Conscious Awareness and Brain Processes Essay

A number of scholarly studies on human consciousness identify a close relationship between human consciousness and the brain processes of a human being. This study is an examination of the literature existing on these two areas with an aim of establishing whether there exists a relationship. To achieve this, the study will evaluate consciousness and its functions in a human being, evaluate brain processes and their functions and from the two analyses, make efforts at establishing either a similarity or a distinction exist between them. An evaluation of consciousness Questions about consciousness have been with humans for a long time. According to Pearson (1999), traces of the questioning on the nature of human consciousness were there as early as during the Neolithic period, when burial practices expressed some spiritual belief which had some connotations on some reflections or thought on the nature and existence of human consciousness. The earliest forms of cultures and intimation into human consciousness are therefore only available through historical connotations on the then existing people’s reflection on some aspects of human consciousness. There are those scholars who argue that consciousness, as it is known today’ is a phenomena that arose much later in the development of humans, as late as after the Homeric era as postulated by Jaynes (1974). In this view of the development of consciousness knowledge, earlier humans acted without necessarily correlating their actions and thoughts. As such, they were unconscious of their actions and acted primarily on a response to physical threats as opposed to awareness of need. Earlier scholars who attempted to define consciousness included Rene Descartes in the 17th century and John Locke, in the period of late 17th century (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2006). Their efforts to define consciousness have formed a basis upon which modern human consciousness is constructed from. In Descartes, ‘Principles of Philosophy’, written in 1640, he defined human consciousness as self-awareness. Locke, in 1988 correlated consciousness to both thought and personal identity (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2006). Modern attempts to define consciousness have been attempted by scholars (Gennaro, 1995 and Carruthers, 2000) who postulate that the word consciousness is a broad umbrella term covering a broad range of metal phenomena. In its wide range, consciousness can refer to a state of an organism in its wholeness, also referred to as creature consciousness or to a certain mental process or state also referred to as state consciousness. Since consciousness is a broad term, this section will highlight the meaning of consciousness in different contexts. A person, or a cognitive system, may can be said to be conscious in a number of ways; the first sense is what Armstrong (1981) referred to as sentience. A sentient creature is one that is able to sense its environment and respond to it. In this sense, the ability to sense and respond to an environmental stimulus is equivalent to being conscious. The challenge in this definition lies in making a distinction between the responsiveness portrayed by living and animate creatures such as animals and humans and the responsiveness inherent in inanimate objects such as flowers and trees. This is because a flower responds to physical environmental as evident in withering during the dry season. The other sense of defining consciousness is wakefulness (Cole, 2002). In this sense, an organism is considered conscious not only by possessing inherent ability to respond to the environment but by being in a state or a disposition to actually respond to it. Consciousness in this sense refers to being normally alert or awake. In this definition, an organism would be considered unconscious if it were in a deep state of comma or sleep. In this definition too, there also lies some blurred explanation since by defining consciousness as so, one may need to define it further in terms of levels of consciousness. For instance, it is possible for a creature to be half-asleep, implying that it requires a slight arousal for it to be conscious, as in the definition. Another form of consciousness, identified by Carruthers (2000) is self-consciousness. This is a high level order of consciousness in which the creature is not only aware but also having the correct understanding of the state of its awareness. Among humans, self-consciousness may denote ones ability to differentiate himself from others, in aspects such as language, hierarchy, status etc. One who is unable to make such a distinction would invariably be referred to as self-unconscious. In philosophy, self consciousness is equivalent to self-knowledge, which is used to commonly refer one’s knowledge of particular mental states including beliefs, sensations and desires (Stanford, 2003). A challenge that lies in this definition is that it disregards conscious forms of life, which may still be undergoing growth and development. For instance, a young child may be unaware of his status or privileges and as such, when consciousness is defined in this manner, it may assume that such is not conscious. Features of consciousness As mentioned earlier, consciousness is an umbrella term enveloping a broad range of issues. To distinguish consciousness, it becomes imperative to assess the features that combine to bring out the conscious phenomena. By analyzing these features and later analyzing the features of the brain processes, it will be possible to assess the existence of a relation between the two. The characters of consciousness as identified in literature include; A qualitative character- Siewert (1998) had suggested that there exist some experienced desires or thoughts in all forms of consciousness. These are the ones that