The Kingdom of Ends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Kingdom of Ends - Essay Example "In the kingdom of ends everything has either a price or dignity. Whatever has a price can be replaced by something else as its equivalent; on the other hand, whatever is above all price, and therefore admits of no equivalent, has a dignity." (Kant 42) In this statement above, Kant mentions that morality which is attributed as a universal requirement for every person in the society has a price, a price which is placed on virtue or vice. In this sense, morality can have a price if it is inclined to a good thing or a bad thing. The price of a bad thing or a vice is tantamount to a sin according to the laws of God. And the price of a sin is an eternal life in hell with Satan. On the other hand, a good thing or a virtue is rewarded by a promise of a happy after life. This is associated to the life in heaven with God where the price is happiness and joy in an eternal life. Therefore the human person in his nature can choose to do whatever he or she likes. This can be in the form of something that is not considered of ethical standards or one that is justified as being good. However, in the kingdom of ends, the virtuous side is only considered by Kant where the moral nature of man is at play. This moral aspect is the one that provides the creation of a universal law, a law that every one is supposed to be conversant with and obey its directions. In another aspect however, morality is correlated to dignity. Dignity as it is known is the term that means an ethical inclination of a person where he or she accords respect to others and also accorded respect in return. Hence, dignity is something that has no direct price because it is inwardly developed in someone. Due to this inward development of dignity, it does not have an equivalent of it because it is unique in each and every human. Thus moral value of dignity can not be measured in terms of price as it is not visible for one to measure. The level of dignity that is given to somebody is probably the only measure that can be used to determine morality. In this sense, Kant mentions, "For when moral value is being considered, the concern is not with the actions, which are seen, but rather with the inner principles, which are not seen." (Kant 19) Human nature which is exhibited in dignity is correlated to an art in the kingdom of ends. An art or talent is something that is God given. This means that it can not be created by the human being but only by the supernatural being God. Because of this, it can not be tagged a price that can be purchased by anyone. Just like one can not buy another human being, dignity can not be bought. It is something non-tangible. Art can be something that can be fostered in someone through learning and continuous practice. One can involve him or herself in continuous practice that with time perfects this ability in a specific field. Likewise in dignity, it can be practiced so that one can gain a high level of respect from others. However, in the Kingdom of ends, it can only be practiced by obeying and constantly following the universal law. The universal law acts as the

Eom Draft Essay Example for Free

Eom Draft Essay Although many practices such as resale and consignment of clothing are not widely known in Singapore, they are possible practices that could be adapted and promoted in our culture as an alternative to recycling clothing, making it relevant to our project. The concept of the consignment boutique is for shoppers to â€Å"wear the outfit once, bring it in, get money back and continue their shopping habit†. This encourages the idea of reuse of clothing but keeps the clothing in a fixed circuit, being recycled in the same boutique. Instead, these shops can expand their networks or probably work together with other resale shops and reach out to more buyers and sellers, providing them with a bigger variety as well. Although when reselling it to the different boutiques, varying offers may be made by different boutique owners. These boutiques may standardize the prices to offer according to the number of days from which it was purchased, which will be recorded in a computer system assessable to the owners in the network. The article claims that â€Å"people don’t have a stigma against buying used clothes anymore† but I disagree. In Singapore, many second-hand clothing stalls are not popularly purchased from, due to the social stigma that used clothes are old, unwanted and unhygienic which is usually reflected through how the shops are usually disorganized, unlike those mentioned in the article where ‘the racks aren’t overcrowded’ and the store has a ‘boutique feel’ which appeals to the target demographic. Thrift shops in Singapore could be mirrored to have organized racks for different clothing articles and trends and could hire youth volunteers who would communicate better with the shoppers. This would increase the appeal for used clothing and possibly change the perspective on used clothing. In a consignment, the owners are able to ‘chose what [they] want’ to purchase. This may be unreflective of what the rest of the consumers want. Also, when they are willing to purchase it, the seller may be unhappy with the price of the offer. Therefore, instead of having the retailer as the middle-man, events where people can swap or sell their clothing would be more effective as buyers are able to chose what they want while sellers can name their own prices according to their perceived value for it or allow others to bargain for cheaper prices. The article states that consumers want good deals and are ‘growing tired of mass produced clothing’ therefore resale shops targets the ‘vintage aspect’ to set themselves apart. I agree with this statement as mass produced clothing are widely seen around the market and loses its originality and one-of-a-kind concept which customers define unique. Consumers would be willing to pay slightly more if the article of clothing is not commonly or easily found. Furthermore, the vintage aspect suites current clothing trends and would appeal to the target group of teenagers well. There is also a small number of male shoppers visiting or purchasing from consignment and resale boutiques, possibly because resale boutiques may not appeal to the male demographic widely, as they may come across as more female-centric and may not be as widely known. As the article mentions that the location affects the target demographic, these boutiques can be relocated or expanded to places in the urban areas which have many other male clothing outlets in order to boost its image as a boutique for male clothing as well and attract more male shoppers.

