The On Birth Control And Pregnancy - 865 Words

With this week coming to a close, we are officially more than halfway through the class. This means that I am three weeks closer to finishing something that I started back in 1996 when I first started my college journey at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. It’s been almost 20 years and this will definitely be an achievement but first I have to make it through the next few weeks. This week focused was on birth control and pregnancy, specifically focusing in on planning when a person will become pregnant and what happens once a person becomes pregnant. As usual there were multiple assignments. We had our normal issues from the Taking Sides text, a discussion on the politics of childbirth, an assignment on the different contraceptives, the quiz, a status check on the final paper and this wonderful three page reflection paper. As usual, I will start with this week’s reading from the Taking Sides text. This week was slightly different in that we were given four top ics to choose from and could choose two to read and discuss. The two that were most interesting to me discussed the questions; do reality TV shows portray responsible messages about teen pregnancy and should pharmacists have the right to refuse contraceptive prescriptions? In addition were the question of abortion being moral, a topic I definitely didn’t want to touch and the question of whether parents should be allowed to select the sex of their baby. For the first topic of on teen pregnancy I wasShow MoreRelatedBirth Control And The Pregnancy Prevention1284 Words   |  6 Pagesrights to control their lives as they wish. However, as close as the early 1900’s, women still did not have the basic right to control their fertility. Working as a nurse, Margaret Sanger believed that women should maintain the right to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies. Margaret Sanger is The Woman Rebel who, despite overwhelming opposition, pioneered the way for modern f amily planning and, more importantly, the female sexual revolution. The subject of birth control and the debateRead MoreBirth Control, Pregnancy And Fertility Treatments1387 Words   |  6 Pagespossible care when it comes to reproductive processes. This includes birth control, pregnancy and fertility treatments., I will explain how knowledge, practices and experiences are affected by the four factors mentioned above. Gender, race, sexuality, and class all have a great effect on the reproductive process. The first way reproduction is affected is by gender norms and stereotypes. In most societies, a woman’s job is only to give birth and take care of house work. That is the only place where a womanRead MoreArgument: Birth Control Reduces Teen Pregnancy, It Is Not801 Words   |  4 PagesArgument: Birth Control reduces teen pregnancy, it is not the same as a termination of a pregnancy, and it is something that needs to be covered by insurance because of these reasons. Quote maybe: Legislative proposals that would enable an employer to determine whether or not a woman s insurance would cover the cost of birth control strikes women as particularly bizarre. Is the boss going to take care of the children that are conceived accidentally? Stop treating us like children. Women are grownRead MoreBirth Control Is The Practice Of Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies1177 Words   |  5 Pagesprocess to obtain birth control pills. According to merriam-webster.com, birth control is the practice of preventing unwanted pregnancies; it used all around the world. There are many different contraceptive types that people use to prevent unwanted pregnancies, including, but not limited to, condoms, vaginal rings, sponges, implants, shots, abstinence, and birth control pills. Practicing safe sex should be ready option for all people. Men wear condoms while women take birth control; it is as simpleRead MoreThe Use of Birth Control to Prevent Pregnancy Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesThe Use of Birth Control to Prevent Pregnancy The dilemma of unwanted pregnancy has faced the human species as far back in history as the day man found out that there was a connection between sexual intercourse and conceiving a baby. To solve it, many methods were used -- some disagreeable, some dangerous and many ineffective. Fortunately, today for the first time in history, a choice of contraceptives is available that is, safe, convenient, and effective. Much difference of opinion aboutRead MoreBirth Control : An Effective Means Of Preventing Pregnancy1754 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Birth control is becoming a very controversial topic in today’s society. Although some forms of birth control have been around for thousands of years, those that are most familiar to us have been practiced since the late 1950’s. People’s views and beliefs on birth control have changed dramatically. According to the Birth control pill facts sheet, â€Å"About five women out of the one hundred using this method for one year will get pregnant† (2014, p. 4). This illustrates that although birth controlRead MoreUnintended Pregnancy Prevention Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pages Are controversial concerns about the birth control pill really a problem? Allowing teenagers to use the birth control pill has been a controversial subject for parents, teachers, and teenagers for a wide range of reasons. The vast majority of teenage pregnancies, more than four out of five, are unplanned (Unintended Pregnancy Prevention). Whether teenagers believe in common myths that they cant get pregnant the first time having sex or they truly believe nothing like this could ever happenRead MoreProblems with Teen Pregnancy in Oklahoma Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesOklahoma has been ranked number two in teen birth rates according to a Tulsa World article. Teen pregnancy has always been a problem in America. More and more teens are becoming pregnant every day. Most of them can’t afford the expenses of birth control. Others do not know how to prevent it. Teen pregnancy can also cause education problems with the teen. Teen moms are not mature enough to handle raising a kid. Many kids who have parents who were young when they had them are more than likely goingRead MoreThe Importance Of Birth Control1349 Words   |  6 PagesShould birth control be accessible to women? Should birth control be covered by insurance? There are many public debates covering the topic of birth control. Some of these debates cover which methods of contraception are the most effe ctive ways at obtaining couple’s reproductive plans, while other debates include whether or not insurance should cover the cost of contraceptive, also the short and long term effects, how to increase use of birth control among sexually active individuals, and there areRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Birth Control1393 Words   |  6 Pagesprevent pregnancies and the transmission of sexual diseases. One large advance for contraception is birth control, which falls almost completely under women. Only two forms of contraceptives are for men; condoms and vasectomies. Providing a birth control for men, knowing the chemical abilities to create the birth control, and finally sharing the burden of contraception with men could help reduce unwanted pregnancies and relieve women of all the stress along with stopping said pregnancies. Birth Control

Formal Report Exp 9 - 6351 Words

University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Pharmacy Organic Chemistry Laboratory APPLICATION OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF TEST TO CLASSIFY HYROXY- AND CARBONYL-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS Jane Catherine SP. Villanueva, Edenn Claudine C. Villaraza, Lorenz Oliver C. Villegas and Cristel Bernice T. Wee Group 10 2G-Medical Technology Organic Chemistry Laboratory ABSTRACT Hydroxyl group refers to a functional group containing OH- when it is a substituent in an organic compound. It is also known as the characteristic functional group of alcohols and phenols. On the other hand, carbonyl group refers to a divalent chemical unit consisting of a carbon and an oxygen atom connected by a double bond. It is known as the characteristic functional group of aldehydes†¦show more content†¦Other organic compounds that contain -OH groups but are not alcohols are phenol (C6H5OH) and acetic acid (CH3COOH). These compounds are not alcohols because they are acidic. The term alcohol, then, is another representation of a type of electronic structure in the molecules of substances. [3] [4] Phenols are aromatic compounds in which a hydroxide group is directly bonded to an aromatic ring system. They are very weak acids, and like alcohols, form ethers and esters. The main phenols are phenol itself, cresol, resorcinol, pyrogallol, and picric acid. Phenol itself (C6H5OH), also known as carbolic acid, is a white, hygroscopic crystalline solid, isolable from coal tar, but made by acid hydrolysis of cumene hydroperoxide, or by fusion of sodium benzenesulfonate with sodium hydroxide. Formerly used as an antiseptic, phenol has more latterly been used to make bakelite and other resins, plastics, dyes, detergents, and drugs. [4] [15] The hydroxyl- containing compounds used in the experiment were ethanol, n-butyl alcohol, sec-butyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and benzyl alcohol. Ethanol also known as ethyl alcohol is a clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic, agreeable odor. In dilute aqueous solution, it has a somewhat sweet flavor, but in more concentrated solutions it has a burning taste. Its low freezing point has made it useful as the fluid in thermometers forShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Case Law2222 Words   |  9 Pagesrelevant regulations contained detailed provisions as to the procedure to be followed where a report or allegations was received by the police authority from which it appeared that a chief constable might have committed an offence against the Discipline Code (set out in the regulations). According to the regulations the detailed procedure, which involved a formal hearing before a specially constituted tribunal, could only be dispersed with if the Chief ConstableRead Moretax notes15844 Words   |  64 Pages control in Aus to be an Aus resident. Carrying on a business: operational activities – where activities occur, passive activities – where decisions in respect of those activities are made (TR 2004/15). Mgt: where actual decision-making is, not formal execution of directors’ resolutions (Malayan Shipping, 1946). 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Oedipus Review Essay Example For Students

