The ontological argument for God's existance Term Paper

The ontological argument for God's existance - Term Paper Example Each Christian must be familiar and informed about the teachings of the Church and Christ. However, it is also helpful to be well-versed with the philosophical and theological writings of Church members. Most of these writings of Christian philosophers and theologians can shed light on the problem of evil, God’s existence and other hostilities that are rejected by modern non-believers. A concise philosophical foreword to intellectual arguments on the subject of God’s existence can aid in propagating the truth and representing Christianity as a logical religion and a lifestyle to other people. This study concentrates on three popular arguments concerning the existence of God – the ontological, cosmological and teleological argument. These evidences have constantly been disputed by different theologians and philosophers over the years. II. St. Anselm’s First Argument St. Anselm, a Doctor of the Church and Canterbury’s Catholic archbishop, was the firs t to formulate the Ontological Argument. This argument is conceivably the most bizarre and most intensely debated proof about the existence of God. It has gained the attention of prominent philosophers such as G.W.F. Hegel (who supported Anselm’s claim) and Immanuel Kant (who opposed Anselm’s claim). ... In essence, this means that the idea of God is a concept buried in people’s minds. God is a probable being and might truly exist. This is because the concept of God does not yield internal inconsistencies. If a particular thing/being exists solely in our own perception and could possibly have existed in reality, then it might have been superior and greater. Simply put, this certain something that is existent in reality great or perfect. Something that only resides in people’s minds can become greater by existing for real. Suppose that, theoretically, God exists solely in a person’s understanding and not for real, then it is probable that God would be greater than he already is (following from premise 3). This means that God can become greater. This argument becomes ridiculous because God is already a perfect being in which a â€Å"greater† is no longer possible. This is where the contradiction lies. Hence, it follows that the notion of God existing only in a person’s understanding is false. For this reason, God exists both in people’s understanding and in reality. This argument is intriguing because it claims that God, who is perfect, should exist in all possible situations so as to gratify his perfection. A God who is existent in only selected circumstances and does not exist in others is a being who is less than perfect. III. Gaunilo’s Reply to St. Anselm’s Arguments Gaunilo is a monk of Marmoutier and a contemporary of Anselm. He was responsible for the creation of one of the most vital critiques of the argument posed by Anselm. It is a sensible to care that the contention of Anselm unlawfully moves from the existence of a concept to the existence of something corresponding to that concept. As put sometimes by the objection, things are

The Relationship between Reason and Experience Essay Example for Free

The Relationship between Reason and Experience Essay The various man-made creations, the formation of different school of thoughts and literature that reflects the varieties of human experiences and the different ideas that govern man’s way of living attest man’s love of wisdom. Man as the highest form of animal is an authentic specie that never stops learning, innovating, creating, and seeking ways to gain more choices in giving his life more meaning. As he continually desire to seek answers in his questions towards his existence, there is a continuous enhancement of man’s intellect. Reviewing the history and looking around the contemporary world itself will ascertain man’s development towards intellect. But how do knowledge and rationality develop that resulted to man’s creation of many things? People establish knowledge and rationality in different ways. Human beings basically hate uncertainty or skepticism. But skepticism as it resulted to ambiguity and doubt motivates man to seek for answers in fulfilling his wonder. The use of observation from experiences or senses is one of the most important resources in acquiring knowledge. People can easily believe the idea that mind apprehends truths through the medium of the senses for the reason that people really learned from experience. However, is there something as absolute knowledge by which human beings accumulate truths without having to experience it? This paper will attest that human beings’ innate reasoning and experience are inextricably linked in the acquisition and manipulation of knowledge. Experience that is associated with empiricism and innate reasoning associated with rationalism are interrelated. Over the years, the source and extent of knowledge has been strongly debated in the world of philosophy. Rationalism and empiricism are the two rival schools of thoughts that gave accounts on the theories of knowledge. Basically the debate between empiricists and rationalists was whether or not knowledge is acquired from the senses or experiences. Empiricism holds the â€Å"attitude that beliefs are to be accepted and acted upon only if they first have been confirmed by actual experience† (â€Å"Empiricism†). Empiricism emphasizes the role of experience as it gives evidences in the formation of ideas. Just like in science, hypothesis and theories must be tested through observation and experiments to be sure of its factuality. However some reality or knowledge on empiricism in the context of experimental reasoning is not always credible. All can be subject to revision. â€Å"As far as possible, empiricism also try to avoid any reference to abstract entities and to restrict themselves to what is sometimes called a nominalistic language, i. e. , one not containing such references† (Carnap 1997). Empiricism apparently believes that â€Å"innate knowledge is unobservable and inefficacious; that is, it does not do anything†. A particular knowledge only works and becomes more meaningful if one experiences it. For example, how would you know or imagine the richness of color present in a rainbow if you were born blind? Or how can we possibly get the idea of a perfect circle and a perfect square without seeing it? We can possibly describe it in words and description but its full meaning will never be realized without experience. The only way to have a complete idea of a rainbow or on any object is to experience it with the use of senses. â€Å"Aristotle was one of the scientists who believe in the concept of empiricism; he felt that it is imperative that we trust our senses, for what else have we to trust? † (Purvis) Rationalism on the other hand holds the idea that â€Å"reason is the chief source and test of knowledge and that reality itself has an inherently logical structure† (â€Å"Rationalism†). Moreover, rationalists believe that there are truths in this world that are beyond the reach of sense perception that can only be explained by reason and logic. Mathematical truths for example (e. g. 0+1=1) are said to be absolutely true or a statement â€Å"A nun is a female† or â€Å"A priest is a male†. These truths according to rationalists were acquired prior to experience. They will remain true whether an individual experience it or not. But in creating these mathematical truths are they not already acquired through experience? In favor of empiricism, â€Å"mathematics is a good way of showing how both rationalism and empiricism are both important components of knowledge† (Purvis 2008). The creation of numbers is not innate or they are not things on themselves. They are manmade creations that we use â€Å"to more conveniently operate and organize our empirical perceptions† (Purvis 2008) Rationalists also hold the concept that humans’ sense of morality with the presence of conscience and guilt and man’s logic are innate. But we can not rationally prove the rightness and wrongness of morality or logic without empirical evidence. The idea that there is indeed a morality will never be realized without understanding its consequences from experiences. Man was encouraged to create morality for the purpose of making his existence more meaningful. With no raw data from experience then there should be no participation in full metaphysics. Given that there is an innate sense of reasoning, but that will only be fully revealed and realized through experience. Reason and experience for me, are both reliable source of knowledge. The senses and the mind are both necessary in acquiring knowledge and truth. So the argument should arise in proving the relationship of reason and experience. Experience can sometimes be a less reliable source of knowledge or reality since at any moment new experience may disapprove the old. However we can not be completely dependent upon reasoning to gain knowledge since people naturally need experience to test the truths of logical arguments. We can not imagine a life without experience. The fact the people react or reason means people respond in their environment and their present experience or situation. Our ability to perceive is an experience in itself. The innate existence of logic and rationality I believed will come into a complete understanding and will transform into life with the use of experience. However there are also things that can never be understood or considered an absolute truth without experiencing it. Some people in order to accept truth backed up it with concrete proofs from past or future experience. Work Cited Page: Empiricism. Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2009. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. 15 Feb. 2009 http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/186146/Empiricism. Rationalism. Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2009. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. 15 Feb. 2009 http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/492034/rationalism. Carnap, Rudolf. â€Å"Empiricism, Semantics and Onthology†. Revue Internationale de Philosophie. Retrived 15 February, 2009. from http://www. ditext. com/carnap/carnap. html Yount, David J. Empiricism V. Rationalism online. Retrieved 15 February 2009 from http://www. mc. maricopa. edu/~yount/text/empm-v-ratm. html Purvis, Dustin. Rationalism Vs. Empiricism. SocyBerty online. 2008, April 17. Retrieved 15 February, 2009 From http://www. socyberty. com/Philosophy/Rationalism-Vs-Empiricism. 110492/1

Hypatia of Alexandria :: essays research papers

Hypatia of Alexandria Hypatia was born in 370 A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt. From that day on her life was one enriched with a passion for knowledge. Theon, Hypatia’s father whom himself was a mathematician, raised Hypatia in an environment of thought. Both of them formed a strong bond as he taught her his own knowledge and shared his passion in the search of answers to the unknown. Under her fathers discipline he developed a physical routine for her to ensure a healthy body as well as a highly functional mind. Her father instructed her on the different religions of the world and how to influence people with the power of words. Also taught her the fundamentals of teaching so she could be a profound orator. From the teachings of her father, she to became a mathematician and philosopher which she was recognized the head of the Neo-Platonist school of philosophy at Alexandria. Due to her eloquence, modesty, and beauty, combined with her remarkable intellectual gifts, she attracted a large number of pupils . Her students were aristocratic young men, both Pagan and Christian, who rose to occupy influential civil and eccelestrastical positions. They considered Hypatia as their â€Å"divine guide† into the realm of philosophical and cosmic mysteries, which included mathematics. She combined the principles of free thinking and the ideal of pure living. She was known for her prudence, moderation, and self control, and for her ease of manner and her beauty. She was recognized as an eloquent teacher and by 390 A.D. her circle of influence was well-established. She also symbolized learning and science which in time of Western history were largely identified by early Christians with Paganism. As such, she was the focal point in the tension and riots between Christians and non-Christians that racked more than once in Alexandria. In this time Cyril roused negative sentiment toward Orestes and Orestes was attacked by 500 Nitrian monks. Due to Cyril and his negativity and what he caused to happen to Orestes, Hypatia fell victim to the political hostilities due to being a close associate of Orestes and was undoubtedly defamed by Cyril. Admiration for her became resentment and she was perceived as an obstacle to the conciliation of Orestes and Cyril. Being as that, Cyril began planning Hypatia’s most crucial death. In 415 A.D., during Lent, while riding in her chariot through the streets of Alexandria, she was attacked upon by a fanatical mob of antipagan Christians.