Economic Advantages and Disadvantages of a One Global Currency

Economic Advantages and Disadvantages of a One Global Currency Introduction The recent history of currency exchange rates includes 3 huge changes starting from the end of the XIX to the end of the XX century. Pure gold standard has been the basis for trading between nations during 1879 and 1914 (Abdel-Monem, n.d.). At the beginning of World War I, this standard ceased to exist and in 1920 countries permitted greater exchange rate flexibility (Jereissati, 1999), which however, did not last long and after the end of the World War II the Bretton-Woods system has been implemented. This standard has been created as a result of numerous meetings between the World War II winning states with the final conference taking place at the Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The standard took the name of this last conferences venue (Grabbe, 1996, as cited in Tucker, 2008). In August 15, 1971 Richard Nixon in his speech announced that the price of dollar will be no longer fixed against gold. This has put an end to the Bretton-Woods system and has set-off a new era in international monetary system. The main feature of this new system is that it is neither a pure gold standard nor a pure exchange rate float, but rather a system in between these two extremes (Meese, 1990). This standard exists until today and has been strongly undermined during the latest financial crisis. In this respect, the idea of having a single global currency is widely discussed as an alternative monetary system. This literature review outlines advantages and disadvantages of a single global currency. The Single Global Currency The Concept of a Single Global Currency Single global currency, as one can see from the example of Euro, signifies that countries, where this currency would be implemented, should be the members of a monetary union with one central bank, common currency, a coherent and binding financial policy. Scandinavian Currency Union (SCU), which included Denmark, Norway and Sweden, established a common currency unit, although central banks in each of those countries retained control over monetary policy and did not experience significant loss of independence (Bergman, 1999). The single global currency is a much more complicated issue. History recognizes a lot of monetary unions of different size, both formal and informal. However the most successful example came from the European Union, which is the Economic Monetary Union (EMU). There are also two proposed single currencies, which potentially may come near the Euro. They are the GCC monetary union currency and the Asian Monetary Unit. Economic Advantages of a Single Global Currency The advantages of a global currency are as follows. First of all, single currency will eliminate transaction costs, which are linked to international financial operations. This will affect both: ordinary citizens who plan to spend money abroad and multinational corporations undertaking international transactions. Different currencies create a lot of inconveniences and barriers. Exchanging one currency for another always involves currency exchange fees, as banks, which provide such currency exchanges, require commissions for their services. In the scale of countries or even monetary unions such expenditures on currency exchange fees may reach high amounts. By eliminating the need for currency exchange the monetary unions may save resources (Buiter, 1999, as cited in Bonpasse, 2008). For instance, the European Commission (EC) has estimated that due to a single currency across the European Union 13 to 20 billion of Euro were saved per year (Grauwe, 2007). Moreover the difference between the currencies exchange rates becomes an obstacle for a free flow of trade. As the barrier of different currencies will disappear, the number of international transactions will increase. Bordo and James (2006) said that neighboring countries, which are members of a common monetary union, tend to trade more frequently with each other. In a study conducted by Micco, Stein, and Ordonez (2003) they found out that trade between EU members increased by 8 to 16%, after EMU was created (as cited in Lane, 2006) Currency risks nowadays are one of the major disadvantages of the modern international financial system. Everything, ranged from a natural disaster to terroristic attack, may affect the value of the currency and as a result cause loss. Foreign investors, as well as stock holders, have to hedge their risk, which also demands additional expenditures. Implementation of the single global currency will eliminate the risk of loss, due to currency fluctuations. Moreover Bonpasse (n.d.) points out that the adoption of a single global currency will save 400 billion of US dollars annually in foreign exchange transaction costs, which come from trading 3.8 trillion US dollars every trading day. Currency misalignment is a process when central bank increases or decreases the value of its currency against another for different purposes. The most known cases of currency manipulation are the cases of China and Japan. Both countries artificially undervalued their currencies, which made their exports more competitive. As the value of Yen and Yuan decreases, the prices on Japanese and Chinese products will consequently fall. This has created a great advantage for Japanese and Chinese products in the market. Today the low value of these currencies, which has nothing to do with the real situation, has created huge difficulties for the economies of Europe and USA. Japan and China, based on all criteria related to the IMF definition, have been persistently manipulating their currencies to gain an unfair competitive advantage (Preeg, n.d.). Obviously with a single global currency, currency manipulation by individual countries would be impossible. Moreover there will be no need of such k inds of unfair methods. It is easy to perceive that problems of contemporary monetary system are currency rate fluctuations. As most of the currencies are free and are not fixed to any value, there is a huge possibility for currency speculations. For instance, speculative opportunities of FOREX market may have a great impact on economics of countries and their financial situation. The speculative attack on the Swedish Krona in 1992 is a perfect example. The Central Bank of Sweden had to raise the interest rate of its currency which caused devaluation of the Krona. Receiving income from currency speculations is getting money out of nothing. The next benefit from implementing a single global currency will be the elimination of currency speculations existence. The single global currency will present a different choice for speculators: if they wish to speculate, they will need to choose another commodity, as the money of the people will no longer be for sale (Bonpasse, 2006). Another problem of todays financial system is international reserves or foreign exchange reserves. As the possibility of a currency crash is high, due to currency risks and currency speculations, every country holds assets in various foreign currencies, which are considered as reserve currencies. Mainly it is the US dollar, not so often it is the Euro or the UK pound. However after implementing the single global currency, this hedging method will be unnecessary. As the central bank will abandon the foreign exchange reserves, it will save a considerable amount of money. In 1992 the European Commission estimated that the future Eurozone members might be able to reduce their total international reserves by one-half or $200 billion (Bonapasse, 2008). Disadvantages of a Single Global Currency Turning to disadvantages of a Global Currency, the most negative side of it is that countries will lose the ability to control their financial policy. Today every country is able to determine their monetary policy independently. In order to have an influence on the economy, nowadays central banks of every country through influencing exchange rates and adjusting interest rates, may increase or decrease economic activity. However in case of a single global currency, changes in a local countrys finances, will demand changes in the global scale. So with the Global Currency countries will lose flexibility in their monetary policy. A uniform policy template to provide macroeconomic stability, will constrain a countrys ability to make independent interest rates and exchange rate policy (Bonpasse, as cited in Wenzel, 2007, p17). Another significant disadvantage of having a Global Currency is connected with the difference in economies of different countries. While there are only a few developed states with strong economies, the rest of the countries of the world have rather weak economies, for instance the majority of African countries or some South American countries. In the world with a common currency, the weak economies shall pull down the rest, more well off countries. If one of the members will face a crisis, the others will have to spend their resources in order to stabilize the situation. A perfect example could be the debt crisis, which recently has occurred in Greece. While the EU/IMF bailout package wasnt enough, Germany had to loan about 110 billion Euros in order to save the country from bankruptcy. In addition the crisis had a chance to spread to other countries, as it reduced confidence in the economies of other EU members. Conclusion: Is The Single Global Currency Implementable? Global Currency as a financial system has been first mentioned back in the end of XIX century. The reasons why this system still has not been implemented are rather social and political, than economical. The first obstacle is national identity. Most of the nations consider their currencies as a national symbol, equal to the flag and the anthem. Obviously people will hardly discard their own national symbol, their source of pride. Some people are tempted to view such symbols as they do their flags and national constitutional documents, and the loss of such symbols can be considered as a national loss (Bonpasse, 2008). Just imagine how hard it will be for Americans to abandon dollar and accept a currency with absolutely neutral name and with neutral images and signs. In case of a Global Currency it should be absolutely neutral, as Euro is. Political barriers also should be taken in to account. In the conditions where political tensions between two countries are possible, implementing a single currency is a huge problem. For instance, it is difficult to imagine how USA, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Iran, countries which have experienced significant political tensions, would negotiate in order to accept a single currency. Or it is difficult to say how it is going to work between countries which are in state of war like North and South Korea. In addition, due to political discords, such issues as supply and printing of the Global Currency would be problematic. As an independent central bank is demanded, the first dispute within the countries would be about the location of the central bank. Every member of the global monetary union would try to pull the blanket over. It is hard to believe that after gaining membership to the global monetary union, countries would not start attempting to gain greater influence o n the central bank and hence the monetary policy. Though the process of globalization seems to be unstoppable, we are still far away from being even close to a Global Currency. In my point of view, implementation of the single global currency can be compared to the legends about Eldorado or dreams of Utopia. There is no doubt that Global Currency has more benefits than costs. The loss of control of the monetary policy is a really low price for the other advantages of this idea. Throughout the history mankind tried to give birth to a global government. League of Nations and UN could serve as examples. Esperanto as a worldwide language also has been a great proposal, which could simplify the understanding between nations. But both concepts were not successful up to this time. Unfortunately the single global currency is an idea of such type. Although globalization and the Internet did bring people around the world closer to each other, maybe we are still to different to buy food with the same money. Maybe social and cultural difference s play much bigger role in our life, than we think. USSR made an effort of erasing these differences, but where is the USSR now?

Othello’s Copious Imagery Essay -- Othello essays

Othello’s Copious Imagery  Ã‚        Ã‚   Let’s look into Shakespeare’s drama Othello and admire the proliferation of imagery with which the playwright has decorated the play.    In the Introduction to Shakespeare’s Othello: The Harbrace Theatre Edition, John Russell Brown describes some â€Å"splendid images† in the play:    The elaborate soliloquy spoken by Othello as he approaches his sleeping wife (V.ii.1-22) contains some splendid images, such as â€Å"chaste stars,† â€Å"monumental alabaster,† â€Å"flaming minister,† and â€Å"Promethean heat,† but its key words are simple and used repeatedly: cause, soul, blood, die, light, love, and weep. In his last sustained speech (V.ii.338-56), the images are fewer and approached through the simplest words (â€Å"Speak of me as I am†) and most blatant antitheses (â€Å"loved not wisely, but too well†). (xiv)    H. S. Wilson in his book of literary criticism, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, discusses the influence of the imagery:    It has indeed been suggested that the logic of events in the play and of Othello’s relation to them implies Othello’s damnation, and that the implication is pressed home with particular power in the imagery. This last amounts to interpreting the suggestions of the imagery as a means of comment by the author – the analogy would be the choruses of Greek tragedy. (66)    The vulgar imagery of Othello’s ancient dominates the opening of the play. Standing outside the senator’s home late at night, Iago uses imagery within a lie to arouse the occupant: â€Å" Awake! what, ho, Brabantio! thieves! thieves! thieves! / Look to your house, your daughter and your bags!† When the senator appears at the window, the ancient continues with coarse imagery of animal lust: â€Å"... ...ore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Kernan, Alvin. â€Å"Othello: and Introduction.† Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Ed. Alfred Harbage. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1964.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Spurgeon, Caroline. â€Å"Shakespeare’s Imagery and What it Tells Us.† Shakespearean Tragedy. Ed. D. F. Bratchell. New York: Routledge, 1990.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.      

Bonds and Their Valuation Mini-Case Essay

Sam Strother and Shawna Tibbs are vice-presidents of Mutual of Seattle Insurance Company and co-directors of the company’s pension fund management division. A major new client, the Northwestern Municipal Alliance, has requested that Mutual of Seattle present an investment seminar to the mayors of the represented cities, and Strother and Tibbs, who will make the actual presentation, have asked you to help them by answering the following questions. Because the Boeing Company operates in one of the league’s cities, you are to work Boeing into the presentation. a.What are the key features of a bond? Answer: 1.Par or face value. We generally assume a $1,000 par value, but par can be anything, and often $5,000 or more is used. With registered bonds, which is what are issued today, if you bought $50,000 worth, that amount would appear on the certificate. 2.Coupon rate. The dollar coupon is the â€Å"rent† on the money borrowed, which is generally the par value of the bond. The coupon rate is the annual interest payment divided by the par value, and it is generally set at the value of r on the day the bond is issued. 3.Maturity. This is the number of years until the bond matures and the issuer must repay the loan (return the par value). 4.Issue date. This is the date the bonds were issued. 5.Default risk is inherent in all bonds except treasury bonds–will the issuer have the cash to make the promised payments? Bonds are rated from AAA to D, and the lower the rating the riskier the bond, the higher its default risk premium, and, consequently, the higher its required rate of return.

