Essay about Different Beliefs on Marriage - 698 Words

Due to my sister unplanned pregnancy, my parents forced my sister and her boyfriend to get married. Traditionally in Hmong culture, when a young couple have an unplanned pregnancy, the young couple will then be forced to get married regardless of age and race. It was a must. The guy wouldn’t stand a chance if he denied. The rhetorical sensitivity went wrong with communication because of different culture perspective on marriage. Every culture does not have the same belief on marriage and that’s where the problem was with both cultures. Growing up, my parents were strict on my siblings and I, not just letting us hang outside of school but also dating. They didn’t believed that we kids should date until we finish college and have our†¦show more content†¦He sounded rude and disrespecting. When he said â€Å"that’s not my culture; I am an American and live in America, I don’t have to if I want to.† He should of have respond back saying â€Å"I respect your culture but all culture does not have the same beliefs. We all have different view point of marriage and it is different here in America.† So that my parents would of have a better understanding on where he was coming from. It was wrong for him to say it in that tone because he has to understand that in Hmong culture, don’t respect the elders. It will be a shame because of the disrespecting. How I felt about this was that the boyfriend was wrong to say it in a rude tone but I mean, I do agree with the boyfriend to. Even though my sister is pregnant, they don’t have to marry if they want to because it’s their life’s. On the other hand, it was wrong for my parents to said it directly to the boyfriend too because they know that he wasn’t Hmong and he won’t have the same beliefs. My parents could of said â€Å"so in our culture, we believe that you guys should get marry because that will be the best for you guys† instead of saying â€Å"in Hmong culture, you have to take our daughters hand in marriage because that’s our tradition.† Basically, my parents were forcing the boyfriend to marry my sister and I am pretty sure he didn’t want that just by looking at his facial reaction. The boyfriend reaction to my parents was surprised becauseShow MoreRelatedThe American Concept Of Marriage1140 Words   |  5 PagesThe American concept of marriage foundation has been a foundation for human civilization for centuries. Likewise, forty-one American states revere matrimony laws of Moses between man and woman. However, the concept of marriage for Americans is under rev iew by the United States Supreme Court. Citizens interested in changing the Law of Moses will present their purpose and reason challenging the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. Historical marriage values are questionable to some individuals in AmericanRead MoreLiberty and Justice for All: The Pursuit for Gay Rights Essay1262 Words   |  6 Pagesman and women the idea of marriage has been socially ingrained into the minds of Americans leaving any other possibilities of who love can happen between as unacceptable. These strong societal beliefs are far from the truth yet dictate the ability of homosexuals rights to marry one another. Avoiding defining what marriage entails in the constitution, the issue of whether or not gay people have the right to marry has become a state issue. The conservative idea of marriage is changing as society isRead MorePride and Prejudice Values Juxtaposed Letters to Alice1228 Words   |  5 Pagesboth novels is the ideology of marriage in the sense of whether one should marry for love or financial stability and standing. Both novels are written in an epistolary format providing a different perspective for the reader from the s tandardised third person format. Similarities and differences exist between the changing values of women within the two texts on such issues as moral standards and behaviours or class and social rank however each portrays a slightly different approach and extent with whichRead MoreSociological Analysis On Interfaith Marriage Essay1602 Words   |  7 PagesSociological Analysis on Interfaith Marriage The family issue I will be analyzing is interfaith marriage. Interfaith marriage is simply marriage between two people who belong to or identify with different religious groups. However simple the definition may seem, the reality of interfaith marriage can be far more complex. For most of human history it has been a social taboo to marry outside of one s faith. However, in recent years it has become much more acceptable, even to the point of seemingRead MoreA Comparative Analysis of American and Kenyan Cultures790 Words   |  3 PagesSex and Marriage, Money and Success: A Comparative Analysis of American and Kenyan Cultures In the history of human societies, geographic differences are considered to be a factor that led to different lifestyles, values and beliefs that prevailed and have been the distinct characteristic of specific societies in the world today. From a broader viewpoint, it can be said that Asian cultures differ from North American, European, South American, and African cultures. However, it can also be said thatRead MoreCommunication Is A Cornerstone Of Building A Strong Relationship1247 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Communication is a cornerstone of building a strong relationship (Robinson, 2012). Numerous studies show that marriages that do not have an effective communication between partners easily end up in divorces. Researchers have identified the habits that people have that hinder effective communication in marriages (Kusi Kusi, 2015). These habits are: avoiding the expression of honest feelings and opinions about issues; failing to listen to a partner and being quick to react to the partner’sRead MoreWhy Do People Get Married? What Do Marriages Stand For? Marriage?953 Words   |  4 Pagesdo marriages stand for? Marriage is a union between two people who wish to unite their life together. The reason that people today get married is for love. However, marriage means more than love. A reason why many people get married is that they have found companionship, love, and comfort in another person. The idea of a marriage has different meanings to people. Some marry for money, love or re sources. In modern times, many philosophies have changed throughout the year. In her book marriage, JulietRead MoreGay Marriage Should Not Be Denied Service1457 Words   |  6 Pagesthemselves as Christian businesses and refuse to cater to gay marriages. They do this based on their belief that gay marriage is wrong, and against their faith, and because of this they can’t provide their services or they would be supporting it. In Indiana, a small town pizzeria was asked what their position was on the Religious Restoration Freedom act, and stated that they were a Christian establishment and could not cater to gay marriages. However they would serve gay people and couples in their storeRead MoreEssay on Marriage Equailty for the LGBT Community1554 Words   |  7 Pagesparticularly, marriage equality. Each individual has their own perception on marriage equality, whether it is based on moral basis, or on a humanistic (humane) basis, which is the belief of not denying anyone the right to be who they are, and therefore love who they love. However, as a society, we must examine the facts, as well as ourselves, as we address the debate for marriage equality for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community. The Debate: Morals v. Humanistic Beliefs TheRead MoreAmy And Lin Have Recently Become Friends After Working1059 Words   |  5 PagesTo be honest, I was pretty against legalizing same-sex marriage. LIN: Oh? I was ecstatic when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in every state. Personally, I viewed it as our country finally taking a step forward in expanding equality. If you don’t mind me asking why are you so against LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage? AMY: It’s just wrong, don’t you think? It completely goes against my and many other people’s religious beliefs too. LIN: Before we fully go into this argument, I just

Method of Radical Doubt Free Essays

The method of doubt that is used to attain certainty was formulated by famous Western philosopher Rene Descartes (Burnham Fieser). It was initially formulated to be a method for religion, science, and epistemology (Burnham Fieser). He lived in the 16th to 17th century, and created works on mathematics and physics (Burnham Fieser). We will write a custom essay sample on Method of Radical Doubt or any similar topic only for you Order Now His method of radical or hyperbolic doubt was a product of his being a radical skeptic. This position means that Descartes did not readily accept anything as true. Moreover, he did not immediately classify anything as knowledge. Thus, contrary to the inclinations of philosophers and thinkers of his time, he never believed in anything unless they passed his test of indubitability (Burnham Fieser). Descartes vehemently denied the prevailing concepts of his time, as put forward by the Aristotelian, Scholastic, and Medieval traditions (Burnham Fieser). This gave birth to his determination to be a radical skeptic, which for him allowed him to start anew in his quest for a philosophical foundation (Burnham Fieser). However, it is important to note that Descartes’ radical skepticism is different from the position of other skeptics, which is doubting for the sake of doubting. Feature Article Relative Rates:  Free-Radical Bromination Being a radical skeptic, Descartes desperately searched for true knowledge (Burnham Fieser). For him, knowledge is based on truth and indubitability (Burnham Fieser). A certain proposition would only be accepted as knowledge if it were true and does not entertain doubt (Burnham Fieser). For example, one’s knowledge of a table is brought about by his belief that it is true and real. Descartes formulated a criteria of knowledge based on clarity and distinctness, which gives a person confidence in his determination of whether a statement is worthy of being accepted as true knowledge (Burnham Fieser). Descartes’ radical skepticism is characterized by his comprehensive rejection of the reliability of accepting ideas as truth or knowledge (Burnham Fieser). He is known for the wide-ranging premise that truth is not represented by a person’s ideas (Burnham Fieser). For him, ideas cannot be automatically classified as truth (Burnham Fieser). Quite the contrary, ideas obscure a person’s perception of the truth. (Burnham Fieser). Thus Descartes rejected all ideas that are susceptible to doubt. In this connection, he likewise excluded mere wishes or opinions from real knowledge (Burnham Fieser). For him, such dubitable ideas could not serve the purpose of determining the foundation for philosophy or knowledge (Burnham Fieser). Descartes’ method of hyperbolic doubt was explained in detail in his work published in 1641, entitled Meditations on First Philosophy, wherein he discussed issues regarding the existence of God and the distinction between mind and body (Burnham Fieser). In this book, Descartes concluded that there is at least a doubting being whose existence is independent of its body; namely, himself (Burnham Fieser, 2006). Descartes’ method of hyperbolic doubt consists of several stages (Burnham Fieser). First, it involves the identification of a class of knowledge that is unreliable because it is not credible (Burnham Fieser). This class of knowledge refers to sensory information, or those gathered from sensory stimuli (Burnham Fieser). Descartes’ choice of doubting sensory knowledge is based on his stand that sensory knowledge has been known for failing in the past (Burnham Fieser). Furthermore, Descartes claims that there is a distinct possibility that it will still fail in the future. Moreover, he referred to optical illusions, which are sensory knowledge that is based on deception. They make a person believe that his perceptions differ from what truly exists in the world (Burnham Fieser. For Descartes, therefore, sensory knowledge cannot be trusted. Descartes next subjected his own ideas to radical doubt (Burnham Fieser). This he did by imagining that there exists a God who deceives him into thinking his thought, beliefs, and perceptions. (Burnham Fieser, 2006). However, due to Descartes’ strong belief in God, he later replaced the idea of God as the deceiver to avoid disagreeing with his Christian belief, and conjured the idea of a malevolent demon who deceives him (Burnham Fieser). Under this test, Descartes was able to conclude that even his own ideas cannot be trusted because they can still be doubted, since they could have been implanted in his mind by the malevolent demon (Burnham Fieser). Finally, Descartes settled with the conclusion that he exists (Burnham Fieser). This conclusion he reached through mental intuition, because he noticed that there were statements that are presented to his mind with sufficient clarity and distinctness that there is no reason to doubt them (Burnham Fieser). This gave rise to his famous phrase, â€Å"I think therefore I am,† or â€Å"Cogito ergo sum (Burnham Fieser).† This cannot be doubted, because the fact that he doubts shows that there is an existing entity who performs the doubting (Burnham Fieser). If he did not exist in the first place, then there is no being whom the malevolent demon would be deceiving (Burnham Fieser).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In sum, Descartes arrived at one conclusion using his method of radical doubt. This conclusion is that it is the indubitable truth that he is a thinking entity that exists (Burnham Fieser). Works Cited Burnham, D. Fieser, J. â€Å"Renà © Descartes (1596-1650).† The Internet Encyclopedia of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophy. 2006. 1 Apr. 2007 http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/descarte.htm.       How to cite Method of Radical Doubt, Essay examples