Lessee Ltd.- Lease Case

| Lessee Ltd. – Lease Case| | | | | | 1. Was the junior accountant’s analysis correct? Why or why not? No, the junior accountant’s analysis is not correct in classifying the lease as an operating lease in accordance with IFRS. Whether or not a lease is classified as a finance or an operating lease depends on if all of the benefits as well as risks of ownership have been shifted from the lessor to the lessee.According to IAS 17-10(d), a lease must be classified as a finance if either â€Å"the lease term is for the major portion of the asset’s economic life† or â€Å"at the inception of the lease the present value of the minimum payment amounts to at least substantially all of the fair value of the lease asset. † With regards to this case, the term of the lease is equal to 75% of the equipment’s useful life. Also, the present value of the annual payments would equal $263,716 with the fair value of asset only being $265,000, which makes the present value of the minimum lease payment 99. % of the fair value of the leased asset. With these criteria being met it satisfies the requirements of IAS 17 and would therefore be classified as a finance lease 2. Was the senior accountant’s analysis correct? Why or why not? The senior accountant’s analysis is correct according to IAS 17. The way the senior accountant lays out his thought process in a step-by-step process creates a nice â€Å"checklist† to compare to the IAS.Beginning with step one, the senior accountant classifies the lease as a finance lease on the terms that the life of the contract encompasses the majority of the equipment’s useful life. According to IAS 17. 10, the senior accountant is correct. Whether a lease is a finance lease or an operating lease depends on the substance of the transaction rather than the form. Situations that would normally lead to a lease being classified as a finance lease include the following: [IAS 17. 0 ] * the lease transfers ownership of the asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term * the lessee has the option to purchase the asset at a price which is expected to be sufficiently lower than fair value at the date the option becomes exercisable that, at the inception of the lease, it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised * the lease term is for the major part of the economic life of the asset, even if title is not transferred * at the inception of the lease, the present value of the minimum lease payments amounts to at least substantially all of the fair value of the leased asset * the lease assets are of a specialized nature such that only the lessee can use them without major modifications being made In his second step, the senior accountant uses the wrong interest rate. He states, â€Å"Since the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate is greater than the lessor’s implicit rate in the lease, compute the present value of the minimum lease payme nts using the 11 percent rate. † This is wrong because IFRS does not permit the lessee to use the incremental rate if the implicate rate known. He should have used %10 for his calculations. At commencement of the lease term, finance leases should be recorded as an asset and a liability at the lower of the fair value of the asset and the present value of the minimum lease payments (discounted at the interest rate implicit in the lease, if practicable, or else at the entity's incremental borrowing rate) [IAS 17. 20] * PV of the minimum lease payments = $100,000Ãâ€"2. 4896 + $20,000 x 0. 7513 = $263,716 Lastly, the senior accountant uses the wrong number from step 2 and therefore is incorrect in determining the amortization tables. Table 1 below shows the corrected table. * Finance lease payments should be apportioned between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding liability (the finance charge to be allocated so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability) [IAS 17. 25] * The depreciation policy for assets held under finance leases should be consistent with that for owned assets.If there is no reasonable certainty that the lessee will obtain ownership at the end of the lease – the asset should be depreciated over the shorter of the lease term or the life of the asset [IAS 17. 27] 3. How would the answer differ under U. S. GAPP? Under U. S. GAAP many things in the Senior Accountant’s computations would change. First you would allocate the payments based on the 10 percent implicit rate from the lessor not the 11 percent incremental borrowing rate from the lessee. This would change the total Lease Obligation to $263,716. Below is the new table allocating payments between interest and lease obligation. Table [ 1 ] Year| Cash pmt| Interest expense (10%)| Reduction in Lease Obligation| Balance of Lease Obligation| 0| | | | $263,716| | $100,000| $26,372| $75,131| $190,088| 2| $100,000| $19,009| $80,991| $109,097| 3| $100,000| $10,910| $89090| $20,007| The balance is the residual value at the end of the lease ($20,007? $20,000). The journal entry to record the lease obligation would have to change based on the correct percentage. Leased Equipment under Capital Lease $263,716 Lease payable$263,716 The correct journal entry to record Year 1 payment would be: Rent Expense $2,000 Interest Expense$26,372 Lease payable$73,628 Cash$102,000 There would not be any depreciation recorded on this leased equipment due to the title not transferring or a bargain purchase option.

Corporate Governance And Shareholders Commerce Essay

Corporate administration and stockholders ‘ wealth have been closely related in history. The two constructs are closely related with different bookmans coming up with their impacts in the organisation. Corporate administration refers to a systematic method of supplying inadvertence and way to the mode in which an organisation operates. Harmonizing to Ruiz-Porras and Lopez-Mateo, corporate administration is concerned with duties and rights of an organisation ‘s direction, stockholders and other stakeholders such as clients and employees. Corporate administration impacts investing determinations of an organisation. Therefore, effectual corporate administration maximizes stockholders wealth and has to be considered when puting. Additionally, Michaelas et al pointed out that effectual corporate administration manages the company internal and external factors which contribute to stockholders ‘ wealth. The writers argued that, houses with effectual corporate administratio n prosper in planetary and domestic market whichultimately maximize stockholders ‘ wealth ( Michaelas, et Al, 1999 ) . Premier Oil is involved in the production of oil and gas, geographic expedition and development. The company is interested in oil and gas in North Sea, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It has its central office in the UK, London, and has 638 employees by December 2011. It recorded ?827 million as gross in the financial twelvemonth stoping December 2011, an increase of 8 % as compared to twelvemonth 201, besides made a net income of ?175 million in the twelvemonth 2011 an increase of 38 % as compared to twelvemonth 2010. And a net net income of ?171 million during the twelvemonth 2011, an increase of 32 % as compared to twelvemonth 2010. This study is looking at if corporate administration maximizes stockholders wealth of the Premier Oil PCL and its public presentation over a period of four old ages that is 2008 through 2011. This is done by seting in to consideration the company ‘s balance sheet, income statement, hard currency flows statement and the ratios statement. Over the old ages at that place has been recorded an betterment in the hard currency influxs verses escapes every bit good as an improved net income and company liquidness ( Aswath 2007 ) . Even if liabilities as compared to capital increased, during the old fiscal twelvemonth to 44 % , the company is within the Gas, Consumable Fuels and Oil industry ‘s norms. Second, although the liquid assets can non fulfill current liability duties, the Net incomes that were realized are equal to provide for the debts. Harmonizing to the hard currency influxs recorded the company is effectual as in comparing to others in that industry. By December 31 2011, the company had ?205M as ungathered receivable ( Doyle Et Al. 2000 ) . Corporate administration The stakeholders of this company are the stockholders, debitors, creditors, direction, the Board of Director, providers, clients the authorities, and the general populace. Each of these has a distinguishable function to play, as per the organisation ‘s policies. Premier company is a profit-making organisation whose primary end is to maximise the wealth of the stockholders. Therefore, the stockholders have to guarantee that they have met the company ‘s capital part demands. In other words, a portion from supplying fundss, they straight and indirectly take part in the direction procedure of the company. This implies that they oversee the enlisting procedure for the executive and non-executive managers. At the same clip, it is their duty to do effectual and executable determinations in the company ( Graham 2010 ) . As already highlighted, the company has an Executive Board of Directors. This is under the chairmanship of Sir David John. This is the top most organized portion in this organisation, which is carefully appointed by the stockholders. Their major function is to supply the organisation with professional and experiential advice before doing any major determination which affects the full company. This is a baronial thought, because it provides the organisation with the ability to get the service of these experts cheaply. Prosecuting them as parttime workers enables the company to bask such services, which would otherwise be so expensive. The executive board works in concurrence with the non-executive board, which is headed by Mike Welt and Joe Darbi ( Mintzberg 1994 ) . At the same clip, Premier Company regards the involvement of other participants, every bit good. Although, the major aim is to maximise net income, it has become the company ‘s policy to safeguard the involvement of all the other stakeholders. Therefore, in its administration, the company consults groups like the providers, clients, public, and authorities. Oil and gas trade is going really moneymaking. Therefore, it has attracted a batch of participants doing competition stiffer than of all time. In this respect, the company ‘s direction involves each of these in major decision-making. The providers are seasonably and efficaciously paid their dues ; no clients are given measure merchandises as per their outlook. Meanwhile, authorities policies are implemented to avoid legal hassle ( Larson et al. , 1996 ) . Co-operate Governance Theories The theories discussed below give an penetration in corporate administration. Agency Theory In the Premier Company, stockholders are the top most decision-making parties. As the investors, they have a direct control in all the coevalss of the organisation. Because of this, they have felt it better to co-operate with agents to move on their behalf. In the construction of the organisation, there is the Board of Directors ; the Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ) and regional and state managers. Under them, there are the departmental directors oversing the operations of the finance, legal, human resource, gross revenues, selling, buying, operations, and geographic expedition sections ( Doyle Et Al. 2000 ) . These are the professionals specialized in the countries in which they are attached. All of them are given a full clip occupation, so as to acquire adequate clip to to the full dispatch their responsibilities with less restraint. In order to see the answerability and quality end product, direction has come up with schemes to transparently engage them on virtue, supervise, proctor, and actuate them. Each of them is entitled to a good working conditions and attractive wage bundles. Besides, they are involved in a batch of bureaucratic processs to see their boundaries are clearly outlined to do certain that there is harmoniousness and cooperation in all the sections. This is a good motivation because it has helped to actuate these executives. Hence, they have got satisfaction in functioning this organisation. This has motivated them to be focused on the achievement of the organisation ‘s ends ( Brassington & A ; Pettitt 2006 ) . Resources Dependence Theory Premier Oil Company besides relies on the Non-Executive Board. The determination to integrate non-executive squad has helped this company a great trade. It was the stockholder ‘s position that such a board would dwell of high export from different Fieldss after carefully being selected. They would steward the company towards accomplishing both its long and short-run ends. However, in order to make this, they would be expected to demo their dedication and committedness in whatever activity they undertake. It was aware determination because it has enabled the company recognize a enormous growing. The Non-executive Board advises and counsels the Executive Board. Furthermore, in the association of this company, personalities like Welton have enabled it to reconstruct its repute. Therefore, it has won the assurances ( Becht et al. 2003 ) . Decision Premier Oil is an energy company to think with. Its model administration has expanded it from a mere public company to a transnational. The engagement of all the stakeholders in its personal businesss has enabled it to set up a good relationship with all of them. As a consequence, it has managed to enormously turn, therefore crushing all the odds and ends up being one of the bluish bit companies in London. As per the ratios the premier oil company can be said to be sound in its liquidness although is debitors ratios were negative. In footings of Capital it can besides be said to be making good. The company is in a good status to put in for the investors. Recommendations Admiting the successes of the corporate administration, it would be wise to seek and implement the undermentioned recommendations. The direction should see diversifying its activities. Specializing in oil and gas distribution map jeopardizes the fiscal stableness of the company. Alternatively, it should see embarking in other merchandises, such as excavation. This would enable the company to manage the hazards that would happen impacting specifically the energy industry. Premier Oil Company should non merely concentrate on the stockholders as the lone of import participants in its operation. Alternatively, there should be a displacement from this height. The stockholders should non necessary play a dominant function through. The administration scheme of this company should be reviewed. It should non be merely task-oriented. Alternatively, there should be a more human oriented attack, so as to give the work force free infinite to show they creativeness, fresh linguistic communication, and entrepreneurial accomplishments.

