Saturday, August 31, 2019

Answer to Chapter 1 Introduction to Derivatives & Risk Management, Chance, Brooks.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 1. (Market Efficiency and Theoretical Fair Value) An efficient market is one in which prices reflect the true economic values of the assets trading therein. In efficient markets, no one can earn returns that are more than commensurate with the level of risk. Efficient markets are characterized by low transaction costs and by the rapid rate at which new information is incorporated into prices. 2. (Arbitrage and the Law of One Price) Arbitrage is a type of investment transaction that seeks to profit when identical goods are priced differently. Buying an item at one price and immediately selling it at another is a type of arbitrage. Because of the combined activities of arbitrageurs, identical goods, primarily financial assets, cannot sell for different prices for long. This is the law of one price. Arbitrage helps make our markets efficient by assuring that prices are in line with what they are supposed to be. In short, we cannot get something for nothing. A situation involving two identical goods or portfolios that are not priced equivalently would be exploited by arbitrageurs until their prices were equal. The â€Å"one price† that an asset must be is called the â€Å"theoretical fair value. † 3. (Arbitrage and the Law of One Price) The law of one price is violated if the same good is selling at different prices. On the surface it may appear as if that is the case; however, it is important to look beneath the surface to determine if the goods are identical. Part of the cost of the good is convenience and customer service. Some consumers might be willing to pay more because the dealer is located in a more desirable section of town. Also, the higher priced dealer may have a better reputation for service and customer satisfaction. Buyers may be willing to pay more if they feel that the premium they pay helps assure them that they are getting a fair deal. It is important to note that many goods are indeed identical and, if so, they should sell at the same price, but the Law of One Price is not violated if the price differential accounts for some economic value. 4. (The Storage Mechanism) Storage is simply holding the asset. Some assets, like commodities, require considerable storage space and entail significant storage costs. Others, like stocks and bonds, do not consume much space but, as we shall see later, do incur costs. Storage enables us to more adequately meet our consumption needs and, thus, provides for a more efficient alteration of our consumption patterns across time. For example, we can store grains for the winter. In the case of stocks and bonds, we can store them and sell them later. The proceeds from the sale of the securities can be used to meet consumption needs at the later time. Likewise, storage enables speculators to hold goods and securities in the hope of selling them later at a profit. In addition, storage plays an important role in defining the relationship between spot instruments and derivatives. 5. (Delivery and Settlement) In futures markets, delivery seldom occurs. Since delivery is always possible, however, an expiring futures contract will be priced like the spot instrument. The knowledge that futures prices will eventually converge to spot prices is important to the pricing of futures contracts. 6. The Role of Derivative Markets) Derivative markets provide a means of adjusting the risk of spot market investments to a more acceptable level and identifying the consensus market beliefs. They make trading easier and less costly and spot markets more efficient. These markets also provide a means of speculating. 7. (Criticisms of Derivatives Markets) On the surface, it may be difficult to distinguish speculation from gambling. Both entail high risk w ith the expectation of high gain. The major difference that makes speculation somewhat more socially acceptable is that it offers benefits to society not conveyed by gambling. For example, speculators are necessary to assume the risk not wanted by others. In gambling, there is no risk being hedged. Gamblers simply accept risk without there being a concomitant reduction in someone else's risk. 8. (Misuses of Derivatives) Derivatives can be misused by speculating when one should be hedging, by not having acquired the requisite knowledge to use them properly by acting irresponsibly when using derivatives such as by being overly confident of one’s ability to forecast the direction of the market. 9. The Role of Derivative Markets) The existence of derivative markets in the United States economy and indeed throughout most modern countries of the world undoubtedly leads to a much higher degree of market efficiency. Derivatives facilitate the activities of individual arbitrageurs so that unequal prices of identical goods are arbitraged until they are equal. Because of the large number of arbitrageurs, this is a quick and efficient process. Arbitrage on this large a scale makes markets less capable of being manipulated, less costly to trade in, and therefore more attractive to investors. The opportunity to hedge also makes the markets more attractive to investors in managing risk. ) This is not to say that an economy without derivative markets would be inefficient, but it would not have the advantage of this arbitrage on a large scale. It is important to note that the derivative markets do not necessarily make the U. S. or world economy any larger or wealthier. The basic wealth, expected returns, and risks of the economy would be about the same without these markets. Derivatives simply create lower cost opportunities for investors to align their risks at more satisfactory levels. This may not necessarily make them wealthier, but to the extent that it makes them more satisfied with their positions, it serves a valuable purpose. 10. (Return and Risk) Return is the numerical measure of investment performance. There are two main measures of return, dollar return and percentage return. Dollar return measures investment performance as total dollar profit or loss. For example, the dollar return for stocks is the dollar profit from the change in stock price plus any cash dividends paid. It represents the absolute performance. Percentage return measures investment performance per dollar invested. It represents the percentage increase in the investor’s wealth that results from making the investment. In the case of stocks, the return is the percentage change in price plus the dividend yield. The concept of return also applies to options, but, as we shall see later, the definition of the return on a futures or forward contract is somewhat unclear. 1. (Repurchase Agreements) A repurchase agreement (known as repos) is a legal contract between a seller and a buyer, the seller agrees to sell a specified asset to the buyer currently as well as buy it back usually at a specified time in the future at an agreed future price. The seller is effectively borrowing money from the buyer at an implied interest rate. Typically, repos involve low risk secur ities, such as U. S. Treasury bills. Repos are useful because they provide a great deal of flexibility to both the borrower and lender. Derivatives traders often need to be able to borrow and lend money in the most cost-effective manner possible. Repos are often a very low cost way of borrowing money, particularly if the firm holds government securities. Repos are a way to earn interest on short-term funds with minimal risk (for buyers) and repos are a way to borrow for short-term needs at a relatively low cost (for sellers). 12. (Derivative Markets and Instruments) An option is a contract between two parties—a buyer and a seller—that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell something at a later date at a price agreed upon today. The option buyer pays the seller a sum of money called the price or premium. The option seller stands ready to sell or buy according to the contract terms if and when the buyer so desires. An option to buy something is referred to as a call; an option to sell something is called a put. A forward contract is a contract between two parties—a buyer and a seller—to purchase or sell something at a later date at a price agreed upon today. A forward contract sounds a lot like an option, but an option carries the right, not the obligation, to go through with the transaction. If the price of the underlying good changes, the option holder may decide to forgo buying or selling at the fixed price. On the other hand, the two parties in a forward contract incur the obligation to ultimately buy and sell the good. 13. (The Underlying Asset) Because all derivatives are based on the random performance of something, the word â€Å"derivative† is appropriate. The derivative derives its value from the performance of something else. That â€Å"something else† is often referred to as the underlying asset. The term underlying asset, however, is somewhat confusing and misleading. For instance, the underlying asset might be a stock, bond, currency, or commodity, all of which are assets. However, the underlying â€Å"asset† might also be some other random element such as the weather, which is not an asset. It might even be another derivative, such as a futures contract or an option.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology Essay

