h e e l w e r e a l l c o n t r i b u t i o n s t h a t w e r e g r e a t l y a d m i r e d . O t h e r w o m e n r a r e l y t o o k t h r e a t t o A t h e n a ; t h e m o s t n o t a b l e e x c e p t i o n t h o u g h w a s h e r c h i l d h o o d f r i e n d P a l l a s . I n o n e o f t h e s t o r i e s P a l l a s a n d  A t h e n a w e r e b o t h t o m b o y s a n d i n s e p a r a b l e , t h e y p r a c t i c e d f i g h t i n g s k i l l s a n d s h a r e d p l a y f u l a d v e n t u r e s . D u r i n g t a r g e t p r a c t i c e , A t h e n a a c c i d e n t a l l y s h o t a n d k i l l e d P a l l a s w i t h a b o w and arrow. So distraught over the loss of her friend, Athena t o o k P a l l a s ’ n a m e a n d a d d e d i t t o h e r s . O f t e n t i m e s s h e w a s r e f e r r e d t o a s P a l l a s A t h e n a , t h i s w a s t o h o n o r h e r f r i e n d . N o t  o n l y d i d A t h e n a ’s d e c i s i o n s d e m o n s t r a t e w i s d o m b u t a l s o c o m p a s s i o n a s w e l l . I n a n o t h e r s t o r y a m a n n a m e d Te i r e s i a s a c c i d e n t a l l y w a l k e d i n o n A t h e n a w h i l e s h e w a s b a t h i n g . T h i s w a s a n a c t t h a t n o r m a l l y w o u l d h a v e b e e n p u n i s h e d b y d e a t h . Athena took pity on him though; she covered his eyes with her hands making the man blind. She gave him the gift of inner s i g h t. A t h e n a n o r m a l l y p u t p a t r i a r c h a l p r i n c i p l e s a b o v e  m a t r i a r c h a l b o n d s . S h e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e p a t r i a r c h y a n d usually supported their side in a dispute. In the first trial of h i s t o r y, A t h e n a c a s t t h e f i n a l v o t e o n a c q u i t t i n g O r e s t e ’ s o f m u r d e r i n g h i s m o t h e r t o a v e n g e h i s f a t h e r ’s d e a t h . S h e w a s p e r s u a d e d b y A p o l l o w h o s a i d a m o t h e r ’s d e a t h w a s o f l e s s i m p o r t a n c e t h a n a f a t h e r. Wo m e n s i m p l y n u r t u r e a s e e d b u t m e n a c t u a l l y p l a n t i t . M e n a r e v i e w e d a s h i g h e r i m p o r t a n c e t o A t h e n a . M o r e t h a n a n y o f t h e o t h e r g o d d e s s e s A t h e n a r e m a i n s a s y m b o l o f k n o w l e d g e , w i s d o m , l o g i c a n d c i v i l i z a t i o n . A t h e n a r e m i n d s u s t h a t w e c a n s u c c e s s f u l l y u s e o u r i n t e l l e c t a n d c r e a t i v i t y t o r e a c h a n y g o a l s . WORKS CITED: 1. ) http://www. theoi. com/Olympios/AthenaMyths. html 2. ) http://ancienthistory. about. com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Athena. htm 3. ) http://gogreece. about. com/cs/mythology/a/mythathena. htm.