Letter Form a Birmingham Jail Mlk Essays

Letter Form a Birmingham Jail Mlk Essays Letter Form a Birmingham Jail Mlk Essay Letter Form a Birmingham Jail Mlk Essay Essay Topic: Letter From Birmingham Jail Oppressed feelings: No longer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was incarcerated after fighting for his rights in a nonviolent peaceful protest to fight, exercising the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, and the Freedom of speech; an automatic given for those who do not consist of colored skin. In response, Dr. King wrote a powerful letter to the â€Å"genuine† clergymen announcing his strong opinions and beliefs toward segregation, discrimination, and racism. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. executed such an overwhelming piece of writing expressing the poor treatment of African Americans, the explanations of his actions, and his opinions regarding a true and better government. He expressed his desire and faith for the greater good and change in this letter with the use of emotional appeals such as imagery, diction, and descriptions of his harsh personal experiences regarding segregation and discrimination because of his skin color. Paragraphs 14 and 15 consists of emotional twists from unjust laws and release a combination of emotional and harsh events from the African American’s reality that bring the reader into their perspective from a hated level. In these paragraphs, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gets more personal and specific about the harsh treatment of African Americans and personal experiences regarding their harsh reality. Imagery shows all throughout this paragraph to create powerful and tear quenching emotions from the reader to get you to at least slightly understand their perspective. Dr. King immensely expresses what not only he, but all African Americans are and have been going through. He is able to paint a picture in the readers’ head of the abuse, pain, and hatred they have felt. But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society†¦(218). All I see is hate filled police and Caucasian’s with disgust in their face causing undeserving pain to people that only have one difference: their skin color. Although I was not there to personally experience this torment, Dr. King is able to withdraw my emotions with just the truth, and put me on his side. His picture withdrew disgust and angriness for what our society is and how human beings can be. That little piece of the actual paragraph is just a glimpse. Dr. King goes on and on about their mistreatment. They are not just pained physically, but they are also haunted emotionally and mentally as well, â€Å"When you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living in constantly tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of â€Å"nobodiness†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (218). Personally, feeling alone and insignificant is one of my worst fears about life, and Dr. King along with â€Å"twenty million† others suffered from this feeling for centuries. Imagery was able to capture my full attention in this paragraph, allowed me to see a glimpse of their pain, suffering, and mistreatment. With the powerful impact of imagery in these paragraphs, it certainly wasn’t the only strategy he used. Diction was an immeasurable aspect of this paragraph. The structure of Dr. King’s vocabulary was eloquent and delivered in such a structured, skillful manner that he was able to draw tear-filled emotions to his audience. He used words such as ‘curse’, ‘kick’, ‘lynch’, ‘kill’, ‘smothering’, ‘humiliated’, and ‘despair’. These words are able to describe to the reader of the completely atrocious way people treated each other because of such an insignificant matter, the difference in skin color. Just reading these chosen words and how well it played with imagery, I winced. Using diction is shown to be powerful in this case because if Dr. King were to have only said, ‘mistreatment’, ‘abuse’, or ‘discriminated’, it would not have withdrawn as much emotion from his audience at the time and the readers now. His in detail descriptions of his barbaric treatment and personal experiences is the most influential and compelling strategy in paragraph 14 and 15. The disturbing events that occurred in that time period showed how cruel mankind to be. Dr. King shares experiences such as explaining to his children their harsh realities at that moment in time: When you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her yes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky†¦When you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean? (218). Children are thought to be so innocent, pure from hatred, and chance giving and then when their littl e hearts are corrupted to think they are less than someone else, and they feel like they are in a world full of hurt, what are they to do then? Dr. King also shares his bleak experiences of witnessing that hatred be performed with murder and being denied what is thought of as automatic rights. These personal experiences not only keep your nose to the paper, but it is appalling to know the easy capabilities we hold as human beings to torment others for little things not only mentally, but physically, to the point of taking their lives completely away from them. These lives taken lived a life where they were beaten and never shown the feeling of whole freedom and life without hypothetical chains. Dr. King was able to use these experiences to squeeze emotions out of his audience. They not only described their cold facts, but it brought me to his level of understanding and on his side. Dr. King did more than just simply explain their experience. Dr. King described that they have been waiting â€Å"for more than 340 years for† their â€Å"constitutional and God given rights† and watching other nations such as â€Å"Asia† and â€Å"Africa† move â€Å"with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence†, but how the United States was still creeping â€Å"at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter† (217). He talked about how it was appalling for someone who never had to watch â€Å"vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim† (218) to say, â€Å"Wait. That with everything they have been through, they cannot and will not endure it any longer. He strongly felt that this could happen no longer, and that if it took â€Å"disobey[ing] unjust laws† (218) then he would. These paragraphs proved to be a monumental breakthrough for this letter. He described how he wasn’t going to take it any l onger. After a lifetime of witnessing hate, ignorance, and abuse, personally being discriminated and segregated against for his skin color, and being thrown in jail for peacefully protesting, exercising the first mendment, he was still standing strong in his beliefs, not backing down. He was able to persevere through so much, and he wasn’t going to stop until his point was being made and change was happening. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to execute these immaculate paragraphs through emotional appeals (diction, imagery, and personal experiences) to minimally just slightly understand what he has been through, and that he will not back down or tolerate it any longer. His cruel reality was not the only thing to breakthrough his audiences’ exterior but his strong will and genuine personality was able to make a huge impact. Through everything, and only being shown hate and violence, he retaliated with calmness, peaceful protests, and nonviolent maneuvers. This was more than the rest of the human race was able to do. After that, Dr. Martin Luther King deserves all the respect in the world.

WARNING 8 Signs Your Job Interview is Scam

WARNING 8 Signs Your Job Interview is Scam Job interviews aren’t just a time for you to sit in the hot seat and be judged. They’re also an opportunity for you to vet the potential employer- to determine whether this company would be a good fit for you, and to make sure there aren’t any giant flapping red flags that should be telling you to run for the hills. If you’re ever in an iffy situation in an interview and can’t quite tell whether your gut reaction is the right one, here are a few warning signs that this job might not be the one for you.1. The vibe is†¦ not so great.Everyone looks miserable. It’s quiet, but it doesn’t look like that’s because everyone is concentrating so hard on their work. It just seems frosty and weird. If you’re a friendly collaborator by nature, this might not be the place for you. Things might be extra bad if you’re introduced to a few potential future coworkers and they don’t seem in any way enthused. If they canâ⠂¬â„¢t fake it to impress a potential new team member, they’re certainly not into the place.2. It’s all over way too soon.Interviews don’t have to be long and grueling, but they also shouldn’t be too short. If you feel like you’re being asked a handful of questions with very low stakes and you get offered the job in a hot second, take a step back and make sure this isn’t because they’re desperate- or incompetent. Are they overselling? What’s the catch Don’t just snap it up because you’re flattered or relieved to get an offer in the first place!3. You find out there’s a high turnover rate.Constant and consistent departure of employees might be another reason for a particularly hasty offer. If there’s a way to find out from current or former employees what the turnover rate seems to be and why it might be particularly high, that would be useful information. If that question seems to forward, simply ask ing some current employees how long they’ve been there might help. If everyone you’ve spoken to has only been with the company a short time, activate your spidey sense.4. Everything is done super secretively.You seem to be getting shuffled through the process on the DL. The interview doesn’t take place at their office location. You’ve not met the person holding the position you’re meant to replace. You don’t know why the position is open. You don’t get to meet anyone else on your team. Think about these things before accepting an offer, lest you show up for work on Monday morning and the entire team hates you for stealing their pal’s job seemingly overnight.5. You’re ghosted.You interviewed, you followed up, and the line went proverbially dead. Or, they’re making you wait an inordinately long time before letting you know when you might expect next steps or decisions to happen. Leaving a candidate hanging is disres pectful and unprofessional- both bad signs right out of the gate.6. They ask you for money.Run. Just run.7. Everyone uses robot-like corporate-speak all the time.Too many buzzwords or fancy jargon might be a big ruse to make the company or team sound successful and inspiring, when the reality could be anything but. If they seem like they’re trying really hard to impress you but there’s not much substance underneath, try to do a bit more sniffing around.8. There’s no indication of company growth.If the interviewer can’t give you a clear picture of career growth opportunities or provide you with a clear account of what your role would be- both immediately and in future- then watch out. Not having a clear sense of how you would develop your career there isn’t a particularly good sign at this stage- and it doesn’t bode very well for later stages either.

Causes & Consequences of The Great Depression essays

Causes & Consequences of The Great Depression essays The Great Depression was the worst economic slide in the history of the United States. It left many emotional and physiological scars, invisible scars as one writer called it, on the American people. There were many contributing factors to the causes of the Great Depression, which came along with a lot of consequences. To tackle the strain that the Great Depression was putting on the American people, President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented The New Deal to which had its own successes and failures. In the late 1920s the stock market started to resemble that of a sporting arena; the way Americans followed stock prices as the same way they followed the exploits of such American idols as Babe Ruth or Jack Dempsey. The American people were convinced that it was their duty to buy stocks; and buy stocks they did. Stock prices increased approximately twice the rate of the industrial production during the bull market of the 1920s. Stocks were mainly bought on the basis of their perceived earning power rather than their actual value. For Example; Radio Corporation of America stock (RCA) shot from $85 to $420 , which was so overvalued that it didnt make sense to buy. However, investors would buy anyway hoping that they could sell later at a higher price once its perceived earning power would present itself. Many of these stock buyers were so confident that the purchase of stocks would be so profitable, that they bought more stock than they could afford; and they were able to do th is via easy-credit and margin account market schemes. This allowed investors to purchase stocks by making as low as a 10 percent down payment, borrow the rest from a broker, and used the shares that they had just supposedly bought as collateral, or security on the loan. With this system, the buy now pay later concept spread in epidemic proportions throughout the United States. At its peak in early September, the bull market had...