The day and the life of a teenagers, is consumed with text messages, Face time, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Face book messages. Many of us watch TV, listen to music, and â€Å"live chat† with our friends by way of the â€Å"smart phone†. I’m sure our parents wished for once, we would â€Å"look up† from our phones and have an actual conversation with them, but we can’t. We’re addicted to our phones. And sadly, this is typical living for modern people to â€Å"deal with† this hurried and fast-paced society. Nevertheless, it seems that we have less and less time to face the real world around as â€Å"technology† owns us. Is this new form of communication doing us good or bad? In chapter eight of the book â€Å"Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other,† the author Sherry Turkle, emphasize that people prefer technology over face-to-face communication and therefore, as known as â€Å"cy borgs†. It seems impossible for people to a moment without technological devices such as webcams, cell phones or laptops. We love the ideal of staying connected with others by way of our handheld or lap devices. As stated by the author, â€Å"cyberspace† offer teenagers a place to create and explore identity. Additionally, virtual communities, such as the internet, allow us a chance at forming a â€Å"Second Life†. By creating an avatar, we can edit our lives as we know it by creating a profile that will attract â€Å"followers, friend requests, and likes†. We literally have our relationships in the â€Å"palm† of our hands. But, is this real? Can we sustain these types of relationships? As noted in the chapter, â€Å"Virtual places offers connection with uncertain claims to commitment†¦People talk about digital life as the â€Å"place for hope,† the place where something new will come to them† (Turkle 153). I can admit to checking my phone just about every 5 minutes for a new pictures or messages from my â€Å"friends†. Social media provides instant updates and allow us to stay attune with what’s happening in the world – my world. However, Turkle’s stance remains neutral, yet depicts both the advantages and disadvantages being tethered to the internet gives us. We tend to remove ourselves from society by talking on phones or glancing down at screens of their mobile devices. We â€Å"log out† of the â€Å"real world† and â€Å"log in† the virtual space and therefore, cease the interaction or human connection with people surrounding us. In Chapter 1, Turkle states â€Å"†¦Whether or not our devices are in use, without them we feel  disconnected, adrift. Gradually, we come to see our online life as life itself. †¦ Technology reshapes the landscape of our emotional lives, but is it offering the lives we want to lead?† (16, 17). We’re unable to live without technology. We have conditioned ourselves to never leave home without our devices . Gone are the days of remember important contact information. Our handheld device house all of this information, so should we lose the smart phone, we’re completely lost. Moreover, people feel like their abilities are enhanced and efficiency are increased while multitasking. As noted in chapter 8, â€Å"†¦We have moved from multitasking to multi-lifing.† (160). In fact, we’re unable to perform basic tasks without some form of technological device near us – streaming music, TV, or live chats. It seems that we gain more time from the technological devices than we gain from picking up the phone or having a face-to-face meeting. Turkel, stated, â€Å"The online life may be enjoyable and fulfilling, making one even less satisfied with life at home. Networked, we are together, but so lessened are our expectations of each other that we can feel utterly alone. And there is the risk that we come to see others as objects to be accessed–and only for the parts we find useful, comforting, or amusing.† (154). Our expectations have â€Å"dimmed† due to our reliance on text messages, emails, and other social media outlets. We accept cryptic messages instead of organized, well throughout communications or agenda. Is there such a thing as social media overload? Can we escape from our devices long enough to simply â€Å"breathe†? One of the examples from the book, a museum curator Diane, she can barely keep up with the pace of technology. It’s her goal to remain â€Å"offline† in order to enjoy her life during her scheduled vacation and not feel inclined to response to the â€Å"unread† messages. The author suggests to us that in order to have more time to think, we have to the networked devices away, especially our youth. The author, Sherry Turkle, does not clearly express whether she encourage or discourages the use of networked devices, however, through her words, we can see that she implies that it is important for that we take a break from the virtual world and try to get back to the basics. As for my opinion, I enjoy my smart phone and the access that I have, however, realize after reading this book, I need to develop â€Å"real† friendships and not rely on my â€Å"followers† on the popular social media outlets to bring me instant gratification. However, I agree  with the author, people have a hard time relaxing because we’re always â€Å"on† and in receipt of news, be it good or bad. Yet, I choose the virtual world. Works Cited Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books, 2011. Print.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Taxation - Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Taxation - 1 - Assignment Example   Consumptive taxes are levies on sales of commodities that are subject to use by a business or an individual. While some people understand that a small fee is added on to the buying of commodities in stores, many overlook additional taxes. An example of a consumptive tax is hunting or fishing. Travel fees and toll road levies are also part of consumptive taxes. The IRS carries out three different types of audits: fields audit, office audits, and correspondence audits. If one is audited, the IRS notifies them in writing indicating the type of audit they are conducting. In an office audit, a taxpayer physically takes their documentation to an IRS branch office where IRS examiners review the details of the taxpayer’s documentation. Instances of IRS office audits include circumstances where a taxpayer claims abnormally high deductions and the IRS wants to see the conforming support documents to verify that the information is accurate. A correspondence audit is the mildest audit and normally occurs due to minor mistakes on a taxpayer’s tax returns. Usually, a taxpayer mails the relevant forms and documentations to IRS to complete correspondence audit. The IRS then reviews the full information send by the Customer and closes the audit after addressing all issues. Under Field audit, IRS auditors visit the office or home of the taxpayer to verify that the tax returns were accurate. The main dissimilarity between a field audit and an office audit is that a field audit happens on the premise of the taxpayer while an office audit happens in the IRS branch office. Individuals may request the IRS to perform the field audit at the premise of the taxpayer’s accountant. The main aim of audits from a government’s point of view is to ensure that every taxpayer adheres to the same tax laws and that the taxpayers are reporting and paying taxes correctly. IRS Tax Audits

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Chromatography Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chromatography - Lab Report Example Unknown mixtures of dyes were also resolved into their respective components using paper chromatography. Chromatography is a separation technique that determines the components of a mixture. Drug tests of blood and urine samples as well as determining the presence of harmful substances in drinking and groundwater are the most common uses of chromatography. The solid or liquid stationary phase holds the mixture to be separated. In addition, it is the medium to which the mobile phase passes through. On the other hand, the liquid or gaseous mobile phase passes along the stationary phase and in the process carries the components of the mixture with it. In the end of the experiment, separate bands are observed, representing the different components that move along the stationary phase at different rates. The chromatogram is the pattern of separated bands produced after chromatography. Each band is characterized by its retention factor, which is the ratio of the distance between the origin line and the band of the component and the distance between the origin line and the solvent front. In paper chromatography, a specialized paper made of cellulose is used as the stationary phase. The best mobile phase for a particular separation experiment depends on which solvent system the sample components have different Rf values. Thus, measurement of Rf values of the individual sample components in a variety of solvents is necessary in deciding which solvent to use as the mobile phase. This experiment was conducted to determine, through paper chromatography, the retention factors (Rf) of the seven pure food dyes, red 3 (R3), red 40 (R40), blue 1 (B1), blue 2 (B2), yellow 5 (Y5), yellow 6 (Y6), and green 3 (G3), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and dissolved in three different solvent systems, distilled water, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and 0.10% sodium chloride (NaCl)

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Window-based application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Window-based application - Essay Example It should be able to work, in the same way, as face-to-face training. With this, it will be possible to cut the costs that are associated with the need for employees to travel to Chicago. This kind of training will include a broad range of activities from the provision of orientation for new employees and the opening of various offices in new areas (Bell, Reddy & Rainie, 2004). Besides face-to-face training methods, also other numerous methods and materials are available to help managers equip and prepare their employees to perform better in their work. The use of several methods in each of the training sessions is one of the effective ways through which employees can learn and retain the information. Successful implementation of such plans will require a number of considerations. As such, as members of the HRD team, it will be vital to understand the costs and other needs in using the That is to say; they make it a challenging task to come up with the best method to implement. kind of technology. One of the types of technologies includes the computer-based form of technology. Besides these, there are also online forms of technology as well as E-learning (ASTD, 2001). It is becoming rampant because of the widespread availability of technology. Technology is also becoming comfortable to use. As such, they help to enhance the traditional forms of training. They vary from the simplest programs that are composed of texts only to the more complex and sophisticated forms that make use of the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Most of these technological components require the knowledge of training consultants for development and implementation. There is a need for the trainers to know how to create and operate SharePoint presentations. In this sense, there are certain advantages that are linked to the use of this technology. It can be custom designed to suit different needs

Monday, August 26, 2019

Analysis of the individual causes of the problem on the production Essay

Analysis of the individual causes of the problem on the production system of Toyota - Essay Example Toyota is one of the best known automobile manufacturing companies in the world. Toyota however went into crises last year due to some technical problems that are related to its operations management systems.Two million cars were recalled because of defects. The defects have been traced to the production lines and the company has announced that the problem can be solved if cars with defects are sent for repairs with authorized dealers.So far, 77 complaints have been lodged in the Japan and about 100 in the United States. About 7 different brands are due for mass recall in Mexico as well. There have been mass recalls of some of the cars that are affected by these defects.The defects are related to accelerator pedals and out of position floor mats. This causes the accelerator system to jam and leads to overspeeding which can and have caused accidents in Japan, United States and Mexico. Preliminary research has shown that the overspeeding does not happen suddenly but gradually, and it i s not connected to the electronic systems of the affected cars. Clearly, the problem with these defective Toyota cars can be traced to the production systems of the manufacture of these cars. This research is a proposal on a diagnostic system for the analysis of the operations management system of the defective cars and a diagnosis of the source of the problems in the manufacturing system. The aim of the research is the diagnose and identify the cause of the defects in the Toyota cars affected by the accelerator system problems. ... Objectives: The objectives of the research is to: 1. Examine the normal manufacturing and quality control systems used by Toyota in the United States, Japan and Mexico (the affected countries of the problem). 2. Analysis of the research, design and manufacturing lapses that are responsible for the accelerator defects in the cars in question and the failure of quality control to detect the problems. 3. The scope of the problem and future implications of these problems in the production line of Toyota and analysis of best way of solving the problems at hand. Literature Review The case of Toyota indicates that there were numerous levels of problems and challenges that hit the company. Hiles (2011 p582) gives a series of empirical evidence that is collated from the Kelley Blue Book Survey which shows the impact of the recalls on various levels to Toyota. These affected the customers, suppliers, the worth of vehicles and dealers. Competitors also increased interest in their brands due to Toyota's lapses. Although one might be tempted to think that the problem of Toyota was mainly an Operations Management problem, these outstanding statistics and facts show that the problem had a knock-on effect on the various stakeholder interests of Toyota. This is because the nature of the car manufacturing industry is such that the engineering systems and operations are at the core of the activities of a given entity. And due to the potential fatal effect of any mistake or error in manufacturing, a car manufacturer needs to take care to ensure that the best is done to ensure that cars parts and assembling lines do the right thing to prevent defects. Thus the scope of the problem and any effort to rectify it will mean correcting the lapses in the operations of Toyota and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Portfolio - semester 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Portfolio - semester 1 - Essay Example It is also important because it will enable me to be more vigilant when evaluating data and ensuring it is perfect and up to date as in most cases such information are always ongoing projects. In addition, I will be in a position to identify new business openings and open opportunities for the business in order to improve on their statement approaches. What I want to have achieved by the end of the placement At the end of the placement, I hope to have gained more arithmetical skills that will enable me to perform more tasks that require data collection and analysis. Furthermore, I hope to have improved my participation and devotion characters so that I may become an active member in my working place through taking part in various activities. Criteria 2 Oral communication Why do I think this is important to develop? This element is important because it promotes a high level of understanding and transparency in oral communication as it is interpersonal. There is no constituent of infle xibility in verbal communication, which implies that there is tractability for permitting modifications in the decision-making previously taken. In addition, oral communication is a vital tool for teamwork and team determination (Gonon 2008, p.90). Verbal communication endorses an approachable and motivating positivity among workforces. Therefore, because of these benefits of oral communication, I feel it is very important as it allows interaction within the workplace. By employing effective oral communications skills in a team, I stand a good position to share various ideas with my team members. For me to perform tasks efficiently for the project I have to advance my oral communications skills (Useem 2001, p. 85). I have to develop a proficient understanding with other associates and members of the organization, communicating with them in a formal manner using correct grammatical English. For instance, during my placement I was asked to perform a telephone surveys with staff and me mber from different part of the department. This allowed me to collect qualitative as well as quantitative data from members who are part of the â€Å"Business Allowance Programme.† The feedback from the survey questions gave me an insight of how the programme helped set up the individual company. I also spoke to members and patrons, who are members of the organization asking for their opinions on Chamber’s communications, speaking with member allowed me to enhance my technical vocabulary. At the end of the 6-week project, I was asked to produce a report along with a presentation to the employees of the company. This boosted my self-assurance and vocabulary letting me to execute to the paramount of my capacity. Therefore, this experience was a revelation in my field, especially in terms of improving my oral communication. It made me to realize that oral communication is a very essential component in my project and in the world as a whole as I join the working group. In most organizations, a significant number of employers seek out for applicants with good oral communication; therefore, developing such a character is an advantage for future employment opportunities. What I want to have achieved by the end of the placement By the end of this placement, I hope to have enhanced my oral communication using clear vocabularies during any speech I will be allowed