Benefits of Learning English free essay sample

The importance of the Internet grows rapidly in all fields of human life, including not only research and education but also marketing and trade as well as entertainment and hobbies. This implies that it becomes more and more important to know how to use Internet services and, as a part of this, to read and write English. Of course, the majority of mankind cannot use the Internet nowadays or in the near future, since they live in countries which lack the necessary economical and technological infrastructure. But the Internet causes polarization in developed countries, too: people are divided into Internet users and Internet illiterates, and as the use of the Internet grows and often replaces traditional methods of communication, the illiterates may find themselves in an awkward position. In general, it is easy to learn to use Internet services. The worst problems of Internet illiteracy are, in addition to lack of economical resources of course, wrong attitudes. We will write a custom essay sample on Benefits of Learning English or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Older people are usually not accustomed to live in a world of continuous and rapid change, and they may not realize the importance of the Internet or the easiness of learning to use it. But although Internet services themselves are, generally speaking, easy to learn and use, you will find yourself isolated on the Internet if you are not familiar with English. This means that knowledge or lack of knowledge of English is one of the most severe factors that cause polarization. Learning to use a new Internet service or user interface may take a few hours, a few days, or even weeks, but it takes years to learn a language so that you can use it in a fluent and self-confident manner. Of course, when you know some English, you can learn more just by using it on the Internet, but at least currently the general tendency among Internet users is to discourage people in their problems with the English language. Incorrect English causes a few flames much more probably than encouragement and friendly advice. In different countries and cultures, English has different positions. There are countries where English is the native language of the majority, there are countries where English is a widely known second language, and there are countries where English has no special position. These differences add to the above-mentioned polarization. Specifically, it is difficult for people in previous colonies of other countries than Great Britain (e. g. France, Spain, the Netherlands) to adapt to the necessity of learning English. Locally, it may be necessary to learn the language of the previous colonial power since it is often an official language and the common language of educated people; globally, English is necessary for living on the Internet. And the more languages you have to learn well, the less time and energy you will have for learning other things.

Most Fearful Moment of My Life free essay sample

I was around the age of sixteen; and I was going to my soccer practice in the morning session. It was summer and we were still in the pre-season era. I’m riding my longboard down the smooth street and I remember coming up to an intersection. I also remember that summer my dad didn’t want me longboarding under any circumstances. Meanwhile, being the stubborn young boy, I was riding down the street as a familiar car drove past me. As a car passed right next to me, I believed it to be my dad however due to my speed there was no stopping. Now, closer to the intersection and not thinking straight, I was on my phone thinking my dad would soon call me and complain how he saw me longboarding. I look down the street for merely a second and then back down to my phone; that second changed my life forever. We will write a custom essay sample on Most Fearful Moment of My Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Assuming that the pickup truck I had seen seconds ago was going stop for me to pass, was now only seconds from hitting me. My speedy longboard restrained me from stopping or having any reaction to what was about to happen. All of a sudden it felt like the world had flipped upside down, but it was not the world, it was me. In the midst of what was happening I saw my life flash before my eyes. Everything in a second could’ve been swept away from me. Everything that ever was precious and had meaning more than life itself for myself was at risk. Parents, family, and friends, even my future (or non-existent yet) twin brothers whom I love more than anyone today, were almost gone in the blink of an eye. Recovering isn’t an easy process. After months of physical therapy visits to the chiropractor, I was at 100%. Every day since the incident, it hits me every day how much my family and friends matter to me. Their value to me is out of this world. I love them and treat them like it’s our last day together; I love them more each day, more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow. In a way I don’t regret what happened; despise the pain it was worth it, I learned to love my family and friends unconditionally.

How To Mature Your Publishing Process With Matthew Ankeny

How To Mature Your Publishing Process With Matthew Ankeny Marketers need to think like publishers, and publishers have a lot to teach marketers. Even if you don’t publish a lot of quantity, you do want what you’re publishing to be high in quality. You probably also want to streamline your workflow so you can generate ideas and get your business where you want it. Matthew Ankeny from Gear Patrol is our guest today. I love their content, but what I think you’ll enjoy and benefit from is the process they use to publish their content. If you’re ready to develop your workflow, be more efficient, and publish great content, you won’t want to miss today’s episode! Some of the topics you’ll hear about today include: How often Gear Patrol publishes content and how big the team is that gets all of that great stuff out there, as well as the biggest challenges that come with getting so much content published. The workflow steps for a typical article and why simplicity is important. Tips on coming up with ideas for articles. How the content production and publishing process has evolved and continues to evolve at Gear Patrol. Ways to plan a production schedule and workflow processes.

Cell-based Therapy For Myocardial Regeneration

Cell-based Therapy For Myocardial Regeneration ABSTRACT Myocardial infarction is one of the main cause of mortality in many countries. Therefore, an effective therapy for myocardial infarction is required. Reperfusion and other conventional therapy have been the mainstay therapy for myocardial infarction. However, many patients remain refractory to this therapy. Cell-based therapy is considered a novel therapy, in which stem cells are used for cardiac repair. Stem cells are potential therapeutic and promising option that could be the alternative solution for salvaging damaged cardiomyocyte. Based on current studies, stem cells are a promising therapeutic approach for myocardial infarction. However, some challenges need to be answered by future studies before this novel therapy can be widely applied. This essay provides an overview of the progress in stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction. INTRODUCTION The robust potential of stem cells were still a mystery, but today, we are constantly getting new information on this parti cular topic. One of the prospects of stem cell therapy is to treat damaged cardiomyocyte (Fischer, et.al, 2009; Beltrami, 2003).Acute myocardial infarction is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in many countries. Not only this disease causes a massive socio-economic burden, but also reduces the quality of live for patients who survive the attack (Hamm, 2016). Currently, one of the mainstay therapy for myocardial infarction is rapid revascularization to limit ischaemic damage. Reperfusion and other conventional therapy have undoubtedly saved so many lives, yet there are patients remained refractory to this therapy and left with no other treatment options. In addition to that, many patients who have underwent reperfusion strategy and survived, often left with significant impairment of left ventricular systolic function. One big question remain unanswered. Is there any other treatment option for these patients? Medical therapeutic approach to reduce damaged cardiomyocyte and generate new functioning muscle is the current unmeet need. Stem cells emerge as the novel procedure to restore damaged cardiomyocytes, and this procedure is popularly known as cellular cardiomyoplasty (Pendyala, et.al, 2008; Reinlib, 2000). Many preclinical and clinical trials have documented the potential use of stem cells to generate viable cardiomyocyte and improve cardiac function (Bergmann, et.al, 2009). To date, there are many different types of adult stem cells and progenitor cells used for this procedure, some of which are bone marrow derived stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells and so on. Since the advance of stem cells technology is faster than ever before, this essay aimed to give an evidence based update on stem cells use for myocardial infarction, what we have achieved so far, and what does the future hold for this breakthrough. CELL-BASED THERAPY FOR MYOCARDIAL REGENERATION After an ischaemic attack due to occluded coronary vessels, heart muscle usually left damaged and nonfunctioning. However, recent evidence suggested that the cardiac muscle could actually undergo a limited amount of renewal. A prospect of inducing muscle cell to undergo division for cardiomyocyte replacement, or generating new muscle by stem cells are certainly intriguing (Roell, et.al, 2002; Santoso, et.al, 2011). Stem cells are capable to proliferate in the same state (self-renewal) and differentiate into multiple cell lineages. On the other hand, progenitor cells are more specific and have limited differentiation potential. Mechanism on how stem cells work are as follows: firstly, these stem cells need to be extracted from the source (eg. bone marrow), after that these stem cells need to be delivered to the injured area. These cells are implanted in the myocardium, and due to the nature of these cells, they would grow and differentiate/transdifferentiate into cardiomyocyte. To achieve the goal of cardiac repair, these cells should also have the ability to fuse with the surrounding tissues that their harmonious contraction increases the heart contraction. Furthermore, these newly-formed cardiomyocyte should also express the appropriate electromechanical properties required for contraction to yield a synchronous contraction (Templin, et.al, 2011; Makino, et.al, 1999).