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Personal Statement - Essay Example I had the great opportunity to work at Glorysky Group and Macau Natural Gas, both of which have provided me with intensive training as well as a valuable opportunity to implement my skills and knowledge from my studies. I conducted research in the global energy market and compiled regular reports regarding energy price fluctuation, which I presented to the group’s executive managers. My research has provided my supervisor with credible information about various topics, ranging from price volatility to anticipated profits due to fluctuations in international LNG demand. Furthermore, I was involved in the provision of risk-hedging strategies to Macau Natural Gas, mainly on interest rates and exchange rates, which are the company’s major concern. My research and strategy has contributed valuably to future funding plans, as well as to discovering the best market opportunities. These experiences contribute majorly to my research proposal. Furthermore, to ascertain competence in this field, which lies outside my economics curriculum, I have endeavored to gain some additional qualifications more relevant to the field of risk management. For this purpose, I studied and passed the Professional Risk Manager (PRMTM ) designation. To enhance skills on the same, I have studied and passed the Chartered Financial Analysis Program (CFA), level 1 and the Financial Risk Manager Program (FRM), level 1. These external studies are achievements that distinguish me from the other candidates; since a significant amount of extra time and effort has been invested in gathering academic knowledge as well as work experience. Initially, choosing my focus of research between agriculture and energy presented quite a challenge for me, since these are currently the two most forthcoming scarcity issues concerning economists. I have confirmed, however, that my interest is greatly biased towards energy rather than the alternative, as I discovered after traveling the world. Additional ly, â€Å"Oil on the Brain† by Lisa Margonelli was a true inspiration for me. She indicated that studying a subject is beyond the scope of simply reading text from books and that personal experience is equally important. Fortunately, I have friends and relatives scattered in various industries across the globe, and thus, I was able to gain exceptional access to restricted mining sites to explore the exciting scenes. In particular, Lisa Margonelli mentioned some of the scenes in her books; sights that could get anyone amazed and completely addicted. My trip to Alberta last year was only the start of my journey. The joint venture of Macau Natural Gas and Sinopec will grant me unlimited access to various energy plant sites in Asia, particularly Mainland China, which will thus be my plan for this year. Furthermore, I believe that I have comprehended my weakness explicitly, which makes my progression to graduate studies essential. My major techniques for measuring price prediction s are through econometrics and mathematical modeling, while employing specific programs, making it limited yet efficient. MSc Economics was also vital to intensify my econometrics modeling. Furthermore, having a better understanding in macroeconomics provided me with a bigger picture of the world economy and with sophisticated quantitative skills. An MSc in Finance on the other hand provided me with the better

Law Of Banking And Financial Institutions Benchmark Assignment

Law Of Banking And Financial Institutions Benchmark - Assignment Example When dealing with people and capital, conditions are always at stake. These conditions and the possible conflicts warrant legislation and regulations. Banking and the financial institutions, in general, are intensely regulated by the law. The legislation that has been set aside focus on regulating relationships between the financial institutions and its clients, the institutional securities, transaction and also regulate the tax compliance of the institutions. The need for legal help in banking is a common observation in the financial world. One section of banking that requires strict regulation is private banking. This is the part that involves personalized financial depositing of capital into a financial institution by an individual who has access to high income and therefore has no problem investing in the financial institution in large sizable assets (OConnor & Faille, 2000). The services are, therefore, offered in more personalized terms. In this case, the possibility of entering into a contract without full information is real. In addition, there is a danger of being shortchanged in the process. The legislation, therefore, co mes in to secure the instability of private banking. The risk with private banking including money laundering and litigation must be controlled by the government through the Office of Comptroller of Currencies (Schooner & Taylor, 2010). 2. The instability in the US banking sector in the early years was based on two issues. First, there was a level of inexperience that covered the banking industry. The lack of experience in identifying risks and responding to them led to the ultimate vulnerability. This failure was seen as many of the banks, especially those that were started just before the great recession in the 1930s failed to survive the crisis.

Theoretical concepts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theoretical concepts - Research Paper Example y was to examine the effects of selected person-environment variables as they influenced psychological adaptation in home hospice patients† (Dobratz, 1993, p. 712). Based on the PowerPoint slide, â€Å"The world of research theory: Building the theoretical framework,† a purpose statement clarifies the direction of research, the relationships among the concepts in the study, and often provides the most information about the intent of the research problem. In addition, according to the PowerPoint slide, a purpose statement should clearly state why the researcher is conducting the study. These â€Å"entities† are present in Dobratz (1993) but not all of them are wholly present in the purpose section of the article (p. 712). However, considering the article in its totality, the elements of purpose statements are fully there. Proposition 1: person-environment variables positively influence psychological adaptation to dying. This proposition relates the concepts â€Å"person-environment variables† and â€Å"psychological adaptation to dying†. One conceptual definition is on psychological processes. It is conceptually defined in the article as those â€Å"used by individuals to adapt both to self and to environmental influences (Dobratz, 1993 citing Hann, 1969, 1977). Another conceptual definition is â€Å"physical function† or the â€Å"degree of dependence on other persons for assistance as measured by Karnofsky, Abelmann, Craver, and Burchenal† (Debrotz, 1993, p. 713). The dependent variable is â€Å"psychological adaptation to dying† as indicated by the â€Å"state of well-being related to life satisfaction† as measured by the Affect Balance Scale described in Dobratz (1993, p. 713). The independent variables are age, length of illness since diagnosis, gender, social support as perceived by the ill (perception of value, group belonging, provision of attachment/intimacy, chance for nurturance, etc.), and pain intensity as developed by Melzack (1975). Consistent with

Creating the report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Creating the report - Research Paper Example The following policies are vital: Password policy of networking devices and hosts, wireless network security policy, Anti-Virus security policy and physical security policy. The network support staff or administration must monitor and maintain a firewall between the network that connects the production functions, processes and operations from the laboratory network or network appliance / equipment / device (Frye, 2007). The network support staff or administration must be entitled to have full rights for interrupting network connections of the laboratory that may impose impact or security risk on processes, functions and operation on the production network (Frye, 2007). The network traffic between the organization and the other networks will be transmitted via a firewall monitored and maintained by the support staff. However, in case of a wireless network transmission, connection to other networks of the organization will be

Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Conflict Management - Essay Example First, explain the problem to the other party, however the language and mode of communication need to be convincing. The second step involves application of social skills to calm down the situation. This requires creativity in attracting the audience of the other partner. In such situation, if a sad mood exists, then allow time for calmness before proceeding (Konijn, 2008). The final step involves building a positive relationship. After explaining the challenge at hand, one needs to create a cordial and joyous relationship. This step is a bit difficult; however, creative skills in problem solving and conflict management need to apply to maximum to ensure that, the meeting ends in fine moods. In conclusion, the plan for interpersonal challenge management involves diverse skills of problem solving and apt communications skills. In addition, the fundamental aspect in this situation is the creation of a fine

Article Review #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Review #2 - Essay Example The writer is the author of several books on German and Soviet history during the World War II period, so he draws upon a thorough knowledge of the history of the region and period concerned but does also make use of some other valuable sources such as foreign affairs documents. In On August 22, 1939, Adolf Hitler directed his foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, to go to Moscow for a nonaggression pact with Soviet Union involving the signing of a treaty and a secret protocol for immediate effect. The German delegation conversed with Stalin and his commissar for foreign affairs at the Kremlin, and â€Å"an agreement was reached on all points†. The pact, to initially last ten years, and the secret protocol were both signed, and this occasion was celebrated as it marked a new era of German-Soviet friendship. The terms stipulated that neither country would attack the other subject to certain conditions. The secret protocol carved Europe into German and Soviet spheres of interest. Some remaining details were settled a month later along with another friendship treaty, â€Å"later supplemented by a boundary protocol†, â€Å"a confidential agreement on the exchange of populations across the borders separating the Soviet and German spheres in Ea stern Europe†, a secret protocol pertaining to non-tolerance of Polish agitation, and extensions of several economic agreements. These agreements were seen as providing â€Å"the Germans with a green light for an attack on Poland†, and whereas previous nonaggression pacts signed by the Soviets were invalidated in the case of either party attacking a third country, this was not the case in this pact. Moreover, the economic agreements were designed to maintain the German war effort through acquisition of raw materials, and enabling Germany to concentrate all its forces on the western front. It is pertinent to note that the friendship was actually â€Å"cemented with blood† given that both had attacked and divided Poland

Creating the report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Creating the report - Research Paper Example The following policies are vital: Password policy of networking devices and hosts, wireless network security policy, Anti-Virus security policy and physical security policy. The network support staff or administration must monitor and maintain a firewall between the network that connects the production functions, processes and operations from the laboratory network or network appliance / equipment / device (Frye, 2007). The network support staff or administration must be entitled to have full rights for interrupting network connections of the laboratory that may impose impact or security risk on processes, functions and operation on the production network (Frye, 2007). The network traffic between the organization and the other networks will be transmitted via a firewall monitored and maintained by the support staff. However, in case of a wireless network transmission, connection to other networks of the organization will be

Article Review #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Review #2 - Essay Example The writer is the author of several books on German and Soviet history during the World War II period, so he draws upon a thorough knowledge of the history of the region and period concerned but does also make use of some other valuable sources such as foreign affairs documents. In On August 22, 1939, Adolf Hitler directed his foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, to go to Moscow for a nonaggression pact with Soviet Union involving the signing of a treaty and a secret protocol for immediate effect. The German delegation conversed with Stalin and his commissar for foreign affairs at the Kremlin, and â€Å"an agreement was reached on all points†. The pact, to initially last ten years, and the secret protocol were both signed, and this occasion was celebrated as it marked a new era of German-Soviet friendship. The terms stipulated that neither country would attack the other subject to certain conditions. The secret protocol carved Europe into German and Soviet spheres of interest. Some remaining details were settled a month later along with another friendship treaty, â€Å"later supplemented by a boundary protocol†, â€Å"a confidential agreement on the exchange of populations across the borders separating the Soviet and German spheres in Ea stern Europe†, a secret protocol pertaining to non-tolerance of Polish agitation, and extensions of several economic agreements. These agreements were seen as providing â€Å"the Germans with a green light for an attack on Poland†, and whereas previous nonaggression pacts signed by the Soviets were invalidated in the case of either party attacking a third country, this was not the case in this pact. Moreover, the economic agreements were designed to maintain the German war effort through acquisition of raw materials, and enabling Germany to concentrate all its forces on the western front. It is pertinent to note that the friendship was actually â€Å"cemented with blood† given that both had attacked and divided Poland