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Relationships and Connections of Variables Research Paper

Relationships and Connections of Variables - Research Paper Example Learner’s without properly citing the source of the work will be considered plagiarism and will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work submitted or for the entire course, and may result in academic dismissal. The literature offers a myriad of information yielded by various researches on human relationships. Concepts on a wide spectrum from physiological responses to romantic relationships, emotions that are manifested during romances, social implications or consequences of engaging in romantic relationships, and perceptions and viewpoints that are attempted to explain some phenomena related to romance have been analyzed and discussed in the paper. Studies on romance include research conducted by social scientists, which unearthed evidence of physiological responses manifested by heightened hormones in new romances of Dr. Donatella Marazitti and Helen Fisher. Rule of thumb in writing is that you do not use the same word twice in a sentence. One such study is that of adolescents who have become popular subjects/ participants in researches on conceptualization and expectations in romantic relationships... Feiring conducted interviews with adolescents with outcome results that indicated romantic partner selection in late adolescence and early adulthood is initiated due to of stimulus characteristics, such as desirable personality and physical attractiveness. In the adolescents’ reports, physical attraction to a prospective romantic partner is expressed as finding the person cute, pretty or handsome, rather than in terms of sexuality (e.g. a good kisser). As the relationship progresses, common interests and interpersonal compatibility becomes essential. (Conger, Cui, Bryant, and Elder conducted a longitudinal study that examined the effects of family influences on adolescents’ romantic behavior in their early adult life.  

Literature Review on Culture in Public and Private Preschools Essay

Literature Review on Culture in Public and Private Preschools - Essay Example This report stresses that the organisation culture in both public and private preschool has become a concerning issue especially to parents who want their children to study in an institution where there is a unique school culture. Culture as an organisation metaphor in the learning institution is where there is effective communication and sharing of vision, values, beliefs and other unique school cultural aspects with an aim of accomplishing the organizational objectives effectively. The education of a child is significant; thus organisation culture can shape the behavior of the child and determine his or her academic future; thus organization culture should be emphasized in preschool learning environments. This is because the environment of the child can be very influential on the personality, behaviors and character traits of the child in the present and the future years. This paper makes a conclusion that the culture of the preschool has diverse components, which shapes the behaviors and influences of the child; one of the components is social and this is linked with the family and school. Most preschools have multiple age groups of students; thus many of them intend to offer an effective learning and social environment where children are given opportunities to learn from each other through socialization. The child is able to cope up in a learning environment where students and teachers are friendly or socialize well; thus contributing to successful accomplishments of organizational goals. (Berns, 2004). Another component of culture is the environmental set-up and this involves the preparation for the environment in an effective manner in order to match with the desired needs of the child. Glicken (2011) argues that the environment should be comfortable such as the classroom size should have a sizeable number of children and better learning materials ; thus enabling the child to study comfortably. Moreover, it should be like a home because this can enable the child to learn varied practical or real life issues. For instance, there should be a place where the child should practice proper self-help skills and the environment should have adequate security. Therefore, the preschool coaching and learning principles should be grounded into a strong theoretical framework of organisation culture with an aim of delivering high quality education services to children.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Response 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response 1 - Assignment Example I would like to add that health informatics technology is specifically important in the present age when people are generally endorsing more carefree and riskier lifestyles with respect to their diet and life choices, and at the same time, are becoming increasingly forgetful of their medical conditions and history. Health informatics technology is a great addition to the ever-advancing medical technology in that the focus of nurses and clinicians will now be on the selection of the best method of treatment rather than on finding ways to retrieve accurate information from the patients. Your’s is an elaborative response to the discussion questions and the statements and assertions are supported by reliable and credible sources, which reflects depth of research and richness of intellectual response. Just a small suggestion; in my opinion, in the response to the first discussion question, the concluding sentence â€Å"a recent article†¦Ã¢â‚¬  can be relocated to the beginni ng section where other definitions of meaningful use have been discussed to give a better flow and structure to the

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Contain communism Essay Example for Free

Contain communism Essay Communism had always posed a threat to the interest of the U.S. and their attitudes towards the U.S.S.R. had proved they had not entertained the idea of communism much. But it was not until February 1946 did it all come out and the U.S.A began to act towards containing communism. The policy of containment meant the U.S. actively prevented the psreading of communism.There were several ways with which the U.S. tried to contain communism some of which were futile and others effective. However, for every move the U.S. made the U.S.S.R. had a retaliation. One way with which the U.S. tried to contain communism was with the use of the atomic bomb. The dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima was a method that was used to bring the war between the Japanese to a quick end with few loss of American lives. Described by Truman as the greatest thing in history the bomb had a very devastating effect taking up to 70 000 lives. After that another bomb was dropped in Nagasaki, this was particularly to impress Stalin and scare him if possible. However this was to blow up in Trumans face. Stalin feeling that it was an insult that he was never informed of such a weapon by his allies was not impressed and also became more suspicious of the U.S. And the fact that he was also denied the islands in the far east since he had nothing to do with the defeating of Japan also irritated him more. Trumans attempts did not work instead Stalin sought a production of his very own atomic bomb, and alhough it was initially predicted the Soviet Union would get the bomb within 10 years, mysteriously the bomb was in the hands of the Soviets a lot sooner than that, they had it within 4 years. So Truman had nothing against Stalin now. This was one of the unsuccessful means of containing communism because it rather increased the already existing tensions between both countries during the cold war. And because it was a suspicious thing that the U.S.S.R. got the bomb so soon and the U.S. neglected to mention the weapon to the U.S.S.R. suspicion between both countries increased and the gulf between the countries expanded further. Another way in which the U.S. tried to contain communism was through propaganda. The methods through which communism was extending its influence throughout eastern Europe was blatantly unprofessional. The method was given  the name salami tactics where by countries in eastern Europe fell one by one into the influence of communism. For example, Czechoslovakia was the last democratic country in eastern Europe until 1948. The elections were coming up in May but because the communist were blamed for the country not receiving the Marshall aid the communist party was expected to do badly. However, before the election there was a coup detat where the police force took over and removed every non-communist personnel from office. In February, representatives of opposing parties were removed and Jan Masaryk the foreign minister who opposed communism personally mysteriously fell out of the window during the coup. The Czech communists took over with little blood shed and with no help from the Soviet Union. These was how the communist parties took over in other countries, by dissolving opposing parties and killing their leaders. This was the method that was used in east European countries such as Poland in 1947,Bulgaria also in 1947, in Romania and Albania, 8 countries in total were taken over using the salami tactics.and the only response the U.S. could give to this was verbal abuse. They simply, verbally condemned the acts which were committed and were hoping that the U.S.S.R would perhaps feel guilty and digress but unfortunately that did not work at all. This method of containment was perhaps the weakest of all mehods because the U.S.A. in no way showed any opposition to the methods used. This could be assumed as slacking in the part of the U.S. to containing communism. The most successful was the combination of policies, that is, Marshall plan and the iron fist policy. The iron fist was a result of the long telegram of February 1946 by George Kennan,deputy chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in Moscow. The telegram though it was lenghty simply said the Soviet Union was neurotic. He saw them as aggressive and insecure and concluded that there should be no compromise with the Soviet Union. Another factor that added to the development of the iron fist approach was that the U.S. were not prepared to make the same mistake that was made by the British. The Britains had a policy of appeasement with Nazi-Germany. They had negotiations with Hitler and gave him whatever he requested for as long as it was seen as reasonable but the appeasement only encouraged Hitler to ask for more and soon there was an outbreak of war in 1939. Truman and other  politicians agreed that they did not want the same thing to happen with the U.S.S.R. so therefore the iron fist approach was justified where by Truman refused totally to negotiate with the U.S.S.R. The Marshall plan also was another technique used. George Marshall was the new U.S. secretary of state and he had travelled through western Europe and was disheartened by the devastation he saw and was shocked by the economic crisis of the region. When he came back, he suggested that america invest in the economy of Europe, he argued that as America was a marketing economy Europe would have been a good consumer base but if there was no way for Europe to be able to afford their goods then no profit would be made and the economy of the U.S. would suffer. Therefore investment in the European economy was the solution. Though he asked for 17 million dollars, he was granted 13 million and so this money was distributed through out western Europe. Ofcourse the U.S.S.R. reacted negatively to this and also formed the comecon which organised economic assisstance to the countries of eastern Europe. But unfortunately this was no match for the Marshall plan. Added to this, in Germany, the Yalta and Potsdam agreements had stipulated that Germany be divided into two buffer zones. The western zone was to be under the supervision of the western powers while the eastern zone was under the U.S.S.R. However, in the eastern region, the U.S.S.R. continued taking reparations from Germany because of the damages of world war 2 where as, The U.S. kept putting money into the western zone. Soon it became obvious that the western zone was flourishing compared to the eastern zone. This caused the Berlin blockade of 1948-49. The U.S.S.R.s attempt to divide the eastern zone from the western zone. But this was where the Marshall plan and the iron fist came into play. Truman through the approach of the iron fist refused to give into these manouvres of the U.S.S.R. And with the money from the Marshall plan, the west were able to supply aid to Berliners, they flew food and supplies to them through the Berlin airlift and they were able to provide to over 2 million Berliners. The result of this was that Stalin had to give in and brought down the Berlin blockade by May 1949. A successful combination of the iron fist approach and Marshall plan, the west were able to gain an initiative giving the situation that happened in czechoslovakia and other east European countries. Another successful means of containing communism was the Truman doctrine.In February 1947, the British warned the U.S. that they could not keep their troops in Greece any longer which they had been in since 1944. But after the second world war, the British government began to feel the effect in their economy as they owed 3000 million pounds. This scared Truman because he believed communism was taking over and so by March 1947 he issued the Truman doctrine that specified that any country that had a democratically elected government and was fighting off communism would be given militarial support. And so with this, support from America was given to Greece and the communists were defeated. Stalin, however saw this as U.S. imperalism although he had no retaliation for this because in the first place, he had kept an agreement with Churchill that Greece was an area of British influence. None the less, the U.S. were still able to fight off communism in Greece. These were some of the ways the U.S. had contained communism or tried to.Through militarial means, that is the Truman doctrine and financial mean such as the Marshall plan. And also through propaganda, when they tried belittle the communists because of their use of salami tactics. They also tried the use of terror which was the A-bomb but that proved unsuccessful. Like some of the techniques used and on the other hand, others were quite successful indeed.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Agriculture In Ancient Mesopotamia