Judaism - Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Judaism - Reflection Paper - Essay Example My community is frequently among the communities that are not driven by such forces. That is the Judaism Community. I therefore feel under no obligation to compare the gender assumption in my religion and community against any particular prejudiced social standard. Let Judaism rise or fall on its assumption regarding the roles played by men and women. It would be very painless pointing a finger to a Muslim and declare that women have little or no role in the religion and even words from their Holy Quran prohibits women from getting involved from achieving particular theological standards. But on the other side, women from the Muslim religion can also point to the Judaism religion and claim the same inferiority complex. As much as some religions may claim to be modernized, in Catholic faith the pope and his entire clergy has never agreed women to serve as priests. How then will women have any success when it comes to religious factors? Undeniably, Jewish custom and religion revolves around the synagogues, and this is then a fact that gender assumption is unequally played well. If the laws and rules are to be followed regarding the position of Men and women in the society then, Judaism women would ever remain voiceless. It would therefore be my suggestion that, a swift amendment be done on Judaism theological and religion literature, relative to all that is demanded in both old and New Testament bible. The synagogue where laws and rules concerning the way of living for the community signify just a tiny fraction of what Judaism pertains! There is a dire need to go beyond that and have vast knowledge concerning the lives of people and whether its theology, religion or the modern factors that should dictate their way of

Topics are in the instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Topics are in the instruction - Essay Example The American manufacturing companies, in trying to soften the impact of the economic crunch, resorted to several strategies aimed at restoring growth and profitability. One strategy adopted was â€Å"flexibility† which entailed shifting out their operations to areas within and outside the country which would minimize operational and labor costs. The target areas were those which had low-wage anti-labor policies in place. Thus, between the years 1969 and 1976, many of the major cities which previously housed large manufacturing plants found themselves at the edge of bankruptcy because of job and revenue losses brought about by the closures of these plants (Gibson 39). The growing revenue deficit brought about by manufacturing relocations and closures was aggravated by â€Å"outmoded capital facilities, declining tax bases, soaring demand for public services, debt ceilings and taxpayer rebellions† which resulted in the inability of these cities to prevent the widening gap between expenditures and revenue resources. To avert catastrophe, many of these cities resorted to increasing taxes, abolishing jobs, calling off or deferring construction projects, and even cutting services (Cooke 2007 pp 213-214). The HOPE VI program is a housing policy passed by the US Congress in 1993 which is aimed at alleviating poverty in public housing. It targets three areas: physical improvements; management improvements and; community services to address resident needs† (Hope VI, Public and Indian Housing). HOPE VI’s primary distinguishing feature is that it is not underpinned by distribution of residents of housing projects to various communities but to revive the housing projects themselves. The Housing & Urban Development’s budget for this project is pegged at $5.6 billion covering 231 areas all over the country (Arrighi & Maume 2007 pp79). To make HOPE VI housing projects viable, the project involves the

Las Meninas Essay Example for Free

Las Meninas Essay The aim of this paper is to analyze Diego Velazquez’s painting â€Å"Las Meninas†, one of the most impressive and controversial art pieces in history. The content and the message of the painting â€Å"Las Meninas† provides much food for thought. On the picture we can see the artist himself as he works at a canvas, but we can’t see what exactly he is painting; he is not alone in the studio. A group of seven is situated in the front part of the studio. Infanta Margarita is in the centre of the group. Infanta is accompanied by two maids of honour; one is serving her a refreshing drink. We also see Margarita’s playmates – a male and female dwarfs; one of them is teasing a sleepy dog. Two grave adults stand slightly farther than Infanta. The interior of the studio is also rendered with great attention and mastery. Velazquez is an unsurpassed master in light and shadow and delicate harmony of colours. There exists a variety of possible interpretations of this brilliant picture. The enigma of â€Å"Las Meninas† is connected with the following question: what painting is Velazquez working at? One of the possible interpretations suggests that the royal couple sits for the portrait, because we see them in the mirror on the opposite wall. But such an explanation contradicts some important facts. From history, King Philip IV and her second wife Marianna do not have any portrait where they would be portrayed together done by Velazquez. Therefore we may consider the hypothesis that Infanta Margarita herself sits for the painting. Velazquez caught the moment when the King and the Queen were entering the room as the mirror restores visibility to that which resides outside our view. Some personages have already noticed them – Infanta Margarita, the maid of honour standing to the right from Infanta and also the painter who interrupted his work to greet the royal couple. The symbolism of the painting is complex. The figures on the painting form a circle which is traditionally considered a symbol of the devotion and service. Scholars believe that a horoscope is concealed in â€Å"Las Meninas† (Vasilakis, 1997). French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault, one of the most influential public figures of the 20th century in European and American intellectual circles, has always been fascinated by the painting. His interest in Velazquez’s â€Å"Las Meninas† is associated with the painting’s preoccupation with exploring two philosophical concepts Foucault explored extensively in his works, namely the concept of the gaze and the concept of representation. The fact that the painter (a self-portrait of Velazquez) is looking at something that is supposed to be invisible to the spectator invites those regarding the painting to apprehend themselves. Thus, spectators are prescribed an active rather than passive role in observing the painting: â€Å"We are observing ourselves being observed by the painter, and made visible to his eyes by the same light that enables us to see him. And just as we are about to apprehend ourselves, transcribed by his hand as though in a mirror, we find that we can in fact apprehend nothing of that mirror but its lustreless back. Foucault’s exploration of the process of observation is based on the interactionist approach to knowledge creation. As OFarrell (2008) informs, â€Å"Foucault uses the word [gaze] to refer to the fact that it is not just the object of knowledge which is constructed but also the knower. † The painting represents spectacle-as-observation, given that the painter and other figures look at the painter’s models that should remain invisible to the spectator. Yet the spectator can see the painter’s models, King Philip IV and his wife, in the mirror that is placed at the wall in the back the room. While spectators can see the figures in the mirror, the painter himself or anyone of his posse are not looking at the mirror, so it remain invisible for them. Foucault (1994) notes that â€Å"[t]here are, it is true, some heads turned away from us in profile: but not one of them is turned far enough to see, at the back of the room, that solitary mirror, that tiny glowing rectangle which is nothing other than visibility, yet without any gaze able to grasp it, to render it actual, and to enjoy the suddenly ripe fruit of the spectacle it offers. † This phrase calls into the question the foundations of solipsism – whether objects actually exist if not regarded, observed, gazed at by a living being. Foucault’s statement that the mirror is not rendered actual by anyone looking at it suggests that the painting implicitly probes the concept of solipsism. The notion of gaze, central to the analysis of the painting, is linked to a variety of other, more substantial philosophical issues. For example, Foucault’s interest in the problem of representation stems from his conviction that representation is inherently linked to knowledge. Las Meninas,† by virtue of its spatial organization, allows application of deconstructive techniques to analyzing the painting itself and critically reflecting on concepts that are employed in this analysis. As Denzin (2007) notes, â€Å"a deconstructive reading engages four paired terms: (1) the real and its representations in a text; (2) text and author; (3) presence and lived experience; (4) subjects and their intentional meanings† (p. 69). The painting offers an opportunity to reflect on all these relationship in order to arrive at the correct judgment about the nature of representation. Foucault believes that Classical representation as defined in pre-Renaissance period based on equating thought and representation (i. e. the process of thinking was defined as using ideas to represent objects) was limited in its inability to explore the real meaning of representation. The problem of the relation between reality and its representations is solved differently under different epistemological regimes. Classical representation implies that the relation between reality and its representations is not the one of resemblance, since there are no characteristics of the idea that are themselves the representation of the object. Classical representation suggests that knowledge means having ideas that represent what a person knows. Descartes in his exploration of representation uses the concept of objective and formal reality for counterpositioning the object in the real world and the idea of that object in human thought. He discusses the sun as an example of interrelation between the two realities: the representation of the sun in human thought is a small two-dimensional circle in the sky, while the formal, or real sun is huge and spherical (Berreitter, 2000). Foucault poses a question of how can humans verify whether representations of objects are adequate. It is an impossible task since for the reason it will require comparing idea with the object independently of its representation. However, humans do not know object – only their representations. As Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2008) informs, â€Å"[t]he only possibility is that the idea itself must make it apparent that it is a representation. The idea represents the very fact that it is a representation. † This is precisely why Foucault (1994) believes in the exceptionality of â€Å"Las Meninas. † Due to the spatial organization of the painting, â€Å"the necessary disappearance of that which is its foundation of the person it resembles and the person in whose eyes it is only a resemblance. This very subject which is the same has been elided. And representation, freed finally from the relation that was im ¬peding it, can offer itself as representation in its pure form. † Therefore, â€Å"Las Meninas† is a unique painting that is able to provoke an in-depth exploration of core philosophical concepts. The fact that the painter is gazing at something that is visible to spectators in the mirror which the figures at the painting do not observe implies that the painting goes beyond the limits of Classical representation and calls for a deconstructive reading of the artwork.

