Monday, September 30, 2019

Fast, Fat, and Naggy

Fast, Fat, and Naggy â€Å"McDonald’s operates more playgrounds than any other private entity in the U. S. It is responsible for the nation’s bestselling line of children’s clothing (McKids) and is one of the largest distributors of toys† (Schlosser 4). According to James McNeal, a marketer at Texas University, before the 1940’s, children were not even viewed as consumers, but as future consumers (10). After WWII, the baby boom occurred, and by 1950 the under-five population was 16,163,000 (McNeal 10). For the first time, children were on the marketing radar.Meanwhile, well-known franchises such as McDonald’s were at their early stages of development. Up until the exhaustively researched work of Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, the extent to which fast food corporations market to children was widely unknown. His work and others’ show that while fast food is convenient, it uses deceptive marketing tactics to lure children, and is inc redibly unhealthy. The need for instant gratification, imbedded in our American culture, has paved the way for fast food corporations and their convenient style of food production.The McDonald’s brothers, who developed the Speedee Service System in 1948, made all this possible (Schlosser 19). This system began the industrialization of the food industry; which essentially gave birth to a new industry, fast food. Now one person grills the burgers, another person â€Å"dresses† them, and another prepares the milkshakes (20). This system rapidly increases the rate of food production. According to the McDonald’s corporation website, McDonald’s operates more than 30,000 restaurants world-wide and serves more than 47,000,000 people every single day. The key behind all this success is the American ideology of convenience.When people feel a craving for food, a uniformly made burger, fries, and drink will materialize in minutes. The concept of fast food is exceptio nal because it creates a quick way to produce a sit-down meal. One could argue that food is no longer an obstacle within the fast food industry, but simply a means to an end, which is ideal for those that don’t have the time to sit down and enjoy every meal. However, fast food is incredibly unhealthy and supports an industry full of corruption. It is bent on lowering production and labor costs in order to create a high profit margin.Due to the Speedee Service System, no job at McDonald’s requires any trained skill whatsoever (Schlosser 20). Therefore, the work force can be made up of young, unskilled teenagers as well as illegal immigrants that have a tenuous grasp on the English language. This in combination with a 90% annual turn-over rate, makes unionization almost impossible (160). While this is bad enough, what does it mean for our society when upcoming generations are being taught that McDonalds is a wonderland? Fast food corporations use highly deceptive tactics to market to children, setting them up to be lifelong customers of the fast food industry.After World War II, the economy was on its way back up again and parents started spending more money on their children (McNeal 10). This caught the attention of fast food corporations, who then began to direct a lot of their advertisements towards children. All fast food corporations developed child focused marketing schemes at some point, but the pivotal creation was the campaign of Ronald McDonald. Advertisements featuring Ronald McDonald began in 1963 often set in a fantasy world known as â€Å"McDonaldland. With the help of the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, Mayor McCheese, and the Fry Kids, he would lead all sorts of adventures. In 1986, a commercial starring Ronald McDonald aired which advertised the McDonald’s beach bucket, free with a McDonald’s Happy Meal purchase. The advertisement begins with Ronald pulling a rope. The camera view widens and a hot air bal loon Happy Meal, with a personified burger, drink, and fries comes into view. The normally inanimate objects announce themselves and excitedly shout, â€Å"All regular size! † The scene cuts to some children playing on the beach.The boy, who has taken the position of king of the castle, gives one pail to each girl to his left. He then announces, â€Å"One for the King! † and the commercial cuts to the offer of the beach buckets. One interesting aspect of this commercial is that two-thirds of it is cartoon based, having a very similar look to regular animated shows at the time. According to the Raising Children Network, children up until age 4 have difficulty deciphering between regular scheduled programming and commercials. By creating Ronald McDonald and Friends, McDonald’s can air small television like advertisements that seem similar to the currently aired shows.Kids have a sense of trust for a character like Ronald McDonald. He is portrayed as a person that can do no wrong, that will always be altruistic, that lives to improve the lives of others. So when Ronald subtly tells kids to go eat at McDonalds, why wouldn’t they listen? Especially when yet another incentive is born: the Happy Meal toy. Another major issue with child focused advertising is the toys that kids can take away from Happy Meals. These toys are often campaigns surrounding popular culture amongst children. They often come with 6-8 different collectables, most of which are only available through the Happy Meal purchase.The ads and toys encourage kids to pester their parents for frequent trips to McDonald’s in order to obtain as many Happy Meal toys as possible, as they are only available for a limited time. An organization known as the CAI (Corporate Accountability International) recently filed a lawsuit against child focused marketing, specifically the happy meal toys at McDonald’s. In their argument, the CAI asks McDonalds to â€Å"retire [their] marketing promotions for food high in salt, fat, sugar, and calories to children, whatever form they take – from Ronald McDonald to toy giveaways. The issue surrounding Happy Meal toys is that it gives children another incentive to want fast food. Kids are immediately drawn in by the taste of fast food, the cartoon characters on TV appeal to a young child’s mind, and now children get toys with their meals too. For decades fast food corporations like McDonald’s have paired up with major companies like Disney to sell toys. Often times, critically acclaimed and popular movies amongst children like Shrek, will appear with Happy Meal purchases. So not only do they get toys, but their favorite toys. In fast food commercials that advertise to kids, they will often express a sense of urgency.Commercials will often say things like â€Å"for a limited time only† and â€Å"while supplies last. † According to Schlosser, this type of advertising appeals to the â€Å"pester power† in children (43). Now, when children bug their parents about eating fast food, they have more to say than, â€Å"I’m hungry. † However, the issue of how fast food corporations are selling to kids only exists because of what these corporations are selling to kids. The problem with child focused marketing by fast food corporations is that children are too young to understand the implications behind the advertisements.While these ads may seem harmless and innocent, they are actually marketing highly unhealthy products. Corporations dump millions of dollars into child advertising, a fund that Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald’s. calls â€Å"an investment. † According to McDonald’s nutrition facts the average happy meal contains 1,100 calories. The CDC reports that the recommended caloric intake by children up until age 8 should be 1,000 calories. Even if a child only has fast food once a day, they still surpass their recommended caloric intake in this one meal alone.When this is combined with the other food a child consumes, their caloric intake is closer to 2,000 calories. This is the recommended number for an adult. Even though the food is unhealthy, children are drawn in by the taste. According to Shanthy A. Bowman, PhD, and member of the U. S. D. A, â€Å"The fats, sugar, and salt in fast food draw kids like a magnet, largely because they appeal to a child's ‘primordial tastes,’ this taste triggers more eating later in the day. And, because fast food doesn't contain much fiber, kids don't feel full afterward – so they eat more later. So not only do kids get too many calories from eating fast food, it teaches them to eat more at an early age. Kids do not get the required nutrition from fast food, so they must get it from other meals. The nutritional value of fast food is so unhealthy that it sets kids down the hard road of obesity at an increased rate every year. The 1950’s be gan the industrialization of food. Now burgers, chicken, fries, and buns are all frozen upon arrival. Coke and milk shakes begin as syrup (Schlosser 20). At Taco Bell, food is not prepared but assembled (20). One may be so inclined to ask how this affects the nutritional value of the food.According to the McDonald’s nutrition page the ten-piece chicken McNuggets at McDonald’s come with 480 calories and 900 mg of sodium. A food analyzer noted that the Chicken McNuggets are more fattening due to the fact that they were once cooked in 90% beef tallow, or beef fat. (140). Since federal investigations, the chicken McNuggets are now cooked in oil, and use beef flavoring instead (140). However, many corporations continue to use this method. The newly introduced Angus Bacon ;amp; Cheese contains a whopping 800 calories, 2070 Mg of Sodium, and 39 grams of fat (McDonald’s Nutrition Page).These foods are filled with empty calories, meaning they contain high amounts of sodi um and sugars, and a low percent of the daily value in vitamins. The poor nutritional value in these meals has increased obesity all over the United States. What is even more shocking is the statistic regarding children. According to the CDC, â€Å"The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to 20% in 2008. † This 13% increase shows roughly a half percent increase per year, over a 28 period. Today the United States population is close to 350,000,000 people.By these statistics, another 2 million people will become obese within the year. The percentage regarding teenagers is just as shocking. The CDC reports, â€Å"The percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period. † This number is a true testament to the efforts of fast food corporations. Not only is this increase staggering, but through the marketing to children throughout the 80’s and into the present day, the influence is clear. Fast food appears innocent and warm on TV, even in the eyes of adults. The prevailing advantage to fast food is its convenience.For the most part, that’s really all they want you to see. The sad fact of it all is that these corporations really don’t care. They don’t care that their products create obesity, that they deceptively lure children or that they impede the lives of immigrant workers, often ruining them over a number of years. As long as the money is flowing, or over-flowing that is, change will not occur. It is very easy to put all this blame on the corporations, however it is important to consider the role that we as a society play as well. McDonald’s and all other fast food corporations alike can only exist because we purchase their products.They may be evil, and money hungry, but Americans are still buying. And as long as that continues to happen, fast food as an industry will continue to grow.Works Cited S chlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print. McNeal, James U. â€Å"From Savers to Spenders: How Children Became a Consumer Market. †Ã‚  Children as Consumers: Insights and Implications. Vol. 21. Lexington, MA: Lexington, 1987. 10-12. Print. Davis, Jeanie Lerche. â€Å"Fast Food Creates Fat Kids. †Ã‚  WebMD. WebMD, 5 Jan. 2004. Web. 13 May 2012. ;lt;http://www. webmd. om/parenting/news/20040105/fast-food-creates-fat-kids;gt;. â€Å"Ronald McDonald. †Ã‚  Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Sept. 2012. Web. 13 May 2012. ;lt;http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ronald_McDonald%20;gt;. Green, Martin. â€Å"Nutritional Value of McDonald's Food. †Ã‚  Livestrong. com. Livestrong, 8 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 May 2012. ;lt;http://www. livestrong. com/article/328385-nutritional-value-of-mcdonalds-food/;gt;. Maugh II, Thomas H. â€Å"Obese Kids Have Arteries as Thick as 45-year-olds'†Ã‚  Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 May 2012. ;lt;http://articles. latimes. com/2008/nov/12/science/sci-obesekids12;gt;.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