Oedipus Review Essay Oedipus seeks knowledge, but only up to a pointSophocles classical Greek tragedy Oedipus the King is one of the centrepieces of Western literature. It also has a broader place in modern Western culture, courtesy of Dr Freud and his Oedipus complex, in which the process of growing up male is bound up with competition for the mother and the symbolic overthrow and supplanting, or killing, of the father. The play can be read as a traditional study of the fatal flaw theory of tragedy, in which Oedipus is brought down by hubris. Or as an object lesson in cautious, wise, mindful living, playing with the imagery of light and sight. Or a statement about the nature of reality and truth, and the place of uncertainty and impermanence. Or even as the first detective story, complete with clues, red herrings, false leads and gradually mounting evidence. In this reading, Oedipus is not only the chief investigator and chief prosecutor, but the chief suspect as well. A deep and consistent feature of the play is irony. If we compare the opening scene with the closing scene, the irony of Oedipuss experience is stark. At the beginning he is a powerful, commanding, regal figure with the interests of Thebes and its suffering citizens as his focus. By the end Oedipus is destitute, exiled by his own decree (may he wear out his life in misery and miserable doom), having promised to wipe out the source of the plague without realising he is the source, and that all the evidence will lead back to himself. At so many key points there is a sharp interplay between public knowledge and private awareness, or unconscious knowledge, which sets up great tension. This is part of the larger revelatory process that structures the play as a whole. The unfolding evidence takes centre stage in the key sequences and confrontations, and amid repeated patterns of imagery to do with darkness and light, blindness and sight, the value of knowledge and the plague of ignorance a nd infamy. The Chorus is the voice of the Theban citizens, fearful and confused by the unfolding events. Oedipus is a man of action who takes on the responsibility of rescuing the people by anticipating certain moves. He sends Creon to consult the oracle of Apollo before being advised to do so, and learns that the murderer of the former King Laius is the cause of the plague and is in Thebes. He decides to reopen the unsolved case and calls in the reluctant Teiresias. The blind seer reveals that Oedipus himself is the lands pollution, but Oedipus dismisses his words. Prophecy is a motivating force and Teiresias knows of the child prophesied to kill his father and marry his mother a tale that unites Thebes and Corinth and motivates decisions both in the house of Laius and in the mind of Oedipus, as he flees the home of his supposed parents. Oedipuss true identity is revealed bit by bit. Firstly as the murderer of King Laius, then as the abandoned child, and finally as both the child and husband of Jocasta. Among the main clues early on in the unravelling truth of identity and circumstance is the scene of the crime the crossroads, which prompts deeper associations followed by other coincidences and readings of signs. The fatal flaw reading is still compelling. How much did Oedipus contribute to his own downfall? To some extent he is his own worst enemy and, paradoxically, his best qualities are closely related to his faults. Oedipus is perceived as a man who values knowledge but it is all about mastery, and he is relentless in the pursuit that brings about his self-destruction. He acts impulsively and pushes unwisely, is high-handed and arrogant. He is not consistently clear-sighted for example, he does not take on board the implications of the rumour of his illegitimacy, and after visiting the oracle flees before finding out the key fact of whether Polybus and Merope are his real parents. He displays paranoia and accuses Creon of ambition and sedition. He is highly disrespectful to the revered Teiresias and provokes the truth out of him. Finally he is extravagant in all he does; even

Practical Book Review of Petersen Text Essay Example

Practical Book Review of Petersen Text Paper Petersen (2007) then illustrates in his book what he envisions to be the stomach (emotions), heart (objectives and interpretations), and the head (which is where we draw our logical conclusions), to resemble. Flat brain occurs when ones stomach is filled to capacity with uncomfortable emotions and feelings (Petersen, 2007). This in return then upwardly impacts the heart, resulting in squashing the brain; therefore causing it to go flat. He then reminds the reader that one has a choice to become defensive, and be overtaken by this phenomenon, or to collaborate with those who are involved, to bring about a positive outcome. In part ;o, the talker listening process, is how Petersen (2007) describes he method of relieving the symptoms of flat brain; this process involves taking turns talking and listening (p. 49). Petersen (2007) also discusses stomach talk, meaning that one is only allowed to share his or her own insecurities, rather than blaming others (p. 78). He warns his readers that sharing and thinking is risky business, however, worth it in exchange for a more cherished relationship (p. 82). Petersen (2007) then uses the recipe of two parts personal and one part logical, to balance the scales of communication (p. 85). In part three Petersen (2007), introduces overall listening techniques to further ones communication, including the six communication pitfalls (p. 1 16-121 These pitfalls are an attempt to Set in control of the conversation, as well as a clever form of manipulation on TTY part of the speaker (Petersen, 2007). We will write a custom essay sample on Practical Book Review of Petersen Text specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Practical Book Review of Petersen Text specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Practical Book Review of Petersen Text specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He then goes on to explain the two levels of communication; the first being more superficial, and the second, emerging into a deeper level of how one is truly feeling emotionally. Petersen (2007) ends this portion of the book reminding one to be careful o hidden agendas, and taking on more serious cases such as, someone suggesting us iced. In the last sections four and five, Peters (2007) takes on the challenge of BRI inning it all together with examples of the listening game. This is where families learn to interact in a safe family environment. This is especial helpful for children, while reinforcing the taking turns skills they have already learned growing up. Peterson (2007) then reintroduces the TTL card to the group setting; which allows everyone a chance to be heard, respected, and better express themselves. As Petersen (2007) wraps up the book, he suggests that the TTL card can be useful with monitoring couples, as well as sharing, negotiating, and closing (p. 203). Lastly, he leaves us with his philosophy, which is to leave people and place ± in better a better condition than when I found them (p. 209). Respond When I began reading Peterson (2007) I was amazed at hi candidness, his story drew me in immediately. Because I am a published author myself, understand how difficult transparency can be. Petersen (2007) provokes one to deal with the selfish nature within, in addition to need to win attitude (p. 7). This portion of the book spoke volumes to me. I grew up in a time where winning was everything at home, school and church. However, I always seem to be the one who lost. I cowered beneath the hand of my older sister, strict father, and hierarchy of the church. When I became a young woman, I vowed never to be mistreated by anyone. Quickly learned to fight back, and believed I had become a winner. During this time in my life I had achieved great success in the natural world; however, I had become very confrontational to my husband and demanding with my chi lilied. Petersen (2007) talks about the six communication traps, and as guilty on all charges (p. 1 16-122). I was constantly dragging my kids and husband into the courtroom, so that I could prove my case like Perry Mason (p. 116). Often times I won, however, I was destroying my marriage and distancing our children. I did not know how to control my emotions when I was challenged with issues. Petersen (2007) refers to this problem as flat brained (p. 10). Eventually, my marriage ended, and I paid a very costly price for not knowing how to listen better. Years later, I am remarried, and have put into practice the TTL card without my husband even knowing it. Have also learned that defending is attacking, (p. 1 08) and enjoy using the double- reverse-twist to ward off feelings of defensiveness (Petersen, 2007, p. 43). Reflect Because we are reading three different listening skills books within a small time frame it becomes difficult to separate the three. It is the useful names used in the techniques is what creates a difference in each book. Petersen (2007) stands out because of his illustration of the flat brain. We have all experienced it; however describing how it occurs from the first onset is what make one conscious that an attack is on its way. He takes that which is spiritual, which is the spirit of offense, and makes it practical, so that everyone can understand what is really taking place in the mind. One observation that represented an ah ha moment was when Peterson (2007) talked about observing pays dividends (p. 58). He discusses what happens when one is fully aware of his/her behavior, and is able to adjust it to accommodate the other person, as in the case of Mary and her mother (p. 58-60). This practical teaching lines up with the book of Romans chapter twelve. If I were to narrow it down to one verse, it would be, Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another Romans 12:10 (KAVA). This is very useful to me when dealing with the majority of friends who call me to talk. I have given over to having a mutual friendship, and have resolved that would always play the role of the listener. This technique helps to remind me of what I should be doing spiritually nonetheless; it also helps me not to become resentful concerning the call that God has mandated over my life. It is sometimes difficult to accept that we are always playing a role. Though it is true that we grow stronger in character, and in love, during these perpetual times of pressure. Act The TTL is one of the valuable instruments that I will add to my tool box of listening (Petersen, 2007). On the personal side, I have two daughters, of whom I am very close to. I have now learned to slow down and listen. I can now listen without owning their problems! I believe that was my biggest challenge with the both of them; that little card has set me free! I now understand am not there to solve their problems, however, to only be a nonjudgmental sounding board. also understand that there will be occasions when I Will be tempted to fall for the l feel that trap. Moreover, I will resist the urge to disagree, agree, or force my advice on my young adult daughters. I now realize that they only need me to be a good mother, role model, and listener (Petersen, 2007, p. 78). Also have three sisters whom I enjoy spending girl talk time with. We all jump in whenever someone pauses to take a breath. It will be exciting to introduce the TTL card ATA casual dinner (Petersen, 2007). Petersen (2007) has also given me new tools to use in my ministry. God has taken me through a transformation since my life changing divorce in 2002. Obviously, listening was my greatest challenge. Learning to listen to God was paramount in my life, and that is where God did his greatest work. Peterson (2007) digs in deep when he begins to cause one to examine themselves in what he/she is doing to others. The Guiding difficult group discussions was a very eye-opening tool for me (Petersen, 2007, p. 190). He talks about not fully hearing others out before we are on the attack, as well as not being able to hear correctly, and repeat back what was ally being said. This is what happens during bible study discussions and womens groups. UT these techniques into practice because I truly want to see women healed, and become healers themselves. Listening is also important in evangelism ministry. We are always quick to throw our religious beliefs on someone who has not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. We must listen and find out why they feel a certain way (Petersen, 2007) before we attack them, and drag them kicking and screaming into the body of Christ. My husband and I are both in ministry and have spent nettles hours arguing with Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims, and unbelievers.