Exchange rate policies suitable for developing countries

Exchange rate policies suitable for developing countries Exchange rate is one of the central factors that influence the monetary policies in developing countries. A country can choose to make use of a fixed exchange rate (Single or Multi-currency peg), intermediate regime like (Adjustable or Crawling peg) or adopt a flexible exchange rate depending upon the supply rate of money and her monetary self-sufficiency. In any developing country where institutions are weak, the exchange rates are generally determined by relaying in comparative measures with currencies from other sound economies. In this essay attempt is, to look at the options available to developing countries in deciding what exchange policy might be most suitable for them .The effects of adopting dollarization or currency unions in developing countries will also be examined. According to the IMF approximately 85% of developing countries had fixed exchange-rate arrangements  [1]  before the collapse of Bretton Woods fixed system. A sharp shift of exchange rate systems was obs erved when fixed exchange rate system collapsed in 1970. The purposes of an exchange regimes is to have a sustainable current account deficit, trade competitiveness, keeping inflation in check, to have high employment and achieve microeconomic efficiency in resources to maximize income levels. But empirical observations reveal that there are many trade-offs between these objectives. Floating exchange rate is where the government do not have an exchange rate target. It allows the economy to pursue an independent monetary policy strategy such as inflation targeting and the market determines the exchange rate level. The regime helps to facilitate real adjustment. Exchange rate movement provides a buffer against real shocks that may arise from adverse terms of trade development for developing countries. There are two types of floating rates an independent float and lightly managed float available for consideration. The difference between the two exchange rates is that independent float its operated freely with no intervention from the monetary authority and the exchange rate will determine the supply and demand but in lightly managed exchange rate system their will be occasional intervention direct and indirect from the monetary policy to moderate excessive fluctuation. In recent years many developing countries have adopted market determine floating system. They include Uganda in mid 1982, Uruguay in late 1982 that was followed by Dominican Republic in 1985. As Friedman argued in the early 1950s,if prices move slowly, it is both faster and less costly to move the nominal exchange rate in response to a shock that requires an adjustment in the real exchange rate  [2]   There is also an argument against floating exchange rate policy for developing countries know as fear of floating as labeled by Calvo and Reinhart (2002)  [3]  . It is argued that floating exchange causes rapid movement often undesirable, in real exchange rates. Inflation targeting under floating system is problematic given the fiscal dominance and weak financial system in developing countries. For example Brazil faced problems in inflation targeting under floating exchange policy due to the volatility nature in exchange rate brought as effected by external shock and expectations. Its currency in 1999 depreciated from R$ 1.20 to R$ 2.06  [4]  Other examples are of Indonesia and Thailand that displayed considerable instability in the 1970s and 1980s. The huge fluctuation caused by volatility of the nominal exchange rates, which in turn may be caused by the increased volatility of capital flows.  [5]  As the diagram shows below  [6]  : www.fondad.org/uploaded/%20Imbalances/Fondad-imbalances-Part3.pdf Fixed exchange rate policy is another policy where central banks will protect exchange rate. In this case, policy maker will allow value of currency to move within certain band limit with reference to other country or basket of currency, that is usually their leading trading partner. It is seen as an anchor against inflation that is important for a developing country that have tendency to hyper inflate. Furthermore if nominal shocks prevail in an economy, fixed exchange rate regime can accommodate money demand or supply shocks while minimising output volatility in a country. That helps to bring a more stable environment for international trade and also benefits from investment due to absence of a currency risk premium. For example China operates under a fixed exchange rate regime and has benefited from the competitiveness that its goods have, due to its currency being undervalued and not being allowed to appreciate. It resulted in an increase of foreign exchange reserves to $514.54 billion for China. The drawback from a fixed exchange rate is that central bank will lose last resort lending power. Central bank lending activities will only be effective if the backing of a credible institutional setting is available. Therefore, even if adopting a regime that allows the central bank to print money, a non-credible banking rescue operation is likely to trigger inflationary expectations and increase the probability of observing a devaluing currency. This is due to exhaustion of reserves and collapse of the fixed exchange rate system implying a big political cost for the policy makers as evident by Bretton Wood fixed exchange rate system collapse in 1970. Given the problems of both fixed and floating exchange rate systems countries have tried to adopt various intermediate regimes in an effort to combine the advantages of the two systems. It is where country can either use adjustable peg system or crawling peg regime that both defend the peg. But the only difference is that under adjustable peg monetary policy can alter the exchange rate and crawling peg reserves the right to change the peg in steps, which are small but discretionary in size and timing. The pegs allow country to maintain stability and competitiveness. On the basis to reduce inflation by moderating inflation, a problem faced by many developing countries. As Williamson (2000) has argued that such intermediate regimes could, in principle, allow countries to reap the benefits of fixed and flexible regimes without incurring some of their costs.  [7]   This intermediate regime also faces problems such as currency crisis if the country is open to international capital markets and is seen to encourage foreign debt. For example Argentina and Chile who implemented crawling peg regime in mid 1960s to deal with high inflation, managed to relax the balance of payment constraint and experienced acceleration in economic growth  [8]  . There are also adverse effects related to crawling pegs regime in the form of inflation as evident in Argentina that saw inflation around 30% per year and Colombia whos inflation around 5-10% before crawling pegs to 25% after crawling pegs was implemented by the late 1970s and early 1980s  [9]  . This would impact country growth as Khan and Senhadji estimated that inflations negative impact on growth in for developing economies that seems to happen for inflation rates exceeding 11-12%  [10]   Countries with macro economic instability can adopt alternative currency such as dollar known as Dollarization. The adopting of dollarization will help bring credibility to the countrys financial system, remove currency risk, eliminate currency mismatching and stop exchange rate attacks due to mismatching currency that causes adverse balance sheet affects of large devaluation. Countries have options where they can adopt a Full Dollarization system that would mean country would surrender its ability to issue currency like Panama and Ecuador in 2000. They can also adopt a Partial Dollarization if a country is suffering from high inflation and there is a history of economic instability like Bolivia, Peru and Uruguay in 1980  [11]  . In circumstances where there are monetary weaknesses, instability and loss of confidence, Investors would be reluctant to invest in that economy, as they would like to hold safer assets. Dollar is more dominant and creditable as U.S Federal Reserve backs it. Therefore removing speculations or hedging against currency is not possible. Dollarization attracts Foreign Currency Deposits that stops any reverse capital flights. Thus by adopting the currency of a credible economy, a country is effectively tackling the inflation bias problem studied by Barro and Gordon (1983)  [12]  . For example Ecuador contracted -7.3% in 1999, saw its economy grow by 2.3% in 2000, the year dollarization occurred and 5.6% in 2001  [13]  . The costs of dollarization are, the loss of independent monetary policy, lack of a lender of last resort (and thus the need for additional dollar assets), and the loss of seignior age. Currency union is similar to dollarization with minor difference, as some countries keep their own currency. Members of currency union surrender their monetary independence for significant trade increase and stable exchange rates. Countries benefit at a micro level due to sharing of currency. That brings a deeper integration of financial sector, as they are sharing single money like those operating under the Franc Zone in Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). Research indicates that there is no clear choice on what exchange rate regime works best for developing countries. As one exchange rate might be beneficial for one country but could be problematic for another. It is because all countries have different policy objectives and different economic environment. As important consensus on the choice of exchange rate regimes is that no single exchange rate regime is best for all countries or at all times (Frankel 1999, Mussa 2000)  [14]  . Exchange rate policy has its benefits like it absorb adverse shocks, brings credibility, ease currency attacks by adopting alternative currency and currency unions that increase trade. But there are tradeoffs when country joins an exchange rate policy, such as losing monetary independence. Furthermore the country would need to look at whether it has adequate financial system in place to deal with shocks. The choice of policy would be determined by what macroeconomic factors are given more weight. Words: 1592 Refrences: Books Micheal G. Hall, (2005), New Developments of The Exchange Rate Regimes In Developing Countries, The Political Role of The Banking Sector, P87 Subrata Ghatak, Josà © Roberto Sà ¡nchez-Fung, (2007), Monetary Economics In Developing, 3rd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, P139, P176, P192, Internet www.worldbank.org/afr/wps/wp16.pdf www.carnegie-rochester.rochester.edu/April04-pdfs/regimes_cr.pdf www.fondad.org/uploaded/%20Imbalances/Fondad-imbalances-Part3.pdf (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() ideas.repec.org/a/aea/aecrev/v90y2000i2p71-75.html ideas.repec.org/p/unc/g24pap/5.html http://www.mindspring.com/~tbgray/dollar.htm Journals Anoop Singh, Agnà ¨s Belaisch, Charles Collyns, Paula De Masi, Reva Krieger, Guy Meredith, and Robert Rennhack, (2005), Stabilization and Reform in Latin America A Macroeconomic Perspective on the Experience Since the Early 1990s, P80

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Freedom from Reality Essay -- Mark Tw