American economy of the 20th century

The growth of industry in the last half of the 19th century laid the foundation for American economy of the 20th century [1]. The expansion was driven by large-scale industrial development and railroads that led to an urbanized industry primarily in the Northeast, and promoted population increase through immigration at a rate of 300,000 persons per year. The second half of the 19th century brought an explosion of new discoveries and inventions that amounted to a â€Å"second industrial revolution.† Examples included: petroleum discoveries, typewrites, refrigerated railway cars, telephone, phonograph, car, electric and the airplane. These inventions enabled the rise of the business tycoon who amassed a vast financial empire, and had tremendous influence on the further development of the U. S. economy. The great tycoons were fierce competitors, singleminded in their pursuit of financial success and power. Among the giants were Jay Gould, J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Ro ckefeller and Henry Ford.Some of these men were honest, according to business standards of their day; others used force, bribery and guile to achieve their wealth and power. Their example and the fact that most Americans — living in a society with a more fluid class structure — embraced the idea of moneymaking with enthusiasm created the impetus for the American economic engine at the beginning of the 20th century. The era of progressivism is characterized by the reluctance of the US government to get too involved in the private sector.This freed everyone to do whatever they could to get ahead, and ultimately proved the downfall of many small and large business men by the time of the Great Depression (1929-1940). The tremendous growth of the economy was unsustainable, and the lack of regulations meant that the inevitable slow down affected different economic sectors disproportionately and severely. The 1929 stock market crash had brought on the most serious economic di slocation in the nation's history.The New Deal enacted by Roosevelt's attempt to alleviate the emergency and prevent it in the future by extending federal authority in all fields, notably banking, agriculture, social security and public welfare. It gave immediate attention to labor problems, creating minimum standards for wages, hours, relief and security — and served as a catalyst for the expansion of labor unions in such industries as steel, automobiles and rubber. During this period organized labor unions were developed as a grass roots response to business past excesses.The US economy probably would have returned to its original condition with relatively low government interference in the direction it evolved (though with the newly instituted checks and balances put in place by the New Deal) eventually but the outbreak of WWII in which the US played a major role economically and technologically in contrast to WWI. The U. S. government was compelled to intervene in the eco nomy as it never had before. The War Production Board was created to coordinate the nation's productive capabilities so that military priorities would be met.Converted consumer-products plants filled many military orders. Automakers built tanks and aircraft, for example, making the United States the â€Å"arsenal of democracy. † In an effort to limit inflation due to rising national income and scarce consumer products, the newly created Office of Price Administration controlled rents on some dwellings, rationed consumer items ranging from sugar to gasoline, and otherwise tried to restrain price increases. This intervention had several effects.First it redirected business resources to the military effort, and away from consumer goods. During the Depression, most people were too poor to buy anything, but as the economy sped up in the war effort, it began to put wealth in the pockets of ordinary citizens, who did not have anything to spend it on. Psychologically this created a p ent up demand for everything such that when the war was over and business could return to purely consumer interests there was a huge pent up demand for everything.This pent-up demand was enough to fuel the economy for almost 15 years, and led to the Baby Boom and expansion of suburbs and the middle class. The automobile industry successfully converted from making tanks and bombers, and new industries such as aviation and electronics grew by leaps and bounds. A housing boom, stimulated in part by easily affordable mortgages for returning servicemen, added to the expansion. So did the rise in defense spending, which occurred later with the escalation of the Cold War. Business entered a period marked by consolidation.Firms merged to create huge, diversified â€Å"conglomerates†: for example, International Telephone and Telegraph Co. bought Sheraton Hotels, Continental Baking, Hartford Fire Insurance, Avis Rent-a-Car and other companies. However the seed of imbalance were being s ewn. More people wanted to work at white collar jobs hat paid well, and did not require physical labor, and with the expanding manufacturing it was possible. Farmers on the other hand over produced as a result of technology improvements which led to a decrease in prices and loss in profitability.Finally demographic shifts to the Sun Belt states, began to bleed the talent hungry North of trained employees. These changes began a slow but serious sift in the location and focus of business operations. Businesses began to shift their operations to follow the people, and change the job descriptions by shifting undesirable manual labor jobs to minorities and eventually out of the country. The 1960’s and 1970’s began a period of social malaise as people began to feel the stress of economic changes without really understanding why and how extensive they became.Before all people had to worry about was their own performance, and perhaps their small community, now everyone was aff ected by national shifts that were not obvious as they evolved. In some respect the public’s response was similar to that during the great Depression that led to demand of greater government regulation and labor unions, except that global issues such as the environment, poverty, foreign competition, and energy became the focus.To try to refocus the economy, Kennedy promoted the space program which among other things was to help turn the US economy toward technology rather than manufacturing, but a series of events allowed this to dissipate after several years: Kennedy’s assassination, racial riots, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the 193 Arab Oil embargo. Thus the space program was unable to refocus the economy, and instead spiraling inflation, increased federal budget deficits, intensified foreign competition, high unemployment and stagnant demand arose.This situation was used politically to shift American political support from Democratic to Republican, since throug h the widespread availability of TV, radio, and new magazines it was possible to convince the public that regulation of business led to stagnation of business, and only through its freedom, it could re-drive the economy, much like it did at the turn of the century. In the early 1980s, the Reagan administration pushed through a series of tax cuts, at the same time that it proposed huge slashes in social programs, and reduction or elimination of government regulations affecting the consumer, the workplace and the environment.Tight control of the Federal Reserve help keep inflation low during these changes, and was used to keep social upheavals by the mainstream populace at bay. Those who lost out in the first wave of economic changes in the 1960’s because they could not adapt, were also affected by the â€Å"fixes† of the 19t0’s and 1980’s. Meanwhile the US government had to support agriculture which had totally collapsed, leading to the establishment of th e budget deficit.Another stock market crash in 1987, suggested more corrections on business activities was in order, and the subsequent collapses of the savings and loan industry in the 1990’s, underscored the lessons learned during the Great Depression, namely that unregulated business activities promote the economy initially, but do not prevent imbalances from developing that eventually threaten the overall positive growth, even though by contrast, other sectors of the economy, such as computers, aerospace and export industries generally showed signs of continuing growth.The US economy of the late 1990’s and beginning of the 21st century is heavily affected by the global economy. The global economic interdependence of the United States and other nations has grown geometrically since the Second World War, and is evidenced in resource utilization, production decisions, raw materials trade and consumer demand. A sign of increased interdependence is the growth of foreign investment. Through foreign investment, the U.S. industry has helped develop major industries in other countries, attempted to increase demand by serving foreign markets from local plants, and to shift undesired or difficult to fill manufacturing jobs to places where it is cheaper and the workforce is available. About one-third of foreign investment in the United States is also in manufacturing. Meantime, those lost jobs are replaced by new ones in industries with more potential.In the late 20th century, those jobs were increasingly in such high-technology industries as computers and biotechnology, and in fast-expanding service industries such as health care and computer software. As a result of this interdependence the US economy is entering another period of economic growth, as well as uncertainty. Since the growth of foreign investment in both directions has developed faster than regulations, there is inevitably going to be problems with economic imbalances, except this time on a global scale. Issues of national security overlap with economic issues traceable to a general global imbalance in wealth.In an attempt to fix these imbalance the US entered into several â€Å"free trade† agreements, aimed a making economic growth equal on both sides. In some cases these agreement have sped up the inevitable job and industry restructuring that was occurring throughout the end of the 20th century. The hope is that in the long run economies of equal partners will work much better than between unequal partners. From Revolution to Reconstruction, Dr. George M. Welling, Department of Alfa-Informatica of the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), 2005.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Whiteness in Historical Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Whiteness in Historical Research - Essay Example and 2000; Roediger, 1993; Allen, 1994). These studies are normally addressed as 'whiteness studies'. Although the term 'whiteness studies' is often perceived negatively as promoting white identity and being an element of a racist discrediting of political correctness and increasingly popular tendency of multiculturalism in all spheres of life, such perception is not fully correct. On the contrary, virtually all the whiteness studies tend to confront white privilege, which is the cornerstone of modern racism, while their authors "...see a close link between their scholarly efforts and the goal of creating a more humane social order" (Kolchin, 2002). There are many approaches in whiteness studies (e.g. white identity construction, public policies, economics, education, etc), but the primary goal of whiteness theory is make white cultural and political assumptions and privileges visible so that those with white skin do not assume that their own position is neutral or normal (Jensen, 2005). However, the whiteness theory should in no way be considered a synonym for multicultural theory: these two are distinct perspectives though their goals may be similar. Multicultural theory usually seeks to promote an appreciation of minor cultures within the contexts of dominant cultures and may also involve criticism of some assumptions fostered within the dominant culture. Yet, since the multicultural perspective is predominantly concerned with fostering authentic understanding of minor cultures, they usually do not focus on the issue of how the dominant white culture in such countries as the U.K., U.S. promotes and maintains the established patterns of the whiteness typically associated with the so-called 'white privilege'. By contrast, whiteness theory highlights the problem of whiteness as a sum of political, social, and cultural status and identity which, to a large extent, are gained at the expense of non-white group (Hague et al., 2005). Although the issue of whiteness - in some or other form - has been with the Western countries for ages, the recent explosion of whiteness related publications relies upon a solid body of research literature written largely by writers of non-white descent over the last fifty years (Roediger, 1999). These works predominantly explore the concept and definitions of race and the social construction of white and non-white identities within the numerous contexts of slavery, citizenship, colonial settlement, growth of cities and industrial labour, etc. (Bonnett, 2000). Modern authors lean toward the opinion that the concept of whiteness was first identified with racial issues by Europeans whom made it into essence of their community. From this perspective, European discourse of whiteness differs from, for example, Asian discourse which has never been 'racialised' (Dyer, 1997). Although there is ongoing debate on the first use of racial whiteness, Jordan (1977) traces the evolution of the legally defined line between 'blacks' and 'whites' to British colonial government efforts to prevent cross-racial revolts among unpaid labourers in the early 1600's. Allen (1994) believes that racialisation of whiteness occurred in the 18th century U.S. when the country's business and political elites attempted to