Christopher Columbus Fourth and Last New World Voyage

Christopher Columbus' Fourth and Last New World Voyage On May 11, 1502, Christopher Columbus set out on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. He had four ships, and his mission was to explore uncharted areas to the west of the Caribbean, hopefully finding a passage west to the Orient. Columbus did explore parts of southern Central America, but his ships, damaged by a hurricane and termites, fell apart while he was exploring. Columbus and his men were stranded on Jamaica for about a year before being rescued. They returned to Spain in late 1504. Before the Journey Much had happened since Columbus’  daring 1492 voyage of discovery. After that historic trip, Columbus was sent back to the New World to establish a colony. Although Columbus was a gifted sailor, he was a terrible administrator, and the colony he founded on Hispaniola turned against him. After his third trip, ​he was arrested and sent back to Spain in chains. Although he was quickly freed by the king and queen, his reputation was shot. Still, the crown agreed to finance one last voyage of discovery. Preparations With royal backing, Columbus soon found four seaworthy vessels: Capitana, Gallega, Vizcaà ­na, and Santiago de Palos. His brothers Diego and Bartholomew and his son Fernando signed on, as did some veterans of his earlier trips. Columbus himself was 51 and was beginning to become known around court for being eccentric. He believed that when the Spanish united the world under Christianity (which they would do quickly with gold and wealth from the New World) that the world would end. He also tended to dress like a simple barefoot friar, not like the wealthy man he had become. Hispaniola Columbus was not welcome on the island of Hispaniola, where too many of the settlers remembered his cruel and ineffective administration. Nevertheless, he went there after first visiting Martinique and Puerto Rico. He was hoping to exchange one of his ships (the Santiago de Palos) for a quicker one. While awaiting an answer, he sent word that a storm was approaching and that the new governor (Nicols de Ovando) should delay the fleet heading for Spain. The Hurricane Ovando forced Columbus to anchor his ships in a nearby estuary and ignored his advice, sending the fleet of 28 ships on to Spain. A tremendous hurricane sank 24 of them: three returned and only one- ironically, the one containing Columbus’  personal effects that he wished to send to Spain- arrived safely. A few miles away, Columbus’  ships were badly battered, but all of them remained afloat. Across the Caribbean Once the hurricane had passed, Columbus’ small fleet set out to look for a passage west. The storms continued, and the journey was a living hell. The ships, already damaged from the hurricane, took more abuse. Eventually, they reached Central America, anchoring off the coast of Honduras on an island that many believe to be Guanaja. There they repaired the ships and took on supplies. Native Encounters While exploring Central America, Columbus had an encounter many believe to be the first with one of the major inland civilizations. Columbus’ fleet found a trading vessel, a very long, wide canoe full of goods and traders believed to be Mayan from the Yucatan. The traders carried copper tools and weapons, swords made of wood and flint, textiles, and a certain beerlike beverage made from fermented corn. Columbus, oddly enough, decided not to investigate this interesting trading civilization: instead of turning north when he hit Central America, he headed south. Central America to Jamaica Columbus continued exploring to the south  along the coasts of present-day Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. He met several native cultures, observing maize being cultivated on terraces. They also saw stone structures. They traded for food and gold whenever possible. In early 1503, the ships began to fail. In addition to the battering they had taken from one hurricane and several major storms, it was discovered that they were infested with termites. Columbus reluctantly set sail for Santo Domingo and aid, but his ships only made it as far as Santa Gloria (St. Ann’s Bay), Jamaica. A Year on Jamaica The ships could go no further. Columbus and his men did what they could, breaking the ships apart to make shelters and fortifications. They made a peace with the local natives, who brought them food. Columbus was able to get word to Ovando of his predicament, but Ovando had neither the resources nor the inclination to help him. Columbus and his men languished on Jamaica for a year, surviving storms, mutinies, and an uneasy peace with the natives. Columbus, with the help of one of his books, impressed the natives by correctly predicting an eclipse. Finally, in June 1504, two ships finally arrived to pick them up. Importance of the Fourth Voyage Columbus returned to Spain to learn that his beloved Queen Isabel was dying. Without her support, Columbus would never return to the New World. He was getting on in years at any rate, and it is a wonder that he survived the disastrous fourth voyage. He died in 1506. Columbus’ Fourth Voyage is remarkable primarily for some new exploration, mostly along the coast of Central America. It is also of interest to historians, who value the descriptions of the native cultures encountered by Columbus’ small fleet, particularly those sections concerning the Mayan traders. Some of those who were along on the fourth voyage would later go on to greater things, such as Antonio de Alaminos, a cabin boy who would later rise to pilot and explore much of the western Caribbean. Columbus’ son Fernando would later write a biography of his famous father. The Fourth Voyage was a failure by almost any standard. Many of Columbus’ men died, the ships were lost, and no passage to the west was ever found. Columbus himself would never sail again. He died convinced that he had found Asia, even if most of Europe already accepted the fact that the Americas were an unknown â€Å"New World.† Still, the fourth voyage showed better than any other Columbus’ sailing skills, fortitude, and resilience attributes that allowed him to discover the Americas in the first place. Source: Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. New York: Random House, 2005.

Free Essays on Ethiopian Starvation

U.S.-ETHIOPIA RELATIONS U.S.-Ethiopian relations were established in 1903 and were good throughout the period prior to the Italian occupation in 1935. After World War II, these ties strengthened, on the basis of a September 1951 treaty of amity and economic relations. In 1953, two agreements were signed: a mutual defense assistance agreement, under which the U.S. agreed to furnish military equipment and training, and an accord regularizing the operations of a U.S. communication facility at Asmara. Through fiscal year 1978, the U.S. provided Ethiopia with $282 million in military assistance and $366 million in economic assistance in agriculture, education, public health, and transportation. A Peace Corps program emphasized education, and United States Information Service educational and cultural exchanges were numerous. After Ethiopia's revolution, the bilateral relationship began to cool as a result of the Derg's identification with international communism and U.S. revulsion at the Derg's murderous means of maintaining itself in power. The U.S. rebuffed Ethiopia's request for increased military assistance to intensify its fight against the Eritrean secessionist movement and to repel the Somali invasion. The International Security and Development Act of 1985 prohibited all U.S. economic assistance to Ethiopia with the exception of humanitarian disaster and emergency relief. In July 1980, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian Government, and the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Embassy in the U.S. were headed by Charges d'Affaires. With the downfall of the Mengistu regime, U.S.-Ethiopian relations improved dramatically. Legislative restrictions on assistance to Ethiopia other than humanitarian assistance were lifted. Diplomatic relations were upgraded to the ambassadorial level in 1992. During FY 1997, the U.S. provided about $77.2 million in assistance to Ethiopia, of which $39.9 mil... Free Essays on Ethiopian Starvation Free Essays on Ethiopian Starvation U.S.-ETHIOPIA RELATIONS U.S.-Ethiopian relations were established in 1903 and were good throughout the period prior to the Italian occupation in 1935. After World War II, these ties strengthened, on the basis of a September 1951 treaty of amity and economic relations. In 1953, two agreements were signed: a mutual defense assistance agreement, under which the U.S. agreed to furnish military equipment and training, and an accord regularizing the operations of a U.S. communication facility at Asmara. Through fiscal year 1978, the U.S. provided Ethiopia with $282 million in military assistance and $366 million in economic assistance in agriculture, education, public health, and transportation. A Peace Corps program emphasized education, and United States Information Service educational and cultural exchanges were numerous. After Ethiopia's revolution, the bilateral relationship began to cool as a result of the Derg's identification with international communism and U.S. revulsion at the Derg's murderous means of maintaining itself in power. The U.S. rebuffed Ethiopia's request for increased military assistance to intensify its fight against the Eritrean secessionist movement and to repel the Somali invasion. The International Security and Development Act of 1985 prohibited all U.S. economic assistance to Ethiopia with the exception of humanitarian disaster and emergency relief. In July 1980, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian Government, and the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Embassy in the U.S. were headed by Charges d'Affaires. With the downfall of the Mengistu regime, U.S.-Ethiopian relations improved dramatically. Legislative restrictions on assistance to Ethiopia other than humanitarian assistance were lifted. Diplomatic relations were upgraded to the ambassadorial level in 1992. During FY 1997, the U.S. provided about $77.2 million in assistance to Ethiopia, of which $39.9 mil...