form the qualitative character of consciousness but they do not necessarily refer to sensory states. In essence, consciousness embodies some kind of feelings, though it is itself higher than normal physical feeling. When an individual is conscious of something, there is a ‘feel’ attached to it, which happens beyond the physical human feelings. Phenomenal structure- phenomena as applied in both psychology and philosophy denotes how things in the world or the world in general appear to an individual. For consciousness to be complete, this feature ought to be present, that is, there should be an effort deep within oneself that attempts to interpret a certain event or knowledge of the world around an individual. The phenomenal structure of consciousness, as portrayed in theory shows that consciousness is made up not only of sensory ideas but also by complex representations of space, time, body, self and the world (Siewert, 1998). Representational theories of consciousness as published in the Stanford philosophy encyclopedia shows that representation of the world as it is has evolved slowly to become an important theme in the study of consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2006). Subjectivity- Consciousness is subjective in the sense that what is conscious can only be experienced by that creature in the prevailing condition. Creatures with similar capabilities are the only ones that can understand the’ what-it is like’, a common phrase used to define consciousness (Nagel, 1974). In this sense, consciousness is subjective, that is, it is understood from the creature’s point of view as opposed to being objective where facts would be understandable based on available evidence. Self perspective- According to Searle (1992), conscious experiences exist not as isolated events but as states or modes of a conscious subject to self. For instance, the consciousness of pain is a happening experienced by a conscious subject. The appearance of the sky as blue is a phenomena that appears as so to a subject. This implies that for consciousness to exist, the ‘self’ subject which can be identified by, ‘I think’ needs to be there. The self perspective is a crucial feature in consciousness since for any event to be reflected to the level of awareness; there is need for the intellectual participation of the self through past experience. The requirement for this intellectual part in the subject is an important aspect of this study since intelligence forms one of the brain processes and therefore serves to suggest that there is a close link between consciousness and brain processes. Unity- a conscious system involves some form of unity. Cleeremans (2003) postulate that consciousness has a unity characteristic; this unity is that which arises from the subject’s ability to connect varied information’s and representations and make a coherent judgment. It is this unity in consciousness that can enable an individual to make a relation between past and present interpretations and therefore direct consciousness in a focused direction. Other features that are associated with consciousness include intentionality and transparency, a feature that recognizes the arousal of consciousness about an event due to an individual’s intent to do so (Cole, 2002). For instance, one’s consciousness about the 9/11 attack comes to an individual through an intentional thought. Once the intention matures, the inner self becomes conscious of the event and the individual is said to be ‘aware’. There is also a dynamic flow of information in the conscious state. This dynamic flow is also referred to as a stream of consciousness in which the subject conscious state is active and visualizes events in a dynamic manner, just as in real live (Stanford Encyclopedia, 2003). Through these features, consciousness in a subject performs some functions/ processes, most of which may borrow from both sensory and cognitive aspects. Consciousness plays the first role of flexible control of the physical actions of a subject (Anderson, 1983). When consciousness is defined as self-awareness, it implies that an individual measures and weighs options concerning an issue and as such, all actions are controlled in a state of awareness. In addition, consciousness enhances capacity for social coordination. Humphreys (1982) argues that a subject that is conscious is not only aware of itself and therefore its immediate needs but is also able to extend the awareness to other similar creatures. In a human context, being conscious therefore enables an individual to be conscious of others surrounding him which results to responsiveness to the events occurring in the social arena. Participation and responsiveness to the social environment leads to an integration of the like-subjects so that the social system develops values, beliefs, structures, intentions and perceptions. In addition to social coordination, consciousness presents a subject with an integrated representation of reality. By combining experiential organization and dynamism inherent in consciousness, it presents the world in an easy to understand frame. According to Campbell (1994), the features of consciousness help to constitute a meaningful structure of the world. Additionally, consciousness plays the following functions, all of which are additions, either to physical or cognitive processes; it enhances informational access, enhances freedom of will and intrinsic motivation (Wegner, 2002). Going by these explanations, it is evident that the realm of consciousness is made up of both sensory functions and intellectual processes, implying that a significant part of consciousness is dependent on brain processes. In the section below, a brief outline will be made of what constitutes brain processes and make efforts to establish a correlation between them and the features and functions of consciousness discussed above.