Friday, September 27, 2019

Is it Ethical to Leak Information From the Dressing Room Essay

Is it Ethical to Leak Information From the Dressing Room - Essay Example According to the management team, what Iker did was unethical and therefore it made him sit on the bench for almost half of the season as the result of which the performance of â€Å"Real Madrid† suffered. This paper discusses the question of, is it really ethical for the media to reveal such conflict about a team which could easily be misused by the competitors? The paper also discusses the details of the case, analyzing the ethical side of it and putting light on that how the parties associated with the case have actually been affected by it.The Media in this situation played a very critical role. Sara Carbonero and Iker Casillas were accused several times for leaking the information of team’s locker room to the channel but the media made the situation worse by broadcasting it and making it available for the competitors of the â€Å"Spain’s Football Team† and â€Å"Real Madrid†. The media on several occasions exposed some controversial information such as the weakened relationships of players or the views of management on the poor performance of any specific team player. Every time the Channel Sara worked for broadcasted any such news it created an atmosphere of distrust in the team’s dressing room, affecting the relationships of the players to some extent. There have been many times when there has been a clash between the players because of the media issue. There have also been occasions when Iker thought about leaving the club that has been the most important part of his live.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Case Study - Drotos Theaters (Auditing) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Case Study - Drotos Theaters (Auditing) - Essay Example An evaluation of the manual and computerized control activities found that the computerized accounting system is accessed only when the controller posts the journal entries into the financial accounting system. Since the computerized system does not aid in the detection of miscalculations or frauds before the entries are made an incorrect number can easily go undetected and cause a serious accounting problem. The controller is responsible for manually depositing cash and recording transactions. Delegating these two important duties to the same person leaves the company with no system of internal control. The cashiers collect cash at the box office and issue tickets to customers. The company does not specify how the cashiers are accountable for the cash they collect and the tickets that they issue. The cashiers are the first point of contact between the customers and company’s cash transaction and therefore it is crucial to ensure that this transaction has a fool-proof control system. Since the ticket taker manually collects tickets it is not guaranteed that they will not allow unauthorized persons into the theater. There are many internal controls which are not present in the existing system. The controller cannot be responsible for recording the transactions and depositing money into the bank account. The controller can easily adjust the deposited amount and recorded amount according to how they see fit causing a serious lack of internal control.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Analyzing Point of View Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Analyzing Point of View - Essay Example The two grow up to adulthood though Paulus has been away at boarding school (Gordimer, 1975). Thebedi, helping her father on the farm grows to a big gracious girl and continues to see the young man. They engage in sex again and out of this, a young innocent child is born. Later, she is married to Njabulo who does not suspect he is not the father of the child. Paulus comes and poisons the child and it dies. A case is filed but Paulus is set free, a sign of injustice to blacks. The point of view used by the narrator, omniscient third point of view does not change all through the short story. It has been consistently used throughout. The deep information he/she provides about the life at Kraal and the farm is a good example. This point of view offers a great description of the events in the story and this gives a clear understanding of it. The story becomes simpler to understand and appeals when one is reading. This point of view enhances understanding of the story. The narrator uses this point of view to show how the blacks were unjustly oppressed. Paulus was guilty indeed but was set free; corruption was used by his father. The blacks were often subject to whites and had no say, Thebedi tells the truth but that is not

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Rewrite and clarification of problem statement and Lit review Essay

Rewrite and clarification of problem statement and Lit review - Essay Example Social support is commonly employed as a means to pacify the tense individuals. Social support plays an important role in solving marital problems and has provided greatly improved the marital satisfaction among couples conventionally. Social support is very important tool for dealing with marital problems and often leads to positive outcomes. It is deemed good for the sustainability of marriage as well as the psychological wellbeing of the whole family (Cummings, 1998, p. 78). Owing to the noticeable usability of social support in sustaining a marriage, there has been blossoming interest in studying the role of social support in safeguarding marriages from potentially pathogenic effects of marital problems (Verhofstadt et al, 2005, p. 23). People even seek counseling when there is no proper need for it. However, it is a useful practice. One does not have to get extremely distressed in order to seek help (Goodman, 1999, p. 342). â€Å"Marriage  counseling  is a type of relations hip therapy that focuses on building and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage† (Foster, 2011). Social support providers have developed counseling programs to suit the needs of elderly couples who conventionally remain out of the focus. However, elderly couples feel much more reluctant than young couples to seek social support in order to improve their marital relationship. In context of this matter, factors that may influence the alliance of the elderly people with the social support provider become concerns of prime importance. In order for the marriage counselor to gain a firm understanding of the underlying issues causing trouble in the marital relationship of the client, he/she needs to know about various matters related to the married life of the client. It is a must for the marriage counselor to develop a certain level of intimacy with the couple so that the job can be done appropriately. It is highly unlikely for a client to make a collaborative relationship with a co unselor without the existence of trust between the two (Sheth and Sobel, 2000, p. 4). One way in which their reluctance can be overcome is by developing marital counseling programs particularly to suit the needs of elderly people. There are several factors that play a decisive role in determining the level of intimacy between the client and the marriage counselor. Such factors include but are not limited to the age, sex, race, language and culture of both the client and the marriage counselor. Culture that the client and the counselor mutually share directs adequate need-based practices and behaviors (Oladipo and Balogun, 2010, p. 5). Physical attributes influence the formation of initial impressions between strangers (Newcomb et al., 1965). According to Beutler et al. (1986), the chronological age greatly impacts the initial impressions that clients form of counselors. Because of their limited experience, many young counselors have little to no experience of interaction with an old client. The very lack of experience on the part of young counselors limits their comfort or interest in dealing with the old people (San, 2011). It is quite likely for an old client to be skeptical about the eligibility of a young marriage counselor in helping him improve his marital relationship with his spouse. Several theories provide the hypothesis about the views of old clients in need of

Monday, September 23, 2019

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 70

English - Essay Example ual living under the rule of Allah should behave, it can most certainly be understood that religion plays extraordinarily powerful role in defining the person I am and how I interact with others within society. Another powerful mechanism through which my own personal culture is defined has to do with the way in which I was raised. My father and my mother have always placed great deal of emphasis upon personal responsibility and the way in which I have made my own choices. Whereas many parents insist upon making each and every choice for their son/daughter, my parents instead focused upon an approach that the decision-making power mainly in my own hands. As a result of this, my own personal culture is one that is defined by a great deal of independence. Instead of looking to others and seeking out the way in which a particular situation can be resolved for a particular question can be answered, my own personal culture is one that places a great deal of trust and expectation in the belief that my instilled the virtues and problem-solving abilities will be able to tackle even the most difficult questions. It should not be understood that personal culture is something that is without change. Instead, there are many aspects of my personal culture that I am currently at work on as a means of improving them. For instance, I have recently become aware of the fact that I tend not to listen to individuals as much as I should. As a result of this inability or lack of concern, many people think that by merely dismiss the information that they might be providing me and choose to promote my own point of view first and foremost. This particular shortcoming is most likely the result of the fact that I grew up in a relatively large family and had to actively compete for attention and understanding with older siblings and/or my parents. However, in recognizing this shortcoming of personal culture, and seeking to address it, I hope to improve upon it in the very near

Sunday, September 22, 2019

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

Managed Care - Essay Example If the outcome is a positive one, then resources should be devoted to treating that diagnosis based on the outcome. Arnold Birenbaum explains this in terms the lay person can easily understand, but it can be summed up this way: the outcome dictates, justifies, the expense of the intervention (Birenbaum, 13-14). This is a process that actually allocates a financial value to the DRG, and, today, insurance companies will not exceed the value in reimbursement that is dictated by the DRG. Further, the care of each patient is assigned to a case manager to oversee the rendering of the care, and to ensure that neither the services nor the days allocated to the intervention exceed the allocated DRG. Patient care has essentially been wrested away from the physician, and the physician is no longer alone in deciding the best course of care and treatment for his/her patient’s condition. Managed care has adversely impacted the doctor/patient relationship, because a patient’s care is no longer a response to the patient’s condition decided upon and agreed upon between the patient and the physician. Also, the definition of managed care suggests that a physician is no longer free to allocate resources and services to a patient’s care in order to maintain and improve the quality of life regardless of the projected or predicted outcome. Rebecca M. Bolen and J. Camille Hall (2007) say that the arm of managed care which put a stronghold on physician’s decision making processes on behalf of their patients has now reached other healthcare disciplines; nursing, social work, and psychiatric services and clinical providers (Bolen and Hall, 463). It is referred to as evidence based practice (EBP). If the evidence, as with the DRGs, points to a positive outcome, then the intervention shall reflect the extent of the outcome; otherwise, there is no approved intervention for negative outcomes based on the evidence (Bolen and Hall, 463). Physicians long