Finance and Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance and Accounting - Essay Example The author’s claim makes it seem as if globalization was the only reason that so many people came of poverty during this timeline. I think that the author’s argument lacks an in-depth analysis of other factors that also contributed to the economic progress in these countries. For instance in China the governments’ policy to open up the economy into the free market was equally or more influential than the globalization movement at reducing poverty. Another factor that helped the people of China get out of poverty was industrialization (Xinhua, 2007). The globalization movement has helped China and India become major players in the global trade of goods and services. In 2009 China overtook Germany to become the world’s top exporter (Nytimes, 2010). I agree with the author that the use of free trade initiatives were instrumental in spurring economic activity. An argument that I thought was offensive to the reality of a country that is struggling to help its p eople out of extreme poverty was the author’s claim that the government and people of the Sub-Saharan Africa are resisting the globalization movement. If this hypothesis was true I would have liked to have seen some evidence to proof the author’s claim. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the poorest regions in the world. The poverty rate of the region is expected to reach 38% by the year 2015 (Undp, 2012). The virtues of globalization would greatly help the people of Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa has deep issues that are limiting economic growth such as a lack of infrastructure in terms of roads, electricity, and water scarcity. The author in the article should have pointed out some of the constraints that are limiting Africa from reaping benefits from globalization instead of making the biased claim that Sub-Saharan Africa is against globalization. I thought that the author made a good argument in regards to the impact of trade barriers. Trade barriers are government imposed r estrictions on free exchange of goods and services internationally (Businessdictionary, 2012). A statement that I liked from the article was the opinion that the barriers imposed by poor countries against one another are more detrimental than those imposed by rich countries on developing nations. Developing nations have to learn that they have to work together to improve the standard of living of its people. The use of trade barriers are a constraint that lowers the total trade in the market because they make goods more expensive to acquire (Younkins, 2000). I completely agree with the author’s claim that the elimination of trade barriers benefits everyone. The elimination of trade barriers can also help the economy because it spurs job creation (Wto, 2012). An argument made by the author that has a lot of validity is the fact that the elimination of regulations would help investors and corporations act more freely and as a consequence prosperity would rise for everyone. Gove rnmental intervention is an undesirable action in a free market economy. Governments seem to believe that the best course of action during a crisis is to increase governmental intervention (Schuman, 2008). One of the cons of business regulations is that

To What Extent is it Justifiable to Deviate from Fundamental Essay

To What Extent is it Justifiable to Deviate from Fundamental Principles of Criminal Law by Creating Driving Offences of Strict Liability, in the Interests of Maintaining Road Safety - Essay Example Without an iota of doubt, it can be said that the concept of law, and for that purpose criminal law, has come to find a midpoint between these two schools of thoughts by setting principles that both give freedom to people to behave as individual beings and also protect the interest of other people. Typical examples of such rules and regulations that can be identified as directly catering for both the freedom of the bearer and the interest of the holder are driving laws on the possession of insurance and valid driver’s license by car users. Such laws are in place to ensure that as much as people have the freedom to drive any car of their choice, they also have the needed training and security that will put other road users at safety. Notwithstanding the presence of such road user laws, which have been inculcated into existing criminal laws, there are studies and case laws that suggest increases in driving offenses and road user related offenses. This essay has therefore been written to hold a debate on the justification in deviating from fundamental principles of criminal law to create driving offenses of strict liability that will be in place with the interest of maintaining road safety. There are a number of thematic legal arguments that can be developed from the question under discussion. These are considered thematic legal arguments because they seem to raise issues that could be given different legal interpretations, an analysis of which can lead to a successful conclusion on the justification of deviating from principles of criminal law by creating driving offenses of strict liability in the interest of maintaining road safety. These thematic legal arguments have thus been discussed as follows.

Compare and contrast the financial systems of two different countries. Use an institutional approach to describe the system. Comment on the impact on, and response to the GFC in each country Essay Example for Free