Should NJ Raise Driving Age essays

Should NJ Raise Driving Age essays A familiar question heard in homes across America is "can I borrow the car". To most that phrase does not mean anything, but to families who have gone through a period of grief, due to the lost of a loved one, would think twice before answering that question. Many experts say that teenagers are a threat to roadways, but sixteen-year-olds are the one to watch out for. Why point the finger at sixteen-year-olds? These groups of teenagers are three times as likely to be killed in a crash, but not to say that other teen drivers are harmless. Teenage drivers make up twelve and a half percent of the driving force, but account for thirty percent of all motor vehicle accidents (State of Maine 2). There are many differences between sixteen-year-old drivers and drivers between the age of seventeen and nineteen. The main reason why sixteen-year-olds create more havoc on the roadways is because they lack the extra experience that older drivers have. In nearly forty percent of all teenage c rashes the driver was speeding (P.A.S.T. 1). Since forty-three percent of all teenage driving is done between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., teenagers tend to drive faster, due to the open roads (P.A.S.T. 1). The roads are not as condensed at night as they are at some times during the day, making it easier to speed. Fifty-seven percent of all accidents occur on rural roads another reason why teens do not hesitate before speeding. Failure to keep in the proper lane, running off the road and failure to use a seat belt are the most common in teenage crashes. Over crowding is another reason why teen crash rates are so high. Many teenagers have friends who cannot drive, hence overcrowding is common. Overcrowding is a problem because the driver can lose concentration from the commotion caused in the car. In thirty-three percent of all accidents caused by sixteen-year-olds there were three or more people present in the vehicle, compared to thirty-seven percent...

A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU)