In Mark Twain’s, Huck Finn, Huck seeks to escape oppression from his father and manages to fake his own death and run away. Just after his escape, Huck meets Jim, a familiar runaway slave to who he regretfully decides to help. Along their journey they travel down the Mississippi River which comes to serve as an asylum away from the influences of society. While the river initially appears to offer freedom from the wrongs of society, it ironically brings them closer towards the oppression of southern society. Initially the river offers Huck and Jim physical and mental liberation from society. Searching for freedom, Huck and Jim learn that they need to use the river as their path to freedom. On the river, they find beauty, peace, and also discover that they make their own rules: Sometimes we'd have that whole river all to ourselves for the longest time†¦maybe you could hear a fiddle or a song coming over from one of them crafts. It's lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened. (1325) In this passage, we see how life on the river opens them up to pondering new ideas and discovering new found appreciation for nature. Through a physical separation they are able to appreciate the friendship and liberation that nature offers. They recognize that they are away from society and now have only the stars, the sky and the river to guide them. This physical separation also gives them a sense of mental separation, where they are able to make their own rules and become open to ideas. When Huck says, â€Å"I was boss of it, it all belonged to me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1267), we see that Huck fee... ..., Huck’s journey down the river opens his eyes to the ugliness of human nature and the danger in losing sight of reality. Huck’s illusion of the river as being a genuine escape from society is cut short by the quick invasion and the steady influence southern society has. The invasion of southern society to life on the river tears down the physical and mental barriers and once again attempts to enslave them to the influences of society. Until that point, their journey down the Mississippi is just another one of Tom’s adventures. It is through this placement back into the realms of reality that Huck and Jim finally are able to challenge ideas of not only southern society but also human nature. Works Cited Clemens, Samuel. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Lexington: Heath, 1994.

Dinner vs. Instant Message :: Personal Narrative Writing

Dinner vs. Instant Message I can remember sitting at my boyfriend's house, while he took part in Teen Chat , an online chatroom that he had recently become addicted to . He's being awful quiet and I am getting annoyed at the chronic pounding at the keyboard and the spontaneous giggles coming from him that pop out of nowhere. Here I am watching some dumb movie on HBO with his cat "Whiskey" coughing louder and louder until I finally get his attention. "Hey babe, you wanna type?" Did I want to type? No, I didn't want to type! You promised me Chilis! We were supposed to go out! "I guess,"I said. Anything to get some attention here. I wandered over to the damn machine to see what his fuss was about. Ok, I admit it, I was amazed that he could be a part of ten conversations at one time. There were about fifteen people in the chat room, talking about everything from sports to some stuff that I would like to think of myself too much of a lady to mention. "This is dumb, you WOULD want to be a part of this!" I said totally aggarvated that he could be subject to some of the things they were talking about. "Babe, WE'RE talking about baseball!" I guess he was right and I noticed that about five people acted as if they knew him before he even entered the chat room. I asked him how he knew these select few. "This is Ryan," he would say, "He is taking some of the same classes as me at CFCC, this girl's name is Jessica, she's from Tennessee, she just IM's me to talk sometimes." Wow. Friends online? Now this was starting to intrigue me. I mean how many of my friends could I communicate with? No phone bills or waiting three or four days to receive outdated letters. Now the meeting new people thing seemed a bit ridiculous, though he would beg to differ. But, whether I cared for it or not, there was a whole community online and he's meeting more people as I sit beside him holding Whiskey in my PJ's, watching the walls in his empty living room. He had always tried to get me to type on this thing and say hello. Finally, the next time, I did. "Say something," he would tell me. I wasn't surprised or disappointed to see that my simple "hello" was completely ignored.

Nutritional needs

Insufficiency leads to Beriberi, Wrinkle-Coworkers syndrome Riboflavin (32) Insufficiency leads to Riboflavin's Intact (83) Peanuts Legumes Enriched grains Insufficiency leads to diarrhea, dementia, dermatitis Cabling (Bal 2) Animal protein Insufficiency leads to pernicious anemia Folic Acid Orange Juice Leafy green vegetables Insufficiency leads to anemia and neural tube defects Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): wound healing, hormone synthesis Citrus fruits Insufficiency leads to scurvy, bleeding gums Vitamin A: vision, tissue growth, immune, reproductive function Animal foodsFortified milk Insufficiency leads to night blindness, cerographical Vitamin D: calcium and phosphorus metabolism, PATH, kidney Fortified food sources Insufficiency leads to rickets, astronomical Vitamin E: antioxidant, immune Vegetable oil Margarine Insufficiency leads to hemolytic of Orbs Vitamin K: blood clotting Liver Insufficiency leads to hemorrhage Apricots Avocado Bananas Cantaloupes Raw carrots Peas / Dried beans Dried fruits Oranges Potatoes Prune Juice Spinach Tomatoes Winter squash Calcium (also use for kidney stones) Chocolate BeansLentils Canned / smoked fish (except tuna) Flour Cocoa Green leafy vegetables Trainee / Dopamine Restrictions (for people taking Mayo's) Aged Cheese Smoked fish Processed meats FAA beans Soy sauce Purina (gout / uric acid stones) Organ meats Anchovies Sardines Salmon Herring Venison Goose Seafood Oxalate's (kidney stones) Asparagus Beets Celery Cabbage Dark green leafy vegetables Green beans Beer Cola Nuts -area Acid-Ash Foods