Government Spending, Deficits, and Keynesian Economics Essay -- Econom

A growing government is opposite to America’s economic interests because the various methods of financing a government - taxes, borrowing, and printing money have harmful effects upon the economy. There are many reasons why there is a high deficit in the United States such as extensive spending. This is true because government spending is often economically destructive, regardless of how it is financed. There are many causes of the steady growth in U.S. trade deficits. There are many people are against the high deficits especially economists. â€Å"Economists define government intervention in the foreign exchange market as the buying or selling of foreign exchange for the purpose of manipulating the exchange rate. â€Å"(Case, pg. 398) Economists would agree that there are situations which lower levels of government spending would improve economic growth and other situations in which higher levels of government spending would be pleasing. Economists will generally agree that government spending becomes a burden. Economists feel as though by raising the deficit we are spending money the economy does not. If United States would raise taxes to help pay off the deficit that would not work since so many Americans are out of work. In addition, they believe that raising the GDP taken by the state sector has a negative effect on the growth of the private sector of the economy. Even though the economy could benefit from the budget deficit such as economic growth, the economists do not want to take a chance on that. Also, s ome economists are also concerned that higher borrowing by the government may also openly result in reduced utilization spending. They argue households recognize that higher current government borrowing results in highe... ...ful spending because it is taking a toll on our future, our children’s future, and our children’s children future. Works Cited 1. Case. Principles of Macroeconomics, 9th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions 2. United States Economy - Monetary and Fiscal Policy." Country Studies. U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. . 3. Mitchell, Dr. Daniel. "The Impact of Government Spending on Economic Growth." Conservative Policy Research and Analysis. 15 Mar. 2005. Web. 16 Aug. 2011. . 4. Pettinger, Tejvan. "Monetary Policy vs Fiscal Policy | Economics Blog." Economics Help - Helping to Simplify Economics. Web. 09 Aug. 2011. .

Environmental History Essay

During the last ice age, around 13,500 years ago, a number of people from other continents came to North America to find food. They have been able to walk across the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia and Alaska. This was likely possible because during that period the sea level were lower that it is today. The melting of the glaciers has cleared some passage for the Alaskan to spread and colonize areas throughout South America within the period of 1,000 years. In their conquest, these people had a major impact on the ecology and wildlife to which they have been destined. Studies on the archeological findings stated that prior to the coming of the early North Americans, the lands were covered with lush vegetation and large species of mammals and birds. The herbivores even included 3 species of elephants such as the woolly elephants, the giant mammoths and the mastodons. Such animals which are common were giant animals like bison, ground sloths, armadillos, beaver and tortoises. Giant predators also are preying on different herbivores. Such predators were the cheetahs, saber-toothed tigers, lions and giant wolves. Most of these large predators have migrated from the boreal forests of Canada to live in the forest of North America. Animal remains of these unimaginable sizes and power of these animals have been found but where and why these species have vanished is a questionable issue. Tim Flannery’s book The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples concluded that during the coming of the early North Americans there was what he call the â€Å"Pleistocene Overkill†. He hypothesized that during the colonization of humans and reaching far across the continents, they almost wiped out large herbivores through hunting. Large animals were more noticeable thus making them prime targets. Their low reproductive rates cannot compensate for the losses because of frequent hunting. When these animals became extinct, their predators became extinct as well. The extinction of the predators made an impact in the extinction of large scavenger birds. Only animals which can prey on and frequent the oceans did not suffer high extinction rates during this time. (Moyle & Orland, 2004). There are also evidences that the early North American people has manipulated their surroundings and that they have modified their environment as based on observation of settlers from Europe. The settlers have documented that Indians shaped their environment through the use of fire especially during the late summer to minimize the valley’s underbrush and reduce the number of trees. This is to facilitate hunting and do their gathering. While the American Indians are moving across seasonally while using fire for easy game hunting, the European settlers made themselves fences and farmhouses as well and bringing with them domesticated animals and crops. The Europeans however, have influenced some of the Indians to properly control or stop the use of fire and introduced to them the proper use of land use and establishing properties and boundaries for their domain (Northwest, 1998). Eyewitness accounts from the early European explorers, trappers, soldiers and missionaries affirmed that prior to their settlement the wilderness were not pristine but rather the product of remains of thousands of years of usage and management by Native Americans. The Native Americans’ management also has consequences on their ecosystems and one example is the extinction of most large mammal species in North America between 10,800 and 10,000 years ago. This is probably the result of hunting practices of Paleo-Indians as previously mentioned and with the effect of rapid environmental changes. Once again the setting of fires for hunting, land clearance, warfare and signaling as well as forest fires contributed to the degradation of forest and ecology in the pre-modern American era (Bonnicksen, 2000). Based from The Ecological Indian: Myth and History by Shepard Krech III, the Paleo-Indians had a great role in the extinction of animal species in North America. Krech believe that Paleo-Indians played great role in the Pleistocene extinctions about 11,000 years ago when many indigenous animal species in North America vanished. Severe climate changes however were also contributory to the extinctions of such animals. Krech uphold that there was actually human intervention in the exploitation and extinction of animals in that period because of two important evidence. Such were the findings of Paleo-Indian artifacts with the remains of extinct animals and the fact that there was already the extinction of animals before the arrival of European settlers in North America. Notably, the use of fire by the North American Indians was widespread as an important method for their subsistence. Fire is also used for communication, aggression and travel. Notably, vast tracts of forest lands were burned so that animals may move out and go to a place where they could be easily hunted. These aboriginals thus destroyed the habitats of elk, deer, buffaloes, wolves and beaver thus killing them for their meat and fur (Orton, 1999). At the time of the arrival of the Europeans, many Indians were already farmers. Farmers in the East and Southwest were raising corns, beans, pumpkins and squash which are necessary for their subsistence because five thousand years ago, agriculture was already a practice in America. By 1500, millions of acres of were already cleared and planted crops by the indigenous people. Furthermore, there was a constant set of fire to more hundreds of millions of acres to improve game habitat, clearance for travel, reduce insect pests and to enhance conditions to grow berries. Vast areas of forest landscape in the West and East and park-like open spaces are usually smoking with low-intensity fires. Even in New England, Indians burn their woods twice in a year. The frequent burning of forest has created wide open grasslands which were formerly forests. Such indication of human disturbances and alteration in the ecological system were the proliferation of game animals such as the wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, ruffled grouse and other species commonly live only on forest edges and openings. By the end of the early 1600s, bison were roaming the prairies in the south and reached as far as Far East (Maccleery, 1999). The migration of early European settlers to North America, however, has introduced the barter and trade practices with the Native Americans. One of the most earliest and important industries in that period was the fur trade. The fur trade industry has played a great factor in the development of America and Canada for more than three centuries. The trade began in the 1500’s as an exchange of goods between Indians and Europeans and other tools and weapons as well. The Beaver fur was the most valuable of all the furs being traded. The earliest traders of furs in North America were the French explorers and fishermen who came to a place which is now Eastern Canada. With the scarcity of fur-bearing animals particularly the beavers, North Americans and Eskimos set traps as far as Canada. British and French empires were set in America because of fur trade in the early 1600’s. The prospect of wealth with this venture has brought Europeans to the New World thus the establishment of many trading posts in the wilderness. As settlements grew, states were established and later became such major cities as Detroit, New Orleans, and St. Louis. While in Canada, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec and Winnipeg were also established. Because of its promising wealth venture, the fur trade has created a conflict between France and Great Britain in the American land. There were rivalries over trading and alliances between Indian tribes and other traders. Hostilities however, were shown by other Indians toward white settlers because the settlers prevented the Indians from clearing the forest with burning thus preventing the production of fur-bearing animals. With such disproportionate conflict, border between the United States and Canada were formed. But in the 1700’s, the fur trade started to decline in the Eastern United States as a result from the clearing of large tracts of lands for settlement. As the clearings grew wider, fur-bearing animals increasingly became scarce as well which hurt the trade in the Western America and Western Canada. Silk was found to be an alternative for clothing and accessories when fur-trading was stopped by 1870’s (Stuart, 2007). In conclusion to this, as stated by Shephard Krech III on his Reflections on Conservation, Sustainability, and Environmentalism in Indigenous North America, he has his own debate if really the old North Americans are environmentalists, ecologists or conservationist. As he has mentioned other facts rather than being in assuring, enough evidence must be drawn to come up with more solid proof that indeed they were. However, there is more information and evidence that showed generally, they have not been properly treated their environment in the proper perspective because what they all need in that period was to survive in the midst of a dark and forested land. The American Indians of today, however, are one of the most visible groups in rallying for the preservation of their land, their domain and their culture as well.