A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) Introduction Subsidies are deployed as a means of boosting production, by giving financial grants from one party to another in order to increase production beyond the market equilibrium. From an economist’s perspective, funding has been adopted in different contexts to give varying implications and significance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines subsidies as â€Å"measures that keep prices for consumers below market levels, or measures that keep prices for producers above market levels† (OECD 2006, p.3). Many economists argue that the term subsidy can be applied to mean all forms of payments made directly by a government to various producers. In light of these explanations, this paper considers subsides as including direct means of regulating the equilibrium between consumption and supply of products and services in the market, among them being cash grants coupled with provisions of interest-free loans from the government. Low-interests loans, tax wavering write-offs of depreciation charged on assets, rent rebates and insurance are also considered among the alternative forms of subsidy. The main purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between the US and the EU agricultural subsidies. The basis for this research is founded in existing literature that relate to economic theories on taxes and subsidies. In addition, to expand on the discussion involving the similarities and differences in agriculture subsidies within the US and EU, as well as their implications on economy, a literature review of economics of subsidies and taxes will be considered first.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Le t's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The paper further presents the differences between the US and the EU agricultural policies, concerning the legislation on agricultural subsidies and the critical reception towards these policies. This section is followed by a discussion on the similarities between the US and the EU’s agricultural policies in the context of benefits to farmers and influences on income. Lastly, the effects of agricultural subsidies on famers, from the dimension of family budgets and taxes are given substantial attention. Economic Theory on Subsidies and Taxes To understand the economic theory on subsidies and taxes, one needs to be aware of the function of subsidy and tax accords within the area of global trade pact. One will get to understand why the government upholds such accords as well as identifying the most preferred way of handling the subsidies within the global trading schemes. Therefore, studies pertaining to the economic impact of subsidies have provoked mixed reactions from economists. For instance, Krishna and Panagariya (2009) argue that, â€Å"subsidies are a form of protectionism or trade barrier by making domestic goods and services artificially competitive against imports† (OECD, 2006, p.236). Such protectionism impairs the ability of consumers to consider and select imported goods and services, in their pursuit of alternative goods that are produced outside a nation’s boundaries through unethical or illegal channels (Anderson 2005, p.165). In the economic sense, subsidies are unethical because they distort the market and impose higher economic costs. In addition to this case, there are different types of subsides that have been outlined. Amegashie identifies employment subsidies, production subsidies and export subsidies as three that are granted by governmental or non-governmental organisations (Amegashie 2006, p.8). Export subsidies take the form of financial support that is offered by a government to exported products and services, in an effort to improve a nation’s balance of payments (Amegashie 2006, p.8). From an agricultural product context, exporting subsidies is significant in nations whose GDP is mainly derived this particular source. However, the impact of export subsidies varies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the Court of Auditors (2003) argues that, as evidenced by the case of the EU, export subsidies may result inartificially low prices of subsidised products. Furthermore, fluctuations in milk production costs may also occur, as shown in the graph below. Fig 1: Milk products production cost fluctuations in the EU in comparison to other parts of the world Source: Weers and Hemme (2012, p.13) Production subsidies have a key role to play when it comes to product yields. Production subsidies â€Å"encourage suppliers to increase the output of particular products by partially offsetting the production costs or losses† (Krishna Panagariya, 2009, p.237). Thus, the chief aim is to create a means of expansion for the production of certain products at much lower prices than the market forces would make possible (Mankiw, 1997). In doing so, governments also offer their support to consumers of the produced products. In an agricultural context, production subsides may also be provided by offering technical support and financial assistance to help create new agricultural firms and processing plants, possibly on a regional basis. Moreover, employment subsides and incentives, such as social security benefits, are sometimes offered by governments to boost employment levels in certain regions and for certain industries (Szymanski Valletti, 2005). They may also con duct research into new areas of development that would lead to more absorption of unemployed persons.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although subsidies may be seen as a plausible way of regulating and controlling the markets, they attract controversies over their overall impacts on the performance of a nation’s economy. Subsidies influence competitive equilibrium, and from the fundamental principles of supply/demand relationships, particularly in cases where the demand for a given product goes beyond the supply, prices normally fall. Consequently, reduction of goods supplied to levels below the equilibrium quantity results in price hikes (Covey et al., 2007, P.41). Supposing that the bazaar for any product operates flawlessly â€Å"at the competitive equilibrium, the overall effect of subsidies is to increase the supply of goods and services to levels above the equilibrium quantity† (Kym Will 2011, P.1303). This move leads to an increase of costs beyond corresponding gains of the subsidy. That is, the amount of increase is proportionate to the size of the injected subsidy and hence a â€Å"market failure or inefficiency† (Jerome et al. 2006, p.16). For this reason, some economists claim that subsidies are undesirable in a competitive market. This claim is particularly significant in cases where foreign competition is desired. In support of this assertion, Westcott and Young (2004) argue that, instead of lowering the prices of goods and services, subsides make goods produced within a nation, cheaper in comparison to those produced in the foreign nations; hence incredibly reducing foreign competition. In the context of agricultural goods, giving subsidies(especially in the developing nations) implies that such nations are barred from engaging in the international trade in a more competitive manner, since they receive substantially lower prices on products traded on the global market. In economic theory, offering subsidies in the form of tax wavering is considered as an attempt of protectionism (Wyatt Ashok, 2010, p.1927). In such scenarios, market distortion occurs, acc ompanied by social welfare reductions. On the grounds of economic logic, World Bank policies advocate the total removal of subsidies offered by the developing nations, even though it has no mandate to enforce this removal (Westcott Young, 2004, p.11). The impact includes a reduction in revenue generated by producers operating in foreign nations, which can cause tension between the European Union and the United States, and the nations in the developing world that are known to be offering economic stimuli in the form of subsidies. The developing nations protect their local industries against the influx of foreign products. Such foreign products cost less in the developing nations’ markets due to the economies of scale in the production processes and techniques for production used in the developed world’s industries. In summary, subsidies can provide a short-term solution to an industry. However, on a long-term basis, they end up being unethical, often evolving into nega tive effects (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2007, p. 26) Comparison of the US and the EU Agricultural Policies The subject of subsidies and tax reduction for agricultural products is approached from different directions, yet in similar ways for both the EU and the US. Subsidising the agricultural sector is done with the ultimate objective of boosting aggregate demand or investment in the agricultural sector (Becker 2002). In accordance to the theory of economics of subsidies, such an attempt causes the cost of production for agricultural products to be lowered for both the US and the EU. Consequently, making products become cheaper than importing them. In both the US and the EU, it is appreciated that the removal of subsidies has the impact of dampening economic activities in the agricultural sector. This blow is dependent to certain issues associated with the agricultural sector budget balance. Appreciating the role of subsidies and taxes in shaping the agr icultural sector in the US and the EU warrants consideration of the differences and similarities between their different approaches to agricultural subsidies. Differences between the US and the EU agricultural Policies Legislation on Agricultural Subsidies The US and the EU have put policies in place that encourage their farmers to produce certain agricultural products at much lower costs, in comparison to the global costs of such products (Alston 2008). Although there have been less legislative efforts to encourage the production of various products in the EU, the governing bodies have implemented policies that ensure farmers receive subsidies for producing certain commodities such as dairy products (Alston 2008). In similar fashion, the US has created a process to facilitate subsidy offers for farmers that produce various products, mainly cotton, through legislation such as the 2010 Farm Bill (Babcock 2007. Subsidising US cotton results in low global market prices of the crop, whe rein levels of making cotton produced elsewhere is unsustainable in the market. Hence, many nations are opposed to the legislation provided in the Farm Bill 2002. For instance, Brazil challenged the US subsidies for cotton farmers at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), stating that this distorted the cotton market at an international level. They further argued that it encouraged an increase in income to large-scale farmers at the advantage of the small-scale and poor farmers in the developing world. This case lasted from 2002 to 2008, when it was concluded with Brazil being the victor. In support of this argument, Riedl (2008, p.316) believes that policies encouraging subsidising of the agricultural products in both the EU and the US products have an opposite impact. However, despite the opposition to the continued indirect funding of the EU and the US farmers through subsidies, Summer (2013) proposes that it is imperative to stop offering direct incentives for production, because s uch a strategy for boosting production makes farmers in the US and the EU compete unfairly with others across the globe. Critical Reception of Agricultural Policies From the above arguments, subsidies on agricultural products, especially by major global giant producers like the EU and the US, are not received in good faith within the international arena. In relation to this, LaBorde (2013) postulates, â€Å"a series of weather-related shocks in 2012- including severe droughts in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the United States- contributed to global food prices remaining high for a fifth consecutive year† (LaBorde 2013, Para.5). Although the EU and the US do provide subsidies to different agricultural products, they have refused to heed to these calls. Rather, they have opted to increase subsidies on agricultural sectors domestically. Such strategies have long-term implications on the worldwide food systems, coupled with impairing food securities in the developing nations (Babcock, 2007: Alston, 2008). Similarities between the US and the EU Agricultural Policies Benefits to Farmers According to Westcott and Young (2004), one of the major similarities between subsidies of the agricultural sectors in both the US and the EU is that subsidising has resulted in lowering the costs of production. In fact, â€Å"in 2005, the US government gave farmers agricultural subsidies amounting to$14 billion and in the European Union, dairy farmers received subsidies amounting to $47 billion† (Westcott Young 2004). This equates to more than the sum earned by every person (on average) in the developing nations. This explicitly implies that the US and the EU farmers were able to produce their products much cheaper than those outside of their countries because of government subsidies. Consequently, based on research by Drabenstott (2008), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service’s (2007), foreign traders found it difficult to introd uce their products into these two markets, since the price of the subsidised farm products were lower than those they could sell their products at, even for them to break even. Although such subsidies resulted in stimulation of, and therefore, over-production of subsidised agricultural sector products, farmers in the US and EU benefited in that they were able to place their surplus products in the market in higher quantities. This case meant that the consumption of the products also increased. Influences on Income In 2002, cotton farmers in America earned much of their revenues from the country’s administration through subsidies brought into force under provisions of the Farm Bill (Morgan, Gaul, Cohen 2009). These subsides also stimulated overproduction of cotton in 2002. Much of this excess production was sold to the global markets at much lower prices well below the break-even points of cotton farmers in the developing world. Similarly, in the EU, in 2004,  £3.30 was spe nt in the exportation of sugar worth £1(Oxfam International 2004, p.39). Although, the subsidies had a positive impact on the incomes earned by EU farmers, global market distortions occurred. Subsidies for agricultural products in the US and the EU have an overall impact of protecting revenue losses that are likely to be encountered by EU and the US farmers. However, in the US for instance, farm subsidies favour large-scale farmers over small-scale ones, with non-farm families’ incomes being negatively impacted (see Fig 2). This situation is inappropriate, especially considering that most of the farm families are located in rural areas where the cost of living is lower. Fig 2: Differences between incomes for large farms and small farms in the US Source: (Becker 2002) Effects of Agricultural Subsidies on Famers Family Budgets Farm policies that are realised through subsidies are meant to provide relief on farmers’ household budgets. Unfortunately, they produce opposi te effects, as Becker (2002) states they, â€Å"harm family farmers by excluding them from most subsidies, encouraging the merging of family farms, and raising land values to levels that prevent young people from entering farming† (p.17). This suggests that agricultural subsidies fail to provide relief to the struggling farmers, especially those who are new to farming, because overproduction results in low prices of agricultural products. In turn, the net effect on the capacity to fund family budgets is minimal. Tax Farm subsidies have the overall impact of increasing the cost of living through increased taxes. As the economy for both the US and the EU continues to boom, congress also increases the subsidies offered to farms. Wyatt and Ashok (2010) support this assertion by claiming, â€Å"After averaging less than $14 billion per year during the 1990s, annual farm subsidies have topped $25 billion in the current decade since the passage of the 2002 farm bill, the most expen sive farm bill in American history† (Wyatt Ashok 2010, p.1931). This argument implies that all spending by the federal governments has to be funded by taxes levied from citizens. In the US, Morgan, Gaul, and Cohen (2009) put the costs of farm subsidies at $216 per household in the form of yearly taxes, with an additional extra charging of $104 per household as escalated food prices. Conclusion The central purpose for enacting farm subsidy policies is centred on the need for alleviating poverty among rural farmers, and provision of food security by encouraging over production. Noting this purpose, the paper argues that scrutiny of the impact towards agricultural subsidies from an economic perspective, fails to contend with this aim. This is because such policies result to disadvantaging small-scale farmers outside the EU and the US, since the subsidies result in over production. The repercussion is to lower the prices of products in the global market, with the result that farm ers’ operations in other nations without the subsidies never break even. Within the US and the EU, subsidies create an imbalance of income between families that own farms and those that do not. Agricultural subsidies make families that own farms to earn higher incomes compared to those that do not own farms, yet families owning farms live in the rural areas where the cost of living is low. Hence, overall, farm subsidies have negative impacts on a nation’s economy, even though farmers (especially large-scale farmers) benefit incredibly from higher incomes. The underlying issue however, is that this is achieved at the expense of the smaller farmers operating in the same global market, who do not enjoy farm subsidies. References Alston, J 2008, Lessons from Agricultural Policy Reform in Other Countries: The 2007 Farm Bill and Beyond, American Enterprise Institute, New York. Amegashie, A 2006, ‘The Economics of Subsidies’, Crossroads, vol. 6 no.2, pp. 7-15. An derson, J 2005, ‘Tariff Index Theory’, Review of International Economics, vol. 3 no. 2, pp. 156-173. Babcock, B 2007, Money for Nothing: Acreage and Price Impacts of U.S. Commodity Policy for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Cotton, and Rice in American Enterprise Institute, The 2007 Farm Bill and Beyond, AEI Press, Washington, D.C. Becker, E 2002, ‘Land Rich in Subsidies and Poor in Much Else’, The New York Times, January 22, pp.17-18. Chapman, D, Foskett, K, Clarke, M 2006, ‘How Savvy Growers Can Double, or Triple, Subsidy Dollars’, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, vol. 2 no.1, pp. 121-127. Court of Auditors 2003, Special Report no 9/2003 concerning the system for setting the rates of subsidy on exports of agricultural products (export refunds), together with the Commission’s replies, Court of Auditors, London. Covey, T et al. 2007, Agriculture Income and Finance Outlook, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, New York. Dra benstott, M 2008, ‘Do Farm Payments Promote Rural Economic Growth? Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Centre for the Study of Rural America’, The Main Street Economist, vol. 8 no. 1, pp. 57-61. Jerome, M, Stam, D, Milkove, L, George, B 2006, Indicators of Financial Stress in Agriculture Reported by Agri ­cultural Banks, 1982-99 AIS-74, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Krishna, P Panagariya, A 2009, ‘A Unification of Second Best Results in International Trade’, Journal of International Economics, vol. 52 no. 2, pp. 235-257. Kym, A Will, M 2011, ‘Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda’, The World Economy, vol. 28 no. 9, pp. 1301–1327. LaBorde, D 2013, The hidden cost of US and EU farm subsidies, ifpri.org/blog/hidden-costs-us-and-eu-farm-subsidies Mankiw, N 1997, Principles of economics, Harcourt Brace, Fort Worth. Morgan, D, Gaul, G, Cohen, S 2009, ‘Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Dont Farm’, The Washington Post, vol. 5 no. 2, pp. 99-103. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2006, Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance, OECD Publishing, Paris. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development 2007, Subsidy Reform and Sustainable Development, OECD, Paris. Oxfam International 2004, ‘A Sweeter Future? The potential for EU sugar reform to contribute to poverty reduction in southern Africa’, Oxfam Briefing Paper No. 70. November 2004, pp. 39-40. Riedl, B 2008, ‘How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, European’, Journal of Economics, vol. 3 no. 2, pp. 315-321. Summer, D 2013, Effects of Farm Subsidies for the Rich on Poor Farmers, North Western University, California. Szymanski, S Valletti, T 2005, ‘Incentive Effects of Second Prises’, European Journal of Political Economy, vol. 2 no. 1, pp. 467-481. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2007, Food Expenditures by Families and Individuals as a Share of Disposable Personal Income data, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Weers, A Hemme, T 2012, Global Review-The Supply of Milk and Dairy Products, Wilhelmitorwall, IFCN Dairy Network. Westcott, P Young, E 2004, U.S. Farm Program Benefits: Links to Planting Decisions and Agricultural Markets, U.S. Department of Agriculture, New York. Wyatt , T Ashok, M 2010, ‘Farm Household Income and Transfer Efficiency: An Evaluation of United States Farm Program Payments’, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol. 91 no. 5, pp. 1926–1937.