Compare and contrast the financial systems of two different countries. Use an institutional approach to describe the system. Comment on the impact on, and response to the GFC in each country Essay 1.0 Introduction A financial system inquires for efficient allocation of resources among the surplus and deficit units (Viney 2009) as such it encourages more savings where funds are provided for investor to invest and also ease the transactions for goods and services (Viney 2009). There are three main components in the financial systems which are the financial institutions, financial instruments and financial markets. All three types of financial system each carry different function, roles and regulations. However, financial institutions will be mainly focus in this research essay. Global Financial Crisis (GFC), also known as the ‘great recession’ occurs in the year of approximately 2007-08. GFC has caused a several impact on the economy which leads to a several collapse of the financial institutions. For instance, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, one of the major investment banks in US (Australia Bureau of Statistics 2010). Thus, the objective of this essay is to examine both financial system of the chosen countries which are United States and Australia, also the impacts and responses on the GFC in both of the chosen countries. 2.0 Compare and Contrast both Financial Systems 2.1 Central Bank The central bank of the United States (U.S.) is known as Federal Reserve System (FED) whereas the central bank of Australia is known as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). The Federal Reserve System’s structure consist of the Board of Governors which are duly appointed by the president, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), and 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks located throughout the major states in the country (The Federal Reserve Board 2003). Banking in U.S. is regulated at both federal and state level. Unlike U.S., Australia has only one central bank which is the Reserve Bank of Australia. However, both central banks are independent within their government (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001) whereby for FED, the monetary policies decisions do not have to go through the President’s authorization, and for RBA, they have statutory authority established by an act of parliament which grants them  specific powers and obligations to carry out necessary policies (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). On the other hand, RBA has two board, which are the reserve bank board and payment systems board (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). The reserve bank board is responsible for monetary and banking policy whereas the payment systems board is responsible for controlling risk in the financial system, promoting the efficiency of the payments system, and promoting competition in the market for payment services, consistent with the overall stability of the financial system (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). The role of FED is to conduct the country’s monetary policy, which includes full employment, stable prices and moderate long term interest rates as stated in the Federal Reserve Act (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 2008). Furthermore, they maintain the stability of the financial system, supervise and regulate banking institutions, provide financial services to depository institutions, and foreign official institutions. FOMC will determine the cost and availability of money and credit in the country’s economy by affecting the discount rate, reserve requirements and controlling the open market operations (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 2012). Likewise, the role of RBA is to conduct monetary policy as well, which includes the maintenance of price stability, full employment and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian citizens (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). Besides that, they also set the cash rate to meet a medium term inflation target (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). Moreover, RBA must maintain a strong financial system and efficient payments system and the issuing of the nation’s bank notes. Selected banking services are provided to the Australian government, agencies, official institutions, and a number of overseas central banks (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). 2.2 Commercial Bank Commercial banks in the U.S. are quite similar to those of Australia whereby their main role is to act as a financial intermediary by channeling funds from agents who deposit money and lenders who needs fund and wants to borrow. These agents and lenders include households, businesses, governments and foreigners. Australia offer products and services which include balance sheet transactions and off-balance-sheet transactions (Viney 2009). For balance sheet transaction, the first purpose is to loan activity to match the available amount of deposits that they received from customers. This activity is known as assets management (Viney 2009). The second purpose is to manage their sources of funds in order to ensure that they have sufficient amount of funds available to meet the loan demand or any other form of commitments. This activity is known as liabilities management (Viney 2009). For off-balance-sheet transactions, it includes a substantial volume of business that is not recorded either an asset or liability on their balance sheet. In comparison, U.S. obtains their funds (liabilities) by issuing deposits, checking deposits, time deposits, saving deposits (Samolyk 2004). For their use of funds (assets), it includes making commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans, and by buying U.S. government and municipal bonds (Samolyk 2004). Therefore, commercial banks play an important role in funding business borrowers. The percentage of non-financial business borrowing that commercial banks fund on their balance sheets has not declined remarkably in the past five decades or so. The commercial banks in U.S. provide trade financing, foreign exchange, corporate finances and miscellaneous banking services which include currency specified credit cards, corporate checking accounts and lock boxes (Ireland n.d.). Moreover, the existence of commercial banks made reliable transfer of funds between different countries all over the world possible. Furthermore, the distribution of valuable economic and business information among clients around the world is made possible as well (Samolyk 2004). Similarly, there are basically two functions of a commercial bank in Australia. The primary functions are obviously to accept deposits from individuals, and grant loans and advances for personal or corporate purposes. The secondary functions consists of collecting and supplying business information, providing reports on the credit worthiness of customers, standing guarantee on behalf of its customers for making payments for the purchase of goods, vehicles, machinery, and so on. Besides that, they also provide customers with foreign exchange facilities; and they also provide safe deposits vaults or lockers for valuables, important documents and securities. In a nutshell, for both countries, there are several similarities in the roles of commercial banks. Commercial banks promote capital formation whereby they accept deposits from individuals and businesses, whereby these deposits are then made available to the businesses which will make use of them for industrious purposes in the country (Ireland n.d.). Moreover, they also provide short and medium term loans for entrepreneurs to invest in new enterprises or businesses. Furthermore, they also promote trade and industry since they offer the use of bank draft, bill of exchange, check, credit cards and letters of credit. In one way or another, they also influence the level of economic activity by influencing the rate of interest and the availability of credit in the market. Most importantly, they implement the monetary policy proposed by FED or RBA to bring about price stability, full employment and promote economic growth within the country. There are several sources of funds for these commercial banks. The main source would of course be from the current account deposits. However, they do have other sources as well such as demand deposits, term deposits, negotiable certificates of deposits, bills acceptance liabilities, foreign currency liabilities, loan capital and shareholders’ equity. 2.3 Non-bank Financial Institutions 2.3.1 Depository Financial Institution Depository institutions (DPI) act as a financial intermediary similar to a commercial bank, whereby its main task is to accept deposits from surplus units and then issue loans to the deficit units in the financial system (Viney 2009). The main regulator for Australia is Australia Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) whereas for U.S. is the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). As for U.S., there are about 9, 000 functional depository financial institutions in the U.S. They operate through 92, 000 branch offices located in different states (Finance Maps of World 2011). Their role is to set a benchmark for DPI in the ground of  commercial banking. The funds that are collected is used to meet the credit need of others (Finance Maps of World 2011). On the other hand, Australia’s DPI consists of three main institutions which are banks, building societies and credit unions (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). There are a total of 171 institutions of which 55 are banks, 11 are building societies and 105 are credit unions (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). 2.3.2 Investment banks and Merchant banks Investment banks and merchant banks primary objective is to collect funds and invest them in the market to achieve specific goals set for different types of investments (Viney 2009). There are generally two types of investment companies which are open-end or closed-end mutual funds. Open-end funds will accept new investment and trade in old ones, whereas for closed-end funds they only accept funds once and then do not take in any additional new funds. Investment companies have recently become more popular among U.S. and Australia, and have managed trillions of dollars. As for U.S. investment banks specialize in facilitating financial transactions rather than just providing finance. They have a good reputation as a financial innovator since their responsibilities includes the improvement of new financial products and services which must meet the ever changing needs of clients (Kumar, Chuppe Perttunen 1997). In contrast, investment banks and merchant banks in Australia are not considered an authorized bank but often referred to as money market corporations (Viney 2009). They do not have a depositor base to include in their assets. Therefore, they raise funds through the issues of securities from the international money and capital markets (Viney 2009). 2.3.3 Contractual savings institutions Contractual saving institutions offer contract that specify, in return for periodic payments to the institutions, and the institutions will make payments to the contract holders if any specified event occurs (Viney 2009). They include general insurance companies and superannuation funds. As for U.S., their insurance companies raise money mainly from the issuance of insurance policies and collecting annual premiums. Some might also borrow from the dept capital markets as an alternative source of funds. For superannuation funds, or more popularly known as pension funds in the U.S., they are funded by the deductions from employees’ monthly salary in addition with certain contribution by the employers (Cohen Schubert 2010). On the contrary, Australia have make it compulsory for their employees to contribute to the superannuation system (Cohen Schubert 2010) whereby for U.S., an estimated 78 million working Americans which include the sole traders, employees who work for small employers or even part timers, do not have access to a retirement fund (Cohen Schubert 2010). For U.S., it has firstly introduced as a beneficial payment of employment whereas for Australia, it was created as a comprehensive system from the start (McLennan 2000). 2.3.4 Finance companies Finance companies and general financiers are basically institutions who provide loans and charter finance to clients by borrowing funds directly from the financial market (Viney 2009). As for U.S., these institutions raise funds in the debt market by issuing securities. Therefore, they raise funds solely by issuing debt or borrowing from other institutions but not taking deposits directly (Samolyk 2004). Similarly for Australia, they raise funds by issuing commercial paper, bonds and medium-term notes (Reserve Bank of Australia 2001). 2.3.5 Unit trusts Unit trusts is formed under a trust deed, and is controlled and managed by trustee by selling units to the public as a means to raise funds whereby investors purchase units in the trust (Viney 2009). As for U.S., there are generally two types of unit trusts, one that falls under private management and another that falls under direct state authority. Their role mainly involves traditional banking activities that are related to issuance of loans and deposits. The major difference between private and state authority trust is state authority institutions obtain funds from deposits and through the sale of shares, whereas private institutions operate as an intermediaries by generating finance through providing investment opportunities to clients (Samolyk 2004). Likewise, Australia too has two different types which are public unit trusts and cash management trusts  (Viney 2009). Public unit trusts focus more on gathering investors’ funds and investing it into specific types of assets (Viney 2009). However, for cash management trusts, they focus more on trust deed which are open to the public by confining their investment to financial securities which are accessible through the short-term money market (Viney 2009). 3.0 The impact of GFC 3.1 United States The birth of the global financial crisis begin somewhere in 2008. It all started in early 2006 when the subprime mortgage market in the United States (U.S.) began to reveal an increasing rate of mortgage defaults due to the bursting of the housing bubble (Mishkin 2011). Subsequently, in late 2006, these defaults caused a decline in the U.S. housing prices after about a decade of extremely high growth statistics. Later on, the prime mortgage markets were affected as well and were showing a higher default rates by the end of 2007. Therefore, when the mortgages backing the securities began to fall in value, the value of the securities fell as well (Nielsen 2010). Looking at the fall in price of their assets, investors quickly attempt to liquidate their assets in around late 2007. Consequently, in 2008, a major financial crisis hit U.S. which led to the most severe recession since World War II. The financial crisis in the U.S. economy eventually spread to many foreign nations, affecting the global financial system, resulting in a global financial crisis (Shah 2010). The degree of the global financial crisis was so severe that some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. U.S. was no exception. History was made when one of the largest investment banks in the world, Lehman Brothers, collapsed in September 2008. Some other institutions have been vehemently bought out by their competitors at a low price, and in some cases, the governments of the richest countries in the world had no choice but to sought an expensive bail out and rescue plan to save some of the remaining large banks and financial institutions (Shah 2010). These were all done at the expense of the US taxpayers. Approximately $9.7 trillion of US taxpayers’ money alone have been spent for bailout packages and plans (Dhameja 2010). According to Bloomberg, $14.5 trillion, or about 33%, of the  value of the world’s companies have been wiped out by the crisis. Therefore, as credit became scarce and seeing an increase in the lack of confidence in the U.S. financial institutions, international banks started to increase the interest rate for inter-bank borrowing, known as the LIBOR (Mishkin 2011). Subsequently, a crash in the US stock market was observed, liquidity drying up, and employees were being laid off which cause an increase in the unemployment line (Dhameja 2010). U.S. was in a state of limbo even after eleven months since the fall of Lehman Brothers. Banks virtually stopped lending to each other. Although several proposals for stimulus packages and some bailout plans have provided some relief, it seems that there was nothing more that could be done to ease the situation (Mishkin 2011). At the same time, smaller businesses hardly had any chances for a bail out or rescue plan and more people went into bankruptcy. Additionally, there was a decline in the US imports from its major trading partners such as the European Union, Mexico and China, due to the slowdown in economic activity (Nanto 2009). Private sectors practically stopped borrowing, trade credit was also hard to obtain, and with continuous falling demand, especially investment goods and manufacturing durables like cars, export volume decreases, foreign GDP fell as well, trade volumes eventually collapsed (Dhameja 2010). Moreover, the risk premium on inter-bank borrowing which used to be close to zero, rose steeply to five per cent. Besides, the risk premium on corporate bonds rose to over six per cent. Although the US government tried to inject liquidity into the financial markets, the damage was already done (Chambers 2010). 3.2 Australia GFC has less effect on Australia as compared to other countries such as US, UK and etc. Most developed countries had suffered recessions where Australia experienced a down turn in the economy (Stevens 2009). However, there is no government’s support required by the financial institutions in such situations like capital injections or the acquisition of distressed loan portfolios (Australia Bureau of Statistics 2010). The major impact of the GFC has resulted on the loss of confidence in the household sector (Stevens 2009). This is due of the decline in the equity price causes a reduced of the household wealth (The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia 2009). Thus, this leads to an effect of low consumption and investment which resulted to a decline growth of household as they felt insecure about the capacity to spend and borrow (Australian Government n.d.). GFC has also impacted on the unemployment rate which result shown an increase of number that lead to a decrease in the economic growth (Australian Workers’ Union 2009). The part-time employment has increased which balance to a loss of full time jobs where this also effect on the working hours such as the decrease hours in work (Chesters n.d.). Certain demographic groups have been affected by the job loss. For instance, the generation Y (18-24 years) has been affected (Tanton et al. 2010). However, they remain optimistic and relied heavily on the government benefit (Tanton et al. 2010). Moreover, competition in the banking system has also been affected by the GFC (Australian Super Investment Conference 2010) which resulted on harm towards the smaller banks and non-bank intermediaries as compared to the large banks where it leads to an increase in the cost of funds (The Senate 2011). Thus, this has impact on a greater gap between the major banks and other financial institutions (Australian Super Investment Conference 2010). The collapse of the Lehman Brothers, has led to a loss of confidence towards the banks which caused a decrease on the demand for credit (Australian Super Investment Conference 2010). 4.0 The response of GFC 4.1 United States GFC had seriously impacted the United States (U.S.) as compared to other countries such as Australia where it leads to the collapse of one of the major investment banks, Lehman Brothers. Thus, plans had been made by the U.S. government in response to the impact to prevent the situations to worsen. In comparison to Australia, the financial institutions do not need government intervention to assist them such as injection of capital. Unlike U.S., the government intervene where the central banks has purchased the government debt and the troubled asset which cost US$2.5 trillion in order to raise funds in the financial institutions (Halmarick 2009). This has resulted in the largest liquidity injection done by the government. They tried to inject liquidity into banks by buying share of banks, and purchase of convertible bonds of banks, whereby the government will be paid certain amount interest and the government will be given an option to convert these bonds into equity (Nanto 2009). Furthermore, FED tried to reduce the interest rates by cutting the Fed Funds target from 5.0% in September 2007 to an extremely low 0-0.25% as at December 2008. Later on, in March 2009, Fed started a â€Å"Quantitative Easing† policy by agreeing to buy a $300 billion in Treasury bonds (Halmarick 2009). The main purpose is to lower the interest rates across the yield curve and to provide additional funds to the banks. Moreover, US tried to overcome slowdown by stimulus packages of about $10 trillion for banks and guarantees to depositors, and also enhanced public spending (Dhameja 2010). According to Bloomberg, by February 2009, the total US bailout amounted to $9.7 trillion, sufficient to pay off more than 90 per cent of America’s home mortgage and was about 70 per cent of US GDP (Halmarick 2009). In addition, President Obama signed two packages which are the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act worth $787 billion and 5.5% of GDP. The main features include an estimated $285 billion in tax reduction for individuals and businesses, unemployment benefits, extra spending for food stamps, and also health care subsidies for workers that have been laid off (Halmarick 2009). These packages positively aim to generate at least three to four million job opportunities by the end of 2010. Additionally, US tried their best to prevent more banks from failing. The first case was Fed approves financing loans arrangement for J.P. Morgan  Chase to buy over Bear Sterns in March 2008. The second case was government controlled mortgage giant Freddie Mac received $146 million to ease their situation. Next, AIG borrowed $85 billion from Fed to prevent them from failing (Halmarick 2009). However, Fed couldn’t do much to save Lehman Brothers from failing and thus they went into bankruptcy in 2008. Therefore, US government aim to strengthen the global financial institution mainly to prevent losses of capital flows due to the impact of GFC to the developing and emerging economy by agreed on the increase of funds (Australian Government n.d.). Besides, government also actively plans to purchase equity from the financial institutions to ensure there is a sufficient liquidity which enable them to conduct activities such as investment, issue loan and deposit and much more. GFC has caused a fall of confidence in the financial institutions. Thus, government had decided to guarantee all senior unsecured debt and also the non-interest bearing transaction deposit account mainly to increase the confidence losses in the financial institutions (Australian Government n.d.). 4.2 Australia Australia had prepared by implementing an effective monetary and fiscal policy in response to the economy when one of the biggest investment bank in United States (US), Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008. This helps to avoid the economy from slowing down and lessen the impact of Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in Australia as compared to other countries such as US, where government responded on the measurement. In order to strengthen the operation of the financial system, government has increase up to $25 billion of the issue of Commonwealth Government Securities(Britton 2008), more choices of assets provided for Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM) to invest in, together with a better lending facility of AOFM (Australian Government n.d.). In response to the recommendations of Financial Stability Forum, legislation has been introduced to establish Financial Claims Scheme (Britton 2008)  where the availability of funds is given to the depositors and general insurance policyholders when the financial institutions failed to perform (Australian Government n.d.). Besides, the bank deposits and wholesale funding is guaranteed by the government for a period of 3 years (D’Aloisio 2010). Additionally, the $10.4 billion Economic Security Strategy has been carry on as this helps to strengthen and stabilize the economy (Australian Government n.d.). This aim to provide protection to households and other financial institutions to gain back confidence lost due to GFC (Australia Bureau of Statistics 2010). Besides, First Home Owners Boost has been introduced mainly to assist the housing sector to stimulate activity which benefits the economy (Australian Government n.d.). The competition in the market of housing finance has been supported by the government through the purchase of the Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS) (Australian Government n.d.). However, a total of $840 million has been taken out by RBA from RBMS under a repurchase agreement mainly to ensure there is sufficient liquidity in the market (Britton 2008). The naked and covered of the short sale securities has been ban for a period of 30 days by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) (Helmes et al. 2009). However, a clarification of the allowable covered shares has been issued by the ASIC in concern of the set requirement (Britton 2008). A draft legislation for the covered of short sales has been released by the government and it is open for the public to comment on till 21 October 2008 (Britton 2008). Government initiated the plan of Nation Building and Jobs Plan which cost around $42 billion which was mainly to support the jobs in the country where it supported an estimated of 90,000 jobs (Sherry 2009). This help to decrease the unemployment rate and then boost the economic growth where it encourages more activities and also to increase consumption in the economy (Sherry 2009). 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the global financial crisis (GFC) had brought so much damage not only to U.S. and Australia, but to the entire nations’ financial system globally. Even some of the wealthiest nations saw the collapsed of its financial institutions while some had to undertake an extremely expensive bail-out package. As for U.S. they suffered more severely compared to Australia. This is because the Reserve Bank of Australia has taken measures in advance of the global financial crisis. Thus, they were not as heavily affected as compared to other countries. Therefore, U.S. should learn from Australia by implementing policies ahead of any unexpected crisis to minimize the impact and damage done to their financial system. Evidently, it is better for them to prevent and be prepared rather than solving an issue when the damage has already been done. The policies implemented should include healthy control of the discount rate, reserve requirement and also minimal inflation targeting such as two to three per cent. The right policy implementation will lead to full employment in the country, a healthy level of economic activity and international trades, which will eventually increase the country’s GDP to an optimal and desirable level. 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Free Frankenstein Essays: The Letters and Chapters 1 & 2 :: Frankenstein essays