The horror of war in Dulce et Decorum est Essay Example for Free

The horror of war in Dulce et Decorum est Essay How does Wilfred Owen portray the horror of war in Dulce et Decorem est? Owens Dulce et Decorem est is a painful, poignant and blunt depiction of the squalid conditions and distressing experiences which had a permanent effect on the soldiers of the 1st world war. He addresses the subject with absolute honesty and frankness as a soldier himself, which brings out the stark contrast of the reality of war to the propaganda which enticed young soldiers to fight to begin with; Owens use of language here shows his deep loathing towards war and misleading propaganda. Firstly I will address the idea in the poem that war is irreconcilable and contradictory to the notions displayed by propaganda posters of courage, bravery, honour, glory and patriotism. The first stanza of the poem is heavy with negative connotations- the men are beggars, weak, destitute and dejected, lacking in hope; they are coughing like hags due to living in the trenches- rife with illness, disease, gas attacks and dead bodies. The use of words like haunting, distant, asleep, lame and drunk create a feeling of inevitable doom; knock-kneed, coughing, limped, blood-shod and dropped indicate ill health and disease. The theme of loss is also significant here; many had lost their boots, all blind, deaf even, connoting the loss of sense organs as well as property, the small comfort of simply having boots. Through the sludge the men curse those who were the cause of their suffering, the Germans, war, propaganda. Nevertheless there is still the theme of duty, and/or a small light of hope amongst the disheartened men- Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots// But limped on, blood-shod. Even in shoes full of blood, the men march on, partly because they have to and they have been ordered to, partly because they have to protect themselves, but mainly towards that distant rest. This portrayal of dedication (to family, cause, life) is in contrast to the positive connotations of bravery or glory. There is nothing positive about the mens desire to push on, only desperation. This is heightened by the fact that this poem was written in 1917, 3 years after they were promised the war would end by Christmas 1914. The second stanza could be likened to wakening from a dream- the men are drunk with fatigue when a small but urgent voice calls Gas! then more urgently, as the danger is fully understood- GAS! following on from this is an avalanche of awkward words like fumbling, clumsy and stumbling which adds to the urgent, staccato feeling of the stanza structure. This feeling of awkwardness augments itself, then becomes relief (just in time) then turns into pity and excruciating empathy for the someone who is drowning under a green sea, as he is yelling out and floundring like a fish, wrenching at the emotions of the reader; and, it seems, of Owen himself. In the 3rd and shortest stanza, Owen seems to be saying to the reader that the things he had seen were so horrific that he wished he were blind himself. He does this by saying that his sight is helpless, that in his dreams, (one would imagine a sanctuary) even in his dreams he is haunted by the man he saw die as he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. The end of this stanza is so abrupt as to have a painful effect on the reader, as if this description is a flashback of Owens that he cannot stop his helpless subconscious mind from re-enacting in his dreams. The last stanza is really Owen addressing the reader directly, having described to them the graphic things he had encountered. How there were so many dead that they flung them in the wagon, how his dreams were so terrifying that they smothered him and how horribly he had to watch his friends die, gargling blood. He informs the reader that if they had seen what he had seen, they would not tell with such high zest// To children ardent for some desperate glory,// The old Lie; Dulce et Decorem est//Pro patria mori. That you, My friend, the reader, would not dream of speaking of the war with ardour, if to create a utopian fantasy for ones children; if at all. The fact that Owen capitalises the L in Lie along with the ending of the poem with the religiously indicative Latin phrase shows his sarcastic bitterness clearly- he wants the reader to empathise and feel as he feels when he thinks of how he was lied to about a place worse than hell, and even worse, how it was glorified. In conclusion, Owen portrays the horror of war, with an incredibly graphic nature, as at complete odds with popular considerations. He fills the poem with themes of loss, blindness, illness, fatigue, death, blood, uncleanliness and deafness and likens war to a place worse than hell, worse than the reader could even imagine. He displays war as rife with sickening and squalid substance, and the effects it has on the soldiers who survive as incurable, corrupted, horrific, destructive and vile.

Importance Of Soil Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay

Importance Of Soil Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay Quantitative determination of the extent and impact of soil erosion by water in the tropics have been sketchy. However all available evidence indicates that accelerated erosion is a problem of serious magnitude and with a multitude of negative effects in many tropical countries. The awareness to conserve soil began approximately nine thousand years ago when human civilization shifted from nomadic hunting and gathering experience to a more permanent, settled and intensive soil-dependent plant and animal farming systems (Miller, Rasmussen and Meyer, 1985). Soil provides the medium from which most of the sustenance for humankind is derived. This thin, complex, crustal carpet uniquely integrates many attributes of the lithosphere, atomosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere (Miller, Rasmussen and Meyer 1985). Soil is regarded as a nonrenewable source since its formation from the parent rock material to an agriculturally productive growth medium is a very slow process (Lal 1990). The top soil is where most of the living activities of both flora and fauna take place. According to Brady and Weil 1999, the top soil is the upper most part of the soil ordinarily moved in tillage or its equivalent in uncultivated soils which range in depth from 7 to 25 cm (the plow layer). Removal of this plant nutrient enriched topsoil due to soil erosion would result in lowering of soil fertility through losses of both organic matter and nutrients which would result in decline of crop yields (Lal 1986; Rose and Dalal 1988). This loss in soil productivity due to erosion is serious in caribbean countries where fertilizer substitute for the lost plant nutrients is not affordable. This would lead to poorer soil profile characteristics such as low organic matter levels (Rose 1989;Rose 1998). Soil Erosion is perhaps the most serious form of land degradation throughout the world. For the tropics specifically, while it is acknowledged that erosion is more serious than else where, no analytical or systematic studies have been undertaken to document the problem, it consequences or potential solutions. Soil erosion results in lost water and plant nutrients at rates even greater than those occurring naturally through leaching ( Brady and Weil 1999). If there are no conservation practices present, soil erosion will occur and land degradation, reduced productivity due to loos of top soil, increased runoff and off site sedimentation problems (such as siltation of bodies of water and damage to crops and roads) will occur. The consequent socio-economic costs of sometimes more obvious off site damage are commonly easier to identify and quantify (Chrisholm 1987; Rose 1993). 1.2 Soil Conservation Strategies The caribbean is characterized by steep slopes. The degrees of steepness and the proportion of the land area classified as steep may vary. In Trinidad and Tobago, a larger propotion of steep slopes is still covered with natural vegetation which reduces the soil washed off the surface. Trinidad is marked with a long dry season in the early part of the year and then followed by an intense wet season. Most erosion occurs when the land is cleared of vegetation for farming. This usually occurs just before the rainy season. It is important to note however that most food crop production in Trinidad as well as the rest of the Caribbean, is carried out by small farmers on sloping land with no attention to soil conservation practices. This is the main reason for severe soil erosion in Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the Caribbean. Soil conservation is understood as not only involving the control of loss of soil material due to erosion but also the decline in fertility (chemical, physical and biological breakdown of the soil). (Young 1984). The adverse effect of soil erosion is not confined only to decrease in soil depth but ultimately to the loss loss of organic matter and plant nutrients and consequently to degradation of soil physical properties and crop yield decline ( Young 1984). It is important to note however that treating the benefits of soil conservation in isolation from other agricultural improvements does not assure adoption of the soil conservation practice (Young 1984). Integration of soil conservation is important ( Douglas 1988; Shaxson 1988). Sheng and Meiman (1988) stated reasons for the difficulty of farmers in adopting soil conservation practice. The reasons are as follows: i) long time for the result of soil conservation to be realized, ii) identification of benefits from soil conservation and iii) the need for big investments by farmers. It is important to note however that Williams and Walter (1988), in a terracing project in Venezuela, found that improvement in the living incomes and opportunites for employment, increases the difficulty of motivating the farmers to adopt soil conservation practices. Apparently when low income and underemployment prevail, farmers easily participate in soil conservation programmes (Williams and Walter 1988; Liao et al 1988). The adverse effect of soil erosion is not confined only to loss of soil particles but also the loss of organic matter and plant nutrients. As a result of this crop yield decline will occur (Young 1984). Conservation farming should serve as the basis for counteracting the problem of soil erosion. To carry out this approach in developing countries, novel approaches in extension and research are needed. The majority of the soil conservation techniques were developed in the United States of America under condtions different from the other parts of the world experiencing erosion (Sheng, 1982; Hudson 1988; Sheng 1988). The techniques that worked well in the United States were extrapolated to the tropics in the 1930s and 1940s. It took fifty years to realize that these methods were unsuitable for the tropics ( Hudson,1987; Hudson 1988). The dominant traditional farming system in the tropics are the shifting cultivation and related bush fallow systems (Okigbo and Greenland, 1976). The non-ac ceptance of the many recommendations on soil conservation methods is attributed to their in appropriateness and incompatibility with the farmers operating environment (Douglas, 1988). The following agricultural conditions in the United States of America paved the way for the development of soil conservation activities (Hudson,1982;Hudson 1987): Combined good topography and favourable climate Low population pressure for intensive land use Strong and sustained government support well educated and informed agriculture sector Readily available credit and financial support Reliable prices and market outlets for agricultural produce Highly developed and highly mechanized agricultural industry. According to Hudson (1987), the absence of these conditions in most developing countries made the North American approach to soil conseration in appropriate. The absence of political will, or the limitations in or lack of resources often hindered soil conservation programmes in developing countries. The main aim of soil conservation should be preventation rather than cure. Soil conservation activity should be focused mainly on preserving good land rather than reclaiming damaged land. Without waiting for visible soil erosion damage, farmers should be encouraged to understand that there is a need for soil conservation due to continuing reduction in agricultural yield (Hudson, 1987). Loss of agricultural productivity should be emphasized in any soil conservation programme. For sometime, soil erosion research activities had almost been exclusively directed towards uantfying soil loss, hence data on the effect of soil erosion on agriculture productivity is seriously lacking (Crosson and Stout, 1983; ASAE,1985; Follet and Stewart, 1985; Stocking, 1985). Removal of topsoil resulted in decline of yield of a variety of agricultural crops (El-Swaify, Dangler and Amstrong 1982). Factors like type of soil, depth of soil, fertility status, topography, and type of crop affected the size of the decline in agricultural yield (Frye et al, 1982; Langdale and Schrader, 1982; Schertz 1983). There is limited data for soil and crops in the tropics (Lal, 1977). The effects of soil erosion on soil productivity in the tropics are move severe than for temperate countries (Moberg, 1972). This is because of highly weathered soils, fragile fertility status and most crop nutrents are found in the topmost layer of the soil. There is also significant deterioration of physical qualities of the soil as a growing medium after soil erosion (Lo, 1990). Higher erosion rates, the more severe changes in chemical qualities resulting from erosion and the inability of the farmer to provide the necessary inputs for restoring those qualities to a sufficient level were the primary reasons given for these conclusions (El-Swaify, 1990). The benefits of soil conservation are not immediately realized in every case and may initially result in crop yield reductions (John 1988). Improvement in agricultural production, rather than mitigating soil erosion, is of more significance and desirable for the farmer, while prevention of soil loss is an unreal concept for them (Hudson, 1987). The new approach of soil conservation will be a mixture of both agronomy measures as well as mechanical works ( Tracy, 1988). Mechanical systems are frequently expensive, consume space and time, need regular maintenance and do not assure improved crop production (Roose, 1988). Too much emphasis put into mechanical works discourages effective soil conservation policies (Rose, 1989). Conservation farming systems include improved farming, with mechanical protection works being a component of last resort. This approach is consistent with the principle that improved agricultural production should lead to better soil erosion control (Hudson 1988). Biological measures provide immediately recognizable short term benefits to farmers. Any mechanical work involved in soil conservation must m aximize the use of locally available experts, minimize, the use of structures and required labour. Community involvement must be involved (Hudson, 1987). To gain acceptance by farmers, any proposed soil conservation strategy should offer short-term, apparent, rapid or immediately recognizable, directly effective benefits and positive results, particularly for subsistence farmers who work in a short-time scale and who comprise a large percentage of farmers in less developed countries (Harper and El-Swaify 1988; Hudson,1988; Lovejoy and Naiper, 1988; Sanders, 1988; Thomas 1988; Tracy, 1988; Wenner, 1988; Williams and Walter, 1988). Soil conservation techniques recommended for farmers should be simple, easily understood and demonstrated, low cost, productive, sustainable and acceptable (Douglas, 1988;Vonk 1988). Conservation measures should involve principles that can be applied to more than one situation. However, methods and techniques are often site specific and caution should be exercised in extrapolating them to other sites (Saunders 1988). Adoption of soil conservation technology is assured if the farmers have full understanding, support and participation in all the stages of the project, from planning, implementation to maintenance (Harper and El-Swaify, 1988; Sanders, 1988; Vonk 1988; Tracy 1988). Farmers full participation is ensured if they are convinced that their relevant and important needs can be adequately met (Sanders 1988). Thus the farmer needs to be recognized as part of the solution rather than a part of the problem (Hudson,1987; Hudson,1988).