Agriculture In Ancient Mesopotamia Have you ever wondered once where and when agriculture was first practiced in this world and the methods used to develop it? First of all, agriculture, a bit similar to farming, is the occupation, the business, or the science of cultivating land, producing crops, raising livestock. The birth of agriculture was preceded by hunting and gathering which was the only way of surviving for the ancient occupants of the world. Civilization started in the Middle East of the blue planet and many discoveries have been made including agriculture which is one of the most important. Indeed agricultural activities in the Mesopotamian kingdom are dated back between 8000 BC and 6000 BC. The Ancient Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, precisely on the Asian continent. The situation of the empire was also part of the agricultural development. It consisted of two principal seas such as the Euphrates and the Tigris and was surrounded by many vast seas where they could draw water for additional sup ply. Despite the arid climate and scarcity of rains in Mesopotamia, they made use of irrigation as principal method to water their crops. However, the invention of agriculture came with its consequences which appeared both good and bad for the Mesopotamian kingdom. Although agriculture was a great discovery for the Ancient kingdom, helped by its location and methods, its impacts appeared to be both positive and negative. It is clear that before the advent of agriculture, hunting and gathering was the surviving method. People were going inside bush to hunt wild animals for their meat and skin and were collecting natural consumable plants or grains. In fact agriculture intervened just between the years 8000 BC and 6000 BC with the domestication of animals such as goats and crops growing in the Ancient Mesopotamia. According to Robert Chadwick, the author of First Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, three mains assumptions could be the reasons of the advent of agriculture and each of them having one major reason. He said: The three hypotheses presented all maintain that there was one major cause behind the origins of agriculture. In the case of the oasis hypothesis it was a great climatic change; foe the nuclear zone hypothesis it was a certain set of conditions that created a special ecological region where agriculture could occur; for the population pressure hypothesis it was the increase in human population (Chadwick, 27). This is to say that the real factors which started agriculture are not really determined despite the fact that researches are being made about the whole issue. As we said above, agricultural activity was actually apparent in the beginning of the years 6000 BC. The early settlement of the cultivating activity was achieved through many steps such as the Hassuna, the Samarra and the Halaf according to the Encyclopedia AMERICANA (p. 737). These establishments took place from the North to the South of the worlds first civilization. More importantly, there was a great variation of crops that the Mesopotamian society were domesticating or cultivating in their time. In the New Encyclopedia Britannica it is said that:à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and the wild prototypes of grains and leguminous plants, such as wheat, barley, bitter vetch, pea, and lentil were present. This explains that there was diversity in their food production which was a good step in the development of agriculture of the Ancient Kingd om. In addition to that, Louis and Jenifer of the website best.berkley.edu who posted an article titled Farming and agriculture of Egypt and Mesopotamia added that: Farmers raised grain, fruit, vegetables, and barn yard animals. Without any doubt we can state that the discovery of agriculture in the ancient kingdom was being useful as the products were in abundance, varied and diverse. For agriculture to develop, the land has to be in a good location with a fertile soil. In fact, the agricultural settlement of Mesopotamia occurred in many places from the North to the South. The ancient kingdom possessed a very fertile soil favoring the development of cultivations activity. Precisely, as the ancient kingdom is located in the Middle East, it appears to be the first place where agriculture began in a general way. In the plains of northern Mesopotamia, the Zagros and the Taurus foot-hills were among the first places where the cultivating activity was practiced. In the Encyclopedia AMERICANA, it is said that: Agriculture began in the Middle East, in the Zagros and Taurus foot-hills, home of wild cereals and wild goats and sheep. From there the earliest settlements were established on the plains of northern Mesopotamia (Agriculture, 737). Moreover, the three cultural phases listed in the Encyclopedia AMERICANA such as Hassuna and Halaf which took place in the northern pa rt of the empire and Samarra was more a southern settlement. Also, the people called Ubaid extended their culture from north to the south before they settle along the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia to Syria where they also practiced agriculture (Agriculture, 738). More importantly, along the coasts of the present day Iran, Anatolia, Syria, Iraq and Palestine were cited among the places where cultivations occurred and made the populations to settle around in order to have a good improvement of the new discovery (Agriculture, 864). While talking about the sites where there was evidence of farming, we should not forget to mention places like Zawi Chemi Shanidar, Shanidar itself, Karim Shahir, Qalat Jarmo, Jericho, Catalhuyuk and many others appearing to be locations where agricultural settlements occurred in the Ancient kingdom of Mesopotamia. Even though the Mesopotamian soil was fertile in a way that agriculture was very easy, there was a problem linked to the scarcity of rains. Nevertheless, they knew how to overcome the issue by the use of methods such as irrigation. In Fact, irrigation is the fact to bring additional water supply to a dry area in order to help crops growth. Certainly, the land consisted in its interior of wide rivers such as the Euphrates and the Tigris representing the most important ones from where water could be drawn to the cultivations fields and surrounded by Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Aral Sea, Arabian Sea and Caspian Sea also (Ancient Mesopotamia, Encarta). Mesopotamia was totally dependent on irrigation and its two big rivers because of the scarcity of rains and the article wrote and posted by Larry Mays on the site Water Encyclopedia says: Irrigation was extremely vital to Mesopotamia (Mays, Ancient Irrigation systems, waterencyclopedia.com). The method of water flow control was first pra cticed in the two worlds first civilizations respectively Egypt and Mesopotamia. The application of the method needed a lot of physical work, correspondingly building. Activities such as building canals, ditches, tunnels, wide gaps where the water would come and stay and the maintenance of the infrastructures were constant in the area and it took them a lot of time to realize all this. Presently, according to waterencyclopedia.com, some abandoned canals and ditches still remain in the area but not intact, the farming activity of Mesopotamia started declining overtime caused by the accumulation of salt in the soil and in 1258, Mongols took over the empire and damaged the irrigation systems. By still dealing with Mays article on Water Encyclopedia, we got to know that the soil of the empire was full of silt, a major factor of soil fertility but constituted a continuous agent causing problems in the irrigation systems. Therefore, as there was not enough rainfall, the soil was kept its fertility because irrigation method could not wash a soil until removing its minerals components favoring good food production. Nevertheless, the Mesopotamian agricultural activity knew many problems such as flooding of water coming from the melting of snows in summer from the Turkish mountains according to the web page historylink.com and an unpredictable water flood from its two principle rivers respectively the Euphrates and Tigris according to the article of Louis and Jenifer posted on best.berkley.edu. However, irrigation carried many consequences on the farming activity in Mesopotamia. Irrigation maintained the fertility of soils because it did not deepen or sink the minerals as the way rainfall usually does. Minerals inside a soil are very important and help a fast and good food production at the end of an agricultural session. The topsoil did not wash away as it does on sloping land, and minerals did not leach deep into the soil as they do under heavy rainfall. Hence, the fe rtility could be maintained indefinitely by the use of fairly simple soil-management practices (Farming in Mesopotamia) said the web site historylink.com about the impacts of irrigation. Socially, the development of irrigation was helpful to citizens in a sense that it was a physical and intellectual work helping for additional knowledge and body welfare. A fertile soil combined with irrigation result to good and fast food production as we all know. Meanwhile, agricultural settlement also had a great impact on the ancient empire social life. In fact, changes occurred in the populations life right after the discovery of agriculture. Agriculture is an activity which is practiced in a long period of time in such a way that it can neither be done in one day nor with a constant motion of the cultivators; sedentariness is needed in such activities. The educational web site called Mesopotamian.lib.uchicago.edu also demonstrated the same idea by saying: The most significant change was the shift from a nomadic life-style to settled villages. In order to care for crops and herds of animals, people needed to live in one place (First Farmers, Ancient Mesopotamia). Moreover, as by then the population settled down in one place in order to take care of their crops and animals, there was obviously an increase in inhabitants because the rate of mortality would have probably reduced, especially infant mortality caused by the constant motion of po pulations. There was also increase in food production due to the determination of the population in order to have a peaceful life without starvation. Nevertheless, the settlement of population either in cities or villages created social classes and therefore there would obviously be conflict in places where there are different levels of people. This discovery of agriculture made by the early Asians and the methods they used to develop it helped them in varying food. As soon as they noticed it was working they cultivated many different types of crops such as vegetables, talk less of fruits. They knew how to domesticate animals and also even though agriculture became the principal activity, hunting still survived. Jenifer and Louis also talked about it and said: Some of the fruits they planted were dates, grapes, figs, melons, and apples. Their favorite vegetables that they grew were the eggplant. They planted vegetables such as onions, radishes, beans, and lettuce. Farmers irrigated land and started planting wheat, barley, millet, beans, and sesame seeds. They used spears to hunt, caught fish in nets, and killed birds with sling shots and arrows (Farming and Agriculture in Egypt and Mesopotamia). Ultimately, we can say that the discovery of agriculture proves once more that the Ancient Mesopotamia is one the worlds first civilizations. Agriculture was a great and genius invention made by the ancient people though it was not easy to practice it because of the scarcity of the rainfall, but irrigation was used as support for water supply. The use of irrigation made at the same good and harm to agricultural activity in Mesopotamia in a sense that there was fast and good food production, but the activity was becoming more and more complex because of salt accumulation due to irrigation. However, cultivation also had its own consequences both positive and negative. Population settlement has always had both positive and negative impacts on social life such as the coming together of population when it comes to work and class struggle between different people and that was the case with Mesopotamia before their decline.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Swot Of Virgin Atlantic And The Airline Industry