Frankenstein: The Letters and Chapters 1 & 2 A first impression of Walton would be to say that he is extremely ambitious. He desires to go to the North Pole to "accomplish some great purpose". He has his own theories on what should be there, and will not rest until he has proved them. This is somewhat a 'Godlike' ambition, in that he wishes to be praised for discovering something new which will benefit everyone else in the world. The language used is also very much like Old Testament, Biblical; "Heaven shower down blessings on you". The image of Walton being 'Godlike' is enhanced by this. However, he is disrespectful of his family, as he goes against his fathers "dying injunction", which had "forbidden" him from embarking on a "seafaring life". He seems to be very egocentric, and not aware of anyone else or their feelings. He is deliberately disobeying his father to pursue a personal ambition. He is leaving his sister in England, and at the end of each letter he writes that he may not see her again, "Farewell my dear, excellent Margaret", "Remember me with affection, should you never hear from me again". Each time she receives a letter from him, she will be hopeful of his return and safety, and then he writes "Shall I meet you again?". This is selfish of him, as it will worry her even more about his expedition. Again this 'Godlike' theme reoccurs as he is doing what he wants to do. Having only been educated about this passion through his own reading, he cannot really be sure of what he will discover once he reaches his destination. His beliefs that "snow and frost are banished" from the North Pole seem as eccentric as believing that the earth is flat. But of course he doesn't see it this way, he needs to prove his own theory. After failing at being a poet he doesn't want to fail as a scientist and explorer either. He is confident in his beliefs and will stop at nothing, not even employment as an "under-mate in a Greenland Whaler", to get where he wants to be, and hopefully find what he wants to discover. In the second letter, Walton writes about his desire for a friend. As he has left all his acquaintances in England, he no longer has anyone to convey theories and ideas to, "participate" in his "joy", or comfort him in times of despair.