Qualities of Hr Manager

CASE STUDY Ans 1. -Education, job skills, experience and other competencies required for future human resource manager. * Credits in HR management. * HR and Sales experience. * To work as team leader. * Volunteer. * Result Oriented. * Good communication Skills. * Interpersonal Skills. * Competent. * Energetic. * Ability to work and deal with aggressive or strict boss. Ans 2. -All of the 4 candidates had strengths that others did not have . They all have good education, work experience but Michael Anderson has experience of 7 years and is â€Å"jack of all trades. Arthur has the best interpersonal skills and good knowledge of sales industry and can devote extra time to its position . Jane Reynolds is very competent, and is considered as the real mover and career oriented lady. Steven Robinson was the youngest among all the applicants and was full of energy and enthusiasm. Along with this, he was the only one with CHRP certificate and had good knowledge of IT and internet. Ans 3- I am partly satisfied with the selection process employed by the firm as it is a tough decision to approve any of the candidates because each have strengths that other don’t have.But making personal opinions for selection process, like Clark had a doubt about the wisdom of hiring a woman for the position or selecting Steven as he was an African-Canadian to improve company’s image of being insensitive to multicultural mosaic may result in biased selection decision. So if I would be the in charge of the selection process, I would have focussed more on the competent, career oriented behaviour of the candidates, rather than looking for all the aspects, the selection process should be more focused on the target of the firm or the expectations from the position.Ans 4-Among the candidates I believe Jane Reynolds would be most suitable for the position. As the firm management expect, the new person who is hired should be a mover and shaker, so Jane had been considered as a real â €Å"mover. † Along with this she also meets the qualification and experience requirement of the position. She don’t have a very high experience and is junior for the position but she can meet the challenges of her position, as she is a career minded lady and the position is waiting for energetic and result oriented person.

Analysis Of Aint Any Makin It Sociology Essay

Analysis Of Aint Any Makin It Sociology Essay The essay is a critical analysis from a sociological point of view of the book ain’t No Making it, third edition by Jay McLeod and published in 2008. The author divided the book into three distinct parts; part one The Hallway Hangers and the Brothers as Teenagers, part two Eight Years Later; Low income, Low income and the last part Ain’t No makin’ It. Through the eyes of the two groups used by McLeod, the brothers (black minority boys) and the Hallways (white boys) we are able to clearly see what transpires in an American societal setting. The two groups lived and studied in the same conditions but each has varied expectations and aspiration, this is on the basis of their race. The Brothers viewed an open society as the way life should be lived and held the opinion that the difficulties they are going through is due to racism their ancestors underwent. For this reason, they try as much as possible to engage in socially acceptable manners. This group does have hi gh expectation as well as aspiration. On the other hand, the Hallways do not accept the same achievement ideology held by the Brothers. The individuals in this group have lost hope, do drugs, drop from school plus engaging in a myriad of other activities deemed illegal. From the author, the two groups did not get themselves out of poverty. The reason I bet is that there are numerous barriers in the society that blocked their quest of getting themselves out of poverty. It is worth noting that a number of other concepts from sociological point of view clearly emerge. These include social conflict, poverty, gender and racial inequality, males as role model, political power, defeatism, education and society/elites and generational mobility (McLeod 17). Social conflict From social conflict theory which argues that human beings as well as groups in a given society do at any given time have varied amount of both material and non material resources. For this reason, those deemed wealthy or rich and more powerful exploit the less privileged. Another theory that will be analyzed along the social conflict one is Bourdieu social reproductive theory which asserts that those kids born by working class parents will automatically end up finding better jobs. It is evident that the Brothers did acknowledge that the difficulties in life they are facing at present are nothing but as a result of the serious racial discrimination their fore fathers went through. A typical example of social conflict is in the field of education in the book. Those kids from lower class families are treated in a manner by the teachers that suggest they (students) are less competent. Thus they are placed in a lower track as they lack opportunities to develop their language. In this category, these students are only trained to later in life take blue color jobs while those from affluent families are trained to take white color jobs. Additionally, the two kinds of school, public and private provide us wi th a clear distinction between where kids from wealthy and poor background attend school (McLeod 287). On the same note, students from less privileged families are disadvantaged by their manners, the way they talk, dress and deemed not to be fit and valued in the education systems