Brownies Packer

The writer ZZ Packer's short story, â€Å"Brownies,† is about a troop of African-American Girl Scouts from south Atlanta that takes a camping trip; unfortunately, almost instantly, imaginary tensions build up between them and Troop 909, a group of white girls; struggle that later in this story develops as the main external conflict. Arnetta and Octavia, appear as the leaders of the group, and insist that the 909 girls called one of their group a derogatory word which is the starting point of the conflict.Consequently, a confrontation rapidly takes place between the teams, but this uarrel turns awry when the African-American girls realize the white members of Troop 909 are developmentally disabled and it becomes clear to the reader that Octavia and Arnetta probably make the accusation up. Nevertheless, the short narrative by Packer goes further than a simple camping conflict between rival teams. This story argues that when individuals have seen or experienced suffering for so l ong, in this case the African-American girls, they unintentionally react by becoming the agent of despair to others regardless guilt of innocence.To begin with, it is suitable to state that the encounter of the two Brownie Troops, black and white, early in the story is mainly based on skin color differences. At the start of this narrative, Lauren, the narrator of this account says: By our second day at Camp at Cresencio, the girls in my Brownie Troops had decided to kick the asses of each and every girl at Brownie Troop 909. Troop 909 was doomed from the first day of camp; they were the white girls, their complexions a blend of ice-cream: strawberry, vanilla (177).The girls n the two groups had never spoken to each other, yet the desire to fght the â€Å"Wet Chihuahuas† as the African-American girls once called the girls in Troop 909, was evident. Furthermore, later in the story, Packer reveals that the African-American girls' prejudice, bitterness, and mistreat towards the w hite group is a consequence of their parents' deep antipathy shown to the white community. â€Å"Shot† the narrator describes on page 187 â€Å"We have all been taught that adulthood is full of sorrow and pain, and taxes and bills, dreaded work and dealing with whites, sickness and death†.In this excerpt ZZ Packer clearly points out that the aversion the girls feel towards the whites is not based on their own experiences, but rather their families. According to their parents, dealing with â€Å"whites† was a problem every adult had to face. Lauren's statement clearly exposes the young African-American girls' lack of reasoning on racism, and thus portrays the parents as the responsible for the children's behavior. Resentment on behalf of the parents did indeed have a huge impact in the brownies.Pursuing this situation further, racial segregation the African American brownies xperienced in their communities, is the major cause of affliction in the young children. Lauren affirms: When you live in the suburbs of Atlanta, it was easy to forget about whites. Whites were like those pigeons: real and existing, but rarely seen or thought about†¦ everyone had seen white girls and their mother coo-coing over dresses; everyone had gone to downtown library and seen white businessmen swish by importantly, wrists flexed in front of them to check the time as though they would change from Clark Kent into Superman†¦ ose images were a fleeing as cards shuffled in a deck, where as the ten white girls behind us were real and memorable community. Everything about them somehow seems to exude a kind of reigning beauty that results in an â€Å"enw and hatred† the blacks have against the whites. Even little things like hair could produce these hostile feelings, according to the fourth grader. â€Å"Their long, shampoo-commercial hair, straight as spaghetti from the box†, as Lauren describes, nutrients the prejudices that finally help bring a bout racism.The orced separation that troop experienced in addition to exposure of only glimpses of White people, can explain the white girls as â€Å"invaders' and hence, the enemy. It is not concretely clear that the White girls used a racial slur, but if they had it seemed because of their disabilities it would not have been intentional. However, the White girls may have indeed repeated what they had heard. This would point directly to prejudice that still exists in Modern day times. In society, racial conflict might be understandable among adults; nevertheless, resentment is young children must not e tolerated.Packer deliberately sets the characters as children dealing with adult issues in order to convey a higher impact with her argument. The author intentionally presents two historically rival groups in America, blacks and whites, to prove the argument that when individuals, have experienced discrimination, prejudice, and inequality for so long, it is understandable if uninte nded retaliation takes place. Some of the girls in the African-American group did not even want to encounter the girls from Troop 909, yet Octavia carried so much hatred inside, that he forced all the other girls to comply with her suffering.Octavia not only experienced the segregation everyone else did, but she also had to deal with her parents' divorce. The reality is that when an individual is resentful, he or she may involuntarily yearn for people to suffer the same as he or she does, or did. . In the final analysis of the short narrative by ZZ Packer, â€Å"Brownies†, the most compelling evidence of the author's argument can clearly be seen as the end of the story. The narrator retells an account she had with her father, when they were at the mall andLaurel's father deliberately asked a religious white group to paint their porch. Shockingly, the Mennonites could not refuse to do so because it is part of their religion to â€Å"help others†. However, it is not unti l Laurel retells the story when she finally understands, and explains the cause of resentment in his father. She recalls her father's words as she was speaking: â€Å"it was the only time he'd have a white mad on his knees doing something for a black man for free† (193). Laurel's father railed against whites because of the historically rivalry in the United States.African Americans were considered slaves for more than a hundred years until 1865, and have been discriminated ever since. They worked for the white for free, suffering the worst treatment a human being can receive. They were considered property. Consequently, on Packer's point of view, resentment towards the white community is expected even in contemporary days. Because as Laurel pointed out at the end of this narrative â€Å"When youVe been made to feel badly for so long, you Jump at the chance to do it to others† (194).