Four Seasons Hotel Case Study Essay

A company’s strategy can be identified by figuring out what business approaches and actions the company undertakes. Thompson et al. (2009) outline the key elements to look for in the process of understanding a company’s strategy. Four Seasons’ differentiation based focused strategy is evident from the organisation’s strategic actions. Sharp’s decision to build on high-end luxury and modern amenities so as to outdo the old grand hotels (p.3, para.3) is an example of efforts to pursue new opportunities or defend against threats as well as actions to outcompete rivals, which provides basis for differentiation. By focusing on medium-sized hotels of exceptional quality with exceptional service levels (p.3, para.3), Four Seasons defines the business scale and differentiates itself from competitors through providing superior quality and service. This is one of the moves to build a competitive advantage thus outcompeting rivals. The action to go public to raise funds (p.3, para.4) is a response to changing external circumstances, which supports the business growth and paves the way for Four Seasons to be the market leader. In order to serve diverse needs of the customers, Four Seasons extends into the fields of luxury resorts (p.4, para.1) and residential properties (p.4, para.4). With such action to diversify, it enables Four Seasons to serve a market niche. An example of actions to merge or acquire rival companies is the ownership acquisition of Regent (p.4, para.2), and a strategic alliance is formed via selling stake to Prince Alwaleed (p.4, para.4). By doing so, Four Seasons improves its competitive position as the market leader. The shift of focus from ownership to management services (p.4, para.3) reflects Four Seasons’ efforts to pursue new opportunities or defend against threats and its responses to changing external conditions. The business model of Four Seasons is defined by this strategic shift. The regional management structure (p.5, para.4), the finalisation process of budget plan (p.6, para.2), the human resource management (p.8, para.3), and the recruitment policy (p.8, para.5) are examples of how functional activities are managed in Four Seasons. By optimising functional activities, it enables improved quality and customer service provided. Four Seasons’ actions to alter geographic coverage lie in its international expansion program (p.7, para.3), which enables business growth by reaching new markets and new customers. The distinctiveness of  properties that reflects the local culture (p.8, para.1) is another example of actions to diversify, which leads to differentiation. The actions to strengthen resources and capabilities that support quality and customer service improvement include the training and development programs (p.9, para.1) and the new initiatives to offer added convenience to guests (p.10, para.2). By linking the actions with the strategy, it can be summarised that a company’s strategic actions are driven by the strategy it employs (Thompson et al., 2009). Strategic Fit with External Environment Strategically relevant influences from the external environment can have a significant impact on the company’s strategy. Therefore, the strategy that the company employs must be responsive to the external environment (Thompson et al., 2009). The external environment outside Four Seasons affects its strategy in many aspects. Political The events such as the Iraq war, the September 11th attack and terrorism impact the hotel industry significantly, which lead to decreased profitability. As a response to the circumstances, Four Seasons dedicates to international expansion. Through wider geographic presence, it allows Four Seasons to make more profits in the areas that are less impacted thus enhancing the overall profitability. Amidst these challenges, Four Seasons manages to maintain its position as the market leader, which owes to its globalisation strategy. Economic As one of the largest factors that shape the strategy of Four Seasons, the economic recession pulls down the luxury hotels’ business and poses crisis for Four Seasons. It is no longer profitable to build and own hotels. As a result, Four Seasons shifts its focus from hotel ownership to hotel management services so that the financial risk is mainly borne by the hotel owners. Through management operations, Four Seasons is able to make the best use of its expertise and provide exceptional quality and service to the customers, thus gaining a competitive advantage over rivals. Social The trend of increasing international travel both in business and leisure markets creates more opportunities for the hotel industry. In order to better serve the travel needs of its existing customers and attract new international travellers, Four Seasons continues to expand its geographic coverage by adding five to seven hotels per year to key destinations, thus capitalising on the emerging opportunities. In response to the changing lifestyle of the global travellers who want personalised service, Four Seasons constantly innovates new ways to make business travel more efficient and leisure travel more enjoyable. By doing so, the differentiation strategy through superior customer service is enhanced. Technical In support of the rapid development of information technology, Four Seasons enhances its management services via operating a central reservations system, recommending information technology systems and developing certain database applications. It enables Four Seasons to be more profitable through optimised management services. Legal The nature of the leasehold agreement with three properties makes it difficult to sell the ownership and shift to management services, which results in adding losses to Four Seasons accounting. It reinforces Four Seasons’ decision to concentrate on management operations. In order to reduce the impact of these properties, Four Seasons continues to seek ways to improve the operating profitability. Environmental To follow the major trend of being environmental friendly, Four Seasons initiates recycling programs for glass, paper and other biodegradable garbage, in support of its uncompromised customer service. Such approaches help Four Seasons maintain its leadership position in luxury hotels. Strategic Fit with Internal Environment A comprehensive evaluation of a company’s resources and capabilities reveals the strengths and weaknesses in the present strategy so that adjustments and improvements can be made (Thompson et al., 2009). Four Seasons’ strategy facilitates the decision making on its internal activities in different ways. Four Seasons focuses on the market niche of luxury hotels. In order to better serve the diverse needs of the focused customers, Four Seasons extends into the fields of resorts and residential properties so that the customers who use the hotels can enjoy the same quality in resorts and residence clubs. By retaining the customer base and competing in different segments, Four Seasons is able to maintain its position as market leader. One of the strengths of Four Seasons is the attractive locations of its properties. With business and leisure travellers as the target customers, Four Seasons locates its hotels centrally in the commercial and financial districts of the world’s leading cities, while resorts and residential properties in world-class leisure destinations. It allows Four Seasons to attract more potential customers with its location advantage that are unmatched by rivals, thus gaining a competitive advantage. One major distinctive competency of Four Seasons is the exceptional customer service, which is delivered by its valuable human assets. The human resource management at Four Seasons makes sure that its employees treat the guests as they would wish to be treated. With high staff morale and high employee satisfaction, Four Seasons’ customers can expect the best possible customer service. Through the training and development programs, Four Seasons equips its employees with advanced skills and expertise. As a result, the employees are able to deliver services above desired standards while carrying out innovative solutions to solve customers’ concerns. With these highly trained and professional staffs, Four Seasons stresses ways to differentiate itself from rivals through superior customer service. The expertise in hotel management is another competitive capability of Four Seasons. In order to make the best use of its expertise, Four Seasons  concentrates on hotel management operations. To improve the operating profitability, Four Seasons engages in every aspect of the hotel operations on behalf of the owners, even before the hotel is built.