Swot Of Virgin Atlantic And The Airline Industry For its service company is well recognized and has been getting rewards which are providing them with a strong brand image. Zagat, 2009 ranked them as leading players for international inflight services like entertainment and flyer program. Also by travel weeklys 2009 virgin Atlantic was ranked as the best international airline. http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2009/01/28/30064/globe-travel-awards-2009-all-the-winners-by-category.html Also in Western Europe, company has been ranked on first place in comparison to British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa. Also in January 2010, company has received award of Best Scheduled Airline and Favourite Airline. A good brand is a competitive advantage for the company to make position in global market and also to compete with its competitors. http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2010/01/20/32852/globe-travel-awards-2010-the-winners-in-full.html Comprehensive Services Company provides a good service to its customers. Services like check in facilities, baggage handling, meal catering, and in-flight entertainment. It is one of the largest British companies which provide long haul international airlines. Sometimes they also provide passengers with special treatment i.e. providing them with the special meals, mobility aids and also with the health camps at the time of departure and arrival. Virgin Atlantic also offers flying clubs on which they can earns miles and after having a specific number of miles they can have a free ticket. It is one of the largest airlines that provide long haul tours all over the world. Strong financial performance Company is enjoying a strong financial performance even during the financial crisis and economy crisis. 2007 2008 2009 Turnover 1,816,200 2,010,900 2,238,800 Profit Before Tax 31,400 6,000 49,800 Profit Margin 1.73 0.30 2.22 In 2009 the company turnover has increased by 10.17% as compared to 2008. Also the profit before tax increased by 87.95% to reach  £49,800 in fiscal year 2009 compared to  £6000 in 2008. Also profit margin increased from 0.30 to 1.73 in 2009. From the financial analysis we can see that company is enjoying the strong financial performance that has allowed the company to expand its operating activities in both markets i.e. domestic and international. WEAKNESSES Private Ownership Its really difficult for the company to raise capital as it is private owned, which gives unfavourable position to a company in comparison to publically owned company. Publically owned company have healthier access to capital market, and also superior financial flexibility in funding initiatives. Virgin Atlantic airways needs extensive capital to grows its business market for that they have to be under public ownership rather than private ownership as private ownership provide limited amount of financing option for the company. Lack of Scale Virgin Atlantic airways in its operation is lacking behind with large players in the market i.e. large players like British Airways and Air France- KLM operates in 300 and 249 destinations whereas Virgin Atlantic is only functioning in 30 worldwide destinations only. Also British airways and Air France- KLM got fleet base of 245 and 635 aircrafts whereas Virgin Atlantic got fleet base of 38 aircraft only. So we can conclude that its competitors are large in size which gives them a competitive disadvantage. OPPORTUNITIES Growth of Global Airlines Industry With the help of research it has been found that airlines industry has got a tremendous growth in past few years and is expected to grow more in future. Researchers found that airlines industry worldwide had total revenue of $467.4 billion in year 2008. By 2013, the airlines industry globally will get the revenue of $609.3 billion i.e. increase of 23.30%. In 2008, 2.1 billion passengers travelled with the source of airways. Researchers forecasted that by 2013 the volume of passengers will increase to 2.6billion i.e. by 19.23% since 2008. Right now Virgin Atlantic is only operating in 30 destinations globally. In future as the global airlines industry is growing, it will provide an opportunity to company to increase their operating destinations which help them to increase their revenue and market. Global travel and tourism industry is growing Air travel industry is well-known within the transport and tourism industry, as it is the only source of transport for international travellers. With the help of research it has been found that in 2009 over half of the UK population had travel by the source of air travel, which tells that the demand for the air travel is very strong. Even at the time recession, the outlook for the air industry remains stronger for the long term prospective. With the help of World Travel Tourism Councils Tourism Satellite Account research we are able to discovery that the revenue passenger-Km has grown to 11.9% in June 2010. This has helped air industry to recover from the volcanic eruption in April. Also it has been found that the Real GDP for the Travel Tourism Economy was -4.8% in 2009 and now in 2010 is expected to be 0.5%. Also they have predicted that the world travel and tourism will produce over $13trillion for the period of 2008-2017, i.e. is the average growth of 4.3% per annum. We can conclude that in future increasing of global travel and tourism industry will generate additional revenue for the virgin Atlantic airways. (http://www.wttc.org/eng/Tourism_Research/Economic_Research/Monthly_Update_of_Tourism_Indicators/) THREAT Intense competition and price discounting Intense competition and price discounting The airline industry is characterized by substantial price competition, especially in domestic markets. Carriers use discount fares to stimulate traffic during periods of slack demand.Virgin Atlantic competes on the basis of price, customer service, costs, frequency and convenience of scheduling, frequent flier benefits, efficiency and productivity. Some of its major competitors include, AMR, Air France-KLM, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines System, Lufthansa and UAL. In recent years, the domestic market share held by low-cost carriers has increased significantly and is expected to continue to increase, which is dramatically changing the airline industry.The increased market presence of low-cost carriers, which engage in substantial price discounting, has diminished the ability of the network carriers to maintain sufficient pricing structures in domestic markets to achieve profitability. In addition to price competition, airlines also compete for market share by increasing the size of their route system and the number of markets they serve. The increased competition in these markets, particularly to the extent the companys competitors engage in price discounting, may have a material adverse effect on the companys results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. EU regulations The European Union has passed legislation that came into effect beginning early 2005, for compensating airline passengers who have been denied boarding on a flight for which they hold a valid ticket. The legislation also imposes fixed levels of compensation to passengers for cancelled flights, except where the airline can prove that such cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather, air-traffic control delays or safety issues. Passengers subject to long delays (in excess of two hours for short haul flights) would also be entitled to assistance including meals, drinks and telephone calls, as well as hotel accommodation if the delay extends overnight. In addition for delays, over five hours, the airline would be required to reimburse the cost of the ticket or provide rerouting to the passengers final destination. The imposition of the regulation would significantly increase the expenses incurred by Virgin Atlantic and may affect its profitability. Rising aviation fuel prices Due to the rising oil prices globally, the prices of aviation fuel have gone up substantially in the past few years. The average cost of a gallon of commercial jet fuel in the US has increased since 2000, from $0.7 per-gallon in 2000 to $1.9 per-gallon in 2006. According to the Air Transport Association (ATA), at a usage rate of 19.5 billion gallons of fuel a year, each penny increase in price per gallon adds $195 million in annual costs for the airline industry. Aviation fuel, which comprises the largest cost component for a transporter, is responsible for the declining margins of most air transportation companies. As a result, some logistics companies incurred huge overheads while operating in many low-volume destinations. This trend could impact Virgin Atlantics margins too as it is mostly reliant on air freight business. Slowdown of global economy According to the IMF world economy outlook, the world economy will slow sharply in 2008 and in 2009, with the US likely to slide into recession triggered by the current financial turmoil. The IMF forecasts, that the global economy, which grew by 5% in 2007, will lose considerable speed slowing to 3.9% in 2008 and 3% in 2009, marking the lowest growth rate since 2002. In the past, the IMF has called global growth of 3% or less the equivalent to a global recession. Virgin Atlantic operates through 30 countries globally. A weak global economic outlook is likely to impact demand for air travel and the company cannot offer any assurances in regards to the performance of its business model under changed economic conditions. Therefore, Virgin Atlantics business is likely to be adversely affected