Arecanut and Cocoa Production and Marketing Aspects Essay

Arecanut is an important commercial crop in India which plays a prominent role in the religious, social and cultural functions and economic life of people in India. The present production of arecanut in the world is about 0.854 million tons from an area of 0.702 million hectares. India ranks first in both area and production of arecanut Arecanut industry forms the economic backbone of nearly six million people in India and for many of them it is the sole means of livelihood. Both area and production of arecanut in India have increased tremendously during the last three decades. The area under arecanut in India has increased from 0.167 million hectares during 1971 to 0.4 million hectares by the year 2010-11 with an overall growth rate of 2.2%. During the same period the production has increased more than 3 times from 0.141 million tons to 0.478 million tones with a growth rate of 3.2%. As of now, cocoa is one of the important commercial plantation crops in India and it is mainly cultivated in four major southern States viz., Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. India produces 12954 tonnes of cocoa from an area of 46318 ha (DCCD, 2010). The cocoa industry in the country had expanded to a considerable extent in recent years. At present, more than 15 industrial entrepreneurs and firms existing in the field demand nearly 30,000 tonnes of cocoa beans, of which the present domestic availability is only about 40 percent. Considering the market growth in the chocolate segment in India, which is about 20 percent per annum, cocoa, has a great potential to develop in future years. Recent area expansion in Andhra Pradesh (16969 ha) can be taken as a positive response to the demand-supply fissure. We can further, strengthen the Transfer of Technology (ToT) activities to encourage the cocoa cultivation as an intercrop in arecanut and coconut to meet the challenges r egarding supply of cocoa in the future. Economic impact analysis of arecanut based cropping system An impact analysis of arecanut based cropping systems in South Karnataka has been carried out. It was observed that, farmers are predominantly following three cropping systems which were, 1) arecanut + banana 2) arecanut + cocoa and 3) arecanut + banana + pepper. To estimate the economic impact of different cropping systems, we have calculated the average cost per hectare, average yield and the net returns of each system. The quantification of economic impact of each system has been worked out by combining the difference in net returns of each system from the arecanut monocrop, and percentage of adoption of each cropping system. The total economic impact due to adoption of cropping systems in the region was found to be Rs 680 million. Economic impact analysis of improved arecanut varieties The analysis was based on a field survey of 120 arecanut farmers in South Karnataka. To estimate the economic impact of improved varieties we have calculated the weighed average cost per hectare, weighed yield and net returns of the released varieties. The weights are assigned according to the estimated percentage area of each variety in South Karnataka. The total area of arecanut in the district was multiplied with the percentage adoption of improved varieties in the region to arrive at the total area under improved varieties. The difference in net returns will give the additional benefit we would have obtained, had the area been under released varieties. It was observed that 13.6% of total area in southern Karnataka is under released arecanut varieties. The economic impact of released arecanut varieties in monitory terms was found to be rupees 141 million per year. The presence of improved varieties was more prominent in the young plantations. The holding wise observations revealed that the presence of released varieties was more in small holding groups. Cost of production of arecanut and cocoa According to the study conducted by the Institute, the cost of production of one kilogram of arecanut in a well-maintained garden was found to be Rs 104.20 Here we have considered the economic life span of the palm as 35 years and average annual production as 2700 kg/ha The average maintenance cost (from 8th year to 35th year) was calculated at Rs. 168765/ha. The cost of production of cocoa grown in arecanut garden was found to be Rs74.42/kg of dry beans and average annual maintenance cost recorded at Rs 55268/ha. Marketing The chali and the red are the two main varieties of arecanut consumed by the people mostly as a habit. Chali or the white supari is used mainly in the pan or beedas and the red variety is used both in the preparation of pan and value added products like pan masala, ghutka, sweet supari etc. From production to consumption level both private traders and the co-operatives play an important role in India. Here, the share of the cooperative is around 15 per cent and remaining is under the control of the private traders. Among the cooperatives The CAMPCO, a nodal agency has its own purchasing and sales centres throughout the country Disposal pattern: A study in Dakshina Karnataka showed that 80 percent of the farmers, who dispose the produce immediately after harvest, were small cultivators. Remaining 20 per cent who disposed the produce when the prices in the market are favorable, were large farmers. It was observed that indebtedness and lack of proper infrastructure facilities for storage compel the small farmer to dispose the produce at the earliest. The majority of the farmers (63%) sold chali supari to traders, who reportedly paid two rupees extra of the market rate per kg of chali sold. Stagnating market prices and increasing cost of production, especially the skilled labour charges in the recent times have generated livelihood concerns of arecanut farmers in India. Surging imports, which is around 12 percent of the domestic production, certainly has a significant role in price stickiness. Market studies reveal that around 75 percent of the arecanut trade is in the hands of private trades, which has provided ample scope for hoarding and resulted in market imperfections and low price realization. In the case of cocoa the current supply is only around fifty percent of the actual domestic demand and hence, there exist a huge scope for area expansion with the supply of elite seedlings/grafts. Effective dissemination of technologies through trainings, on-farm trials, demonstrations and seminars are being carried out by the Institute. Nevertheless, the price stagnation of the crop for a long period has caused disinterest among arecanut farmers. Therefore, in the case of arecanut a vicious cycle was formed in the pattern of ‘depressed prices + shortage of labour–crop negligence–diseases /pest attack–low yield/production’ and this in turn especially has adversely affected the small and marginal arecanut farmers who are solely dependent on the crop.