The Downside of Mining in Nevada

The reputation of Nevada as a major producer of gold and silver is a well-known fact already. The state is not called the Silver State for nothing. What are new here are the many negative impacts this reputation to the environment of the state and its consequences. The extensive mining of gold and silver causes disruption in the environment that has effects that could last a long time. The conversion of land, the vast usage of water, and deforestation mining has brought to the state is very alarming (Solnit, 2004). In order to produce gold, large chunks of land is dug up for ores. But then, to yield an ounce of gold, a hundred tons of ore is needed. Imagine how much land will have to be dug up and pulverized to mine the gold Nevada is producing. Therefore, mining gold disrupts the habitat of the different species that live in the places that are dug up. It also affects the agriculture of the state. Mining does not improve soil conditions, it actually worsens it. So, if the soil is not suitable for farming, the food that the farmers will produce will also be affected. This consequence directly affects the people living in the state, since food is essential for living. This activity also destroys groundwater which is an essential source of drinking water. According to Solnit (2004) mines pumps out groundwater during mining, but this water is discarded. Thus, groundwater dug up is not used but its sources are dried up. Also, water in gold-rush districts is being contaminated by gold. Some are being directed to other waterways. This effect to groundwater will surely result in scarcity. And humans again are directly affected. What is there to drink if the waters have went out of the state and the people are left with the contaminated ones? Indeed, the gold and silver reserves of Nevada are good sources of income for the state and the whole country. However, the government still has to guard their courses of action about this matter. If the environment becomes completely destroyed it will affect its people greatly. References Solnit, Rebecca (2004). Meanwhile Back at the Ranch:The Wild, Wild Wars in the West. ZNet: A community of people committed to social change. Retrieved February 1, 2008, from http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=6017

The Social Contract and Its Impact on American Politics

The Social Contract and Its Impact on American Politics The term social contract refers to the idea that the state exists only to serve the will of the people, who are the source of all political power enjoyed by the state. The people can choose to give or withhold this power.  The idea of the social contract is one of the foundations of the American political system. Origin of the Term The term social contract can be found as far back as the writings of the 4th-5th century BCE Greek philosopher Plato. However, it was English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) who expanded on the idea when he wrote Leviathan,  his philosophical response to the English Civil War. In the book, he wrote that in early human history there was no government. Instead, those who were the strongest could take control and use their power over others at any time. His famous summation of life in nature (before government) is that it was nasty, brutish, and short. Hobbes theory was that in the past, the people mutually agreed to create a state, giving it only enough power to provide protection of their well-being. However, in Hobbes theory, once the power was given to the state, the people then relinquished any right to that power. In effect, the loss of rights was the price of the protection they sought. Rousseau and Locke The Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) and English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) each took the social contract theory one step further. In 1762, Rousseau wrote The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right, in which he explained that government is based on the idea of popular sovereignty. The essence of this idea is that the will of the people as a whole gives power and direction to the state. John Locke based many of his political writings on the idea of the social contract. He stressed the role of the individual and the idea that in a state of nature, people are essentially free. When Locke referred to the state of nature, he meant that people have a natural state of independence, and they should be free to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature. Locke argued that people are thus not royal subjects, but in order to secure their property rights, people willingly give over their right to a central authority to judge whether a person is going against the laws of nature and needed to be punished. The type of government is less important to Locke (except for absolute despotism): Monarchy, aristocracy, and republic are all acceptable forms of government as long as that government provides and protects the basic rights of life, liberty, and property to the people. Locke further argued that if a government no longer protects each individuals right, then revolution is not just a right but an obligation. Impact on the Founding Fathers The idea of the social contract had a huge impact on the American Founding Fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) and James Madison (1751–1836). The U.S. Constitution starts with the three words, We the people..., embodying this idea of popular sovereignty in the very beginning of this key document. Following from this principle, a government established by the free choice of its people is required to serve the people, who in the end have  sovereignty, or supreme power, to keep or overthrow that government. Jefferson and John Adams (1735–1826), often political rivals, agreed in principle but disagreed about whether a strong central government (Adams and the federalists) or a weak one (Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans) sufficed best for supporting the social contract. Social Contract for Everyone As with many philosophical ideas behind the political theory, the social contract has inspired various forms and interpretations and has been evoked by many different groups throughout American history. Revolutionary-era Americans favored social contract theory over the British Tory concepts of patriarchal government and looked to the social contract as support for the rebellion. During the antebellum and Civil War periods, social contract theory was used by all sides. Slaveholders used it to support states rights and succession, Whig party moderates upheld the social contract as a symbol of continuity in government, and abolitionists found support in Lockes theories of natural rights. More recently, historians also have linked social contract theories to pivotal social movements such as those for Native American rights, civil rights, immigration reform, and womens rights.  Ã‚   Sources and Further Reading Dienstag, Joshua Foa. Between History and Nature: Social Contract Theory in Locke and the Founders. The Journal of Politics 58.4 (1996): 985–1009.Hulliung, Mark. The Social Contract in America: From the Revolution to the Present Age. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2007.  Lewis, H.D. Plato and the Social Contract. Mind 48.189 (1939): 78–81.  Riley, Patrick. Social Contract Theory and its Critics. Goldie, Mark and Robert Worker (eds.), The Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Political Thought, Volume 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 347–375.White, Stuart. Review Article: Social Rights and Social Contract- Political Theory and the New Welfare Politics. British Journal of Political Science 30.3 (2000): 507–32.

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

Contract law - Essay Example The courts will decide on the amount of damages and other penalties that the defendant will have to incur in return for the breach of contract. Bob’s remedy is to exhaust all extra judicial means to collect the remaining 4,000 pounds that was offered by Arthur and accepted by Bob. If the extra judicial means are not successful, then Bob can file civil charges for the collection of the remaining 4,000 pounds. Since the offer of Arthur to give the additional 4,000 pounds is accepted by Bob, there is a new contract that supersedes the prior contract. The prior contract is that Arthur Will pay Bob 25,000 pounds if Bob finishes the repair job on Arthur’s aunt’s house on the first week of December 2005. The contract is now 29,000 pounds and the new deadline is Dec 25, 2005. Bob has accomplished his part of the contract, now he can ask the courts to force Arthur to pay him the balance of $4,000 pounds. Bob should NOT pay the remaining 2,000 pounds to Eric. Bob does not have to pay the balance of 2,000 pounds to Eric because the law states since Bob did his part of the contract by paying by end of November, then Eric must do his part by collecting only his offer by receiving only the 3,000 pounds if payment was done within November. It is true that one of the requirements of a valid contract is the consent of the party being offered a contract. In this case, because Bob admitted that due to financial difficulty he couldn’t pay the 5,000 pounds to Eric within November 2005, Eric offered a contract to reduce the amount he will receive to only 3,000 pounds. Bob â€Å"accepted† the offer of Eric by his ACTION of paying his liability within the time period offered by Eric. Therefore now that Bob has done his part, Bob demands that it is Eric’s turn to push through with his contract offer to receive only 3,000 pounds. One reason for Bob’s paying on time is because of

Catabolite Repression and Induction of Beta-galactosidase Synthesis Lab Report

Catabolite Repression and Induction of Beta-galactosidase Synthesis - Lab Report Example Apart from induction, synthesis rate is determined by catabolite repression, whereby it slows down the synthesis of beta-galactosidase especially in the presence of a better carbon (and energy) source, such as glucose. In this experiment, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is used as the bacteria to induce synthesis of enzyme ÃŽ ²-galactosidase. The results support lactose metabolism by newly synthesised beta-galactosidase and also, quantitatively, IPTG is a more effective inducer of beta-galactosidase synthesis than lactose. In order to regulate the gene expression levels in a cell, there are certain mechanisms that must be considered in operation. In which case, the regulation is considered at transcription and translation levels or the stability of messenger RNA. The aforementioned can only work in regulation based on the synthesis of a particular protein. Consequently, it comes out as a subject of importance to investigate the regulation of transcription of bacterial genes. For this case, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is used as the bacteria to induce synthesis of enzyme ÃŽ ²-galactosidase. Escherichia coli (E. coli) can produce the enzyme ÃŽ ²-galactosidase which breaks lactose into galactose and glucose. Synthesis of the enzyme beta-galactosidase is induced in wild-type E. coli strains in response to the presence of lactose, the enzymes natural substrate (Ring, 1999, 80). The inducer, lactose, is usually the molecule broken down by the enzyme system. Worth noting is the ability of E.coli to solely use lactose as a carbon source regardless of the presence of glucose. A more stable inducer that lactose, IPTG (Isopropyl ÃŽ ²-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside) helps in inducing expression of the enzyme without being metabolized in the process. Apart from induction, synthesis of ÃŽ ²-galactosidase is also influenced by catabolite repression. The process involves slow down of the synthesis process, facilitated by lactose, especially when a presence of glucose is detected. Intuitively, glucose acts as a better energy and carbon source than lactose (Wallenfels, 1972, 67). When given both sugars, E.coli will not synthesize beta-galactosidase until all of the glucose is first exhausted from the medium.

Individual project Drugs Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual project Drugs Abuse - Essay Example The psychological reasons for drug addiction might include the notion that some people want to find the state of unconsciousness in order not to think about current problems, some drug addicts started using drugs for medical purposes and reached the condition of not being able to control their desires (this type of addiction is neither sociological not psychological), some people, both youth and adults, use the drugs because they are able to change the way the person feels (it is especially common when the person does not want to have that feeling), some of the artists are heavy drug addicts because they believe that drugs are able to cause the creative process. In my opinion, the sociological and psychological causes of drug addiction are interrelated and cannot be perceived separately. For example, the young man from the poor district, whose friends are all drug addicts and spent their time robbing and stealing from others in order to get some money to buy more drugs is very likely to become drug addicts as well. Both sociological and psychological causes are present here: sociological are poverty, absence of employment, peer pressure, the unawareness about how to live differently; the psychological are undesired to be different, â€Å"everybody around does it why should I be different†, â€Å"I want to be one of them† and similar thoughts. Thus, both explanations supplement each other. For example, some of the drug addictions are caused by the social forums when some of the rituals include chemical use to evoke the â€Å"happy moments† and some of the religions incorporate the usage of the mind-altering chemicals. The drugs can heighten the desires and give the false sense of power and fearlessness. Thus, people who are really shy in the normal life can become very aggressive when addicted to drugs. Drugs show the bad side of the human soul and create the perfect condition for criminal