Exercise, College Grades, and Graduation Rates

Exercise, College Grades, and Graduation Rates You already know that regular exercise is important for controlling weight and avoiding a variety of health conditions. But it can also improve your academic performance. And, if youre a distance learning student, you may miss out on some of the opportunities for physical activity afforded to more traditional students who routinely walk around campus. But it’s well worth the effort to plan for it schedule exercise into your daily regimen.   Regular Exercisers Have Higher GPAs and Graduation Rates Jim Fitzsimmons, Ed.D, director of Campus Recreation and Wellness at the University of Nevada, Reno, tells ThoughtCo, â€Å"What we know is students who exercise regularly- at least 3 times a week- at an intensity of eight times resting (7.9 METS) graduate at higher rates, and earn, on average, a full GPA point higher than their counterparts who do not exercise.† The study, published in the Journal of Medicine Science in Sports Medicine, defines physical activity as at least 20 minutes of vigorous movement (at least 3 days a week) that produces sweat and heavy breathing, or moderate movement for at least 30 minutes that doesn’t produce sweat and heavy breathing (at least 5 days a week). Think you don’t have time to exercise? Mike McKenzie, PhD, chair of Exercise Physiology Sports Medicine at Winston-Salem State University, and president-elect of the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine, tells ThoughtCo, â€Å"A group led by Dr. Jennifer Flynn investigated this during her time at Saginaw Valley State and found that students who studied over three hours per day were 3.5 times more likely to be exercisers.† And McKenzie says, â€Å"Students with a GPA above 3.5 were 3.2 times more likely to be regular exercisers than those with GPAs under 3.0.† Over a decade ago, McKenzie said researchers discovered a link between exercise, concentration, and focus in children. â€Å"A group at Oregon State led by Dr. Stewart Trost found significantly improved concentration, memory, and behavior in school-aged children compared to kids who had additional lesson time.†Ã‚   More recently, a study by Johnson Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions reveals that even short â€Å"microbursts† of physical activity throughout the day can have positive effects. Jennifer Turgiss, DrPH, vice president of Behavioral Science and Analytics at Johnson Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions, tells ThoughtCo that sitting for long periods of time – which college students are prone to do- can have a negative health effect. â€Å"However, our study found that five-minute bouts of walking every hour had a positive impact on mood, fatigue, and hunger at the end of a day,† Turgiss says.   This may be particularly beneficial to students who also work a full-time job and study in the evening and nighttime hours. â€Å"Having more mental and physical energy at the end of a day that requires a lot of sitting, such as a student’s day, can leave them with more personal resources to do other activities,† Turgiss concludes. So How Does Exercise Improve Academic Performance? In his book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, John Ratey, a Harvard professor of psychiatry, writes, â€Å"Exercise stimulates our gray matter to produce Miracle-Gro for the brain.† A study by researchers at the University of Illinois found that physical activity increased the ability of elementary school students to pay attention, and also increased their academic performance. Exercise lowers stress and anxiety while increasing focus. â€Å"Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) which plays a role in memory is significantly elevated after an intense bout of exercise,† according to Fitzgerald. â€Å"This is a fairly deep subject with both physiologic and psychological factors at play,† he explains. In addition to affecting a student’s cognitive skills, exercise improves academic performance in other ways. Dr. Niket Sonpal, assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, tells ThoughtCo that exercise causes three human physiology and behavior changes.   1. Exercise Requires Time Management Sonpal believes that students who don’t schedule a time to exercise tend to be unstructured and also don’t schedule time to study. â€Å"That is why gym class in high school was so important; it was practice for the real world,† Sonpal says. â€Å"Scheduling personal workout time forces college students to also schedule study time and this teaches them the importance of block timing, and prioritization of their studies.† 2. Exercise Combats Stress Several studies have proven the link between exercise and stress. â€Å"Vigorous exercise a few times a week reduces your stress levels, and likely reduces cortisol, which is a stress hormone,† Sonpal says. He explains that these reductions are vitally important to college students. â€Å"Stress hormones inhibit memory production and your ability to sleep: two key things needed to score high on exams.†Ã‚   3. Exercise Induces Better Sleep Cardiovascular exercise leads to a better quality of sleep. â€Å"Better sleep means moving your studies from short term to long term memory during REM,† Sonpal says. â€Å"That way, on test day you remember that teeny tiny fact that gets you the scores you need.† It’s tempting to think you’re so busy that you can’t afford to exercise. However, the exact opposite is true: you can’t afford not to exercise. Even in you cant commit to 30-minute sessions, 5- or 10-minute spurts during the course of the day could make a significant difference in your academic performance.

Marketing Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing Starbucks - Essay Example Further there is provided an overview of the Starbucks Corporation and its current business activity. Based on the key findings of the food and beverage industry and marketing strategy of the Starbucks Corporation there have been developed several recommendations for the American-based coffee retailer operating in the UK market. These recommendations included the following: putting more efforts towards promoting the uniqueness and special Starbucks experience offered to the British customers; focusing more on the development and promotion of the healthy food; developing more flexible pricing strategy, special offers and discounts to the British consumers. Starbucks Corporation has a long history of the transformation and business growth. The company began its existence in 1971 as a roaster and retailer of ground and whole bean coffee, spices and tea in Seattle, US. Nowadays, the company has global presence and its overall business is operated through almost 20, 000 retails stores worldwide (Starbucks Company Profile 2014). The mission of the company is â€Å"to inspire and nurture human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time† (Starbucks Company Profile 2014, 1). The company has aligned its business strategy with the sustainability and has undertaken a set of initiatives aimed at ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and involvement of community (Starbucks Company Profile 2014). Starbucks is operating in the food and drink sector, namely in the Takeaway and Fast-Food restaurants industry. While the industry has faced a recession during the past few years as a result of global financial crisis, majority of operator have benefited from this as consumer’s behavior shifted from more expensive meals to cheaper alternatives (Connel 2014). Another shift of the consumers’ behavior is continuously increasing towards low-fat, low-salt, and

Chapter 10 and 11 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter 10 and 11 - Assignment Example Actually, Wilson invoked the principle of confidentiality and sought to use it against the mandate of the rule of law.   Particularly, Nixon sought to exploit the idea that the principle of confidentiality was abstract enough to conflict the rule of law.   Thus, to defend his decision not to hand over the documents, Nixon argued that the right to confidentiality was the most paramount legal term. It is a fact that by 1972, Nixon’s appeal had started to wane. This follows the fact that he had been elected in 1968 mainly because of his â€Å"Nixon Secret Plan† that would have seen him stop the Vietnam War immediately he became president. Because Americans were decisively against the Vietnam War, Nixon secured the largest victory in 1968. However, four years later, he had not yet stopped this war. Growing nationwide antiwar protests and demonstrations which Nixon described as ‘a tiny but vociferous’ minority was an indicator of this waning popularity. To counter this unpromising development, Nixon controversially stated that there was a silent majority that understood the need for his administration to keep the war going, as an end to peace and honor (Chafe, 2009). The recession that raised inflation and interest rates to double digits also helped puncture Nixon’s popularity. The Watergate scandal also serves as a clear testimony that Nixon himself seriously considered his waning popularity a reality. At the time, there was a serious economic recession that caused interest rates and the rate of inflation to soar. The situation was deplorable to an extent that even Nixon’s imposition of price and wage controls miserably failed. High rates of unemployment, the falling supply of oil that made oil became subsequently expensive and an array of environmental crises and serious catastrophes such as the 1979 Three-Mile Island Nuclear Accident aggravated this feeling of helplessness in America.    It was also at this time that the War in