Human Population: The Overpopulation Problem and Sustainable Solutions Essay

Human society lives in the atmosphere of numerous environmental threats. However, no dangers are as threatening to humanity as those created by humans themselves. Like global warming and the extinction of animal and plant species, overpopulation has already turned into the definitive feature of the postmodern environmental reality. Few strategies have been developed to address the overpopulation issue. The positive effects of those strategies had been but few. Today, there is an urgent need to develop a global sustainable strategy that will reduce the rates of the population growth to the extent, which will allow humans to meet their present needs without compromising the needs of the future generations. Overpopulation: A Review of the Problem A wealth of literature was written about overpopulation, its causes and consequences. Gilland (2008) defines overpopulation as â€Å"relation to a country’s ability to feed its inhabitants† (p. 122). In the global contexts, overpopulation implies that the planet no longer possesses resources necessary to satisfy even the basic human needs. More often than not, the concept of overpopulation is discussed in relation to diet and food consumption patterns. For example, Gilland (2008) provides an extensive review of what a satisfactory average diet is and what nutrition problems usually indicate the presence of the overpopulation issue. Overpopulation is often equated with conditions of living that manifest through continuous imbalance between population numbers and the carrying capacity of land; and here, food and diets are fairly regarded as the basic measures of overpopulation per unit of land (Fellmann, Getis & Getis, 2007). Overpopulation is problematic because it leads to unavailability of food resources with the caloric content needed to meet individual daily requirements for energy (Fellmann, Getis & Getis, 2007). The situation with developing countries is particularly difficult, because these countries cannot meet the growing demands of the ever increasing population. Difficulties with food production, continuous poverty, climate changes and significant crop losses add their share of complexity to the issue of overpopulation. For example, Africa’s share of crop production decreased 30% between 1960 and 1990, and further 30% decrease is predicted in the next 25 years (Fellmann, Getis & Getis, 2008). These problems will widen the population-nutrition gap and will turn overpopulation into the basic cause of famines and economic scarcity (Fellmann, Getis & Getis, 2008). Overpopulation marks the beginning of the so-called â€Å"plague cycle†, which will lead to the collapse of the food supply systems and will create environmental constraints, which technologies cannot reduce (Cassis, 2004). The growing pace of technological advancement makes the problem of overpopulation even more controversial, achievements in technology lead to the growing scarcity of natural resources, especially oil and gas. The current state of overpopulation and the continuous population growth on the planet will lead to global crash of the most important supply systems (Cassis, 2004). Urban and densely-populated territories will be among the first to perceive the adverse effects of overpopulation. Their dense population and woefully inadequate sanitation provide the ideal breeding ground for diseases new and old – diseases that will, sooner or later, be carried to all parts of the world through migration and tourism† (Cassis, 2004, p. 178). The poorest parts of the world will experience the drastic consequences of resource depletion and are likely to plunge into anarchy in their fight for survival (Kaplan, 1994). With the population of roughly 6. 8 billion today and 211,000 people ad ded every day, the earth is likely to reach the 9. 2 billion point by 2050 (Johnson, 2007). Food and health systems will hardly withstand the pressure of the ever growing population. The world’s food supply per capita increased 30% between 1960 and 2000; meanwhile, the world’s oil reserves increased only 3%, and grain production increase did not exceed 2. 1% (Ehrlich & Ehrlich, 2001). Obviously, the time will come when the growing population will need to fight hard to satisfy the growing feeling of hunger. In light of these complexities, the lack of the overpopulation awareness is at least striking. Cassis (2004) is correct in that the media do little to help people better understand how overpopulation impacts the planet. Most individuals do not have any single idea about the finiteness of natural resources and do not recognize the need to preserve the environment for the future generations. However, the resource pie is far from big enough to divide it into equal pieces among everyone (Cassis, 2004). It is high time the human society reconsidered its consumption patterns and addressed the existing overpopulation concerns, before it is too late. Overpopulation: Living and Nonliving Factors and Positive and Negative Sides of the Issue Definitely, the current state of population on the planet is the result of both living and nonliving influences. The living factors of overpopulation include the growing availability of food resources (including animals), the growing resistance of the human organism to bacterial infections/ diseases, and the growing life expectancy. Among nonliving factors of overpopulation, the most important are public health improvements, the advances in human knowledge of ecology and biology, better access to nonliving resources like oil and gas, improved transportation and communication and, simultaneously, the growing social gap between different population layers. The availability of food and better human resistance to bacterial infections and diseases greatly contributed to the population growth on the planet. The past 150 years were marked with the remarkable increase in food production by farmers: between 1965 and 1985 alone, the amount of grain harvested and processed worldwide increased from 630 million tons to almost 2 billion tons (Miller, 1995). Rapid technological advancement led to the development of more sophisticated fertilizers, machinery, and new kinds of seed, which altogether sped up the expansion of agricultural production all over the world (Miller, 1995). Unfortunately, the distribution of food resources on the planet remains increasingly uneven. Meanwhile, human society continues conquering the most dangerous infections and diseases, making human organism more resistant to various kinds of living organisms. Better health is both the product of better nutrition and better medical practices. The latter are an essential nonliving component of the growing population. Really, significant improvements in medical practices and public health systems made the rapid growth of population possible and even threatening to the stability of the social order on the planet. Vaccinations, new theories of disease, better systems of food and water supply, and improved waste treatment became the basic prerequisites for the dramatic increase in human population on planet (Miller, 1995). Death rates fell sharply due to substantial progress in medical science, while birth rates, especially in the poorest areas of the planet, remained increasingly high (Miller, 1995). For many people, having more children became the symbol of healthier life (Cassis, 1994). Modern communications and the sophisticated system of transportation have created better conditions for giving birth to and bringing up children (Cassis, 1994). As a result, with time, overpopulation gradually transformed from a distant perspective into reality. Like any other issue, overpopulation has good and bad sides. Surprisingly or not, overpopulation creates a challenge the society must meet in order to survive. In this situation, people actively work to develop solutions to the most urgent food supply problems (e. . , the development of genetically modified foods). Nevertheless, negative factors of overpopulation overweigh its positive sides and include the growing scarcity of resources, environmental pollution, the failure of traditional food supply chains, and the growing population-nutrition gap. Overpopulation and the Current Sustainability Solutions The growing scarcity of food resources leads governments and social groups to propose and implement sustainable solutions t o the problem of overpopulation. Current sustainable policies cover a limited range of instruments and do not resolve the existing overpopulation controversies. In the system of overpopulation solutions, family planning and birth control occupy the central place and are based on Malthus’s theory that â€Å"all biological populations have a potential for increase that exceeds the actual rate of increase, and the resources for the support of increase are limited† (Fellman, Getis & Getis, 2007, p. 125). Indonesia was among the first to adopt a family planning program that established numerous village centers to distribute contraceptives and educate people about birth control (Pakenham, 2004). As a result, Indonesia was able to decrease its fertility rates by almost 40 percent (Pakenham, 2004). Other countries, including Thailand, Mexico, South Korea and Tunisia were able to decrease their birth rates; the dramatic decrease in birth rates ultimately led to a 33-percent increase in economic growth in East Asia (Pakenham, 2004). Chinese one-child-per-family policies received a great deal of attention (Cassis, 2004). Economies like Japan apply to complex policies of economic growth, based on the belief that economic prosperity and lower fertility rates are closely connected (Cassis, 2004). These, however, are separate attempts to resolve separate issues in separate countries. Humanity never tried to develop a complex strategy to address the most complex elements of the overpopulation problem at once.

Howard Aiken, Grace Hopper and the Mark I Computer

Howard Aiken, Grace Hopper and the Mark I Computer Howard Aiken and Grace Hopper designed the MARK series of computers at Harvard University beginning in 1944.   The Mark I   The MARK computers began with the Mark I. Imagine a giant room full of noisy, clicking metal parts, 55 feet long and eight feet high. The five-ton device contained almost 760,000 separate pieces. Used by the U.S. Navy for gunnery and ballistic calculations, the Mark I was in operation until 1959. The computer was controlled by pre-punched paper tape, and it could carry out addition, subtraction, multiplication and division functions. It could refer to previous results and had special subroutines for logarithms and trigonometric functions. It used 23 decimal place numbers. Data was stored and counted mechanically using 3,000 decimal storage wheels, 1,400 rotary dial switches and 500 miles of wire. Its electromagnetic relays classified the machine as a relay computer. All output was displayed on an electric typewriter. By todays standards, the Mark I was slow, requiring three to five seconds to accomplish a multiplication operation. Howard Aiken   Howard Aiken was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in March 1900. He was an electrical engineer and physicist who first conceived of an electro-mechanical device like the Mark I in 1937. After completing his doctorate at Harvard in 1939, Aiken stayed on to continue the computers development. IBM funded his research. Aiken headed a team of three engineers, including Grace Hopper. The Mark I was completed in 1944. Aiken completed the Mark II, an electronic computer, in 1947. He founded the Harvard Computation Laboratory that same year. He published numerous articles on electronics and switching theories and ultimately launched Aiken Industries.   Aiken loved computers, but even he had no idea of their eventual widespread appeal. Only six electronic digital computers would be required to satisfy the computing needs of the entire United States, he said in 1947. Aiken died in 1973 in St, Louis, Missouri.   Grace Hopper   Born in December 1906 in New York, Grace Hopper studied at Vassar College and Yale before she joined the Naval Reserve in 1943. In 1944, she started working with Aiken on the Harvard Mark I computer. One of Hoppers lesser-known claims to fame is that she was responsible for coining the term bug  to describe a computer fault. The original bug was a moth that caused a hardware fault in the Mark I. Hopper got rid of it and fixed the problem and was the first person to debug a computer.   She began research for the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in 1949  where she designed an improved compiler and was part of the team which developed Flow-Matic, the first English-language data processing compiler. She invented the language APT and verified the language COBOL.   Hopper was the first computer science Man of the Year in 1969, and she received the National Medal of Technology in 1991. She died a year later, in 1992, in Arlington, Virginia.