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 70

Assignment Example It is not true that cabbage is cheaply made and is of low quality. Red wine and beef steak are complimentary goods. The goods complement each other. A complementary good is one whose cross elasticity of demand is negative. That is, the demand of a complementary good will increase if the price of another good decreases. Similarly, the demand of a complementary good falls when the price of another good is increased. As such, because red wine and beef steak are complimentary goods (are consumed together), an increase in the price of red wine will discourage people from buying beef steak and thus a fall in demand for beef steak. Red wine has a negative cross elasticity of demand with respect to beef steak. The sales of generic frozen orange juice soared during recession because it is an inferior good. Inferior goods are those that provide an alternative for consumers to reducing their expenditure during harsh economic times. The demand for inferior goods soars with a decrease in the level of disposable income. On the other hand, the sales of freshly squeezed orange juice declined because it is a normal good. The demand for normal goods falls with a fall in income level. As such, during 2007/2008 recession, people turned to generic frozen orange juice to cut their expenditure and thus high sales recorded. On the other hand, the number of people buying freshly squeezed orange juice declined as their disposable income fell. At point A, change in price produces equal change in quantity demanded and hence elastic. At point B, the demand is probably inelastic because a change in price yields less percentage change in quantity demanded. The firm’s products have elastic demand. For goods with elastic demand, a small change in price will cause a big change in quantity demanded. Therefore, every time the firm increased the price, it Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 185 Assignment Example Joycelyn’s objective of career development has been key to her high performance and provision of a worker friendly environment has enabled her to achieve a lot in her career (Mondy, Noe, & Gowan, 2005). Joycelyn has no longer taken human resource as a an administrative duty but as a responsibility to ensure that workers feel that their place of work as the right place to spend time due to the conditions that are provided by the employer. Worker motivation is a major driver to any institution that would want to get the maximum of the employees’ capability. A motivated worker has all his/her welfare well taken care of and it trickles down to the human resource to ensure that they motivate workers by providing them with essential services such as schools for their children, insurance covers etc and rewarding them fairly for the work they have done (Mondy, Noe, & Gowan, 2005). Madam Joycelyn success has come as a result of combination of various factors the work together and is geared towards the workers