OP-ED columnist Joe Nicera Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

OP-ED columnist Joe Nicera - Research Paper Example Pamela Cantor’s research which was based on high poverty schools. Throughout his article, Nocera adopts an informative and discursive tone in order to enlighten his readers about the gravity of the consequences the effects of poverty have on the educational system as well as to motivate them to deal with this issue. According to an article, high poverty schools take up about 40% of schools in cities but their average scores are very low compared to other schools. (Christine Armario, 2010). The article opens with the mention of Dr. Pamela Cantor’s speech, titled â€Å"Innovative Designs for persistently Low-Performing Schools†. It then moves on to talk about how Dr. Cantor has studied the effects of poverty on education. Nocera informs his audience that â€Å"chaos reigned† in schools where there was a high poverty level. The teachers were not equipped to bring order to chaos and the â€Å"most disruptive children dominated the schools†. These school s are normally populated by levels of racial minorities. (Mike Green, 2011). Needless to say, these schools were functioning as schools should be. Nocera explains the findings of Dr. Cantor’s research in order to build a base for the discussion about how to tackle and eliminate these effects in the longer run. He goes on to describe how the â€Å"Turnaround for Children† came about as Dr. ... Poverty figures have become more serious since September 2011, when it was quoted by the NY Times that about one out of five people in New York could be categorized as poor. (Sam Roberts, 2011). Approximately half of America’s children live in high poverty districts according to a census done in 2011. (Lisa Lambert, 2011). A map that depicting changes in poverty in the United States shows that poverty in America is becoming a rising trend; where once in 2010 only 15.1% Americans were living below the line, today, two years later, that number is much higher. (Andy Hull, Nick McClellan and Troy Schneider, 2012). Turnaround plays an important part in this issue because it is working to â€Å"bridge an important divide† by facing the issues high-poverty schools face â€Å"head-on† instead of beating around the bush with them. Nocera then shifts to a brief discussion of how this project operates and how it creates a â€Å"positive, disciplined culture† by motiv ating the students about how they can excel in school and education in general. He goes on to clarify that even though this project is of extreme importance; it is still in its experimental stages and is â€Å"relatively small†. Results of Turnaround’s efforts in various schools have shown that the schools that they had worked on were on average â€Å"calmer, safer, indeed, happier places† however, they should work more on improving academic environment if they want to achieve better results from this venture. Nocera moves towards the closing of his article by mentioning again, Dr. Cantor’s speech mentioned first in the very beginning of his article. He explains how her speech talked

America Out of Iraq Now Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

America Out of Iraq Now - Essay Example Some Americans still support the president, but most of us understand that Bush lied about his reasons for going to war, and that he wanted to invade Iraq and depose Hussein before he even took office. The Iraq invasion was a mistake from the very beginning, and now the cost of this war is more than we can bear. More than two thousand American troops have died in this unjustifiable war, which is bad enough, but between thirty-five and forty thousand Iraqi civilians are dead due to U.S.-led military activity in their country (Iraq Body Count). Reservists and National Guardsmen are being sent to Iraq because we are running out of regular military troops to send, but National Guardsmen are more useful to us at home. There should have been more National Guardsmen to help Americans through New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Instead, they were in Iraq. Our presence in Iraq is killing thousands of people and it is depriving Americans of their loved ones and the social support that military personnel stationed on American soil can provide to their country. We can't afford the body count, and we can't afford the financial price tag either.

The law of property task--tracing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The law of property task--tracing - Essay Example What this means is that, in equity, the remedy of tracing awards a proprietary right in the property to the beneficiary, so that he may be given priority in recovering it in case the defendant goes bankrupt, provided his property still exists and is distinguishable from the bankrupt individual’s other assets. This proprietary nature of the right was affirmed in Foskett v McKeown (2000). Tracing at law is much more restrictive as compared to tracing in equity as the beneficiary is not allowed to claim title to any additions in the value of the property that it may have acquired since the breach of trust and recovering the property may be close to impossible if it was mixed with another. In equity, tracing can lead to the property even if it is mixed and recover it for the wronged beneficiary, which allots great power in the hands of those who have been deprived. Moreover, the differences between tracing at law and equity are considered by some commentators as separate remedies altogether instead of limbs of the same principle. It is imperative to consider both regimes, and my discussion would reflect both the common law remedy and the remedy in equity. Tracing at Law At common law, any individual with a legal title in property may be able to resort to tracing in order to recover it. Thus, this legal title, may be traced all the way to the newest form the property has taken after exchanging hands (for e.g where a defendant has bought a watch with the original property, cash). This phenomenon was described as a matter of hardnosed property rights and distinguished from an action in damages2, hence, any identifiable property was considered traceable and returned to the original beneficiary. Thus, the legal title is traced from one person to all successive individuals that came along the way until finally reaching the person against whom the action could proceed, providing a means to the remedy (Trustee of the property of FC Jones v Jones [1996]). In this way , it is regarded by the courts not as a remedy unto itself but as a means to a remedy, as seen in Banque Belge pour L'Etranger v. Hambrouck [1921]3. The first step then to a successful tracing action is to identify the defendant who is now in possession of the property. In the above case, where money was being traced, the defendant was identified as the fraudulent cashier who had deposited the money in a bank and used it to pay for his expenses. It was held that the cash even though it had the potential of being mixed with other funds, was identifiable in the account and could be recovered by Banque Belge. Once the defendant is identified, the next step is to proceed with a remedy which could be one of the following depending on the form of property being traced. If the property in question, as in the above case of Hambrouck, pertains to funds, then an action to recover ‘money had and received’ may be brought (Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale [1991])4. In Karpnale, a compulsive gambler come partner of a law firm was eventually caught drawing money for gambling purposes from the company account. The money was traced to the gambling club which had exchanged it with chips. The House of Lords found that the money, although received in good faith, was recoverable by the solicitors from the gambling club which was presently in possession of it. There was also a failure of consideration observed at the hands of the gambling club

Hiring Women as a Basketball Coach Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Hiring Women as a Basketball Coach - Assignment Example Therefore, if the best candidate is a man, the coaching position will be filled by a man and if the best candidate is a woman, the women basketball coaching position will be filled by a woman. However, when a man and a woman have the same skills, experience and are the most qualified candidates for the coaching position, a woman will be chosen. This will be aimed at ensuring a minority is hired and to ensure finesse and skill is maintained, as is the case in a women team. I will only make the decision to hire a woman if they have better skill than men do and I would rather hire a man than hire a woman who has fewer skills. The decision to hire the best person whether he is a woman or a man may be politically incorrect but hiring a second-best woman will be a disservice to the women basketball team. The position of women’s basketball coach will, therefore, be open to anyone who provest have more skill, ability, and experience to give the best and ensure the skills of the girls are improved and that they are able to compete at the highest level and win trophies for Awesome University. I have all intention to ensure that the salary and other compensation packages of a coach hired to train the women basketball team are equal. The intention is to ensure that the coach hired to train the women’s basketball team is that the person hired has the same skill, responsibility, and effort as that of the men’s basketball team (Morris, April 27, 2008). With this similarity in the performance and skills, it would be unethical to pay the person less amount to that of the male basketball counterpart. Therefore, the intention is to pay a similar amount to the person selected to train the women basketball team with the consideration of similarity in skills, responsibility, and performance. The other reason for the pay to equal that of the male counterparts is to ensure compliance with Equality Pay Act where there is a requirement for payment of employees the same amount regardless of gender when they perform at the same level, take the same responsibilities, use the s ame skills, and performance at similar conditions.  Ã‚  

The law of property task--tracing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The law of property task--tracing - Essay Example What this means is that, in equity, the remedy of tracing awards a proprietary right in the property to the beneficiary, so that he may be given priority in recovering it in case the defendant goes bankrupt, provided his property still exists and is distinguishable from the bankrupt individual’s other assets. This proprietary nature of the right was affirmed in Foskett v McKeown (2000). Tracing at law is much more restrictive as compared to tracing in equity as the beneficiary is not allowed to claim title to any additions in the value of the property that it may have acquired since the breach of trust and recovering the property may be close to impossible if it was mixed with another. In equity, tracing can lead to the property even if it is mixed and recover it for the wronged beneficiary, which allots great power in the hands of those who have been deprived. Moreover, the differences between tracing at law and equity are considered by some commentators as separate remedies altogether instead of limbs of the same principle. It is imperative to consider both regimes, and my discussion would reflect both the common law remedy and the remedy in equity. Tracing at Law At common law, any individual with a legal title in property may be able to resort to tracing in order to recover it. Thus, this legal title, may be traced all the way to the newest form the property has taken after exchanging hands (for e.g where a defendant has bought a watch with the original property, cash). This phenomenon was described as a matter of hardnosed property rights and distinguished from an action in damages2, hence, any identifiable property was considered traceable and returned to the original beneficiary. Thus, the legal title is traced from one person to all successive individuals that came along the way until finally reaching the person against whom the action could proceed, providing a means to the remedy (Trustee of the property of FC Jones v Jones [1996]). In this way , it is regarded by the courts not as a remedy unto itself but as a means to a remedy, as seen in Banque Belge pour L'Etranger v. Hambrouck [1921]3. The first step then to a successful tracing action is to identify the defendant who is now in possession of the property. In the above case, where money was being traced, the defendant was identified as the fraudulent cashier who had deposited the money in a bank and used it to pay for his expenses. It was held that the cash even though it had the potential of being mixed with other funds, was identifiable in the account and could be recovered by Banque Belge. Once the defendant is identified, the next step is to proceed with a remedy which could be one of the following depending on the form of property being traced. If the property in question, as in the above case of Hambrouck, pertains to funds, then an action to recover ‘money had and received’ may be brought (Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale [1991])4. In Karpnale, a compulsive gambler come partner of a law firm was eventually caught drawing money for gambling purposes from the company account. The money was traced to the gambling club which had exchanged it with chips. The House of Lords found that the money, although received in good faith, was recoverable by the solicitors from the gambling club which was presently in possession of it. There was also a failure of consideration observed at the hands of the gambling club