Saturday, September 21, 2019

MediaCorps Police and Thief Essay Example for Free

MediaCorps Police and Thief Essay 1. Short summary of my understanding of the question and my thesis statement 2. State some obvious similarities and differences between the 2 case studies. 3. Dissect each case study with the following categories in mind: a. Narratives b. Genres c. Representation d. Ideology e. Scenes 4. Conclusion 5. Some other things to think about: a. Give concrete examples. b. Aspects of styles. These two shows are very Singaporean. By this I mean that they contain many elements which are unique to my country, elements which only within the paradigm of our society will resonate with local viewers. Homerun, an Asian remake of the internationally acclaimed Iranian movie Children of Heaven is a movie directed by Jack Neo, who is a local celebrity best known for his comedic prowess and the many comedy shows under his name. Police and Thief is a relatively new weekly half-hour sitcom shown on Channel 5 which has yet to set a foothold in the heart of local audiences. These locally produced shows use, essentially different techniques in many areas to present the story to us while making use of our experiences as Singaporeans to help us understand and appreciate the shows from their story/plot to the surprises and nuances contained within. I will proceed to show you how the techniques used are also more different than similar. A distinction between the two shows is the element of narration. Cause and effect is employed to effectively present the story or stories in the shows. It is not uncommon to find secondary stories in an episode of a situation comedy or sitcom. These are often inserted into the plot and often come together in conclusion at the end of the episode. In Police and Thief, the show starts off on this episode with Lee Tok Kong the main character of the show wanting to get under the blanket with his wife and due to common reasons of tiredness and falling asleep quickly, has his pleas ignored. This scene is related to how Tok Kong later reacts to the wiles of a less than archetypical femme fatale. There is another story inserted in between, which shows how the neighbours sons, Rudy and Rafi having an unspoken conflict over a common love interest. This plot development has no explicit and implicit impact on the main story mentioned earlier. It almost feels like tokenism has taken place, either to fill up the half hour of screen time or to give emphasis to the other characters in the sitcom. In Homerun, it is quickly established that poverty leads to a lack of options and hence with the losing of shoes early into the movie, we see the main cause in the show that explains later effects. The show revolves around how the main characters are thwarted at every attempt to obtain a new pair of shoes or retrieve the old pair. We do not see scenes that have no relation to any other. In fact the entire narration of Homerun is about a search for a cause-shoes. Both the shows have different range of stories. There is less suspense buildup in Police and Thief and this is probably due to restricted narration where both the audience and the characters in the show know the same information at relatively equal times. The only example of unrestricted narration in the recent episode was when Rudy cheated on his promise to his brother Rafi behind his back to get a chance to go out with the girl, Cecilia, they both like. Rafi only found it out in another scene when Cecilia whom similarly does not know of the conflict called their home. In this case, we know more than several characters in the show at a particular time. In Homerun, during the opening sequence of Chew Kiat Kun running errands for his family, it is quickly established that a rag-and-bone man had taken away the pair of shoes which Kiat Kun had put down. Kiat Kun has no idea how the shoes had mysteriously disappeared and hence his sister Seow Fang too. In this scene alone, a beautiful play on camera angle suffices to keep us in suspense till much later in the show. This seemingly passing top down close up scene of the gnarled hands removing the shoes helps to tug hard at our heart strings when we later realize the rag-and-bone man is blind. The above is a good example of how both restricted and unrestricted narration can be developed from one scene. We know who had taken away the shoes (unrestricted narration) but like the characters in the show we have no idea he was blind (restricted narration). These two shows belong to the 2 commonest genres in Singapore. Police and Thief can be classified as belonging to the HDB genre. In fact this plot of this particular sitcom revolves around the conflict faced by two men who live in close proximity. It has an appeal particular to local viewers who are able to appreciate the familiar settings. One example which we can relate to is the scene of Lily, Tok Kongs wife who repeats a punch line in a scene where her face is framed in the center of our common older HDB window panes. It is common to see neighbours walking and talking from the same angle for those who have lived in HDB flats. Homerun is a social commentary and even as it is based in 1965, the year Singapore became independent, it reflects on socio-political situations which were prevalent during the time of filming i.e. the water issue between Malaysia and Singapore. Another genre which is mixed into both these shows is the coffee shop genre, featuring many scenes of meeting and interactions at local coffee shops. We see this in Police and Thief where Tok Kong was being interviewed by a lady near the beginning of the show and in Homerun, Kiat Kun helps out his teacher from school who is close to collapsing from shortness of breath at a roadside coffee shop. There is obvious stereotyping in Police and Thief. Tok Kong is your typical gangster or Ah Beng in colloquial terms. He has wild, pointy gelled hair and wears colourful clothing, even for sleeping attire (Opening scenes). His heavily accented Singapore Colloquial English (SCE) (Dont play with my heart) and his love for techno music scream Ah Beng. He is put in direct contrast with his neighbour and antagonist in the show Sergeant Dollah who is a policeman. Dollah is characterized with short hair, very neat and righteous. These stereotypes alone set the premise for tension and conflict as neighbours. It is akin to Phua Chu Kang versus his sister-in-law Margaret. The stereotypes in Homerun broadly differentiate the rich and the poor. A simple comparison can be made between Beng Soon and Kiat Kun, friends of opposite ends of the economic spectrum whose relationship sours then mends in the course of the show. Beng Soon is cast in shirts, clean with well-gelled hair (in school) and stands at a good head taller than Kiat Kun. His friend however is almost always dirty, with smudges on his singlet and/or face. Even during a game of soccer, Beng Soon provides the soccer boots and he is the only one on the field with soccer socks. Tok Kong as the gangster also becomes an icon easily associated with local shows of similar genres. There is no obvious icon in Homerun. It uses a motif rather, to play out the story. There were multiple scenes of close ups of your Bata white or dirty shoes (in the shops or in the background with Seow Fangs face in the focus). Many scenes of tension started because of shoes e.g. the shoes slipping off and into a canal full of rushing water and even in the scene where Seow Fangs teacher paces as the children are exercising). These scenes feature changes in music, close ups with dialogue in the background, all to draw attention to the motif in the show. During the scene at the well with the confrontation between the two groups of boys, we see wealth being equated with power, that Beng Soon who was the rich one could actually decide who got to use the well. This is perhaps the directors ideology portraying the way Malaysia hordes over us in the water issue. The premise of Homerun revolved around three things: shoes, intelligence and power being associated with wealth. Jack Neo parodies the socio-political situation between Singapore and Malaysia using the three elements with shoes being the water, Singapore being the more intelligent country and power that Malaysia holds over us due to their superior water resource. The two shows end differently too. The end of the sitcom is close without answered questions while the cryptic ending of Homerun leaves us pondering what the director would have us think as we leave the cinema. There is no element of suspense left in Police and Thief to entice the audience to look out for the next episode, unlike a soap opera. Even as both shows make use of our experience to enhance our appreciation and understanding of the shows, they obviously use several different techniques and some similar ones to bring forth the essence of each individual story. These different methods highlight certain elements essential to the plot of the stories and ultimately help us to enjoy the shows as Singaporeans.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Ecotourism Of Jim Corbett National Park

Ecotourism Of Jim Corbett National Park Jim Corbett national park is one of the beautiful places for tourism. It is situated in Utterakhand state which was recently formed as a new state from the northern part of the Utter Pradesh (which is in India). This national park is exactly located at down part of Himalayas surrounded by districts of Nainital, Pauri, Garhwal, Almora and Bijnore. This park covered an area about 1300 sq.km which is included about 500sq.km of central parkt of the city and 800 sq.km of defence area. The central area is formed as a national park and the defence area is formed as Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and reserve forest. The parks have sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics. This nark will come under ECOTOURISM in which this park was formed by 488 different species of different plants and it also has dissimilar varieties of fauna. Due to increase of visitors and some other problem, this park has faced serious challenge for their ecological balance. In the year of 1957 the park runs from side to side to the river. In the same year this park was again given name as a CORBETT NATIONAL PARK. Jim Corbett National Park after the carnival it have turned as a hunter environmentalist who was silent probably the residents area of man and animals, better than anyone else and he helped so much for setting up the boundaries of park. Almost all were based on his area. In the year of 1970 after understanding sunrise upon the country loss of the Indian tiger is a definite risk and one more project was introduced at the forest rest house that is Dhikala on April 1st 1973.There is no looking back for Corbett national park, there is well thought-out as one prime countrywide park of the country which is considered. Jim Corbett show popular almost courage at countless shooting man in eater leopards and tigers. He followed a strictly a golden rule where he was refused to kill. Jim Corbett has man -eaters (1944) rudraprayag of leopard and the tiger of temple kumaon of man- eaters (1954). However he perhaps fame to greatest claim for Jim Corbett lies on the Corbett National Park, It is one of the most tourist important destination of Indian. Corbett national park is famed for its wealth and different species of its wildlife which is included with 50 species of mammals and more than 580 species of birds. This park is safety place for animals such as tigers, Indian elephants, wild dogs, leopard cats, indian pangolin and hog deer. This is placed in terai of Uttarakhand but now we can rarely seen outside of this park. This terai (moist land) place is formed by muddy jungle and grassland which is extended in between the foot hills of Himalayas and indian plaind The Ram-ganga River is a basis of attractive to numerous winter traveller birds. A number of high heights above sea level birds also visit the Corbett national park at winter time. With height of Corbett national park range from 400 meters to 1,200 meters above sea level and there is a rich selection of environment. Almost 73% of the park is covered by thick moist deciduous forest with a majority of sal trees go together with haldu, pipal, rohini and mango trees. 10% of the core area is covered by a collection of grasslands in the valley Jeep Safari and Elephant Safari are located in Jim Corbett national park. Jeep Safari and elephant safari is a place of collection of tigers, wild elephants and it is a good place for the visitors. The best way of viewing of this park is jeep and elephant back. This elephant safari will show the deep forest (natural forest view) and closer to the wildlife without scaring the animals away. Generally visitors can observe wildlife at Corbett national park contains the spotted deer, wild boars, sambar, barking deer, rhesus macaques, langur monkeys, peacocks and herds of wild elephants. Corbett national park in India is a heaven for birdwatchers, control over 580 different species of birds. On request visitors can also get hold of commonly found list of the birds and mammals in Corbett national park. . HISTORY Corbett national park is an old national park which is located on the Indian sub-continent which is establish in August 1936. In the beginning this park was called the Hailey national park after that government of utter Pradesh is named as Sir Malcolm Hailey. After independence this park was renamed the Ram-ganga national park. In 1957 this park was given name as Corbett national park in remembrance of the famous hunter and ecologist. At that time he has taken the responsible for mark out the park boundaries and he have helped in setting up the Corbett national park. Dhikala in Corbett national park have the difference of being the scene. In 1974 for the launch of Project Tiger, Indias ambitious conservation program to save the tiger and its habitat. The creation of 9 tiger reserves, including Corbett national park, was announced. In 1972, Indias tiger population had fallen to an all time low of 1,800. A 1993 census suggests that Indias tiger population stands at 3,750. Corbett national park in India is a important project, in which the rules of protection are to be securely followed by visitor, park workers and the Kumauni villagers (who live just outside the Corbett national park) and this made easy for the reason that is a park much-loved of all who visit. The hygienic river ramganga is the living source of the Corbett national park. The plants at Corbett national park is thick mixed deciduous with a wide selection of trees including the grand sal, and creepers, shrubs, bamboos and grasses. It is a beautiful perfect park, the air full of tangy fragrances and expectation. This will come in with modesty, meaningful that you are in a celebrity elses house. Corbett national park is a superb lesson in biodiversity. Morning smog over the river blue skies with idle clouds, bird songs speckled sunlight pointed perfume a crunch in the grass. In the year of 1820 a Private property of local rulers before being taken over by the British Raj. In the year of 1858 the British rulers have provided the protection to this park In 1879 this forest is declared as a reserved forest. In between 1900-1910 Jim Corbett leads shikar parties and kills two maneaters. In 1910 Jim Corbett gives up killing as mere sport and becomes the saviour of the villagers, delivering them from maneaters. In 1934 The Park is declared a National Park and Corbett helps name the boundaries. 1n 1957 after the death of Jim Corbett, the Park is renamed in honour of his memory. In feb 1974 tiger project was introduced. In the year of 1986 Corbett National Park celebrates its Golden Jubilee. In the year of 1996 staff of this park Celebrated Diamond Jubilee of its existence as Corbett National Park. At 9th November 2000 this park have became as a part of uttarakahand state. In 2010 this project have became as a international project Methodology Due to the limited previous research on Jim Corbett national park in tourism, this study takes a tentative approach. The method selected is qualitative, in the form of questionnaire interviews. The in-depth interviews will be undertaken by the visitors of Jim Corbett national park. There are number of techniques used in calculating the. I intend to use the short method proposed by Based on Zeithaml et al. (1988). The information for measurement of the areas mentioned above will come from secondary data (Newspaper, Journals, and Media etc.). Provenance The data for this analysis will come from data of the INDIA tourism board, articles from newspapers, World Wide Web, journals and media. The researcher will draw on the following works to assist with these measurements. Some books have published on Jim Corbett national park as mentioned below Man-Eaters of Kumaon. The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon. Jungle Lore. The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. What is Ecotourism? Generally ecotourism means creating of little environmental impact probable and helping to sustain Natural places encourage the defence of wildlife and habitats when the visitors are visiting this place. The responsibility of development of ecotourism is taken by the tourism and tourism development sectors, in which it will encourages the natural life of living aspects and it is also the key to sustainable ecological development. Nowadays the Green Laws of preservation are making people aware of how man and the environment can live symbiotically for more time to come and ecotourism is the only way makes best use of the economic, environmental and social benefits of tourism. Every person is stakeholder in this process and we clearly need to avoid our long-ago limitation and harmful impact that they cover. Ecotourism of Jim Corbett national park The main objective of ecotourism is to focus on the protection of wildlife and the reserve management. In the year of 1993 ecotourism management have started training for staff which covers history of Jim Corbett National Park, visitor management and park naturalists. In 1995 they have recruited more guides to reach the customers need and to do the good marketing. This project allowed the staff to guide the travelers about the activities of the management. After a long time the government of India have organized several workshops on ecotourism in Corbett national park in which to develop their surrounding regions. This park is remain protected my Garhwali region. In the year of 1995 Riley have said that best chances of viewing of tigers is to come late in the dry season that is in between the months of April to mid of June and elephants can be seen in any day In the year of 1997 tiwari and josh have said that in between the months of April June this place is best for the Indian tourists and they have recommended in between the months of November January for the foreign tourists. In the year of 1991 this park have covered 3237 tourist vehicles which is carrying about 47,215 visitors during the tourism seasons between 15th November-15th June. The main concept of Jim Corbett National Park will show the natural ecotourism. Excessive trampling of soil due to tourist pressure has led to reduce of plant species and has also results in reducing of soil moisture. Majority of visitors have used the wood as a fuel for cooking usually this fuel is obtained from nearby forests which is resulted great pressure on forest ecosystem of the park and visitors have got so many problems by making noise, littering. In the year of 2007 young photographer Mr. Kahini Ghosh Mehta have taken a challenge for promoting healthy tourism about Corbett national park and he is the person who have made first time travel guide on Corbett. The first film which is named wild saga of Corbett has provided the information about needed by a tourist before when they are planning to visit a park and they have collected the tips from the senior park official, nature guides and naturalists. At the present time visitors can get a DVDs copy of this film from the bombay natural history society (BNHS) Good Points about Corbett National Park Good-looking place with rich range of wildlife, including tiger and elephant. Jeep safari and Elephant safaris which will allow wildlife to be seen nearby and are great fun. Fairly easy to journey to Corbett for the reason that of the morning and overnight train between Delhi and Ramnagar. Bad Points about Corbett National Park Extremely accepted by tourists, for that reason it was high demand for jeep safari and elephant safaris and frequently exceed availability. Corbett Forest Rest House and Hotel in Corbett National Park are limited, advisable to make booking, before you go Corbett National Park. Hypothesis There are two kinds of hypothesis in this statement. One can directional hypothesis as in preservation of tigers is the most important aspect of Jim Corbett national park and the other can be non directional hypothesis as in there is a relationship between conservation of tigers and Jim Corbett park as a part of environmental tourism. Objectives of the research: The primary objective of this is to find out the advantages of carrying out project tiget in jim cabert national park as a part of environmental tourism. Flora and fauna are the best examples and known for their protection project of task on tiger project. Some of the questions have been addressed What are the major schemes undertaken for progress of the tiger reserve project? How this Project Tiger help develop the tourism sector in Jim Corbett Park? What are the government initiatives for the development of tourism in Jim Corbett Park? This case study will also be presented to identify the benefits of tiger project for tourism relates activities Techniques Both qualitative and quantitative analysis will be used. For the quantitative analysis, descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and percentages will be utilised. A questionnaire using the Liker scale will be used to measure attitudes. Statistical data will be used to present the findings. Systematic collation and comparison of the various data from the different sources will be made. The researcher plans to use the semi-structured interview to obtain information about the attitude of the stakeholders. Jankowicz (2005) claim that the semi-structured interview is an effective research technique as it assist in reducing bias. A checklist based on a literature review will be formulated by the researcher to construct the questions for these interviews. Content analysis will be used to evaluate the information from those interviews. Time Line I started my MSc. International Tourism course in September 2008 and will finish by November 2009. June 2009 Tutorial (proposal discussion with tutor) July 2009 Literature Review August 2009 Construct research instruments (semi structured interview and questionnaire) August 2009- Complete literature review, Pilot test instruments, Tutorial September 2009 Review and rewrite instruments September 2009 Analysis of findings, Archival research, Tutorial October 2009 Conduct interviews and administer questionnaire October 2009 Analyse data, Tutorial November Present final dissertation. CONTENTS Chapter One Introduction Background of the study Importance of the study Definition of terms Conceptual Frame work Chapter Two Review of literature Chapter Three Methodology Introduction to Research Methodology Survey design and administration Survey methods Research limitations Chapter Four Data Analysis and Results Introduction to Data Analysis and Results Chapter Five Discussion and Findings Introduction to discussion Discussion Chapter Six Conclusion Conclusions Introduction Key issues emerged Scope for further research and limitation Bibliography Appendices Anticipated learning After conclusion of the course I would like to go back residence and I like to assist the staff in Jim Corbett national park. I consider that this study will offer me with some of the necessary tools and knowledge that required making a valuable contribution to the future research conducted by the Hospitality Industry.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Theme of the Epic Poem, Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essay