Essay --

How different would the U.S. be if it were not energy dependent upon the Middle Eastern nations? It is estimated that the United States used over â€Å"18.6 million barrels per day (MMbd) of petroleum products during 2012†. (â€Å"How dependent are we on foreign oil?†) The U.S.’s dependence on oil has caused major difficulties regarding its military and economic status. However, biochemists in the U.S. have discovered new ways to decrease the U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil. By fermenting and distilling the sugars of corn, biochemists can create an organic compound called bioethanol (or denatured ethanol) that, when mixed with conventional gasoline, can be able to operate cars. Environmentalists have stated that ethanol may be more detrimental to the atmosphere than traditional gasoline. In addition, carmakers have noted that the use of ethanol may cause problems in cars’ engines. Does the benefit of America being energy dependent outweigh the speculated detrimental consequences of using ethanol? Ethanol is usually combined with traditional gasoline to create â€Å"gasohol† or gasoline and alcohol. â€Å"In fact, one-third of gasoline sold in the US is mixed with ethanol.† (Giametta) Adding ethanol lowers carbon dioxide emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Carbon emissions occur when the fuel combustion of the car is not fully completed. An incomplete combustion may yield carbon, carbon monoxide, and other chemicals. Ethanol is thirty percent oxygen. Adding oxygen yields a more complete fuel combustion; therefore, it would lower the amount of carbon emissions. There are two types of ethanol gas that can operate regular, unmodified cars: E10 and E15. E10 has a concentration of ninety percent gasoline and ten percent ethanol, while ... ...uction can get rid of waste and make fuel. [Also] From farm to car, cellulosic ethanol releases less greenhouse gas than gasoline (86 percent less) and corn ethanol (52 percent less than gasoline).†(Nasr) Cellulosic ethanol shows promising benefits, but it also has its own share of consequences. It, like corn ethanol, will significantly decrease a car’s mpg. Growing the biomass needed to create the ethanol is another matter at hand. Will the U.S. have enough land to grow enough plant biomass to satisfy the demand? Cellulosic ethanol emits greenhouse gases as well, so in reality, it doesn’t particularly solve the problem of greenhouse gases. Hopefully, in the near future, we will be able to mass produce an alternative fuel without any detrimental consequences, but until that time arrives, I believe that corn ethanol isn’t worth the financial and environmental risks.

Epic of Beowulf :: Essays Papers

Beowulf "In a world without hope, a brave soul has nothing to lose." In the epic Beowulf, some might perceive Beowulf as having traits such as being arrogant. Although he is raised in a Pagan society, Beowulf concurs many tasks that an ordinary man could never do. He portrays man in general struggling against outward foes and inward doubts. Beowulf displays his characteristics; courage and strength, fame, perserverence, and compassion; which affords him the opportunity to be looked upon as an epic hero. With a lack of courage, not many can accomplish much. As Beowulf travels, his courage not only grows but stands strong. In his journey to Hrothgar's kingdom, Beowulf is faced with many unbearable tasks many men wouldn't dare to go up against, but with Beowulf, he takes those tasks and runs with them. His fight with Grendal not only proves his courage but his strength as well. Beowulf, being a mortal man, takes Grendal by the hands and tears his hand from his body, leaving Grendal mortally wounded. When Grendal's mother attempts avenge for her son's death, she is rudely awakened. After her kill of Ashchere, she resorts back to her lair in Hell, but not for long. Beowulf goes looking after her and swims through the deep, dark, and miserable waters to Hell. He finds Grendal's mother there and kills her without any warning to her. His bravery saves his people back in his homeland as well. After gaining the throne, a terrible dragon starts to terrorize his home. Here he proves t o his people that he is in fact a true hero. He, with the help of his dear kinsman, slays the dragon even after being wounded. His courage and strength truly proves him an epic hero. With an epic hero, one must know of his travels and battles. As is with Beowulf, he is known throughout the lands. His fame helped him tremendously in becoming this hero. His courageous fights and accomplishments led to his known defeats in battle with huge and fierce monsters. After his death, his people promised him a tumulus to be built in his memory so he could be remembered. Not only did his people hear his request, but they honored it as well. They built an enormous tumulus on top of a high cliff over the waters where the boats would see and remember him by.

Concept Analysis Process

Concept Analysis Process Aim/Purpose: To clarify the meaning of the term â€Å"expert† Definition: Expert 1. A person who has a special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority 2. In the military it is noted as the highest rating in rifle marksmanship, above that of marksman and sharp shooter. Or B which is the person who has attained that high rating 3. Possessing special skill or knowledge; trained by practice; skilled 4. Pertaining to, coming from, or characteristic of an expert i. e. expert advice Attributes- experience, specialized, theoretical, and practical knowledge, highly developed skills, intuitive patterns of functioning, recognition by others. Antecedents: 1. A student of the particular field of study he/she wishes to become an expert in 2. An institution with the accreditation to teach/train others in the particular field 3. The earning of the highest educational degree afforded to a person within that particular field of study 4. At lea st 5 years of experience/practice within the particular field Consequences: . Individual obtains confidence 2. Individual makes more independent decisions in relation to skilled knowledge 3. Peers feel intimidated by individual 4. Peers go to individual for advice Empirical Refinements-consensus amongst those in a profession for defining criteria and specific competencies Ways of knowing: Empirical knowing was used by the group as a whole and individually. Empirical is the scientific information found in data, observations, research, inquiries and so forth.Example: Empirical knowledge was used for understanding and defining the term â€Å"expert†. Aesthetical knowing is allied to creativity; transforming the intangible to tangible. Example: Aesthetical knowing was in play during this assignment. After reading our assignments, research, discussions; understanding of subject while transform into reality via the end product, the finished paper. Personal knowing is obtained throu gh life: our jobs, home life, and recreation. After expert is defined, our experiences defines what the term means to each of us.For some, expert is a resource person that we contact to lead projects or captain a team. An expert can be a role model that we aspire to mimic or someone we and our colleagues place in a position of authority. Ethical knowing is what guides us. It is the center of who we are and what we know as right vs. wrong. Ethical knowing is obtained through our culture, religion and belief system. Example: the leader utilized ethical knowing to assign each of us equal, fair job duties for this assignment.