Monday, August 19, 2019

Prospero’s Loss in Shakespeares The Tempest Essay -- Tempest essays

Prospero’s Loss in The Tempest       Shakespeare’s The Tempest is a play about loss - more specifically, Prospero’s loss. Prospero is a tragic hero, in a sense, because he makes the transition from having everything to having nothing. He loses his daughter. He brings his enemies under his power only to eventually lose control and release them. In the end, he gives up his influence on the world – including his incredible power over nature itself. The Tempest can be seen as a tragic play because of a few elements – Prospero is a dominant figure who must have revenge in return for the wrongs inflicted upon him, and, in his fury, he manages to destroy his enemies as well as his own humanity and his daughter’s future.    Prospero is shown to be somewhat of a dictator in The Tempest. He doesn’t speak to the other characters, instead he dictates â€Å"at† them. Rather than converse with his daughter Miranda, Prince Ferdinand, and Ariel, he tells them his thoughts with no intention of receiving a response. At the end of Act IV Prospero is caught up in the ecstasy of punishing and determining the fate of ... ... William Shakespeare. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1958. xlii. Palmer, D. J. (Editor) The Tempest - A Selection of Critical Essays London: MacMillan Press Ltd., 1977. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans, et. al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. Solomon, Andrew. "A Reading of the Tempest." In Shakespeare's Late Plays. Ed. Richard C. Tobias and Paul G. Zolbrod. Athens: Ohio UP, 1974. 232. John Wilders' lecture on The Tempest given at Oxford University - Worcester College - August 4th, 1999. Prospero’s Loss in Shakespeare's The Tempest Essay -- Tempest essays Prospero’s Loss in The Tempest       Shakespeare’s The Tempest is a play about loss - more specifically, Prospero’s loss. Prospero is a tragic hero, in a sense, because he makes the transition from having everything to having nothing. He loses his daughter. He brings his enemies under his power only to eventually lose control and release them. In the end, he gives up his influence on the world – including his incredible power over nature itself. The Tempest can be seen as a tragic play because of a few elements – Prospero is a dominant figure who must have revenge in return for the wrongs inflicted upon him, and, in his fury, he manages to destroy his enemies as well as his own humanity and his daughter’s future.    Prospero is shown to be somewhat of a dictator in The Tempest. He doesn’t speak to the other characters, instead he dictates â€Å"at† them. Rather than converse with his daughter Miranda, Prince Ferdinand, and Ariel, he tells them his thoughts with no intention of receiving a response. At the end of Act IV Prospero is caught up in the ecstasy of punishing and determining the fate of ... ... William Shakespeare. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1958. xlii. Palmer, D. J. (Editor) The Tempest - A Selection of Critical Essays London: MacMillan Press Ltd., 1977. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans, et. al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. Solomon, Andrew. "A Reading of the Tempest." In Shakespeare's Late Plays. Ed. Richard C. Tobias and Paul G. Zolbrod. Athens: Ohio UP, 1974. 232. John Wilders' lecture on The Tempest given at Oxford University - Worcester College - August 4th, 1999.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Professional Sports - NBA Players are Greedy Essay example -- Argument

NBA Players are Greedy      Ã‚  Ã‚   How many of us would love to make $2.4 million a year? Or even better, how does $126 million over a six-year period sound? Then again, why stop there? As John Donovan, a sports analyst for Sports Illustrated and CNN points out, with the average salary of players in the NBA at $2.4 million a year, and some players with contracts well over $100 million, it's hard to see what many of them are complaining about. Players in the NBA need to stop being so greedy, agree to a drug policy and realize that they are employed by the owners and should follow all rules and regulations set by the league.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though the NBA is a multi-billion dollar industry, it does not mean that the owners should have to pay over 50% of their revenues in player salaries. Something needs to be done to stop the enormous growth of player salaries that has been taking place the last couple of years. The NBA players union seems to believe that they should have salaries as high as the market can bear. The NBA was started by the owners and others as a business. Therefore, all of the players are employees of the owners and the league. The league and owners are the ones who do all of the advertising, make deals with television stations, sign contracts for licensing and make it all happen. They are the ones who should be reaping the most financial rewards. In his magazine article, "Held Ball", Phil Taylor, a writer for Sports Illustrated lets us know that with the signing of a new four year, 2.6 billion dollar contract with NBC and Turner Sports, the league seems to have plenty of money. But wit h figures of about a billion dollars being paid out in player salaries, there is not enough money to pay for all the employees, ... ...h the introduction of a hard salary cap, restricted free agency, and a drug policy, the league would be more competitive and have a better image with the public. It is sad that some players in the league care more about how much money they make than the opportunity that they have, created by the league and the owners, to play the great game of basketball.    Works Cited Donovan, John. "A lockout primer." October, 1998, Online. World Wide Web. http://cnnsi.com/basketball/nba/1998/labor/news/1998/06/24/lockout_primer/ 13 Oct 1998 Donovan, John. "NBA on Shaky Ground as Owners, Players Fight Over Money." CNN/SI. June 24, 1998 Jorgensen, Loren. "Black day for NBA." Deseret News 14 Oct 1998, none Robinson, Doug. "In NBA tiff, who are the good guys?" Deseret News 14 Oct 1998, none Taylor, Phil. "Held Ball." Sports Illustrated Oct 1998: 68-73. Professional Sports - NBA Players are Greedy Essay example -- Argument NBA Players are Greedy      Ã‚  Ã‚   How many of us would love to make $2.4 million a year? Or even better, how does $126 million over a six-year period sound? Then again, why stop there? As John Donovan, a sports analyst for Sports Illustrated and CNN points out, with the average salary of players in the NBA at $2.4 million a year, and some players with contracts well over $100 million, it's hard to see what many of them are complaining about. Players in the NBA need to stop being so greedy, agree to a drug policy and realize that they are employed by the owners and should follow all rules and regulations set by the league.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though the NBA is a multi-billion dollar industry, it does not mean that the owners should have to pay over 50% of their revenues in player salaries. Something needs to be done to stop the enormous growth of player salaries that has been taking place the last couple of years. The NBA players union seems to believe that they should have salaries as high as the market can bear. The NBA was started by the owners and others as a business. Therefore, all of the players are employees of the owners and the league. The league and owners are the ones who do all of the advertising, make deals with television stations, sign contracts for licensing and make it all happen. They are the ones who should be reaping the most financial rewards. In his magazine article, "Held Ball", Phil Taylor, a writer for Sports Illustrated lets us know that with the signing of a new four year, 2.6 billion dollar contract with NBC and Turner Sports, the league seems to have plenty of money. But wit h figures of about a billion dollars being paid out in player salaries, there is not enough money to pay for all the employees, ... ...h the introduction of a hard salary cap, restricted free agency, and a drug policy, the league would be more competitive and have a better image with the public. It is sad that some players in the league care more about how much money they make than the opportunity that they have, created by the league and the owners, to play the great game of basketball.    Works Cited Donovan, John. "A lockout primer." October, 1998, Online. World Wide Web. http://cnnsi.com/basketball/nba/1998/labor/news/1998/06/24/lockout_primer/ 13 Oct 1998 Donovan, John. "NBA on Shaky Ground as Owners, Players Fight Over Money." CNN/SI. June 24, 1998 Jorgensen, Loren. "Black day for NBA." Deseret News 14 Oct 1998, none Robinson, Doug. "In NBA tiff, who are the good guys?" Deseret News 14 Oct 1998, none Taylor, Phil. "Held Ball." Sports Illustrated Oct 1998: 68-73.

Van Morrisons Brown Eyed Girl Song Essay -- Music Compare Contrast Es

Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl Song When we hear the song Brown-Eyed Girl, it is safe to assume the majority of us think of the Van Morrison version that was first introduced in his album Blowin’ Your Mind, released in 1967. Since that time the song’s legend and popularity have grown to unprecedented heights. Many artists have redone the song, some with a similar music style to Morrison (like Jimmy Buffet), and others of a completely different genre like the punk rock band Green Day. In my essay I will argue that the stylistic differences between the two songs are not a barrier. Rather, in combination with the similarities associating with cover songs, they form a bridge between two genres. In this case, it is achieved by expanding people’s tastes that are used to soft rock, to punk rock, and visa versa. By illustrating the similarities and differences between the two works, I will show how the appeal of the two songs is possible between two diverse listening groups. Morrison has been a very prolific and popular artist ever since the late 1960’s. He has released nearly one album per year since his first solo recording, following the breakup of Them. Morrison has recorded with a number of labels, which has allowed his albums to fall primarily into two time periods. For the early part of Morrison’s career, his songs were less developed due to his inexperience and lack of individualism. During the later part, he gained increasing control over his music to the point where he essentially became his own label. Morrison’s version of Brown-Eyed Girl was produced during this time of independence. The inspiration for the song came from one of Morrison’s friends, who was the husband of the famous Brown-Eyed Girl. She w... ...: I would like to acknowledge those who where instrumental in helping me put this paper together. A special thanks goes out to my classmates and even more specifically my group members Benjamin Mickle, Andrew Wallace, and Jeffrey Sheely. From their advice in varying my sentence structure, to the pushing of more description, I was able to enhance my paper. Thank you all. End Note: 1. The Van Morrison Website. Sept. 15, 2002. Sources: Engel, Edo. Green Day Home Page. Sept. 14, 2002. Gray, Brian. WWW.GREENDAY.NET. Sept. 15, 2002. Hayward, Michael. The Van Morrison Website. Sept. 15, 2002. Van Morrison Praise Page. Sept. 14, 2002.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

The narrator of the book; ‘The curious Incident of the dog in the night-time’ by Mark Haddon, is a kid named Christopher who is born with Asperberg’s syndrome, and therefore he narrates the novel from his point of view which is very interesting because he sees things in a much simpler way than people who do not suffer this mental birth defect. Christopher shows the ‘otherness’ in society because he is living in a social environment that unconsciously discriminates and excludes people that are different. A moment where we can see how Christopher is treated differently is in school. He goes to a school for kids that have mental problems that need special cares. Even though Christopher has this mental dementia, he is a genius in mathematics and physics, and as his school does not count with ‘A’ math classes, Christopher requested them. The school wanted to deprive this kind of education to him because they thought he was not going to endure it and that it was not necessary. But finally, Christopher’s father complained and he was allowed to take those classes. Also, he is discriminated when the police comes to Mrs. Shear’s house and sees him with the dead dog in his arms. The policeman acted alert from the beginning, when he realized that Christopher had a mental problem. He was quickly judged and considered guilty, and any move that he made played against him (the policeman touched him, and as Christopher does not like to be touched, hit him and was accused for attacking the police). He was taken to the police station and ended up with a mark on his personal register. Finally Christopher’s father saved him from being accused as the murderer of Mrs. Shears’s dog. In conclusion, Christopher lives unconscious of how differently he is treated and passes through them without caring. However, many people love him and take care of him.