The Theme of Beowulf      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interpretations of Beowulf vary. In this essay I hope to state clearly some of the popularly mentioned themes running through the poem.    â€Å"Many critics feel that the speech of Hrothgar between lines 1700 and 1784 encapsulates the moral of the poem†¦.’He does not know the worse – till inside him great arrogance grows and spreads’† (Shippey 38). Hrothgar’s ominous words do come back to haunt the hero more than once. Beowulf is a braggart; he is proud, and nothing seems able to change his basic proud outlook derived from his all-powerful physical strength. Even shortly before his own defeat against the fire-dragon, our hero is recalling his killing of the great hero of the Hugas with his bare hands:    ever since the time,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   in front of the hosts, I slew Daeghrefn,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the champion of the Hugas, with my bare hands.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He never brought back his breast-ornament  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to the Frisian king: the standard-bearer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   fell in combat a prince, in valor;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   no edge killed him my hand-grip crushed  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   his beating heart, his life’s bone-house (2501-09).    Yes, Beowulf was full of pride and self-confidence; this made him impetuous in his actions. Regarding the dragon, â€Å"its strength and fire seemed nothing at all to the strong old king†(2348-49); before facing the dragon, he was reminiscing about his valour in combat against the Hetware and how he alone had escaped:    Lines 2354-68:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nor was it the least hand-to-hand comba... ...some of the viewpoints on this topic.    BIBLIOGRAPHY    Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977.    Kaske, R.E.. â€Å"The Governing Theme of Beowulf.† In Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co.: 1975    Leyerle, John. â€Å"The Conflicting Demands of Heroic Strength and Kingly Wisdom.† In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.    Shippey, T.A.. â€Å"The World of the Poem.† In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.    Tolkien, J.R.R.. â€Å"Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.† In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.            

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Nuclear Energy :: Environment Science Essays

Nuclear Energy Everything in life must have a beginning. It is a scientific fact. This is the same as Nuclear Energy. Nuclear energy wasn’t just discovered, it was created. Nuclear energy is the energy released by a nuclear reaction, especially by fission or fusion. From its first controlled chain reaction to be waste disposal problems, nuclear energy has made major steps. Nuclear energy began in Chicago at Stagg Field. The company that was responsible for this was Enrico Fermi. Here the company was able to create the first controlled chain reaction. The first reactors were based on natural uranium as the nuclear fuel, graphite as the moderator and water as the coolant (Prasar). This opened the floodgates for al nuclear energy. Now that we know to control the dangerous energy, we can use it without fearing drastic measures. In 1955 underwater combat was changed forever. The first submarine, The USS Nautilus, was fueled on nuclear power. The nautilus broke all submarine records for underwater speed and endurance. It was launched in Thames River after Mamie Eisenhower smashed a bottle of champagne across the bow. Due to running on nuclear energy, this made the Nautilus able to travel for great distances at a top speed of 25 knots or more. This made the submarine a much more potent fighting craft and placed the USA a step ahead of all other countries in underwater war (Norris). Even though it was a remarkable task during the year, the navy only expected even greater submarines to come in the future. Admiral Robert B. Carney, Chief of Naval Operations commented that, â€Å"as remarkable as this development seems to us now, the Nautilus will probably appear to our sons and grandsons as a quaint old piece of machinery which introduced the transition to a new age of power† (Norris). As the saying goes, â€Å"You must take the good with the bad† this certainly applies with Nuclear energy. In 1957 began the first of the accidents. Over in Liverpool, England a fire erupted in a graphite-cooled reactor. This caused a 200 square mile area to become contaminated.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Doing Business Abroad Essay

Companies around the world are expanding in order to meet a larger market. However, this is no easy task even for people who have been doing business for decades for there is always this thing called cultural diversity. This thing is put into consideration not only of companies and managers that establish businesses in other countries but also of those who engage into joint ventures and alliances. Setting a company globally requires not only good managers but thorough study as well. A market research would be very helpful especially to determine the needs and wants of the people in the locality. A bunch of factors affect the preference of people like religion, beliefs and environment. Should the product be modified to fit the desires of the people? For instance, burgers with beef patty are modified in order to be accepted and sold in Hindu-dominated countries. There are also cross-cultural trainings for managers that would be sent abroad. These are usually conducted by business schools with the aim of providing global managers who have the ability to cope with different challenges that they may encounter, especially those that are brought about by diversity in culture. However, as much as these trainings would help, they are not yet enough to suffice for the thorough understanding and settlement of cultural differences that might yield success to a business that spread its wings. Problems still remain due to this cultural diversity. Even with the repute of English in conducting business globally, language remains a problem. Language, as defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is words with their pronunciation and the methods of combining them to be used and understood by a community. Words are not enough. Pronunciation and accent are essential, and at this part is where problem usually occurs. As Edward Burman cited in his article entitled Managing Cultural Diversity in a Global World, linguistic confidence can be perceived as quasi-colonial arrogance and this may eventually lead to conflicts. Similarly, jokes and stories which are essential in building harmonious relationship among workers are affected, not just because of the way they were delivered but more importantly by the context that they were formulated. Some humorous acts might be insulting to others, which again might lead to discord. Another problem that may arise due to cultural diversity is the way the human resource personnel determines the appropriate candidate for a job. Whether be it an expatriate or a native of the location of the headquarter, the measure to the achievements of an applicant varies from the school where he acquired his degree and skill to the society where he belong. These qualities may not be well-reflected in his application forms or the result of his examination or interview. Although it may be known to the resource manager that different cultures respond differently to various situations, the challenge is still to determine the best person whose culture and skill perfectly fits the job. Also, developing the trust with people from other culture opens another difficulty especially if a company will merge or ally with a local company of other country. Research can be done to be able to identify possible reasons to trust but it remains a thorny job for the managers in the negotiation table. Everything will matter, from the physical appearance to the gestures. Aside from these problems cited by Edward Burman, the way to designate a manager to a place is something to be thoroughly thought of. According to an interview with Robert J. Freeman, Americans are a bit resistant to exotic destinations. The question then is how these Americans would be assigned to a location beyond his desire. Or since there are expatriates of more than sixty nationalities, which should be chosen and what type of compromise would the company give to convince the manager. Nevertheless, these problems can be addressed if global managers have several skills as discussed by Josephine Song in her article Transcending Borders. The first is technical skills. Aside from the field that he is expected to master in order to efficiently perform his task, he must also be able to utilize the means that globalization brings for the betterment of doing things. He must be able to maximize opportunities and resources that might be useful for the accomplishment of his job. Likewise, he must also have good communication skills which comprise not only of knowledge of words but their proper pronunciation and usage as well, most especially English which is the basic medium for conducting business globally. Communication is not only via speaking, but also via reading, writing or listening. More importantly, global managers must take caution in their words and actions so that misunderstandings would be avoided. They must also be innovative and resourceful to improve their businesses according to the locality. With increase in expatriates all over the globe, I think it would be unfair to say that they or the locals could better cope with the changes. They might have an advantage with regards to having dealt with different cultures already that they might not find it anymore difficult to relate with another set of people. Their presence in the top management could also bring global perspective. But, their knowledge of the culture of the country where the company is located might be very limited as compared to the locals. Yes, they may be able to learn and adapt but still, the culture instilled in them would always be a part of them and their decisions and reservations. I think, it would be better to have a mix of expatriate and local managers in a global business for as Burman concluded, management remains culture-bound, be it local or expatriate.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Individual Assignment Collecting Data Essay

Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Select and review a case study scenario from the University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Feel free to embellish the scenario with additional details, as needed. Complete the New Referral or Inquiry Form based on your selected case study scenario. Write a 350- to 700-word paper in Microsoft ® Word in which you discuss the importance of collecting appropriate data for intake and assessment forms.   Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Saying no to things that make you uncomfortable is just as important in college as it was when you lived with your parents. Many students experiment with alcohol or sex during their college years, but if you don’t want to do these things, don’t let anyone pressure you into them. Your college experience should be about having fun, exploring who you are and preparing for your future via your classes–not about doing things you don’t truly want to do. This pack includes BSHS 405 Week 2 Individual Assignment Collecting Data Business – Management Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website.   Select and review a case study scenario from the University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Feel free to embellish the scenario with additional details, as needed. Complete the New Referral or Inquiry Form based on your selected case study scenario. Write a 350- to 700-word paper in Microsoft ® Word in which you discuss the importance of collecting appropriate data for intake and assessment forms.   Format your paper consistent with APA guidel†¦ To get this material Click this link – https://bitly.com/12BY8mO Saying no to things that make you uncomfortable is just as important in college as it was when you lived with your parents. Many students experiment with alcohol or sex during their college years, but if you don’t want to do these things, don’t let anyone pressure you into them. Your college experience should be about having fun, exploring who you are and preparing for your future via your classes–not about doing things you don’t truly want to do. Business – Management Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Select and review a case study scenario from the University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Feel free to embellish the scenario with additional details, as needed. Complete the New Referral or Inquiry Form based on your selected case study scenario. Write a 350- to 700-word paper in Microsoft ® Word in which you discuss the importance of collecting appropriate data for intake and assessment forms.   Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Osmosis in Different Concentrations

I am going to investigate osmosis when potato is placed in different   concentrations of sucrose. I am aiming to witness osmosis in 5   different concentrations of sucrose. I will use 5 varying concentrations so that I have a wider spread to compare the results,   and check that I don’t have any anomalies Prediction Osmosis  is the process of diffusion of water molecules from a weaker   solution into a stronger solution, through a semi  permeable membrane.The tiny pores in the membrane of the potatoes will allow the water   molecules to go in and out of the potato cell, depending on the   concentration gradient between the potato and the sucrose solution. If   the  water concentration  is lower in the potato than in the sucrose   solution, then water will pass from the sucrose solution into the   potato, and it will gain weight.If there is a higher concentration of   water in the potato, then the water will go out of the potato and into   the sucr ose solution, as osmosis is the movement of water molecules   from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration,   through a semi permeable membrane. So, I predict that the higher the   concentration of sucrose, the lower the weight of the potato as water   from the potato diffuses into the sucrose solution. Predicted graph of results: [IMAGE] Apparatus * 6 test tubes * 6 different concentrations of sucrose solutions * Potato Potato cutter/core * Digital measuring scales * Measuring cylinders * Knife * Test tube racks * Tissue paper Method I will need 1 piece of potato in each tube. As there are 15 tubes I   will have to calculate how many pieces I will need altogether. I think   this would be a suitable calculation: 1Ãâ€"15=15. So, I will pierce out   some pieces of a potato using a core, and then cut 15 slices with a   knife. Then I will measure 10ml of each of the 6 sucrose solutions   using a measuring cylinder. I will be given these differe nt   concentrated solutions in the general laboratory.I will label the   tubes 1 to 15 and fill each one with 10ml of the solution. Tube 1-3 will have a concentration of 0 Tube 4-6 will have a concentration of 0. 4 Tube 7-9 will have a concentration of 0. 8 Tube 10-12 will have a concentration of 1. 2 Tube 13-15 will have a concentration of 1. 4 I will measure each slice on the measuring scales to identify each   potato slice with its weight before and after immersion in the   sucrose. Having measured each slice on the scale and recorded its   weight, I will then place the slices in the test tube containing the   solution for 24 hours.Then I will empty the solution from the test   tube by pouring it in the sink and remove the potatoes by hand and   place them one by one on the scale. For accuracy, I will make sure   that I wipe off any excess solution on the scale before placing each   new slice on it. I will record the weight after placing them in the   soluti on for 24 hours. This process will be repeated for tubes 1 to 15   and the results will be noted in a table and then plotted on a line   graph. I will make this a fair test by only varying the concentration of   sucrose and the size of the potato slices, but keeping everything else   the same.The same potato must be used for the whole experiment or   otherwise, the results would differ as the age and sizes might be   different, which means one potato might have more water in it than the   other. I will use a 10ml measuring cylinder so that I can accurately   measure the exact amount of sucrose needed. As the cylinder measures   different sucrose solutions, it has to be washed out each time I measure   another 10ml of sucrose for the next tube, because it may be   contaminated with the different sucrose’s.All the tubes will be kept for   the same time, in the same place, so that the uncontrollable   temperature would not affect the tubes separately. I will not be able to control: * Temperature – because I won’t be in the laboratory for 24 hours,   and the temperature could change in the night, or morning. *Temperature of solution- because I was not able to obtain a thermometer and I was not in the laboratory for 24 hours so it could change. * Weighing scales – because these are digital and therefore, it   produces results by itself. I will be able to control: Concentrations of sucrose – they are already measured * Time – I will do the experiment, and come back the next day at the   same time, and promptly record the results *weight of the potato- I weighed the potato slices before the experiment. For safety in the laboratory, I will be very careful using the sharp   knife which I will be using to cut the potatoes with. I will make sure   that I have an overall so that my clothes don’t get dirty if the   solutions spills. I will remember not to put potatoes or sucrose in my   mouth as they might have been infected by chemicals in the lab, which   are poisonous.I will measure the weight of the potato in grams, and the concentration of sucrose in percentage. I am expecting everything to work out well as I have a perfectly good   method but if I feel that the results may be wrong, I will repeat my   experiment. Preliminary results These are my results: This experiment supports my plan and prediction. The carrot gains   weight in normal water, and decreases weight in concentrated sugar   solutions. By doing this experiment, I believe that my method is good, and it   will work. I think I should specifically be aware of the scales,   because they alter a lot.However, this was carried out at home, so   the cooking scales may have not been so accurate, as accuracy is not   very important in cooking. Results these are my first results. They proved to be wrong. This mistake   would have been made my human. I assume that I used two different   scales, and have got all the weights jumbled up. The weight taken at   the beginning is also not correct, so I may have made a mistake right   from the start. Concentration of sucrose. | Weight before| Weight after| 0| 1. 28| | 0| 1. 33| | 0| 1. 29| | 0. 4| 1. 29| | 0. 4| 1. 27| | 0. 4| 1. 2| | 0. 8| 1. 31| | 0. 8| 1. 3| | 0. 8| 1. 3| | 1. 2| 1. 29| | 1. 2| 1. 37| | 1. 2| 1. 27| | 1. 6| 1. 26| | 1. 6| 1. 3| | 1. 6| 1. 31| | Conclusion I found out that as the concentration of sucrose increases, the weight   of the potato decreases. In water it gained 1. 26 grams, but in 1 Sucrose   solution, it lost 0. 16 grams. My prediction supports my conclusion. I have calculated the average change in weight to have a simple, clear   idea where the experiment is leading me to. Instead of having a large   number of weights, I combined them into one by averaging them.I found   the average by adding the weight gain/loss for each tube and divided   it by three. To find the percenta ge, I multiplied that decimal by 100. I drew a line graph, and then a line of best fit, which is sloping   downwards, negatively. This proves that the weight is getting lower as   the percentage of the sucrose concentration is getting higher. In my investigation I found a definite relationship between the 2   variables – weight and concentration of sucrose. Any increase in   sucrose concentration led to a decrease in weight. The prediction is supported by the evidence of the graph.Although   there is one anomaly, all the other results stand out and give a   straight line of best fit – exactly as I predicted. The point of   early plasmolysis is where the concentration of sucrose and potato   are even. There is no osmosis taking place at that point. As I said in   my plan, if the water concentration is lower in the potato than in the   sucrose solution, then water will pass from the sucrose solution into   the potato, and it will gain weight. If the re is a higher concentration of water in the potato, then the water will go out of   the potato and into the sucrose solution.This is because osmosis is   the movement of water molecules from a region of high concentration to   a region of low concentration, through a semi permeable membrane. The up raise of sucrose is the downfall of potato mass. [IMAGE] Osmosis In osmosis, water diffuses through a semi-permeable membrane. This diagram illustrates the concentrated sugar solution, separated   from dilute sucrose solution by a selectively permeable membrane. This   has pores (holes) in it which are very small, and selects what it   wants to let through i. e. small molecules.Water molecules are very   small. Each one is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. However, sugar molecules are many times larger. In potatoes, the pores   of the membrane only let the water through. There is a higher concentration of sugar molecules on the right-hand   side of the mem brane in the diagram, than in the left-hand side. Sugar   molecules would diffuse from the concentrated solution into the dilute   one until they were evenly spread out if there was no membrane, but   they cannot do this as the pores are too small for the sugar to get   through the membrane.Therefore, the small water molecules diffuse   into the concentrated sugar solution, to make it more dilute. This process is called osmosis. It is the diffusion of water molecules   from a place where they are in a higher concentration, to a place   where they are in a lower concentration, through a selectively   permeable membrane. Potato cells plasmolyse in concentrated solutions. This diagram   illustrates a plant cell[IMAGE] (which is similar to a potato cell) in   a concentrated solution. It will lose water by osmosis. The cytoplasm   and the vacuole will shrink.The cell membrane is semi-permeable and the vacuole contains a sucrose   solution. So when a cell is placed in distilled water (high   concentration) water will move across the semi-permeable membrane into   the cell (lower water concentration) by osmosis, making the cell   swell. This cell is called ‘turgid’. In potato cells, the cells would   increase in length, volume and weight because of the extra water in   the potato. If the potato was to be placed in a lower concentration, then the   opposite would happen, because water would move out of the cell into   the solution.If the solution is very concentrated, then a lot of water will diffuse   out of the cell. The cytoplasm and vacuole will keep shrinking, but   the cell wall will not as it is too stiff. As the cytoplasm shrinks   further and further into the centre of the cell, the cell wall gets   left behind. The cell membrane, surrounding the cytoplasm, tears away   from the cell wall. If this happens, the cell is said to be   plasmolysed. The potato will therefore, decrease in length, volume and   weight. Plasmolysis is the point where the membrane is totally detached from   its ell wall, and the potato is killed. Evaluation my experiment shows some accurate results. It concludes the experiment, and proves my prediction. My   final results were quite reliable; due to the precautions I took to make this  a fair test. The graph has a straight slope pointing downwards, which is the   clearest way to understand my prediction. All of them are not that   closely together, neither far away, so a line of best fit joins some   tips of the points, and causes it to go straight down.I have one anomalous result, which falls on 0 on the x axis. This   occurred in tube 5, which contained a concentration of 0. 4. Perhaps I did not   carry out that properly. These were the main problems in carrying out the experiment:- * Scales kept moving * Difficult to get out the potato from the core * Potatoes get stuck in tube. * Solution is still left after wiping the potato and the scales * Different scales * couldn’t control the temperature the point of early plasmolysis would not be valid.This is because   I have just plotted it on the graph on a line which suits my results. To prove that it is the right point, I would have to do another   experiment to find that out. The other evidence is likely to be valid, because as all the evidence   links to the results. My investigation is fair because I did not   change many things, expect the concentration of sucrose. I think that I have collected quite a lot of evidence to support my   conclusion. The result table is the main source of evidence.I could   try investigating with more percentages of sucrose concentration, the   size of the potato and have more short intervals between the sucrose’s. This would have a more spread to the results, and therefore, results   can be compared and evaluated more thoroughly. They would be very   accurate as well as reliable. As I have an anoma ly, my evidence may not be extremely correct. I   would have to do more research to what I have already done (in the   conclusion) on osmosis, and see what actually happens, and see if it   occurs in plant cells all the time.If I were to repeat the experiment, I would use a very accurate scale,   so that results would come out accurately and then I would have a accurate   average. The graph will be fairly accurate. I would also make sure   that the scale and the potato slices are properly wiped. This is   because if they are not wiped, the weight would increase, and will not   be accurate. I could use a syringe or a burette to measure the 10ml of   sucrose solution, because those two apparatus are very accurate.I would do several more experiments with bigger sizes of potatoes to   obtain more evidence to support my conclusion. I will also do some   research on osmosis, and this will make me certain of my evidence if I   have many to compare with. I will agree with the majority. Overall, I am very pleased with these results and with the evidence I   have so far, that osmosis occurs when there is a high concentration   and a low concentration, both aside a semi-permeable membrane. The   lower concentrated substance diffuses through the membrane to where   there is the higher concentrated substance.