Fiction and Post-modernism

Post-Modernism is similar to Modernism because in many respects the two movements are similar. Post-Modernism simply means that a new generation concluded, as its elders had done, that there are no certainties and that life has no meaning beyond what we can impose upon it. It is in technique that Post-Modernism distinguishes itself from Modernism and it started in Europe and Latin American in 1945 and in North America in 1960. In Post-Modernism, there was a notion that it was absurd that literature could see life steadily and see it whole. Instead, fragments, individual perceptions, incoherence and even drug-induced hallucinations seemed more real and in touch with the times than any claim of stability or unity. The stories I will be looking further in to, to see how they represent Post-Modernism, are: â€Å"The Babysitter,† by Robert Coover, â€Å"The Balloon,† by Donald Barthelme, and â€Å"Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot,† by Robert Olen Butler, Jr. â€Å"The Babysitter† is a fragmented story about a babysitter taking care of two children while their parents attend a cocktail party. The story has many elements of sexuality in it and the same storyline included different endings, such as the babysitting being raped by her boyfriend and his friend, the children’s father seducing the babysitter, and even the possibility of the young child drowning in the bathtub. The babysitter is watching television shows and switches back between a drama and a mystery, and this mirrors the fragmented situation that is given to the reader. This story represents Post-Modernism because Post-Modernism does not look for a unified sense of self in the individual; like the world the individual is a random collection or collage of miscellaneous pieces of the external culture. In this story, the reader can be very confused as to what is truly happening. Did she actually get raped by her boyfriend and his friend? Or did she get seduced by the children’s father? At the end of the story, we don’t know what happened and it is hinted that there was a murder, but there is no way to confirm this. This story has over 100 paragraphs, and they do not connect with each other. Going back to try to piece them together to make different plots is impossible because some paragraphs don’t even indicate which plot they are a part of. Along the same lines, this work of fiction embraces all aspects of the present culture and puts them in a fantastic combination as a way of conveying the fragmentation of contemporary life. Events in life aren’t always neat and in order; we can live scattered lives and this story represents how we see things in our everyday life. There is no chronological narrative, but instead scattered fragmentations that do not always make sense, just like how a person’s true life is. Lastly, this story represents Post-Modernism because it is metafiction; the â€Å"point† of the story is about the process of making fiction. I felt this story had a mixture of different fiction stories in it, and as a reader we are not sure which one is the truth, or if any of them even happened for that matter. A device of metafiction is the story addressing specific conventions with the story itself, and â€Å"The Babysitter† accomplished this by using the conventions of paragraph and plot, and portraying them in an unconventional way. There were many elements of Post-Modernism used in â€Å"The Balloon† as well. This story is about a seemingly purposeless balloon that suddenly appeared in NYC. It seems the narrator inflated the balloon one night while people were sleeping and covers almost the entire southern half of Manhattan. Everybody is mesmerized by this balloon and are so fascinated as to where it came from and what it means. By the end of the story, it is unsure as to whether there really was a balloon there or whether it was just part of the imagination of the narrator. In Post-Modern thought, any sense of a unifying idea or philosophy or even the notion of scientific progress is rejected. In this story, there was no logical reasoning as to what the balloon represented. It appeared there and people were amazed by it, but there was no real explanation as to how it appeared and what the purpose of it was for. Imagination seemed to be used more than logic and reason. Also, a characteristic of Post-Modernism is that art cannot provide any explanation or unity for experience; it cannot explain or unify experience. To me, the balloon was an artistic representation. People were trying to figure out what it was meant for, but it seemed to provide no purpose for them. The only person it might’ve provided purpose for was the narrator, but I find it odd how he would inflate this big balloon and put it in a place where half of NYC can see, only to use it for his own purpose. Just like with â€Å"The Babysitter,† the point of the story is more about the process of metafiction rather than telling a story. I feel the narrator was using the balloon as a symbol in his own story. The balloon represented a time of unhappiness for him because his love was away; and when she came back the balloon was removed and reserved for another time of unhappiness. Lastly, there are elements of Post-Modernism in â€Å"Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot. † This story is about a parrot that supposedly used to be a man, but had died and was now a parrot. The parrot was bought by his widow, and now he could look around and see how her life is now and to reflect on his previous life and the way he is now. Post-Modernism does not look for a unified sense of self in the individual; like the world the individual is a random collection or collage of miscellaneous pieces of the external culture. This story really did not have much unity and it wasn’t certain whether the parrot was supposed be like a reincarnation of the man, or just a symbol of what he had become. Most people in life don’t believe that a man could die and then become a parrot, and when the parrot is exploring the world around him, it is a random collection. All of the miscellaneous things he sees around him now, he sees in a different light. Similarly, art itself is a collage, a collection of fragments that create no unity. It isn’t certain whether the parrot was only alive after the man had died, or if the man’s soul was transformed in the parrot. The pieces of the story do not always fit together so the reader can be confused as to what truly happened and at the end the fate of the bird is unknown. Also, a characteristic of Post-Modernism is that satire, parody, jokes, and black humor often dominate the tone of a work of fiction. This story had some funny elements in it. There is a scene where the man, in the form of the parrot, is mocking the man that his widow is with. He struggled to say words, and is able to call the man a â€Å"cracker† and also makes a comment when the man is nude and says â€Å"peanut,† and this goes without saying that he is mocking the man’s manhood size. He figured there is no way he can get his widow back, so he resorts to name calling in order to make the man who is loving his wife feel less superior. Post-Modernism was very similar to Modernism, but there is no unified sense of self in the individual. In most of these stories, the individual, like the world, is a random collection or collage of miscellaneous pieces of the external culture. I enjoyed reading these stories because they make you think a lot about what the point of the story is, if there even is one; or the author could be using the metafiction for the story. Either way, these short stories challenge the reader to figure out why the author portrayed the characters and plot the way they are, and what we as readers can take away from the story.

Exploring online consumer Behaviors Research Paper

Exploring online consumer Behaviors - Research Paper Example The primary reason for choosing public school teachers as sample participation is the diversity in income levels, demographics, family size, marital status, gender and online consumer behaviors present in this occupation. Research Procedure To test the hypothesis and address the key areas of investigation i.e. exploring the factors driving online purchases, a quantitative research methodology will be used. In deciding on the target online shopping destinations, experimental manipulation would be required in order to formulate relationship between consumer behavior and motivational characteristics. Factors such as price variability or product quality have to be controlled in order to gauge the correlation between previous online experience and consumer behavior. A sample survey prepared for assessing online consumer behavioral patterns will be distributed among the sample population through a website. The survey would seek general information as age, gender, income levels, marital sta tus and specific questions such as frequency of online shopping, nature of online shopping – specific or everyday use, satisfaction from online shopping experience, basic motivators of shopping online – price differential, ease of transaction, perceived quality, satisfaction of purchase etc and negative experiences in online shopping.

Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Inflation - Essay Example In case proportionately controlled incomes failed to bring about changes in demand, devaluation of money was used as a means of returning to efficiency. However, the failure of the Bretton Woods model led to a period of higher inflation caused by increases in additional demand. (Charles Bean, 2003, pp 1-4) The Bretton Woods model failed for three main reasons. Firstly, the gold standard exchange endangered the U.S. economy with a convertible crisis and the U.S. took stringent measures, which in effect made exchange even more difficult. Secondly, the adjustable peg system failed to work in the wake of capital mobility, which cause even small changes in parities to become large costs. Thirdly, the countries with a trade surplus were becoming progressively reluctant to adjust. The first world countries were uninterested in revaluating their currencies every time the U.S. had a trade imbalance. This resulted in the waning of the American economic power relative to European countries and Japan. The G10 lost its power and the stage was set for a more individualistic and decentralized system for stabilizing macroeconomic conditions. (Michael D. Bordo, 1993) In the 1980’s all monetary targets were unsuccessful because it was very difficult to predict if the policy goals would reap the intermediate or economic targets. So an inflation target was proposed- and the system converted in 1992. The target measure chosen was the Retail Price Index (RPI), which omitted mortgage payments. The target was set at 1-4% with the expectation that it would come to be so near the end of the parliaments term at office. The adoption of the system of inflation targeting was followed closely by utilitarian systems whereby the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Governor of the Bank of England met together with their advisory teams and the minutes of the meeting were published in the Bank’s Inflation Report, which analyzed all inflationary trends with the