Cameron Auto Parts Essay

Cameron Auto Parts was founded in 1965 in Canada by the Cameron family to seize opportunities created by the Auto Pact (APTA) of 1965 between the United States and Canada. The APTA allowed for tariff-free trade between the Big Three American automakers and parts suppliers and factories in both countries. The one caveat in the APTA to qualify for the zero-tariff trade was that companies must maintain assembly facilities on both sides of the border. Cameron Auto Parts specifically manufactured original equipment parts (OEM) such as small engine parts and accessories based upon design specs created by the Auto manufacturers and then sold these parts to the auto makers. Alex Cameron took the reins in 2001 and was immediately faced with a financial crisis. Sales in 2000 had dropped to $48 million and were only $18 million for the first six months of 2001. Cameron lost $2.5 million in 2000 and the same amount in the first six months of 2001. This decline was primarily due to declining auto sales of American cars and trucks and the increased presence of Japanese automakers. Market forces were driving the American firms to find ways to cut costs and modernize plants. Cameron used $10 million of its $12 million credit line to reinvest back into the firm by modernizing equipment and computer-assisted design and manufacturing systems. However, Cameron did not have its own design engineering team and relied on specs from the Big Three automakers for its products. This left Alex Cameron with an uneasy feeling that expansion into product design was essential for the long-term survival of the firm. In mid-2001, Cameron took the steps necessary to design and develop its own parts line. Cameron hired four design engineers and, by 2003, came up with a flexible coupling idea that would entice international buyers and not just the Big Three automakers. Cameron was then faced with the dilemma of how to market and sell the product. Projected sales of the new product in 2004 were between $35 and $40 million which was terrific but they weren’t sure they had the capacity to handle the production. They needed to decide if it was better to expand  current facilities, buy/ build a new facility, or license the fabrication of the product to outside companies. While on a vacation trip to Scotland, Alex went to check in on a local customer, McTaggart Supplies, Ltd, who convinced him that the flexible coupling product was in high demand in the U.K. and that more production was necessary to keep up with the demand. Alex decided at that meeting that Cameron would exclusively license the production of the flexible coupling to McTaggart in order to gain a stronger foothold in the U.K. for relatively little up-front investment. 1. Should Cameron have licensed McTaggart or continued to export? Cameron Auto Parts should license to McTaggart in the UK. It was one of Cameron’s key goals to penetrate foreign markets and the licensing agreement with McTaggart would be a swift way to begin executing this business strategy. McTaggart was in a superior position to penetrate the U.K. market due to a good cultural understanding and close proximity to potential clients. Once this business arrangement was proven successful, Cameron Auto Parts would be able to form similar agreements with other companies and expand to other foreign markets. McTaggart is an excellent licensee, as they are a reputable company in the U.K. with excellent credit, cost saving manufacturing practices, good market contacts, and 130 years of service in the business. They are also assuming most of the financial risk by paying Cameron Auto Parts the startup costs as well as a percentage of sales. Embarking on a licensing strategy would also eliminate the prohibitive cost of developing and maintaining a sales force in a foreign country that likely wouldn’t perform as well as a local company like McTaggart since customers had cultural ties and existing relationships with them. Additionally, orders can be filled more quickly as the product would be made locally reducing shipping costs and travel time. It was also a good decision for administrative and economic distance reasons. Since the product would be produced in the UK, it would not be subjected to excess cost of import duty, freight, insurance, or the value added tax. This would allow for the product to be sold at a more attractive price. Lastly, the value of the dollar fell during the original five year contract and the percentage of sales in pounds produced a higher dollar income for Cameron without changing the price of the products sold. The disadvantages of continuing to export are loss of  profits due to shipping costs, currency values, taxes and tariffs. The five year contract allows Cameron to evaluate the effectiveness of the licensing strategy and determine whether this is a profitable venture for the company. 2. Was Mc Taggart a good choice for licensee? Yes, McTaggart was a good choice as a licensee. They have all the tools necessary to successfully produce and sell the flexible couplings. †¢ McTaggart was already familiar with the product and had bought over U.S. $4,000 in the first four months in 2004. They had been able to sell the product as fast as it could be shipped and built a solid working relationship with Cameron as well as good credit. †¢ McTaggart has production experience that Cameron may benefit from and substantial room to increase production capacity. †¢ They have a solid reputation with great financial standing, excellent credit, and a capable sales staff to market and sell the product. †¢ They have manufacturing capacity and are willing to invest and develop the manufacturing capability to efficiently produce the flexible couplings. In addition, they have established a client base. 3. Was the royalty rate reasonable? A royalty rate is the money that must be paid to the owner of products (â€Å"the licensor†) from a buyer (â€Å"the licensee†). The amount of royalty fee is considered the fee for acquiring a patent or a copyright. In most businesses, a royalty fee applies when two or more companies have licensing agreements or sell the products in foreign countries. [i] In U.K., the normal rate of the royalty for licensing is around one and a half cent on each sale. However, Cameron Auto Parts was asking three per cent of sales from McTaggart. Although it was dropped down to 2 percent with a 5 year contract after negotiations, it is still higher than the normal rate. This seems reasonable as Mc Taggart will save a considerable amount of importation expense and will be able to sell the products at a lower rate than they can by importing. Cameron will have established an ongoing royalty income without incurring the overhead cost of production and sales expense. Cameron Auto Parts asks a higher royalty rate than normal rate because the company helps McTaggart choose equipment and provides training of operation  and production. Although McTaggart would like to pay these services separately, Cameron Auto Parts points out the benefits of getting services to keep higher royalty rate. With this five-year agreement, the royalty rate of two per cent is ensured in the first five years, but it will be down to one and a half per cent when the techniques of choosing equipment and operation have been acquired by McTaggart after five years. In conclusion, the royalty rate is reasonable for both parties involved. Cameron Auto Parts was able to enter the U.K. market expeditiously through McTaggart’s sales force, cut down on lead-times, save on duties, freight, and insurance and not be subject to currency fluctuations. McTaggart was able to sell a product already in demand, obtain training, focus on increasing sales and gain valuable insight into Cameron’s manufacturing process. Both companies would benefit from the shared knowledge they could provide each other, thus make the licensing agreement valuable for everyone involved. 4. What about the alternatives to licensing? The alternative to licensing would be to continue production and sell directly to McTaggart and other customers. This would involve dedicating a certain amount of production floor space to a market that is culturally and geographically distant and unpredictable. There is risk involved as the production space ties up cash flow and is not certain to produce profit. Travel expense would be incurred as company representatives would have to travel often to the U.K. in order to resolve issues or sell products. The sales side expense would be higher as well. More sales people would have to be employed to serve that region. They would either have to travel often or be based there and paid in pounds, which are currently stronger than the dollar. Instead of receiving a check from one contact that represents all sales for the whole area, Cameron would have to maintain relationships with various customers, which requires personalized attention to each and exposes him to having to perform collections and write off bad debt. Since unit production costs were estimated to decline 20% as annual sales climbed from $20 million to $100 million and Andy felt that the $20 million  mark was easily obtainable in the coming year, the continued value of exporting to Europe would have grown along with the European market. Looking at the pricing index, we can see that importing to Europe results in a cost of 113 to the importer. Since Cameron Auto Parts sell the flexible couplings at the same price to domestic and foreign distributors, licensing is an effective strategy to penetrate the European market while eliminating import and other logistical costs. Cameron Auto Parts would benefit most from a licensing agreement with McTaggart Supplies Ltd. Other options exist besides exporting or licensing such as a joint venture / wholly-owned subsidiary, selling through an agent, or selling through a distributor. Benefits to these strategies include reduced manufacturing cost, higher sales volume, and better market penetration and in some cases shared risk. The drawbacks to these methods include loss of price control, unpredictable sales volume, and loss of profits. [ii] Case Update Cameron Auto Parts enjoyed rapid growth during the 2004-2005. In 2004, the company undertook a major plant expansion for $10 million, adding 200,000 square feet to the company’s production capacity. Royalties from McTaggart during the first year of the licensing agreement were  £20,000; this grew to and  £100,000 the following year. High overall profitability left Cameron in a strong financial position in 2006. In 2006, Cameron was presented with an opportunity to purchase a 40 percent interest in Michelard & Cie., a family-owned distributor organization in France, which would allow Cameron to break into the continental European countries. Cameron agreed to the deal for $4 million and a royalty of 4 percent on sales of all flexible couplings. The deal enraged McTaggart, who had been selling flexible couplings in Europe and would now be competing with Michelard. Partly to appease McTaggart, Cameron agreed to a proposed joint venture in Australia. McTaggart would own 60 percent of the plant and be responsible for managing the venture.  According to McTaggart, local assembly in Australia could triple volume of current sales to around  £10 million. An investment of  £2 million could make around  £400,000 a year after Australian taxes while avoiding tariffs imposed on shipping finished products. This agreement would also position the firms to benefit from Australia’s free trade agreement with New Zealand. [iii] Cameron Auto Parts is very likely a pseudonym for Fernco, Inc., a flexible coupling manufacturer based outside of Detroit with a very similar history to that of Cameron Auto Parts. Fernco, Inc. is lead by Chris Cooper who, like Alex Cameron, took over the company from his father after graduating from Michigan business school. In addition to manufacturing facilities in Canada, the U.K., Australia and Germany, Fernco has expanded distribution to the E.U, New Zealand, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and China. [iv] ———————– [i] â€Å"Valuation Resource†Royalty Rates and License Fees.† Retrieved June 29, 2011 from < http://www.crucial-systems.com/dmbr/Mechanical_Royalties> â€Å"Mechanical Royalties.† Time. 05 December 2004. Retrieved June 29, 2011 from < http://www.crucial-systems.com/dmbr/Mechanical_Royalties> [ii] â€Å"Use These Top Five Strategies for Selling in International Markets.† Retrieved July 1, 2011 from [iii] Beamish, Paul and Crookell, Harold. â€Å"Cameron Auto Parts (B) – Revised.† Richard Ivey School of Business. University of Western Ontario. Jan 10, 2006. [iv] Ferno Company Website. Retrieved July 1, 2011 from . ———————– It is best NOT to start with a recommendation. I would first discuss the pros and cons of the issue on hand Cameron can simply do what it has been doing: Exporting. It is important that you should show licensing would be superior to exporting in order to advocate licensing These are good points. You realize the resources and capabilities of Cameron are limited. That is also a good point but that point supports the â€Å"exporting† option. There are other options as well: Joint Venture (JV) and foreign direct investment (FDI) are others to be considered. Take a look at the posted answers, especially, slide # 5 where a table lists pros and cons of each option in terms of various resource based factors. I must indicate my preference for such tabular presentations. They are simple, neat and to the point. All of your points are good. But they are one-sided. I am ALWAYS interested in a â€Å"balanced† analysis detailing not only points that support your perspective but also counter perspective. Please see the posted answers for such a perspective There is NO precise way of determining the royalty rate. Please see the posted answers for some guidance Not sure I understand this last point. Cameron is an Exporter. Why would they worry about import costs? Please take a look at the posted slides for this question. Good update. There are 2 things I suggest to improve your analysis: 1. Provide a balanced perspective. Nothing in this class is a clear pro or con. Every issue has both pros and cons. Both need to be studied carefully. 2. Incorporate other assigned readings into your analysis to provide evidence of learning. Some of the assigned readings could have easily been cited to support your viewpoint.