Los Angeles Independent Media Causes Essay

The Los Angeles Independent Media Center is a website that allows for left wing issues to be reported and shared on the web for all to see. They have over two dozen different categories that people have reported on ranging from animal rights and anti-war to immigration and indigenous rights and issues. Arizona has a proportionally large number of illegal immigrants working in the state just like California. Naturally this was one of the categories that caught my eye. When reading some of the article I came across a story from 2007. It was a march in Los Angeles (LA) in which mostly immigrants participated. They were marching because they wanted to be treated just as fairly as the legal citizens of the United States. They preached that they have been working just as hard to contribute to the economy of this country. There are two sides to any story and this is true in this case as well. On one hand they are doing the jobs that normal Americans do not want to do but others argue that they are here illegally and should not have the same rights as legal Americans. These two sides will be debated for years to come until someone can come up with a reasonable solution that will satisfy both side. The idea of illegal â€Å"under the table† help is too engrained within our society that it would be impossible to eliminate the issue over night. Not only are illegal immigrants fighting for their rights, but in some cases so are Americans. In California Wal-Mart would contract with temporary job agencies to fill jobs working in warehouses. These workers can be exposed to toxic chemicals and extreme heat conditions. They are also sometimes not given the wages that they were promised. Because Wal-Mart uses third party companies to supply the labor they have in the part denied any wrong doing in the situation. Of course in this case there are no unions to represent the workers and them facing the threat of losing their job if they express their dissatisfaction of their working conditions. Some groups are not even worried with the thought of having a job; they just want to protect areas that have existed for hundreds of years. Kuruvungna means: â€Å"A place where we are in the sun† in the Tongva language. For thousands of years the Tongva people lived here in relative peace and harmony with their environment until the European invasion of the Americas. (Sunday, 2012) In 1992 a group of environmentalists was able to secure a piece of land that was located on a public school’s property for the low cost of one dollar a year. This piece of property contained a natural spring that once belonged to the Tongva people before they were forcefully removed. The spring is said to have natural healing powers as well as native fish species, fresh water crayfish, a 200 year old Mexican Cypress tree, oak trees, hummingbird sage and other native grasses. The group is trying to secure another long term lease for the same price. One of the more controversial issues of our times is the use of genetically modified foods for consumption. These foods consist of simple fruits and vegetable to more complex animals like cows and pigs. One major reason behind this is that scientists can modify items to produce more nutrient rich foods for consumption. Scientists can also produce animals that can be modified to produce medicine, organs for transplant, meat or even engineered pets. It seems like a good idea to have enough organs and such to go around so that way no one would have to wait for a transplant and in the long run saving human lives. The biggest debate is to determine whether a human life is more important than that of an animal. This debate has been going on for some time now and will probably keep going on especially since the US Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to allow for the sale of genetically engineered animals. One of the biggest issues we have in America is politicians supporting special interest groups and not the constituents they were elected to represent. The City of Fullerton California was faced with a lawsuit from a construction company after denying the company’s proposal to develop a more suburban sprawl in one of the last bits of natural ecosystems in Orange County. Initially the city council had voted to deny the request from the company. In a strange turn of events, a year later the city voted to settle with the company and approve the proposal. Currently citizens have collected signatures to get a referendum on the next ballot to hopefully overturn the city’s decision. Every year across the country we hear about budget cuts in the education system. Along with the cuts we also hear of colleges increasing tuition to cover basic costs. So the question remains how can a school cut costs because it does not have money yet at the same time raise tuition? People finally had enough and all across the country students were walking out of class in protest and joined their community members in protests at superintendents’ offices, city councils and board meetings to express their concern with all of the cuts that have happened. In recent months teachers have joined the effort, which has become inspiring that they seem to not have a concern for their jobs while they protest. Alas, the protests have had little success as we still see cuts being made and tuition is still being raised semester after semester. America is in the middle of a war and with that comes anti-war protests. Different groups have tried to use different tactics to draw attention to their cause. One group protests on thanksgiving while others have protested on Christmas ask the question: what would Jesus choose? One of the more powerful messages came from a group back in 2009. They staged a mock funeral precession honoring those American and Iraqi people who have died during the war time period. These protests have been so powerful that the president vowed to end the war if he was elected. The baby boomer generation has grown up with the knowledge that if they want their voice heard then they organize a protest or a walk. After a bad statement from a Canadian police officer in 2001, large groups of women took to the streets to get the word out about sexual assaults. The groups organized what they called a â€Å"Slut Walk. It is one of those situations in which they should have thought about how the name of their walk could be portrayed within the community. These walks have occurred throughout the world to include the US, Canada, UK, Australia and several European countries. These walks have had support from several large human rights groups such as Planned Parenthood, CA National Organization for Women and Peace over Violence. There are many different subjects for people to post article on that would spark criminal acts and public disorder. These subjects include Anti-War, Class War, Immigration, Police State, and Racism. These are all catalysts for groups to recruit people who believe in their cause. The best part about the website is that people can post at any time they wish. It also helps that the website has multiple links to other cities, states and foreign countries similar websites. This is crucial because it does not bog down the website with data and provides a worldwide platform for left wing issues and causes.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Poverty Reduction in Uganda