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Religion - Essay Example 206-207). The underlying idea behind the black womanist liberation theory is the liberation, freedom and respect of black women and all other people from all ages, genders, races, sexual tendencies, and ecologies. Moreover, black womanist theologians highlight that the unique experiences of their female ancestors have an immense importance in relation to the idea of God and survival in this world (Kamitsuka & American Academy of Religion, pp. 12-18). From example, notable black womanist theologian Jacquelyn Grant while presenting her critique on the white feminist theology and its racism expressed that black women are the ones that have felt and experienced Jesus more closely as anyone else because of the fact that their suffering have made sense Jesus as their co-suffer (Isherwood & McEwan, pp. 68-70). Since Jesus represented the divine incarnation of the Almighty, therefore they are in turn more closely to the creator of the world. Jesus opted for himself the life of despair, tyranny, inequ ality, weakness, and misery and the same has been the case with the black women, and they are blessed to be a part of the same situation in which Jesus lived his life to give a message to the World (Kamitsuka & American Academy of Religion, pp. 12-18). Therefore, the claim of the black womanist theologians is to own their history, learn from it and aim at creating at a better tomorrow for their upcoming generations (Bradley, pp. 206-207). However, the white feminist theology focuses more on oppression of females in general. This theology aims at recreating the role of women as religious authority in their respective religions to earn respect and power, removal or gender related or more specifically male related elements from the concept of God making it more acceptable to females (Isherwood & McEwan, pp. 68-70). Furthermore, highlighting and glorifying the role and image of females as mothers and wives that are the key stones of the society and the lives of the

The cons and pros of fair value versus historical cost accounting and Essay

The cons and pros of fair value versus historical cost accounting and deprival value - Essay Example Financial reporting requires extremely accurate form of measurement to deliver information to lenders and shareholders who are obliged to know how wisely their money is being spent (Barth 2007). Van Zijl & Whittington (2006) reveal that the current form of measurement is increasingly emphasizing on the use of current value to replace historical costs. The principle reason behind the establishment of accounting standards was to ensure that financial information produced by organizations are accurate, reliable, complete, timely and relevant. In addition, accounting standards would ensure that organizations not only demonstrate accountability but also maintain it while meeting statutory reporting requirements such that the stakeholders are accounted for organizational financial performance to support decision making (Cooper 2007). Currently, the measurement basis for measuring amounts in financial statements includes among others historical cost, amortized historical cost, fair value an d value in use. This paper evaluates the pros and cons of fair value versus historical cost accounting and deprival value. 1.0. Current cost should be used in financial reporting Historical cost accounting works well for liabilities that are not traded; representation of liabilities for contractual business obligations like long term deferred revenue, and other complex issues of life insurance and pension liabilities (Macve 2010). However, more emphasis is given to existing stakeholders and stewardship compared to service to investors in capital market and usefulness in economic decisions emphasized by fair value approach which replaces historical costs (Whittington 2008). Historical cost accounting and deprival value characterize the conceptual framework of ASB while fair value is a recent concept that is available only for the last 20 years in FASB, the IASB and the ASB and is increasingly applied in financial reporting. Penman (2007) argues that while historical cost accounting h as been used in items whose measurement using fair value would be unreliable or expensive to quantify, fair value is considered to be informative given that it is applied within mixed measurement system. Defining and measuring current value Fair value is defined by Penman (2007) as the amount that would be obtained from selling an asset or the amount that would be given away in defrayal of a liability in a transaction deemed as methodical and between wiling and well-informed participants. As a result, fair value accounting information reflects the future and not the past, events or transactions (Whittington 2008; Barth 2006). Barth (2007) reveals that the measurement decisions are made by standard setters through focusing on the application of the definitions of elements in financial reporting and the qualitative attributes of accounting information on the basis of financial reporting objective. The use of qualitative attributes is intended at recognizing the desired measurement cha racteristics while the financial reporting objective brings out the context within which the evaluation of measurement will be evaluated (Barth 2007). 2.0. Importance of deprival value concept Van Zijl and Whittington (2006) argue that deprival value is the implying measurement at substitute cost for an asset that has a recoverable amount superior than the costs to be incurred for replacement. The value of an asset is restricted to replacement costs since the loss incurred in losing an asset

The Concept of Status Consumption With Regard to How a Marketer Might Essay

The Concept of Status Consumption With Regard to How a Marketer Might be Able to Use Status to Market a Specific Brand or Product Type - Essay Example People with high degree of honour in society are simply referred to have status. Logically, people with high social status have much recognition than people with low social status. In this direction, there are people who believe that real success in life has to do with the attainment of status. Regrettably though, Waytz (2009) observes that the eagerness to acquire social status leads to aggressive and self-defeating behaviour. However, once achieved, becoming a person of status or class live its ‘benefactors’ with a conventional ways of life. One of these conventional ways of life has to do with what these people with social status consume: thus status consumption. As there become a pedigree of standard placed on the kind of purchases people with status consume, marketing as an industry also become a benefactor if well harnessed with status consumption (Haruna, 2003). What is Status consumption? Schertz et al (2007) argue that status consumption has to do with the †Å"intent of showing off wealth to others when the good is publicly consumed – ranging from applying an expensive lipstick in public to driving an expensive car† (p. 2). ... As Maiese (2004), notes in Harold (1983, 113), there could be several reasons accounting for why people would consume conspicuously but the most outstanding reason could be due to the fact that â€Å" most societies do have some form of social hierarchy with some people in stronger, more dominant positions, and other people in weaker, lower positions.† So in other for the one-time ‘ordinary’ person to be noticed and accorded necessary social respect, he or she would then resort to status consumption. Again, with the blame still going to society as the cause of status consumption, it would be in place to argue that society expects people occupying certain positions to live within a certain conventional class. To this effect society always want to see people such as politicians, music icons, movie stars and sports personalities own certain property, that are tagged as expensive or of class. These are the major reasons why status consumption continues to exist among both the one-time ‘ordinary’ person and the so-called people with status. There are people who presume that status consumption automatically leads to social status acquisition. This is of course another reason why people resort to status consumption. To such people, there is a level of benefit to them. Nobel Laureate economist, John Harsanyi, said that â€Å"apart from economic payoffs, social status seems to be the most important incentive and motivating force of social behavior† (Waytz, 2009). For this reason, people who succumb to status consumption with the hope of gaining social status get a level of psychological satisfaction of the presumed lens with which society sees them. Empirical Scenarios of Status Consumption One group of people

Addiction and the Aging Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Addiction and the Aging - Term Paper Example Challenges which professionals face in relation to these addictions shall also be presented in this paper. The management of such addictions shall also be considered for this paper, especially in relation to support and sober living facilities for the elderly. There are different types of addiction which are currently manifesting in the elderly population. Since the 1990s, experts have noted the rise of alcohol abuse among the older adults – the group which they refer to as the â€Å"hidden population† (Smith). They highlight the fact that among older adults, about 1.1 and 2.3 million citizens use alcohol in order to relieve their loneliness and their anxiety. The greater issue with this problem stems down from the fact that it is not given as much attention by the medical community. As a result, alcohol addiction among the elderly is rising and is not being addressed as a health issue. Consequently, studies point out that as much as 10% to 15% of health issues among elderly adults are actually attributed to alcohol abuse (Smith). It is also a difficult disorder to detect among elderly adults because it mimics other conditions which usually manifest in the elderly population. These conditions and symptoms may include joint a ches and pains, insomnia, loss of sex drive, depression, loss of memory, and anxiety (Smith). Many elderly adults also live isolated lives and have limited opportunities for socialization; as a result, their issue is often not noticed until it has turned into an addiction. Even then, it is difficult to undergo the process of rehabilitation among older adults because of their unwillingness to cooperate and because of their attitude against change (Smith). The fact that society is more likely to ignore the issue among older adults also exacerbates this problem. Drug abuse is also one of

Pregnancy and Briefly Informs Jessica Essay Example for Free

Pregnancy and Briefly Informs Jessica Essay Jessica is a 30-year-old immigrant from Mexico City. She and her husband Marco have been in the U.S. for the last 3 years and have finally earned enough money to move out of their Aunt Maria’s home and into an apartment of their own. They are both hard workers. Jessica works 50 hours a week at a local restaurant, and Marco has been contracting side jobs in construction. Six months before their move to an apartment, Jessica finds out she is pregnant. Four months later, Jessica and Marco arrive at the county hospital, a large, public, nonteaching hospital. A preliminary ultrasound indicates a possible abnormality with the fetus. Further scans are conducted and it is determined that the fetus has a rare condition in which it has not developed any arms, and will not likely develop them. There is also a 25% chance that the fetus may have Down syndrome. Dr. Wilson, the primary attending physician is seeing Jessica for the first time, since she and Marco did not receive earlier prenatal care over concerns about finances. Marco insists that Dr. Wilson refrain from telling Jessica the scan results, assuring him that he will tell his wife himself when she is emotionally ready for the news. While Marco and Dr. Wilson are talking in another room, Aunt Maria walks into the room with a distressed look on her face. She can tell that something is wrong and inquires of Dr. Wilson. After hearing of the diagnosis, she walks out of the room wailing loudly and praying out loud. Marco and Dr. Wilson continue their discussion, and Dr. Wilson insists that he has an obligation to Jessica as his patient and that she has a right to know the diagnosis of the fetus. He furthermore is intent on discussing all relevant factors and options regarding the next step, including abortion. Marco insists on taking some time to think of how to break the news to Jessica, but Dr. Wilson, frustrated with the direction of the conversation, informs the husband that such a choice is not his to make. Dr. Wilson proceeds back across the hall, where he walks in on Aunt Maria awkwardly praying with Jessica and phoning the priest. At that point, Dr. Wilson gently but briefly informs Jessica of the diagnosis, and lays out the option for abortion as a responsible medical alternative, given the quality of life such a child would have. Jessica looks at him and struggles to hold back her tears.