Literature Review of Finance and Share Price

Literature Review of Finance and Share Price LITERATURE REVIEW This study relates to examine the relationship of cash flow from operations, earning and sales with share price and the previous research has predicted the comparative abilities of cash flow, earning and sales but this study is only concerned with the relationship of cash flow, earning and sales with share price. In the finance literature that market forces determine share price equal to the discounted value of a stream of expected future cash flows (Hollister et al., 2002). Cash flows represent amounts investors expect to receive in the form of dividend payments or from the sale of their shares and not necessarily the annual operating cash flows generated by a firm. Consequently, it is in a very broad sense that share price is considered to embody a firms future cash flows. Even if share price is often thought of and evaluated in terms of cash flows, earnings is also known to be extremely important to managers and analysts because of the key information it conveys about future prospects (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2002). Various researchers examined value in terms of share return that Earnings reflect a stronger correlation with share return than does current operating cash flows (Watts, 1977; Dechow, 1994; Bartov et al, 1997) .It has been shown that earnings better predicts future operating cash flows than does current operating cash flows because accruals in earnings â€Å"offset the negative correlation in cash flow changes to produce earnings changes that are much less negatively serially correlated ( Dechow, et al 1998) that is why earnings, rather than current operating cash flows, tends to be used in firm share valuations. Earnings quality can be affected by sales volatility (Dechow and Dichev (2002) and Francis et al. (2004). By and large the greater the sales volatility, the more unstable is the operating environment. This results in larger estimation errors for accruals and diminished earnings quality. It gives an idea about how monthly sales announcements of major department and discount stores provide information for investors not only for the retail giants but also for their suppliers (Olsen and Dietrich (1985). The sales volume announcements for the retailers furnish information on the future cash flow prospects for their suppliers and, thus, are incorporated into the suppliers share prices. Dharan (1987) examined the comparative abilities of accrual sales and cash collections of sales to predict future cash flows. It is found that when cash realization occurs in a period subsequent to sales realization, cash flow forecasts from earnings based on accrual sales are better than cash flow forecasts from earnings based on cash collections. This is because of accrual sales â€Å"provides information on managements expectations about future cash flows (Dharan, 1987). Greenberg, Johnson, and Ramesh (1986) used 1963-82 compustate data to test the ability of earnings and CFFO to predict future CFFO, for each firm two separate ordinary least squares regression models were used. The first model test used previous earnings against current CFFO (earnings model) the second model used CFFO for lags of 1-5 years against current CFFO (cash flows model).R square for the earnings and cash flows model were compared and the model with the higher R square was determined to be the better predictor. The results showed that earnings outperformed CFFO in predicting future CFFO. It was concluded that the study provides evidence in support of the FASBs assertions that current earnings is a better predictor of future cash flows than is current cash flows. Juan M. Rivara(1996) found out the accuracy and the consensus among forecasters of earnings estimates for U.S. domestic and U.S. multinational corporations, it was observed that the accuracy of earnings forecasts is significantly lower for purely domestic firms than for U.S based multinationals. Like wise the level of consensus in earnings estimates submitted by financial analysts is significantly lower for U.S. domestic than for U.S. multinational firms. The accounting profession requires that firms disaggregate net income into specific components, even though earnings disaggregation is important for assessing firm profitability, there is little empirical evidence that the classification scheme actually improves profitability forecasts by analyzing the accuracy improvements in out-of-sample forecasts of one-year ahead return-on-equity (ROE) to examine the predictive content of earnings disaggregations (Fairfield, Sweeney, Yohn) .The results show that the classification scheme prescribed by the accounting profession does increase the predictive content of reported earnings. It was found forecasting improvements from earnings disaggregation. These improvements go beyond separating extraordinary items and discontinued operations from the other components of earnings. Further disaggregation of earnings (into operating earnings, non-operating earnings and taxes, and special items) improves forecasts of ROE one year ahead. (Ball and Watts (1972), Albrecht, Lookabill McKeown (1977), Watts and Leftwich (1977) and Lev (1983) studied the Earnings ability to predict future earnings studied first or second order autocorrelations and or forecasts over one or two-year horizons and provided evidence to support a random walk model that is uncorrelated earnings changes, However, random walk may not be descriptive of the earnings process Where as Ramesh and Thiagarajan (1989) rejected a random walk earnings model and Lipe and Kormendi (1993) show that higher order, rather than random walk, models are descriptive of market-adjusted earnings time-series process. Finger (1994) found out the earnings ability to predict future earnings and future cash flow from operations1 one through eight years ahead using annual data from1935-87 for 50 firms. I use time-series methods to test firm-specific predictive ability over the entire time period (hereafter in-sample regression tests) and then compare out-of-sample forecast errors to assess earnings ability to improve earnings or cash flow forecasts up to eight years ahead. He found that earnings are a significant predictor of future earnings, in sample, for 88% of the firms. The random walk provides better out-of-sample forecasts than do individually estimated models one year ahead for 52% of the sample firms, Out of sample forecasts show that random walk models outperform individually estimated earnings models for one-year but not for four- or eight-year horizons. Earnings, used alone and with cash flow, are a significant predictor of cash flow for the majority of firms. However, out-of-sample foreca sts show that adding earnings rarely improves cash flow forecasts. Cash flow is a better short-term predictor of cash flow than are earnings, both in and out of sample, and the two are approximately equivalent long-term. The nature of the information contained in the accrual and cash flow components of earnings and the extent to which this information is reflected in stock prices Sloan (1996). It is found that earning performance attributable to the accrual component of earnings exhibits lower persistence than earnings performance attributable to the cash flow component of earnings, hence results also indicated that stock prices act as if investors fixate on earnings, failing to distinguish fully between the different properties of the accrual and cash flow components of earnings. Lorek Willinger (1996) the time series properties and predictive abilities of cash flow data. Results indicate that this model clearly outperforms firm-specific and common-structure ARIMA models as well as a multivariate, cross-sectional regression model popularized in the literature. These findings are robust across alternative cash-flow metrics (e.g., levels, per-share, and deflated by total assets) and are consistent with the viewpoint espoused by the FASB that cash-flow prediction is enhanced by consideration of earnings and accrual accounting data. Bowen, Burgstahler Daley (1986) examined relationships between signals provided by accrual earnings and various measures of cash flow, Findings indicate that Correlations between traditional cash flow measures and alternative CF measures that incorporate more extensive adjustments are low, 2nd the correlations between alternative measures of CF and earnings are, while the correlations between traditional measures of CF and earnings are high. These first two results are consistent with earnings and alternative measures of CF that incorporate more extensive adjustments conveying different signals. Finally, for four out of five cash flow variables, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that random walk models predict CF as well as (and often better than) models based on other flow variables. An exception to this general result is that net income plus depreciation and amortization and working capital from operations appear to be the best predictors of cash flow from operations. Overall there results are not consistent with the FASBs statements that earnings numbers provide better forecasts of future cash flows than do cash flow numbers. Earlier additional information content of cash flows relies primarily on cross- sectional regression models relating both earnings and cash flows to security return metrics that assumes a uniform relation between earnings (cash flow from operations) and security returns across observations. Ali (1994) however, conditions the incremental information content of unexpected earnings and cash flows from operations on their magnitude with respect to price. It is found that changes in earnings (cash flows from operations) are not expected to persist and thus have reduced implications for returns. Cheng, Liu Schaefer (1996) investigated the Earnings Permanence and the Incremental Information Content of Cash Flows from Operations, findings suggest that the incremental information content of accounting earnings decreases, and the incremental information content of cash flows from operations increases, with a decrease in the permanence of earnings. Barth, Cram Nelson investigated the role of accruals in predicting future cash flows and findings proved that disaggregating earnings into cash flow and the major components of accruals significantly enhances earnings predictive ability, findings also showed relation between cash flow next year and current cash flow and each component of accruals is significant and has a sign consistent with prediction. One of two researchers has re examined the association between earnings forecast error and earnings predictability because there is evidence suggesting that deliberate earnings forecast optimism is not an effective mechanism for gaining access to managers information ( Eames et al. 2002; Matsumoto 2002) ,For earnings level to be an important control variable in examinations of the association between forecast error and earnings predictability, there must be associations between earnings level and both forecast error and earnings predictability. Numerous studies report an inverse relation between forecast error and the level of reported earnings ( Brown 2001; Eames et al. 2002; Eames and Glover 2002; Hwang et al. 1996). The association reflects both earnings shocks due to unanticipated events and earnings management. Dechow Dichev suggested a new measure of one aspect of the quality of working capital accruals and earnings, they illustrated the usefulness of analysis in two ways. First, they examined the relation between measure of accrual quality and firm characteristics. The nature of the accrual process suggests that the magnitude of estimation errors will be systematically related to business fundamentals like the length of the operating cycle and variability of operations. It was found that accrual quality is negatively related to the absolute magnitude of accruals, the length of the operating cycle, loss incidence, and the standard deviation of sales, cash flows, accruals, and earnings, and positively related to firm size. Results suggest that these observable firm characteristics can be used as instruments for accrual quality. This is important because the regression based estimation of accrual quality demands long time series of data and the availability of subsequent cash flows, which m akes it costly or infeasible for certain practical applications (e.g quality-of-accruals-based trading strategies). Second they illustrated the usefulness of analysis by exploring the relation between measure of accrual quality and earnings persistence. Firms with low accrual quality have more accruals that are unrelated to cash flow realizations, and so have more noise and less persistence in their earnings. Indeed, they find a strong positive relation between accrual quality and earnings persistence. Although the measure of accrual quality is theoretically and empirically related to the absolute magnitude of accruals, and Sloan (1996) documents that the level of accruals is less persistent than cash flows. Probing further, they found out that accrual quality and level of accruals are incremental to each other in explaining earnings persistence, with accrual quality the more powerful determinant. There are two widely held views regarding managements motivations to managing earnings and each has quite different implications for the predictive usefulness of the resultant numbers .One view is that earnings management is motivated by mangers attempt to sustain the overvaluation of the firms stock price and to enhance managers personal welfare by disguising the true underlying economic performance of the firm (opportunistic perspective). An alternative view is that managers manage earnings to reveal private value-relevant information about the future prospects of a firm (informational perspective). They shown that originally reported (managed) earnings of firms classified as managing earnings for opportunistic reasons are less predictive of future cash flows relative to the restated (unmanaged) numbers. Conversely, they find that originally reported (managed) earnings of firms classified as managing earnings for informational reasons exhibit greater predictive ability with respect to future cash flows relative to restated (unmanaged) numbers. (Badertscher , Collins and lys 2007). Theoretical and empirical work in accounting and finance has documented the importance of firm size when testing the information in security prices with respect to future earnings (Collins et al., 1987) and interested in assessing the information in security prices with respect to the predictive ability of earnings, their finding that price-based-earnings forecasts outperform time-series forecasts by a greater margin for larger firms than smaller firms is of direct interest here. Their result implies that firm-size may help to explain inter-firm differences in the predictive ability of quarterly earnings data and helps to motivate the consideration of firm-size as an independent variable in the current study. Foster et al (1984) report that firm-size independently explains a substantial portion of the variation in post announcement drifts in security returns due to potentially misspecified quarterly earnings expectation models. The magnitude of abnormal returns associated with good or bad news earnings signals is inversely related to firm-size Freeman (1987), speculates that these findings might simply be due to differential time-series properties of the earnings numbers of large and small firms-an uncontrolled factor in his research design-and calls for future research to examine the possibility. Bathke , Lorek Willinger ( 1989) found out differences in the auto regressive parameters of the Foster and Brown and Rozeff ARIMA models across firm-size strata . One-step-ahead quarterly earnings forecasts were generated by a set of best fitting time-series models. Their Tests also indicated that large and medium size firms generated one-step ahead forecasts that were significantly more accurate than smaller firms at the .05 level and they obtained similar predictive findings on the significance of the size-effect in a supplementary analysis of the non seasonal and volatile growth and inconsistent strata membership firms. ChengDana examined the persistence of cash flow components in predicting future cash and the findings were that the cash flow components from various operating activities persist differentially. They found out that the cash related to sales, cost of goods sold, operating expenses and interest persists a great deal into future cash flows; cash related to other has lower persistence; and cash related to taxes has no persistence and then they incorporated accrual components into persistence regression model and found that the persistence of cash flow components are generally higher than those of accruals; however, accrual components do enhance model performance, their findings are consistent with the AICPAs and financial analysts rationale for their recommendation that the financial effects of a companys core and non-core cash flows should be distinguished. Reference Ashiq Ali â€Å" Incremental information content of earnings , working capital from operations and cash flow † Journal of Accounting research†( spring 1994): 61-74 Robert M. Bowen, David Burgstahler, Lane A. Daley â€Å"Evidence on the Relationships between Earnings and Various Measures of Cash Flow † The Accounting Review, Vol. 61, No. 4 (Oct., 1986), pp. 713-725 Richard G. Sloan â€Å"Do Stock Prices Fully Reflect Information in Accruals and Cash Flows about Future Earnings† The Accounting Review, Vol. 71, No. 3 (Jul., 1996), pp. 289-315. Kenneth S. Lorek and G. Lee Willinger â€Å"A Multivariate Time-Series Prediction Model for Cash-Flow Data† The Accounting Review, Vol. 71, No. 1 (Jan., 1996), pp. 81-102 Catherine A. Finger â€Å"The Ability of Earnings to Predict Future Earnings and Cash Flow† Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 210-22 C. S. Agnes Cheng, Chao-Shin Liu, Thomas F. Schaefer â€Å"Earnings Permanence and the Incremental Information Content of Cash Flows from operations† Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 34, No. 1 ( Spring, 1996), pp. 173-181. Olsen, C. and J. Dietrich, Vertical Information Transfers: The Association Between Retailers Sales Announcements and Suppliers Security Returns, Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 144-166, 1985. Juan M. Rivera (1996) â€Å" Prediction Performance of Earnings Forecasts: The Case of U.S. Multinationals.†Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 22, No. 2 (2nd Qtr. 1991), pp. 265-288. Patricia M. Fairfield Richard J. Sweeney Teri Lombardi Yohn â€Å"Accounting classification and predictive content of earning† The Accounting Review, Vol. 71, No. 3 (Jul., 1996), pp. 337-355. BALL, R R.WATTS â€Å"Some Time Series Properties of Accounting Income† Journal of Finance (June 1972): 663-82 Mary E. Barth, Donald P. Cram, Karen K. Nelson â€Å"Accruals and the Prediction of Future Cash Flows †The Accounting Review, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Jan., 2001), pp. 27-58 Michael J. Eames and Steven M. Glover â€Å"Earnings Predictability and the Direction of Analysts Earnings Forecast Errors †Accounting Review, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Jul., 2003), pp. 707-724. Patricia M. Dechow and Ilia D. Dichev â€Å"The Quality of Accruals and Earnings: The Role of Accrual Estimation Errors †The Accounting Review, Vol. 77, Supplement: Quality of Earnings Conference (2002), pp. 35-59. Patricia M. Dechow and Ilia D. Dichev â€Å"The Quality of Accruals and Earnings: The Role of Accrual Estimation Errors †The Accounting Review, Vol. 77, Supplement: Quality of Earnings Conference (2002), pp. 35-59. Brad Badertscher , Daniel W. Collins Thomas Z. Lys â€Å"Earnings Management and the Predictive Ability of Accruals with Respect to Future Cash Flows † Journal of finance, (2007) , PP 01-52. Allen W. Bathke, Jr., Kenneth S. Lorek, G. Lee Willinger â€Å"Firm-Size and the Predictive Ability of Quarterly Earnings Data † The Accounting Review, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Jan., 1989), pp. 49-68 C. S. Agnes Cheng Dana Hollie (1996) â€Å"The Persistence of Cash Flow Components into Future Cash Flows† Journal of finance, pp 1-32.