Name: Nguyen, Thi Hai Yen Student ID: 2012470037 Subject: Special topic in international development: African economics and politic Topic: Uganda – The bright in poverty reduction for other Sub – Saharan African countries Uganda is a landlocked and relative small country in East Africa. After independence in 1962, Uganda experienced a decade of relative political and economic stability before 15 years struggling under the power of Idi Amin who lead the country to conflict and reduced country to a failed state and a collapsed economy.It stopped by 1986, when Yoweri Museveni took power brought a period of sustained economic and political renewal to Uganda. Uganda is a relative rich of natural resources including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Just like other African countries, export of Uganda heavily depends on coffee with 63 per cent of total export revenues of the country. Uganda has bee n a bright point in Sub – Saharan Africa by being the first country in the region to embark on liberalization and pro-market policies in the late 1980s.Thanks to the right policies, the government has maintained a stable macroeconomic environment and sustained private sector-oriented reforms that graduated Uganda into a mature reformer in 2006. GDP growth accelerated from an average of 6. 5 per cent per year in the 1990s to over 7 per cent during the 2000s. Together with the sustained economic growth in the past two decade, Uganda enabled substantial poverty reduction and some progress towards Millennium Development Goals (MDG).Although other MDGs such as achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality rates, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases have been slow, the first goal of poverty reduction has been achieved successfully in Uganda. In 2009/2010, Uganda surpassed the 2015 MDG of halving the 56. 4 per cent poverty rate recorded in 1992/1993 to 24. 5 per cent. However, in 2011, at a per capita income at 500 USD or 1300 USD in PPP, ranked 203 in the world, Uganda remains a very poor country and far from the middle income status it aspires to achieve in one eneration. This paper therefore reviews the economic background of Uganda; examines the trends and patterns of poverty; the government strategies to reduce poverty and concludes with challenges in sustaining the poverty reduction achievement and policy recommendations. Economic background Table 1. Sectoral contributions to GDP and Growth Rates in Uganda (from 2001-2010) As can be seen from table 1, Uganda remained high growth rate during the period from 2001-2009 with 7. 9 per cent in average before cool down by 5. per cent in 2010 and 4. 3 per cent in 2011 because of the reduce of demand from the main export markets of Uganda, especially the USA and European countries since the world recession.. In terms of structure, Ugandan economy has a moder n structure in which GDP is attributed largest from the services sector, follow by the industrial sector and least by the agricultural sector. However, in fact, agriculture is the main sector of the economy, employing over 82 per cent of the work force even it contributed only 22 per cent of GDP (2011).The budget deficit has improved by reducing gradually from 10. 2 per cent of GDP on average during 2000 – 2004 to 7. 9 per cent of GDP on average during 2005-2008 and reached 5. 9 per cent of GDP in 2011. Uganda remained high domestic investment rate at 23. 9 per cent of GDP, thus kept the national debt rate at a safety rate compare to other countries. However, after a decade remained one digit number of inflation, the consumer prices in the country became worse in 2011 at 18. 7 per cent in 2011.Economic development has been made as the most important priority of Ugandan government and the economic policy is focusing on the private sector, attracting foreign direct investment, improving access to world markets and on achieving relief from excessive debt. Therefore, it has adopted a number of policy initiatives to jump-start the economy, including the National Development Plan which is the master development plan; Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture, the Medium Term Competitiveness Strategy for the Private Sector, the Competitiveness and Investment Climate Strategy, the Poverty Eradication Action Plan among others.The trends and patterns of poverty in Uganda Table 2: Number and percent of Ugandans that are absolutely poor, insecure non-poor and middle class (from 1992-2010). Table 3: The characteristics of poor, insecure non-poor and middle-class households Table 4: Inequality based on the Gini coefficient (from 1992-2010). Source: UNHS various years and IHS 1992/3 Table 2 indicates that during the 1990s, the proportion of Ugandans whose incomes below the poverty line fell dramatically from 56. 4 per cent in 1992 to 33. 8 per cent in 2000.It meant th ere were 2. 5 million of Ugandan people escaped from absolute poverty within 8 years; they moved to the group of non – poor but insecure which increased significantly by 10. 5 per cent. During 1990s, the per cent of middle class in Uganda also rose sharply from 10. 2 per cent to 22. 4 per cent. The middle class own more household assets, are much more educated and spend more money in education rather than on food items like the poor. The key reason of these trends was increase in average income, rather than by redistribution in society.Income inequality was basically decreased from 1992 to 1997, but increased thereafter; the Gini coefficient was between 0. 37 and 0. 35 until 1997, but rose to 0. 39 in 2000. After 2000s, Uganda did not remain the success which was achieved in the previous decade, when the proportion of people lived with 1. 25$ a day rose by 5 per cent from 2000 to 2003, meanwhile the inequality also increased which measure by the GINI coefficient rose from 0. 365 in 1992 to 0. 428 in 2003, and in urban area the inequality was more clear and increased faster than rural area.The trends were mainly driven by the slowdown of the economic when the GDP growth rate dropped from 8. 5 per cent in 2001 to 6. 5 per cent in 2003 and the agriculture sector which employed majority of the workforce was disappointing when the growth rate fell dramatically by 5 per cent during that period, while the service sector decreased slightly and the industry sector even performed well (according to table 1). The slowdown in agriculture relative to other sectors tended to increase inequality in this period, both because the poor are concentrated in agriculture and the share f labor in the incomes of other sectors may be quite small. The reasons for the recent patterns include a slowdown in agricultural growth during the last three years, declines in farmers’ prices reflecting world market conditions, insecurity, high population growth rate and morbidity rel ated to HIV/AIDS. The trends of poverty in Uganda changed differently in the next period from 2002 to 2010 compare to the previous time; the poverty proportion fell sharply and surpassed the first goal of 2015 MDGs of halving the 56. per cent poverty rate recorded in 1992/1993 to 24. 5 per cent. Uganda became the first country in Sub- Saharan Africa countries achieved the first goal of MDGs before due date of 2015. However, together with this achievement, the inequality in the country rose which measured by the increase of GINI coefficient from 0. 408 in 2005 to 0. 426 in 2010. It seem easy to explain those two diverse trends because of the growth of economic also lead to the rising of income inequality even in the country who have good social welfare system.The middle class of the country also reached one third of the population in 2010 who was claimed that benefited from small business rather than agriculture sector. The emergence of the middle class will lead to greater spending power and, the ability to invest in the future represents an opportunity to accelerate the socioeconomic transformation process. However, the insecure non poor (42. 9 percent) are another group requiring specific attention, while the fight against absolute poverty continues for 24. percent of Ugandans. Ugandan government’s strategies to reduce poverty Uganda is among the very few countries which surpassed the MDGs before 2015, especially in Sub- Saharan region. As mentioned above, over the last 20 years, Ugandan government has implemented a number of policies to jump-start the economy and it has been worked well and lead to the relative high and sustained economic growth rate as well as eradicating significantly the poverty.Among those policies, there were two main programs geared towards reducing poverty which were the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture (PMA). First, the PEAP was adopted in 1997 as the framework for addressing t he key poverty challenges. The plan was made to range the public policies and interventions relevant to poverty reduction. It was highly participatory with the central and local government, the donors, non – government organizations, civil society and economic scholars.The plan was succeeded because it was implemented by the government’s budget and a medium – term spending framework. Right after the adoption of PEAP, the public expenditures on basic services were significantly increased in 1997. One part of Ugandan government’s budget for PEAP came from the assistance of World Bank and International Monetary Fund to help the low – incomes countries develop poverty reduction strategies. The PEAP was revised twice in 2000 and in 2005. The latest version was launched in 2005 which aimed at contributing towards transforming Uganda into a middle-income country.The PEAP was based on five pillars: (1) economic management: aims to sustained relative high g rowth rate by facilitate to investment; improve infrastructure; modernization and commercialization of agriculture, with emphasis on value-addition; improve rural access to finance and to strengthen SMEs; focus on HIV prevalence reduction; (2) Enhancing production, competitiveness and incomes; (3) Security, conflict-resolution and disaster management; (4) Good Governance; (5) human development to strengthen the human resources by improving education system and social health care system in order to improve sanitation, community mobilization, family planning and reduce malaria, HIV/AIDS; improve the water supply in urban and rural areas and increase the role of private sector.In implement of the PEAP, the central government was responsible for ensuring a basic framework of legality, rights and freedom, nondiscrimination among citizens and intervening in the economy to promote economic efficiency, equity and growth, meanwhile the private sector played the key and active role in investm ent; the private sector is responsible for the majority of productive investment and it supports public goods for altruistic, cultural or prestige reasons; civil society works free from the government to handle to advocacy for the interests of groups who might otherwise be neglected; support conflict resolution and finance service in sectors not covered by the government; and the donors plays important role in providing financing public expenditure. Second, Uganda’s Plan for Modernization of Agriculture, PMA, was issued in 2000, and it has been implemented since 2001. The PMA is an integral part of the strategies of the PEAP, and contributes directly to two of the four overarching PEAP goals: (1): rapid and sustainable economic growth and structural transformation, and (3): increased ability of the poor to raise their incomes. The PMA is a framework which sets out the strategic vision and principles upon which interventions to address poverty eradication through transformatio n of the agricultural sector can be developed.The vision of the PMA is poverty eradication through a profitable, competitive, sustainable and dynamic agricultural and agro-industrial sector. Rural poverty is seen to be best addressed through promoting the commercialization of agriculture, and in particular providing a coordinating framework for support services and public goods in rural areas. The PMA core document sets out these principles, but also identifies priorities for interventions and activities in the form of seven pillars, to be implemented by various government ministries and local government, and a non-sectoral conditional grant. The PMA identifies seven pillars where priority actions are recommended.These are: (1) research and technology, (2) national agricultural advisory services, (3) agricultural education, (4) improving access to rural finance, (5) agro-processing and marketing, (6) sustainable natural resource utilization and management and (7) physical infrastruc ture. These two above key programs succeeded in helping Uganda surpass the poverty reduction goal in MDGs. However, Uganda is still very poor country and is still faced with many challenges from internal as well as external factors. Thus, the Ugandan government has launched a new policy framework, the National Development Plan as a response to the success of the PEAP in poverty reduction.It continues the vision of poverty eradication and more focus on economic transformation, wealth creation and equally distribution; in order to transform Uganda society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years. Due to the limitation, this paper just analyzes the two main programs which helped reduce poverty from 56. 4 per cent in 1992 to 24. 5 in 2010 and briefly introduces the new strategies of Ugandan government in the next period. Conclusion and recommendations What Uganda economy has achieved is outstanding among Sub-Saharan Africa region, however, Uganda is still among the poorest countries in the world, the income per capital ranked 203 in 2011 and the inequality has been raising which means majority Ugandans still live in bad and vulnerable condition. 0% of the workforce is working in agricultural sector which contributed only 22% of GDP and the sector easily get negative impacts from climate conditions or the reduce term of trade. Therefore, the Ugandan government needs to take action to sustain the poverty reduction, create more equal opportunities for citizens and improve economic performance. The country could learn from experiences of South Korea, which experienced one of the most dramatic declines in absolute poverty that the world has seen. Compare to South Korea in 1960 when South Korea started its industrialization, Uganda economy at present is in a better status. At that time, South Korea was destroyed by the Korean War, high absolute poverty rate, in the 1950s the majority of Korean people lived in absolute poverty.Even as late as the mid-1960s, between 60-70 per cent of the population was estimated to be living in poverty. The area of Uganda is about 2. 4 times bigger than South Korea with relative rich natural resources. Moreover, the official language of Uganda is English which is very useful and easy to do business abroad. Thanks to the economic transformation, since early 1960s, Korea has been able to achieve rapid growth with equity, and by the mid-1990s, the absolute poverty had dramatically declined to levels as low as 3. 4 percent of the population. Indeed, by 1999, the Korean averages for poverty in single person households was comparable to other OECD countries.There are number of lessons that Uganda can learn from South Korea on its development path: fully utilize the foreign aid which highly supports government expenditure for education, improving health care system, infrastructure†¦; encourage domestic savings and private domestic investment; the government intervention needs to be active and relevant to create stable macroeconomic with a favorable environment for private investment; growth with job-creation, initially led by labor intensive export promotion; highly invest in developing human capital especially primary and secondary education for better – educated labor force; create favorable environment for foreign direct investment with careful collective technology which can spillover to help develop the domestic industry later on†¦ In brief, human capital and technology should be more focus to achieve growth in the long run.Being a latecomer, Uganda has chance to learn from successful economic development model, but the model should be modified to adapt the situation of the country and avoid failures of the early comers. 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