Human Resource Management in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Management in Europe - Essay Example 1998; Roderiguez and Ventura, 2003). The difference in perspective on the value of people in organizations and the validity of HRM, particularly in non-Western Countries may be best understood in terms of the concept of locus of human value (Jackson et al., 2003). Jackson et al. (2003) came up with conceptual map of international organization and human resource management in different countries. HRM as a concept emerged in the mid-1980 in the US when two models-the Harvard framework (Beer et al. 1984) and the Michigan Model (Fombrun et al., 1984) were produced. Harvard model is also known as soft model of HRM / Harvard Map of HRM / multiple stakeholders model, argues that human resource policies are to be influenced by two significant considerations: (1) Situational factors: The internal and external environmental factor of the organizations that include (i) labour market conditions (ii) societal Values (iii) business strategies (iv) technologies (v) managerial philosophies and (vi) market conditions will constrain the formation of HRM policies. (2) Stakeholders interests. The stakeholders influence the short-tern HRM policies. They include (i) management employees (ii) unions and (iii) govt. agencies. Further, the model classifies HRM policies and practices in to four themes as follows: HR flows, Recruitment, selection, placement, appraisal and assessment, promotion, termi nation and the like. The Harvard model has existed considerable influence over the theory and practice of HRM, particularly as a result of its contention that strategy is the concern of management in general rather than a personnel function in particular (Armstrong, 1999). The Michigan Model has a harder, less humanistic touch, holding that employees are resources in the same way as any other business resource. They must be obtained (i) as cheaply as possible (ii) used sparingly and (iii) developed and exploited as much as possible. John Storey (1987) termed it as utilitarian instrumentalism. The hard model of HRM focuses on the crucial importance of the close integration of HR policies, systems and activities with business strategies on HR system to achieve the strategic objectives oh the organization. This model emphasized the quantitative strategic business aspects of managing the headcount resource, in a rational way (Storey, 1987). The Michigan theorist highlighted the followin g as being the most important HR issues to achieve such a match. Selection of the most suitable people to meet business needs, Performance in the pursuit of business objectives, appraisal, monitoring performance and providing feed back to the organization and its employee, Rewards for appropriate performance development of skills and knowledge required to meet business objectives. The essential features of their model are that it is focused on individual and organizational performance is based on strategic control, organizational structure, system for managing people concentrates on managing human assets to achieve strategic goals contributes to human resource

Internal combustion engine Essay Example for Free

Internal combustion engine Essay MGMT425 Spring 2013 – Haisu Zhang Marketing Research: Green Marketing Are Hybrid Cars Worth The Money? By Josh Nottingham Tyler Alberson Lei Ye James Chimitt Introduction: Over the course of the past few decades, Hybrid cars have slowly been multiplying on the road. General Motors sold 11,000 Chevrolet Volts in 2010 and are expecting that number to rise to 70,000 by next year (J. D. Power and Associates, 2012). The total percentage of Hybrid cars that cruise the road only makes up 3% of the entire automobile industry, but is expected to triple by the year 2015. There has been an immense debate over whether it’s worth spending the money to purchase a Hybrid car over a standard vehicle. What is a Hybrid Car? First built in the early 1900s, Hybrid vehicles are defined as a car that runs on two sources of power. The most common Hybrid vehicle combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor, which is known as a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). While most people consider this to be a recent invention, the technology has been around since the development of the first car. In fact, the first Hybrid car was created in 1899. The Beginning of Hybrids: The first Hybrid car was created by an engineer Ferdinand Porsche, which was named the System Lohner-Porsche Mixte. This vehicle used the combination of a gasoline engine to supply power to an electric motor. Surprisingly, the Mixte had over 300 produced, but once Henry Ford started the first assembly line in 1904, the demand for Hybrids slowly diminished. The main reason the demand decreased was due to the fact that Ford was able to sell gasoline engine vehicles for less and they produced more power. The Rebirth of Hybrids: After almost fifty years later, the United States congress introduced legislation that encouraged using more electric vehicles to attempt reducing the air pollution in the 1960s. Over the next thirty years, auto manufacturers spent billions of dollars researching the development of Hybrid cars and the technology that was needed. Sadly, only a few cars were produced which would both reduce our world’s dependence on oil and be able to compete with the historic gasoline vehicles price and performance. These vehicles failed to attract consumers and were eventually dropped from the production line. It wasn’t until the Toyota Prius, which released in 1997; Hybrid cars were finally starting to gain popularity in the automotive industry. From there, numerous Hybrid cars were released into the United States. For example, the Honda Insight became the first mass-produced HEV in the United States, which was a a small two-door car. The Toyota Prius is known as the â€Å"Hybrid† to many people, because it gave the Hybrid technology the consumers were hunting for. This particular vehicle has been the most popular HEV ever produced and auto manufacturers have used the technology as the platform for their Hybrid vehicle models. In this era of being environmentally friendly, auto manufacturers have shifted their production lines toward offering more Hybrid models to their customers. Toyota still offers the Prius, but Chevrolet and Honda have high expectations for their newest family members, the Volt and second generation Insight. We can expect auto manufacturers to continue shifting their production in the field of Hybrids. The Future of Hybrids: Since there is an increasingly demand for Hybrids, we can expect the future of Hybrids to be near. The next biggest change consumers can expect is to phase away from Nickel-Cadmium battery packs. Virtually every Hybrid on the road today has these battery backs. They are great for durability and proven to work well, but they have disadvantages since they are nearly six-teen years old. Nickel-Cadmium batteries do not charge as fast as other batteries and they are very heavy, because nickel is very heavy. By finding an alternative to these heavy batteries and reducing the weight, cars will be more efficient and have the ability to charge faster. There have been rumors of switching HEVs to Lithium-Ion Technology, which is both lighter and charges faster. Another report indicated the transformation of using a diesel engine combined with electric, which would increase the fuel economy of the vehicle. All these changes the future hold are the next stepping stones of the Hybrid era.

SO Jewett Nature :: essays papers

SO Jewett Nature The Conception of Nature and its Relationship to Gender in S.O. Jewett^Ã’s story "A White Heron." "Nature, in the common sense, refers to the essences unchanged by man^Ã…" From the very first steps of the new settlers on the American continent, its uncivilized nature, full of smell of the forests, of freshness of the air, and of almost prelapsarian variety of flora and fauna, came to be associated with unlimited wilderness. However, under the vigorous attack of developing civilization the untouched virginity of the New World soon began to recede, irretrievably losing its wild independent beauty. For a great number of American writers this confrontation of nature with civilization became a theme for the never-ending discussion. The short story of an American writer regionalist Sarah Orne Jewett, "A White Heron", is one of the works written on this touching American theme. In this story the author presents the conflict by juxtaposing a little country-girl Sylvia, who lives in harmony with nature, to the bird-hunter from a town. She does so through identification of a girl with nature and boys ^ with civilization. While the girl stands for the innoc ent femininity of natural world, who loves and cares about the creatures around, the boys are associated with aggression, danger and warlike elements of civilization. Thus she implies the idea that nature is just like a harmless little girl just exists in peace with every tiny thing around, while civilization, like a young man with a gun, by its utilitarian love for nature senselessly annihilates the artless creation. From the opening lines of the story Sarah Orne Jewett ushers her readers into the magic world of untouched beauty of the "New England wilderness" (WH, p.200): "the woods were already filled with shadows one June evening^" (WH, p.197). The reader is immediately charmed and has no choice but to proceed, to walk further, among the trees, until he meets a little girl, walking by the forest path together with her "plodding" (WH, p.

Extortion of the Jamacian People :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION According to the 2006 edition of Microsoft Encarta published by Microsoft Corporation terrorism has existed for at least 2000 years and is likely to remain a fixture on political agendas, both locally and internationally for years to come. This practice provides unproblematic means by which the weak can meet head-on with much stronger opponents. It consequently has an enduring application to the alienated and the disenfranchised, the aggrieved and the rancorous, the powerless and the would-be powerful. This word itself brings trepidation and anyone who is dubbed a potential terrorist gives the impression of being hazardous. Terrorism, which is the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims, has been chosen the theme for this portfolio. The topic of this writer will be extortion, which is a form of terrorism, how it affects the lives of Jamaican people and the parts the so-called â€Å"dons† play in this brutal act. This writer is impelled to magnify the main points surrounding this matter and to craft a healthier understanding surrounding the driving force behind people’s pathway of being an extortionist. This writer is determined to release the cages that are infrequently released from around the less discussed areas of this topic. It can be assured that after having a look at this portfolio the reader/readers will have a better understanding of extortion and how it affects the lives of the Jamaican people. I chose this topic because of my love for the ghetto and the pessimistic impact extortion has had on the lives of the ghetto people and also to expand my knowledge on the topic. As a prospective businessperson it give me the opportunity to amplify my knowledge about the possibility of extortion. This writer in exploring the selected topic experienced a lot of challenges: Time – Being a Seventh Day Adventist my Saturdays were off. Therefore the only access to books was in the school library. Due to the structure of my time table a lot of problems were faced in having adequate access to the library facilities at my school. Resources – A lot of effort was being placed on finding information on the topic. This was the most challenging part. I trust that this phase of my study will be very entertaining yet informative to all those who read.