Friday, August 16, 2019

‘Materialism’ and Alienation

A considerable number of scholars agree that the domination of capital, which prevails not only on the socio-economic order but also on the production of ideas and ideologies, is responsible for the fragmentation of cultures ensuing from the destruction of human relationships and interaction. The latter arises from the permeation of capitalism into the value systems, and, as suggested by Buber, ultimately creating the ‘I-It’ relationship, in which individuals identify increasingly with material goods, or derive their sense of fulfillment from consuming goods and the symbols attached to these, rather than the ‘I-thou’ relationship or the cultivation of meaningful relationships with their fellow individuals. As individuals seek their sense of being from consumption, they are alienated more and more from society, which scholars such as Kasser (2003) suggests would lead into the loss of meaning in one’s life and the frustration that goes with it. This frustration is reinforced by societal standards that put premium over the accumulation of material wealth over non-material fulfillment. The Pursuit of Money, Depression, and Alienation This is illustrated in the life story of C.P. Ellis, a man driven to join the Klu Klux Klan by his frustration over their family’s impoverishment and his own insecurity over being a low-income, white American, and his transformation into a contented labor union organizer despite. Born into a poor family, Ellis’ depression over his and his family’s financial status started from being perceived by others as ‘poor and impoverished’ in his childhood, as reflected by the way he felt people treated him and his father: â€Å"somebody looking at him and making fun of him and making fun of me.† His father’s unhappiness mirror the same unhappiness that characterized Ellis’ life as he struggled to make ends meet for his own family later on, to â€Å"work, never a day without work, worked all the overtime I could get.† Ellis’ predicament, according to Kasser (2003), is typical of â€Å"people who strongly value the pursuit of wealth and possessions.† Kasser notes that these people â€Å"report lower psychological well-being than those who are less concerned with such aims.† Not surprisingly, Ellis’ earlier experiences wherein his concern and frustration over ‘financial freedom’ is marked by the absence of a social life and of meaningful interactions with people as his life is taken over by the need to his above his socio-economic status. This makes him unable to see people beyond the labels and the propaganda, and also illustrate the attraction of the Ku Klux Klan to white, low-income individuals. Thus, Ellis’ motivation for joining the Ku Klux Klan, is his resentment and bitterness to his inability to move up the rungs of the economic and social ladder. Racist Organizations and the Reinforcement of Social Isolation The Ku Klux Klan, as a group that presents itself as the â€Å"savior of the white race,† also contains within itself the racist symbols of being superior, a superiority complex that is based on the skin color of being white. The Ku Klux Klan therefore presents an opportunity to feel power in another way, by vowing to â€Å"uphold the purity of the white race, fight communism, and protect white womanhood.† .For C.P. Ellis, the moment of ‘empowerment’ is his being ‘exalted Cyclops’ of the Klan but it is merely an extension of his yearning for a higher social status:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Here’s a guy who’s worked all his life and struggled all his life to be something, and here’s the moment to be something.† However, the Klu Klux Klan does not give its members a sense of fulfillment that is based on being able to cultivate a meaningful relationship between its members, but reinforces the isolation of another marginalized sector of society—the black people. Moreover, the Klan’s power is based not on the empowerment of the sector it represents; On the contrary, it blurs its members’ ability to recognize the real problems of social inequality by curiously turning to the blacks as a channel for the dissipation of its anger. While Ellis is interested in the Klan for its sense of belonging, he was more drawn to the aspect of being in control—something that, while he clearly could not achieve by being poor, he could at least exercise on people deemed to be inferior by society. Ellis, however, was not intent on deriving meaning from the sort associated with â€Å"spirituality and religion†¦ home life, relationships, and family†¦having fun and excitement†¦and contributing to the community† (Kasser 2003). He was merely looking for a scapegoat to focus his resentment on, from which he thought he could attain the â€Å"large number of possible goals people might have, such as desires to feel safe and secure, to help the world be a better place, to have a great sex life, and to have good relationships with other.† (Kasser 2003) In this phase of his life, Ellis therefore retains the ‘I-it’ relationship in his life suggested by Buber through his remaining fixation with material wealth and the social status that comes with it. Transformation, Empowerment, and Redemption Ironically, C.P. Ellis’ genuine empowerment would come not from material success but from disillusionment with the false power of the Klu Klux Klan and subsequent transformation into a man who recognized that people were more than their skin color. This would come from his reluctant involvement with the efforts to minimize racial discrimination in which he was forced to work with Ann Atwater—a black civil rights advocate—to pursue a better school system for their children. Ellis’ transformation would not be easy, however, and it would only come with the realization that those who had economic and political power were using the rift between the blacks and the whites to further their own agendas: â€Å"As long as they kept low-income whites and low income blacks fighting, they’re gonna maintain control.† This realization would preclude his transformation as he knew more about the relationship between economic status and political power, and as he realized the importance of solidarity with his fellow poor: â€Å"The whole world was opening up , and I was learning new truths that I had never learned before. I was beginning to look at a black person, shake hands with him, and see him as a human being.† The attainment of wealth would grow less and less for C. P. Ellis as he discovered that although material things were important to people, individuals should not let it rule their lives. Consequently, Ellis’ concern on   the goals of the labor union with which he would be involved in later, would give him more happiness and fulfillment, his sense of self mirroring â€Å"the state attained by people motivated by growth, meaning, and aesthetics, rather than by insecurity and the attempt to fit in with what other people expect† (Kasser, 2003). Ellis’ life and general direction is now a stark contrast to the sense of â€Å"low well-being, high distress, and difficulty adjusting to life† (Kasser, 2003) that he experienced earlier in his life when his sense of self was anchored on material possessions. C.P. Ellis’ life and experience therefore reflects the dangers of material wealth as a central figure in one’s life. It provides a concrete example of one man’s transcendence over the alienation that people in a highly consumerist and materialist society experiences, and illustrates the importance of establishing an â€Å"I-Thou† basis of our identity and sense of self rather than anchoring our lives to the pursuit of financial gains. More importantly, it shows how having control on one’s life will not be achieved solely by having financial control, but by being able to appease our conscience, and striving for the higher ideals of humanity.         

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Earthquake Shaker

Would earthquakes of similar magnitudes in different populated regions of the Earth cause approximately the same levels of damage? In your discussions, consider both geologic and human-induced factors. The amount of damage caused by an Earthquake does not solely depend on the magnitude of the Earthquake. Factors such as population, geographic location, soil type, and the type of building material commonly used for construction in a region determine the extent of damage caused. If an Earthquake strikes a densely populated region, then life loss and property damage will be high.If an Earthquake of a similar or even higher magnitude strikes a region with a relatively low population, then life loss and property damage will be lower. The 6. 4 Richter scale Earthquake (1993) in the State of Maharashtra, India and the 8. 3 Richter scale Earthquake (2006) in Kuril Islands, Japan are examples that come to mind. With stone houses and a population of over 2 million, the Earthquake in Latur left nearly 8,000 people dead and brought as many as 30,000 houses to the ground.In contrast, Kuril Islands, with a population of just 17,000 and better disaster preparedness mechanisms, was able to get away with no loss of human life ,despite the fact that the Earthquake was much higher in magnitude when compared to that of Latur. References: http://latur. nic. in/html/earthquake. htm http://www. drgeorgepc. com/Tsunami2006Kurils. html 2) How are faults, foci (plural of focus), and epicenters related? Faults that are experiencing no active creep (relatively consistent yet minor movements) may be considered â€Å"safe. Rebut or defend this statement with what you have learned so far about faults. The points in the lithosphere of Earth where fracturing originates are called foci. In other words, foci are the points at which energy-release takes place. Foci are also termed as hypocenters. Large fractures inside the Earth’s crust are called faults. Typically, news reports talk abou t epicenters when they are reporting an Earthquake. As large fractures inside Earth’s crust begin to shift, there is a release of energy inside Earth, right at the displacement (focus) point.An epicenter is nothing but the point on the surface of Earth that lies directly over the focus. It is not true that faults experiencing no active creep are safe. Fault creep refers to slow rock movement arising out of the application of constant stress over a prolonged period of time. A fault creep is a slippage that occurs alongside a fault. A fault creep may produce a small earthquake that can be detected through a seismometer. An active creep zone is one in which the most significant of displacements are likely to take place.Current absence of active creeps neither means that there is no fault creep at all, nor that there will not be any movement in future. A currently inactive fault could become active in future and cause an earthquake, so safe is not a term that one can always assoc iate with the absence of an active creep. 3) At one time it was thought that the deep-ocean trenches at subduction zones would be a good place for disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Why is this not a good idea?Explain what can happen at a subduction zone and what might occur if the waste were buried there. (Hint: see oceanic-continental convergence. ) Over the years, different options have been considered as suitable permanent repositories for disposing high-level radioactive waste. The intent has been to find a way of permanently isolating high-level nuclear waste from the environment used by humans. It is true that at one point in time, subduction zone trenches in deep oceans were a good option for disposing high-level radioactive waste.It was thought that sticky mud and clay at trenches in deep-open subduction zones could be ideal places to bury high-level radioactive waste. It was assumed that radioactive waste canisters deposited in such places would slowly leak, only to be bound by sticky mud and clay for several millions of years. It was expected that burying high-level radioactive waste inside a subduction zone of a deep-ocean would gradually carry waste into the mantle of Earth.Today however, this approach is not a matter of serious consideration because of the technical considerations that are in play, legal restrictions associated with Law of the Sea, and the fect that leakages could lead to widespread contamination. The fact that oceanic-continental convergence helps create geologic formations and sustain many active volcanoes of Earth mean that contamination can be a serious threat when considering the burial of high-level radioactive waste in subduction zone trenches of deep oceans.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Wild Beasts