Essay --

The literary movement during the 1980's in Britain was heavily influenced by the state of Britain's economy at the time. The people of Britain had become infatuated with politics due to the election of Margaret Thatcher, the first and only woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to have held office. She was known as the â€Å"Iron lady† and the leader of the Conservative Party. Her influence on the British government with her use of Thatcherism did not leave behind a good legacy in the literature department. In a New York Times newspaper article, it is stated that, â€Å"The Thatcher years were a time of remarkable cultural ferment, in which the energies of an extraordinarily diverse roster of musicians, novelists, playwrights, critics and filmmakers — to say nothing of television comedians and puppeteers — were unleashed in opposition, glum and passionate, explicit and overt, to the prime minister herself,†(nytimes.com). Many literary figures have writ ten novels in response to the events of the society's cultural downfall in the 1980's. In Doris Lessing's, The Good Terrorist, which is set in the time period of Thatcherism, she portrays her character's thoughts on bourgeois liberalism as contradictions to their personalities. The main character, Alice Mellings, assumes that she is committing these acts of terrorism for a good reason. Alice and her band of revolutionary rejects are the manifestations of Doris Lessing's various frustrations against political advancements with feminism, communism, and Thatcherism. †¨ The political views and opinions that Doris Lessing's character accumulate in The Good Terrorist are most likely fueled by Lessing's real life experiences with communist parties and her unsatisfying life in the suburbs in Rho... ...ain. During the time of the 1980's in Britain, feminism, communism, and Thatcherism were big parts of the time period. These political advancements caused many literary responses to the downfall of the government that Margaret Thatcher ruled at the time. Lessing was a feminist but was not a feminist at the same time. In an article on dnaindia.com, it is stated that, â€Å"Lessing was able to do a great deal for women without subscribing to feminism; she did it with her life, and with (not just within) her writing,†(dnaindia). Unfortunately, not a lot of research has been done on The Good Terrorist, and it being a good fictional reference into the life of a group of squatters in 1980's Britain, Doris Lessing writes from her perspective on feminist criticism and explores her ideas, hoping to expand further into more of Lessing's works and explore the meanings behind them.

College stress

College stress BY JoshuaB662 classes, scheduling issues to coordinate, difficult tests and other academic obstacles, coupled with the more independent nature of the college learning structure, many new and returning students find themselves studying long, hard hours. Social Stress While college freshmen face the most obvious social challenges that usually involve leaving one's entire support structure behind, creating a new social network, dealing with being away from home for the first time and finding less parental support, most tudents face social stress.Finding and living with a roommate, balancing friends with school work (and often part-time Jobs), and dealing with the dynamics of young adult relationships can all be difficult, and these challenges can lead to significant stress. Other Stresses There are also many miscellaneous stresses that often come from college life. Many students keep crazy hours from staying up late to study, getting up early for classes, and trying to cr am in all the work and fun that can possibly fit. Often the logistics of iving more independently†from laundry to car insurance†can cause stress.New students deal with missing home and more seasoned students may wonder if they're in the right major. Most students struggle with who they are and where theyd like to be, at least at some point in their college career. The Impact of Stress What affect do these issues have on students? Just as everyone deals with stress in a unique way, college students experience a range of consequences from stress, from mild to severe. Here are some of the common effects of stress: Experience of StressOne of the most commonly felt consequences of college stress is a feeling of being overwhelmed. While trying to find a balance of how hard to work (and play), many college students struggle with perfectionism or unhealthy habits like heavy drinking. Weight Issues Partially because of stress and partially because of other social and practical is sues faced by college students, many struggle with their weight. Many gain 10-20 pounds around their first year (weight gain known as the Freshman 15), and others lose weight unintentionally, or struggle with eating disorders. Dropout Rate College Stress One important factor of college stress on students leading to suicide is academic linked issues in college. Firstly, college means higher education demanding for a number of assignments, tests and projects which is just sufficient for students to commit suicide particularly when exams are round the corner. Every semester has two or more quizzes, group assignments and case study for each subject which is worth so much Of marks that you don't want to lose it.Next, world has become very competitive so in order for one to shine in that world requires a lot of hardwood to make homeless different from others. Everyone is in the race of being the number ‘one'. In addition, students give up hope thinking that if they don't do well academically they are not worth anything, but they don't realize that living with hope motivates oneself to be somebody in life. It is very hard for one to adopt new environment, new responsibilities and to be exposed to the world of competition.There is a va st difference between school life and college life, for example, unlike college, secondary students are usually upon-fed by their class teachers that is everything given in hand by teachers whether its notes or any announcements. So to be able to adopt this environment is itself a challenge. Living with family means less responsibility on students' shoulders Some students stay away from their families means more responsibilities which sums up level of stress in college for example, mothers usually chase their children around for food but living in a hostel or without parents means prepare everything by themselves.Sometimes assignments really gets jammed up over the schedule that many students stay up late at night and study long hours and getting up early for classes. This is really traumatic. Depression is a very common form of stress among adolescents. It can be in a form of finance and life circumstances. Its one of the major reasons of the increasing number of suicides. Unlike s chools, college expenses are much higher which some parents can't afford, directly or indirectly it puts students under great pressure.Secondly, we often ear or experience that students might not be able to clear examinations therefore he/she may have to repeat that subject or even the entire semester which is really embarrassing and depressing. Having mentioned it earlier due to some financial situation or life circumstances, student may have fear of being dropout from the institution. Many students do not understand how great an impact this stress can have on their happiness and overall behavior. Suicide has now become a trend caused by college stress which many adolescents follow.

Role Of Effective Communication and Interpersonal Reaction

Effective communication is a big part of the various skills that are required by personnel within a health and social care setting and it is mainly to ensure that they are effective at meeting the needs of the numerous people who use the services that they help to provide. In order for them to develop effective communication skills, they will need to be aware of the use of communication theories. A wide range of communication theories are available in order to give support towards effective communication between personnel and the service users.Argyle is one of the theorists who studied the topic of effective communication within this particular setting. He produced theories on human communication and also interpersonal interaction. He looked at various aspects of verbal and nonverbal communication and was able to produce a communication cycle with his findings. The stages of Argyle’s communication cycle are as follows; an idea will occur and a message will in turn be coded, th is message will then be sent and received the message will then be decoded and understood by the receiver.The first stage is when we think about what exactly it is that we what to say and who we are going to say it too. Stage number two is when we plan on saying it. Stage Three is message received and occurs when a person hears what you have said. Stage number four is then decoding the received message. The fifth stage is when the message is fully understood by the receiver and when they are actually able to understand what you have been saying to them. As well as Argyle being quite an important figure with these studies, there was also another man who contributes just as much. He is known as Tuckman.Again, like Argyle, Tuckman's theory is carried out and defined with the use of numerous stages but also looks at the groups aspect of effective communication. Stage number one is known as Forming: This is an important stage of the theory as this is when the group members begin to learn more about each other becoming more friendly and comfortable within the group as a whole. The reason it would be seen as a rather important stage is because while people don’t necessarily know each other they will tend to behave more independently and not engage with the group setting that has been assigned to them.Step number two is referred to as Storming: Storming is required for the group to enable it to grow as a single unit and not as people working on their own behalf. Tuckman discovered that not all group will make past this stage and so it separates the strong from the weak. By the stage it is hoped that groups will have allocated a leader. Step number three is Norming: This is the stage that the group agree on the rules that they will follow together and the group will begin to gain a higher degree of trust with one another.

Honda vs Toyota essays

Honda vs Toyota essays Honda and Toyota have been two leading competitors in the automobile business for several decades. Both being rivals in the foreign Japanese market and in the United States as well. Over the years, both have created compact cars, sport utility vehicles, sports cars, minivans, mid-sized vans, and hybrids. These two companies have flourished in the American automobile industry and have gained the loyalty of many customers. Now a days, cars have to meet strict emission laws based on California criteria due to the high level of pollution. The government has even had to step into the industry making manufacturers produce cars with catalytic converters. Toyota and Honda have taken these aspects into affect by creating the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla. Honda has actually set the standard for the compact car, making the Civic one of the most U.L.E.V (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles) in the industry. Toyota on the other hand has set the standard for the mid-sized vehicle with the Camry. Ev er since Toyota introduced the Camry sedan in 1983, it has become the best passenger car for the last four years in America. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Camry received the best overall ratings in each of their class. Thus, creating a tense competition in the automobile industry. In the past few years, consumers have demanded more and more cars that are not only affordable, but also fuel-efficient. This rise in demand is due to the changing factors in the taste of the buyers, the rise in population, the rise income, the rise in prices of substitutes, and the drop in the prices of complement products and services. Honda and Toyota have both made quite a sum of money by taking advantage of the opportunity of these rises in demand. These rises in demand have made sales in both companies double within the past decade. As times change, people and their tastes change as well. Every year, Honda and To...

Coral Ecosystem essays

Coral Ecosystem essays l reefs are one of natures most magnificent creations, filled with thousands of unique and valuable plants and animals. More than one quarter of all marine animals is dependent on coral reefs. Coral reefs are also a source of food and income for millions of people too. The coral reef ecosystems benefit humans commercially, recreationally and environmentally. Because of the complex interconnections between coral reefs, mangrove forests, sea grass beds, and many other different plants and animals, coral is very susceptible to destruction. One small change in any of these things can affect mass quantities of coral. That is why it is important to educate people about coral and how complex of a species they really are. That is the purpose of this report, to educate you and make you aware of that complexity. Coral is often mistakenly identified as a rock, but in all actuality, it is an animal. The actual coral is composed of small animals called coral polyps. Most polyps are very small, although rare species can grow quite large. One coral branch or mound is composed of thousands of polyps. These thousands of polyps are called a coral colony. Polyps are nocturnal and stay inside their skeletons during the day. However, at night they can be seen when they stick their tentacles out to feed. Corals reproduce in many different ways. Some species are hermaphrodites, and produce both sperm and eggs, and some are single sexed organisms. They can reproduce both sexually or asexually. In most species, the egg and sperm are released into the water and random fertilization occurs. This is called coral spawning. The larva is attracted to the light and swims to the surface of the water where it remains for weeks. If the larva can survive without being eaten by predators, it will sink back to the bottom of the ocean floor. Hear it will attach itself to a hard substrate and will grow into a coral polyp. At this point, t...