Corporate Strategy Essay

Diversification is even more prominent in other parts of the world †¢ Grupos, chaebol, business houses, keiretsu, and so on – Poor corporate strategy is common â€Å"Excite, one of the leading Internet services companies, yesterday [received a] takeover offer from Zapata, a Texas-based group with holdings in marine protein and food packaging companies. Citing the â€Å"excellent fit with Zapata’s new strategic direction,† Avram Glazer, Zapata’s chief executive officer, said the proposed transaction â€Å"makes sense for Excite’s shareholders because of the capital resources that Zapata can bring to Excite. † Financial Times, May 22, 1998 2 What diversified corporation did this become? 3 Decomposition of Variance in Profitability: Evidence from the United States Year 2% Industry 18% Corporate parent 4% Transient 46% †¢ In the U. S. corporate strategy is typically the icing on the cake, not the cake itself – Business units must be competitive on their own merits – †¦in attractive industries †¢ But the icing can make the decisive difference between a good cake and a bad one Business segment 30% Note: Ignores covariance terms; based on 58,132 observations of 12,296 business segments in 628 industries in the United States Source: Anita M. McGahan and Michael E. Porter, â₠¬Å"How Much Does Industry Matter Really? † Strategic Management Journal, 1997 4 Decomposition of Variance in Profitability: Evidence from 14 Emerging Economies †¢ In much of the rest of the world, corporate strategy is more prominent †¢ Membership in a diversified entity has a larger effect on profitability †¢ The effect on profitability is more likely to be positive Source: Tarun Khanna and Jan W. Rivkin, â€Å"Estimating the Performance Effects of Business Groups in Emerging Markets,† Strategic Management Journal, 2000 Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey Litmus Test of Corporate Strategy †¢ Is the combination of all businesses of the firm worth more than the sum of how much each business is worth individually? – The answer could be less, e. g. J. C. Penney telemarketing division was worth 3X the market value of the entire firm †¢ When deciding whether or not to acquire another business, you need to decide BOTH – whether you have a competitive advantage running that business – AND how it will contribute to the fit among the other 6 businesses you are running Acrobat Document 7 The Walt Disney Company: Stock Price vs. S&P 500, 1984-1994 8 The Walt Disney Company: Stock Price vs. S&P 500, 1995-2005 9 Two big problems 1. Growth at all costs: †¢ This is an example of what happens when a solid corporate strategy meets an aggressive growth goal 2. Mismatch between strategy and organizational structure: †¢ You can have a corporation with businesses that are closely connected like the classic Disney businesses and then run the businesses together in a tightly integrated way. That can work. †¢ You can have a corporation with the broader scope of later Disney and run them in a loosely coupled way. That can work. †¢ But if you have a corporation with the broader scope of later Disney and run them like the classic Disney, with heavy-handed management from the top, searching for synergy that doesn’t really exist†¦then you get into trouble. – In 2005, ABC President Robert Iger replaces Eisner 10 The Walt Disney Company: Stock Price vs. S&P 500, 2005-2012 11 The Walt Disney Company: Take-aways Core lessons of corporate-level strategy †¢ Competition occurs at the level of the business unit †¢ Corporate strategy is a success or failure to the extent that it enhances business unit competitive advantage – Is the relative gap between WTP and cost larger than it would be otherwise? †¢ Two tests: – Better-off: Does the presence of the corporation in a given market improve the total competitive advantage of business units over and above what they could achieve on their own? (What’s the added value of the corporation? – Ownership: Does ownership of the business unit produce a greater competitive advantage than an alternative arrangement would produce? †¢ A corporation is more likely to pass the tests when it has some shared resource that (a) creates competitive advantage for the business units and (b) is difficult to trade efficiently via the market – E. g. , access to animated characters – Making business units â€Å"better off† sounds easy, but it typically requires sophisticated structures, systems, and processes, plus cultural supports 12 Corporate strategy entails trade-offs Either focus on†¦ or focus on†¦ Guidance on the Projects Overall Grading †¢ The project must cover all three components of the class – Human and Social Capital – Strategy – Multinational Management Components of Grade (NOT equally weighted) †¢ Use of frameworks (most important issue) †¢ Quality of research †¢ Innovativeness/Insight of analysis †¢ Integration of different components of class †¢ Quality of communication 14 †¢ ? of grade will be based on presentation; ? on final project write up †¢ We will also use a peer assessment to adjust the grade for effort put in by each team member

Effects Single Parents Families

Task1 Research question What is the impact of being raised in a single parent family on students of the Corinth Secondary School? Rationale I chose to research this topic because it hurts me to see my friends from single parent families fall by the way side. I believe that they fall by the way side because the absent parent is inconsiderate. He (she) never took the time to think of the many difficulties and challenges the single parent would have in raising that child, not only in disciplining, but also by not having sufficient money to feed the child and not being able to provide that child with basic school materials.To me, it is very disturbing to hear some of the stories from children of my age group who come from single parent families, for instance, having to miss school because his/her parent was not able to provide for hi/her because of a huge financial strain. Time after time, I see some of my friends with their uniforms unkempt and their stomach crying out for food. It does not make me feel any better when I hear and see those things happening around me in society and particularly at my school. Objectives This School Based assessment seeks to: Identify the effects on children who are raised in a single parent family. * Identify the effect of single parent families on the academics of children within those households. * Suggest solutions to help teenagers of single parent families cope with the effects of being raised in a single parent family. Task2 Method of investigation In order to collect data for my School Based Assessment, I have decided to use the printed questionnaire because: 1. The method is inexpensive 2. The data collected is easy to analyze 3. The identity of respondents remains confidential Task 3QUESTIONNAIRE Instructions: please place a tick in the brackets ( ) next to the response you wish to select. 1. Sex Male ( ) Female ( ) 2. Age Group 12- 14 ( ) 15-18 ( ) 18-20 ( ) 3. Do you have any younger siblings? Yes ( ) No ( ) 4. If yes how many? 1 ( ) 2 ( ) 3( ) other ( ) 5. Who do you live with? Mother ( ) Father ( ) other ( ) please state†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6. How often do you see your other parent? Often ( ) Occasionally ( ) Seldom ( ) Never ( ) 7. I have a good relationship with my other parent.To what extent do you agree with this statement? Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) 8. How often does your other parent spend quality time with you? Always ( ) Often ( ) Sometimes ( ) Rarely ( ) 9. Does your other parent provide you with your basic needs? Always ( ) Occasionally ( ) Seldom ( ) Never ( ) 10. If you selected â€Å"occasionally†, â€Å"seldom† or â€Å"never† in the previous question, why is this so? Small income from one parent ( ) Parent just does not care ( ) 11.Does your other parent provide you with love? Always ( ) Occasional ( ) Seldom ( ) Never ( ) 12. Do you believe that yo u live in a stable home environment? Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) 13. How do you rate your performance at school? Excellent ( ) Very Good ( ) Good ( ) Poor ( ) 14. Do you believe that being raised in a single parent family affects your academic performance? Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) 15. Do you believe that living with one parent leads to children becoming delinquents?Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Agree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( ) 16. Are you able to balance your responsibilities at home with your time to do school assignments? Always ( ) Often ( ) Sometimes ( ) Never ( ) 17. Are you regularly in trouble at school? Very often ( ) Often ( ) Sometimes ( ) Never ( ) 18. Do you think that the Government should develop and implement more policies to assist single parent families? Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )

Obesity in America

Obesity in America Obesity has become a concern for many Americans. The obesity rates have gotten worse over the years. People are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and improve their appearances. In our society, obesity has become one of the biggest problems of American culture. So many people are obese or overweight due to a number of factors that include behavior, environment, genetics, and medical conditions. Each play significant roles. Behavior relates to a person eating to many calories and not getting enough physical activity.Environment involves work, home, school, or community that provides barriers for active or inactive lifestyle. In addition to all the other factors, Americans do not get enough physical activity. Ehow. com states one of the main reasons of obesity is lack of exercise. A lot of the new technologies have taken up most of our time that going outside and exercise has been taken out. Many of our schools have taken physical education course out o f their curriculum’s. Exercise is not a priority for many Americans, and if we are taking the courses out of the curriculum’s, how are our youngsters able to learn good habits. It also statesLivestrong. com states several factors that contribute to the overall obesity problem. Getting too little sleep can increase a person’s body weight. Lack of sleep can contribute to hormonal changes, which in turn can increase appetite. CBS News conducted a study and ranked lack of sleep as the new overlooked cause of obesity. People tend to eat more during the day to increase their energy, because of not sleeping the recommended number of hours. Livestrong. com also states that Americans are smoking less. This leads to weight gain as your metabolism may slow down after one quits smoking, therefore burning fewer calories.There are many medical conditions that can cause obesity (WebMD. com). Hypothyroidism is a condition that affects ones thyroid. The thyroid produces too litt le hormone in the body and this slows down the metabolism and cause weight gain. Cushing syndrome is another. This is when the adrenal glands produce too much of a steroid hormone called cortisol. This can cause fat to build up in certain parts of the body. Some people with depression also tend to overeat. A doctor can test for symptoms and treat accordingly, if possible. Another possible reason for obesity is stress. According to yesword. om stress could be the main reason for obesity in America. Most Americans have very busy schedules, and eat on the run. Managing one’s life from work, family and social standpoints have stressed many Americans. Setbacks in personal or professional lives sometimes make one indulge in high caloric foods, known as comfort foods. CBSNews. com cited an article by David B Allison, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham as saying we are paying attention to the â€Å"Big Two†. They are fast food and too little exercise. He goes on to say t hat other factors are not explored. He and his colleagues suggest other possible reasons for obesity.Pollution can affect hormones. Hormones control our body weight. Most people live and work in temperature-controlled environments. Being in a room too hot or cold actually helps burn calories. Medicine can affect hormones. Drugs used to treat blood pressure, diabetes, and depression can cause weight gain. It has been suggested that the older a woman is when she gives birth; the risk is higher to the child to be obese. , Obese woman tend to marry obese men. There are studies that obesity is genetic, thus a union of two obese people, may pass down this trait for generations.In Conclusion, Obesity is one of the biggest problems people face every day. With better knowledge of contributing factors that can make a person obese, Americans can and will change this trend. It is important to eat properly and exercise, one's life could depend on it. Works Cited http://www. theyesword. com/main_ causes_of_obesity_in_america. htm http://www. webmd/diet/medical-reasons-obesity http://www. livestrong. com/article/354282-what-are-the-main-causes-of-obesity-in-america http://www. ehow. com/how-does_5558417_causes-obesity-america. html David B. Allison, PhD http://www. cbsnews. com/2100-500368_162-1757772. html