A general life in demons as ambivalent spirits or aspects of God was an original part of Israel's theology which in later periods became separated into -?good spirits (angels) and evil spirits (demons). † (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Demons, p. 1) As history went on, the stories about these ambivalent spirits were embellished and evolved into tales of angels and demons. The language used to describe the demons is incredibly poetic and uses references to natural phenomenon. This context raises the issue of how poetic references to natural phenomena should be interpreted-?as literal references to the physical phenomena, as poetic humiliations or personifications, or as references to actual demons or deities. Translation in general of terms dealing with demons is problematic. Translations are influenced by many factors: philological evidence and trends, theology, and previous decisions regarding understandings of the term demon and proper ways to interpret each particular text.Identi fications and understandings of demons in the Old Testament are strongly influenced by the wider context within which demons are discussed; past contexts have included magic and witchcraft, popular religion, official patriotic rituals, poetic symbolism, and religious psychology. † (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Demons, p. 2) Since the words surrounding these spirits have so many references to nature, they were often associated with destruction and blamed for natural disaster. The most generally accepted understanding Is of demons as evil spirits who live In ruins and the desert and are responsible for Illness and natural disasters. † (Anchor Bible When I think of ruins, I think of destruction and decay. When I look at Gonzales demons, they look as If they themselves are crumbling and decomposing. He very destruction they are known to cause Is represented through their gruesome appearance.I feel that the aspect of nature Is represented In his organic use of the animal bones, t eeth, and horns. There are a few specific, annalistic demons that nave Eden place together tongue various texts Dye Interpreters: â€Å"wool Deadest, howling creatures, ostriches, hyenas, Jackals. (Longboat 1949: 41-43)† (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Demons, p. 2) The term â€Å"wild beasts† reminds me of those snarling devil heads, and I can't help but think Gonzalez was inspired by these annalistic demons himself.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

What is the best type of data to use when doing research in your field Essay - 1

What is the best type of data to use when doing research in your field of - Essay Example e need to design and implement efficient international relations guidelines and practices, it has become imperative that more accurate international relations researches are conducted. Among the issues surrounding international relations researches is that of the best research method and type of data to be used. Central to these debates are quantitative and qualitative data, which are the two major types of data used in most disciplines. This paper explores the type(s) of data that is best suited for researching international relations, taking the stance that these two types of data can be used complimentarily in international relations research since each has its strengths and weaknesses, which could be complimented by the other. That the two data types can be combined to ensure accurate international relations researches is supported by the fact that while quantitative data are numerical representations and the manipulations of the obtained observations to describe and explain international phenomena, qualitative data emphasises meanings and processes that may not be measured (Mahoney & Goertz, 2006). From these definitions, it is quite evident that both numerical and non-numerical aspects of international relations would be catered for if researchers combined both qualitative and quantitative data (Mahoney & Goertz, 2006). That is, qualitative data presents, interprets and explains non-numerical aspects of an observation so that underlying international relations patterns, issues and meanings are discerned and understood. In other words, the two types of data have relative values depending on the nature and the objectives of the international relations research to be conducted. The aspects of international relations issues that qualitative data may help explore and explain are issues whose quantity, intensity, amount or frequency may not be rigorously measured. In other words, this type of data would emphasise the social nature and the relationships of

Monday, August 12, 2019

Campaigns and Money in American Government Essay

Campaigns and Money in American Government - Essay Example It will also provide a competitive political environment by providing a level ground for the candidates. There would be no landslide wins for the incumbents or the famous that are able to hold fundraisers (Breslwo et al, 2000). More public funding would also ensure that the influence of private contributors on the candidate or those in office is reduced. Replacing private funding with public funding would channel concerns of the general public and not a few. Last, the costs incurred during campaigns would be controlled, preventing overspending, as those funded by the public have to adhere to set limits. (Ansolabehere et al, 2000) The two challenges that face public funding the continuous presence of influence by the wealthy and the high costs of running for elections. Money is defined as speech by the court and these means that one can spend as they wish without interference from the government or anyone else and if this is done then there must be solid justification. However, accountability is required when it comes to spending resources on campaigns and these can be achieved if the government requires that each candidate provide a budget. An appropriate figure is then decided on the amount to spend based on underlying factors such as the seat one is contesting. This would increase

Professional Resources Essay Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professional Development of Teacher - Literature review Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Lefrancois’ book has detailed information on how to improve the behavior of the children within and outside of the classroom. His description of behaviorism, as well as the social learning theory, is rather explicit. Thus, these elements of reward and punishment and the effect of learning on the child’s self-esteem will greatly enhance my teaching technique and strategies.   In terms of my decision making, Lefrancois highlighted a number of key elements within the classroom environment which would warrant the need to make decisions on a timely basis. One such incident is the idea of multiculturalism within the classroom. The author highlights the fact that different cultures require different approaches in teaching and the understanding of the central concepts of the various cultures within my classroom would allow me to make better decisions for the overall improvement of each individual within the class. Lefrancois in t he organization of the text constantly points to vignettes of teachers within the field. In addition, he supplies Internet activities which may be used not only to improve pedagogical techniques but professional development as well. The second resource represents the work done by a professional in the field, a professor of a University, Stephen Davis. Davis (2007) highlights the â€Å"gap† between the work produced by researchers and its authentic impact within the walls of the classroom and the education system. He suggests a number of concerns he held with regard to teachers’ wholesale adoption of these research-based programs within their classroom context. He insists that â€Å"Good research is a road map and rarely a destination† (14). In terms of my professional development as well as my day to day teaching Davis suggestions of becoming skillful in the understanding and use of research, rudiments is a major consideration. He insists that as teachers one sh ould not wholly trust the research material because the producers of these materials may have â€Å"lost touch† (3) with the day to day functioning of a classroom. Thus, in making a decision about which research-based content to use the teacher must be thorough in investigating the source and publication of the content as well as the background of the researchers. Davis’ article contains relevant advice which would affect my teaching, decision making, and professional development, he states â€Å"one size rarely fits all† (9) thus, as a teacher I must thoroughly assess the research before attempting to utilize it within the classroom.  

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Evaluate the outcomes that are used to measure progress towards Assignment

Evaluate the outcomes that are used to measure progress towards meeting the Milenium health goals - Assignment Example The goals set should be SMART that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Actually, Nursing’s role in helping achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development goals is theme for this year’s International Nurses Day. Since Nurses are the only professionals in the world who are available to several people in their lifetime thus they are the key to the achievement of the millennium development Goals. Additionally, Nurses are the largest health care profession in the world thus play a major role compared to other health professionals. Moreover, nurses are well placed and often the most innovative in reaching the disadvantaged and underserved populations. Nurses help in reducing child mortality, combating malaria, HIV/AIDs and other diseases, and improve maternal health. According reports from ICN, the global children mortality (five years and below) has reduced and the deaths that occur could be prevented via affordable and effective interventio ns (United Nations 2008). The number of women who die during pregnancy and child birth has been halved with regional variations. Nurses also help in issuing of anti-malarial treatments and treating the multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Since nurses interact with residents more Oftenly than not they are able to advice on how to prevent oneself from acquiring tuberculosis and other communicable diseases. Health settings in any community should have their intentions majorly as quality patient and resident service delivery during the phase of care. With maintained health data the health care personnel are in a position know that the outbreaks in the community. Occurrence of any outbreak means a campaign should be carried out and if need be vaccination administered. For example if there is an outbreak of polio children, children in a particular age range should be immunized against the polio (Geneva health 2013, April). Therefore, when the community receives quality services the economy of a nation rises since the costs that are incurred in ordering drugs are diverted and utilized in other areas for development. Professional in the health care setting inclusive of the nurses should ensure that they understand the patients and the customer service is improved to proactive. The essence of the system being proactive is to ensure that the patients’ history is not repeated in the event that they go back to the hospital for check-up. In the event the patient is unconscious and is taken to the hospital by strangers the nurses are in a position to retrieve the patient’s records easily thus ease in diagnosis. This also helps them in managing the data and with the same they are able to deduce when there is an outbreak. Otherwise, with no records it is may be difficult to tell which area is experiencing an outbreak and of which disease. It is part of offering quality services to help the patients when nurses help patients with prevention of diseases and advice on how to attain the same. This impacts to a nation since deadly outbreaks are eradicated as a result of the advice from nurses to patients. Therefore it is in order to say that â€Å"happy employees, happy patients hence happy residents† (Rebecca McNeil 2013, February 15). The nation may benefit directly or indirectly. Nurses educate the patients on the dangers of some of the unhealthy activities they are involved in such as smoking and the kind of diet they