A Raisin in the Sun & the American Dream

The American dream in the ’50s was close to materialism. The ownership of consumer goods was believed to bring joy into a family’s life. This stereotypical view governs the dream of one of the main characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s play.The title of the play is based on â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes, a poem that raises a question about a dream that is deferred. â€Å"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? †¦ Or does it explode?† (Rampersad, 1995, pg. 426) There are three main characters and all three of them of have dreams that have been prolonged for too long. A Raisin in the Sun is about the rocky journey they go through to acquire their dreams.  The Younger’s family has just received a $10,000 dollar check for their dead father’s life insurance policy. They live in a two bedroom apartment on the black side of town in Chicago. Racial prejudices against blacks in that era and a low income are the root of conflict in the f amily.Mama, deceased Mr. Youngers widow wishes to buy a house and fulfill the dream she once saw with her husband. Beneatha, Mama’s daughter, hopes to find her identity through looking towards true African heritage. Walter, Mama’s son, wishes to one day become rich. He wants to replenish his marriage and provide his son with all the opportunities he never had growing up.Walter wants to invest money in the liquor business with a few of his friends. Although the idea appalls Mama at first, she trusts and supports her son with his decision. The night before making the investment Walter tells his son about the business transaction he about to make while tucking him into bed. He tells the little boy that their lives will change soon and paints an elaborate and vivid picture of the future. He tells his son that when he’s seventeen years old he’ll come home and park the Chrysler in the driveway.The gardener will greet him and when he’s inside the house he ’ll kiss his wife and come up to his sons room to see him browsing through brochures of the best colleges in America. He then tells his son that he will give him whatever he wants. Although Walter is somewhat materialistic in what he wants at the core he just wants a happy family and a son who should have all the chances he never had.During this time Mama buys a house to fulfill the dream she saw with her husband; the only one she can afford is in a white suburban neighborhood. Mr. Lindner a man from the neighborhood comes to the Younger house trying to convince them to not destroy the white community. He offers a lot of money in exchange for their acceptance.Meanwhile Walter looses all the money he has invested in the liquor store because I friend has run away with it. When he looses the majority of their financial resources the entire family falls into a deeper level of depression. At this time, Walter decides to take the money the white man has to offer. The thought of sel ling away their right vexes Mama, Walter’s sister and his wife. They detest Walter for dealing with his dead fathers money so easily and feel that he has lost his soul when he days we wants to be bought out by the white Mr. Lindner.Ultimately, loosing everything they have unites them because at the last moment Walter changes his mind about taking money from Mr. Lindner. Walter tells him that they have moved into the house because their father earned it for them. He continues by saying that they don’t want to disturb the neighborhood peace or protest for bigger causes, and that they’d be nice neighbors.He tells Mr. Lindner that he doesn’t want the money. At this moment the entire family’s spirits are lifted and they are proud of the decision Walter has made. This act of standing by your family to achieve the American dream of succeeding no matter who you are and where you come from unites them. They learn to support each other and put their families before their own. By owning a house, having a high morale, and the support of their family, each of them is on their way to fulfill their American dream.ReferencesFoulis, Rhona (2005, March, 14). A Raisin in the Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from Culture Wars Web site: http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2005-01/raisin.htmPotter , G and Struss, Joe. (2002, April, 02). Iowa State University. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from ISU Play Concordances Web site: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~spires/concord.htmlRampersad, A (Ed.). (1995). The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc..   

Home Birth (personal writing) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Home Birth (personal writing) - Coursework Example While on the other hand many argue that home births are dangerous for both women and the child and they should be avoided. It is seen that the rate of home births is quite less in comparison to the hospital births but this can only be associated with the recommendations of the health professionals regarding the homebirths. I have chosen this topic as I have witnessed this situation in the case of my own mother. My mother wanted to have a home birth with all six of her pregnancies but due to varying circumstances she was unable to do so. My mother had to undergo her delivery in UK for her third baby and she wanted to have a home birth but she could not go ahead with it because of certain problems. My mother knew so much about birth at home as she previously had undergone homebirth in our native city which is because she developed a fear for the hospitals. When I went with my mother for the first anti-natal check up at my local hospital I told the doctor that my mother would prefer to have birth at home but was told that it is my mother’s first pregnancy in UK so it would not be possible. I asked why not? I was told that because it was my mother’s first pregnancy in UK and they have no idea how would she be able to cope with this pregnancy at home so they recommended a hospital birth to my mother. I realised for the first time that home births were not recommended in the UK. My mother had no choice but to go along with the decision because of which she was very disappointed. The choice of homebirth for my mother was best suited because she had a normal pre natal examination. The proponents of home birth put forward that the women who do not have complications in their natal examination should not be recommended a hospital birth but should rather be recommended a home birth. They put forward evidence which clearly shows that home birth is a satisfying and safe practice for the women who experience uncomplicated births (Wiegers et al 1996; Ogden et al 1997). It is still seen that the home births in UK are only about 2% whereas if women were allowed to opt for a choice the rate would be much higher. Homebirths are a safer practice for women who do not have complicated births and these can prove to have a strong psychological effect on the women. Research has also shown that women who undergo home births undergo less stress than the ones who undergo hospital births. This stress may also be one of the causative factors because of which the women undergoing hospital births feel more pain while the delivery. Research shows that women undergoing home births have less pain and receive a lower number of pharmacologic interventions. These women also feel greater satisfaction while giving birth at home because they don’t undergo much stress (Davies 1997). These women are also free to do things when they undergo home birth where as in a hospital they are not allowed to do certain things after their delivery. Moreover studies have al so shown that women prefer home births rather than hospital births because of the control and autonomy that they have at their home rather than the influence of the physicians in the hospitals (Viisainen 2002; Andrews 2004). Home birth gives women a psychological advantage that their child would be normal. Many women believe that hospitals are associated with a disease while pregnancy is

Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work - Case Study Example With the advent of HIV and Aids, social workers, particularly in developing countries have had to rearrange themselves to deal with the needs of an ever increasing population of people with Aids. Social workers have attended to needs of oppressed people, people with extreme mental retardations, and those living in abject poverty. Social workers uphold social change and social justice on behalf of individuals, groups, families, and communities. The practice of social work is sensitive to ethnic and cultural diversity as it seeks to strive to end society's vices such as oppression, discrimination, poverty and other forms of social injustices. Their intervention may be in the form of community organization, direct practice, consultation, supervision, advocacy, administration, social and political action, education, policy development and implementation, and research and evaluation (NASW code of ethics, 2008). In trying to enhance the people's capacity to address their own needs, social workers are faced with a variety of ethical dilemmas. Let's consider a situation where a couple has the down-syndrome disease but still want to have a sexual relationship that will lead to marriage. Such a scenario may be of particular interest to the practice of social work as it entails some multiplier effects which beg for serious ethical answers. The serious ethical dilemma ... ical dilemma that any social worker may experience in such a scenario is whether to let the couple go on with their plans to get married and have their own children. As I have already discussed, it is the duty of a social worker to facilitate the capability of people to address their own problems. But such a relationship will definitely lead to more problems for the couple as the children born out of the relationship will very likely have the Down-Syndrome disease as well as other complicated health problems which will negatively impact on their developmental abilities (Should retarded people marry, 2006). This therefore means that the chances of the children leading a normal and fruitful life will be seriously compromised. This explains the relevance of such a dilemma to social work. In social work, ethical decision making involves a process. In such an instance where a couple with Down-Syndrome disease wants to have children, simple answers may not be available to resolve the complex ethical issues that such a decision may entail. That is where the National Association of Social Workers code comes into play. The ethical dilemma here is if it is right to allow the couple to go ahead and reproduce children when in fact they know that these children will be severely handicapped and will be a burden to society. Importance of the ethical dilemma to a social worker. The ethical dilemma is of particular importance since it will directly affect the social worker's area of operation. In such a scenario, it is the role of the social worker to be an educator, mediator, negotiator, and facilitator for the couple to enlighten them and empower them with proper information so that they can make proper conclusions about their state and shelf any plans to bear children (Hick,

Comparison of Republicans and Democrats Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Comparison of Republicans and Democrats - Essay Example Recent Supreme Court rulings have allowed unlimited, undisclosed donations to be made by the super-rich and by multinational corporations to politicians from both parties that are seeking election. This creates a situation where both parties must do the bidding of these powerful donors once they are elected. If they do not, then these donors will support someone else in the next election. Both of these parties are dependant on rich people and special interest money to support their candidates. Another way Democrats and Republicans are similar is they refuse to take any responsibility for anything bad that happens. Both parties blame the other incessantly for the problems in America. Republicans blame the current state of the economy on the Democrats even though a Republican Congress and President sewed the seeds of the financial meltdown. Democrats ignore worthwhile gains Republicans make in everything from social policy to international relations. They ignore the amount of funding Republican administrations have sent to help AIDS victims in Africa while focusing on any comment or policy by a Republican that might be a bit offensive of dim-witted. Both of these parties are similar in the way that they react negatively to the other party. It is true that these two parties do differ in their basic ideology. The Republicans claim that they want to reduce the role of government in the lives of American citizens. They claim that the government is too big and that we need to cut expenditure. They believe in low taxes and self-reliance. The Democrats say that they believe the government can make a positive difference for people, especially the poor. They believe in funding social programs that help people get good educations and good jobs.     

Abraham Lincoln View of slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abraham Lincoln View of slavery - Essay Example Lincoln in his speech in Illinois termed slavery as unjust and morally wrong. He confessed both privately and in public that he hated slavery, even though he was quiet about it for a long time. Lincoln also believed that all people were against slavery, insisted and maintained a view against it. Besides, he never regretted his words either did he take them back because slavery was not right. He also came out clear giving his view that he was not an abolitionist. His problem was the current constitution that never factored in the term slavery all the clauses that gave protection to the institution. He alluded that there was a need to abolish slavery and consider slaves as equal members of the United States. Abraham argued that both the black and white were equal. Therefore, they were entitled to equal opportunities and benefit to improve their lives making slavery was unfair.Therefore, the debate on the issue of slavery was among one of the questions that triggered the civil war both in the Western and Northern states as they fought to protect the union. However, at the same time the South states struggled to gain its independence under its constitution. Conversely, the South agrarian protected their slaves to take care of their large plantations and help in other tasks that they required. During the civil war, more Africans worked in the south offering labor. They contributed significantly to the South economy because they worked and at the same time, they were sold to pay debts.