An Analysis of the Semai People of the Malay Peninsula Research Paper

An Analysis of the Semai People of the Malay Peninsula - Research Paper Example In the case of the Semai too, this is true. Their unique model of a society is based mostly on the needs of their mode of subsistence. The unique manner in which modern society has permeated the society of the Semai having left untouched certain features of their value systems is astonishing. The Semai people have not become a part of the Malay society; there are however, intermarriages that lead to the descendants leaving the community sooner or later. The importance of the Semai for most anthropologists lie in the position that they occupy within the debate as to whether humans are innately violent or not. People on either side of the barrier, especially during the time of the Vietnam War, appropriated the customs and beliefs of the Semai people to argue their beliefs. With an increasing emphasis on Freudian analyses in the twentieth century, the peaceful Semai’s ways began to be scrutinized more closely. The peaceful modes of their living were seen as an instance of repress ion. The violent tendencies that were supposedly repressed over centuries through a cultural system could apparently burst forth any minute according to certain commentators. The instances where they have indulged in violence have been sporadic and exceptional. Even though both sides of the spectrum are not free of tendencies to exoticize the Semai, the fact remains that they are a peace-loving tribe that lives a life that is unique and in many ways, unaffected by the ways of modern societies and economies (Robarchek and Dentan, 1987). Many ways of saying the same story have led, according to certain commentators, to distortions in the way that the Semai have been perceived. This is mostly done for the purposes of the people in power at any given point of time (Rawski and Ngah, 1998). Since the Semai do not enter into the process of representation and its politics, the representations of the west are the ones that dominate. The reason for this peaceful organization of society can be traced to the commitment that the Semai demonstrate towards their mode of subsistence-horticulture. They mostly employ the methods of slash and burn agriculture. This refers to a mode of agriculture where a particular space in the forest is cleared by cutting down the trees in that area. The place is then burnt. This results in the production of a great amount of ash that can assume the function of the fertilizer. Following this preliminary preparation of the field, sowing of the grain is done. Both women and men are a part of the process of cultivation. This also reveals the gender relations in the society of the Semai. Both men and women are considered to be equal in this society and they are both a part of the decision-making processes of the society. Since women are a part of the process of the production of food, they are also entitled to a say in other matters as much as men are. Women also perform domestic chores such as cooking and fetching water. The important thing to not e in this regard is that women are not forced to do these activities and they can also be done by the men of the society. No work is considered to be the exclusive field of members of a particular sex. This is a refreshing change from patriarchal societies that exist in most parts of the world. Food is also acquired through the process of hunting, trapping and fishing, with most of these activities

Comparison of the Concepts of Education as the Process of Learning by Essay

Comparison of the Concepts of Education as the Process of Learning by Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X - Essay Example In today’s society, education, as a concept, has evolved to be taken synonymously with schooling (Lear 2). However, while it is undeniable that formal schooling is an integral aspect of education today, understanding and promoting education within this limited context leaves students unable to benefit from its full potential; hindering their full development as individuals. Education is a process of knowing. While formal schooling can undoubtedly contribute to this process, it is but one of many means to achieve an education. Looking at Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X’s experiences, one can illustrate how education can also be achieved through self-study. Douglass, for example, was deprived of formal education as a result of his status as a slave. He laments in his autobiography, â€Å"education and slavery were incompatible with each other† because, in the words of his master, it â€Å"would forever unfit him to be a slave† (53, 49). Malcolm X, although not necessarily deprived of formal schooling, did not finish beyond the eighth grade because of a disheartening talk with one of his professors (Malcolm X 36-37). Thus, he notes, â€Å"[his] alma mater was books, a good library† (203). Nonetheless, both men educated themselves. However, although it is possible to educate oneself without formal schooling, self-education is not a simple process. Douglass himself writes he is â€Å"conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher† (50). In this respect, what allowed both Malcolm X and Douglass to succeed in their self-studies is the fact that they are determined and dedicated in their own education. Malcolm X, for example, tirelessly began teaching himself how to read by copying pages of the dictionary by hand, learning the words and reciting them aloud. Since learning how to read, he notes, â€Å"from then until I left that prison, in every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading in my bunk.

The Lottery Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Lottery - Research Paper Example That is the main reason why the lottery happens every year although not everyone truly looks forward to it. This research paper takes a critical look at this story to establish how the writer uses imagery and other devices to communicate the central theme of the danger of blindly following customs. These exposes underlying backwardness and hypocrisy with which the administrative authority run its affairs (Hattenhauer, p.171). It goes further to draw comparisons and contrasts between Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† and Jane Glaspell’s â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† focusing on the main characters that are both females living in a male dominated and conservative societies. They symbolize change as they are the ones out to change how things happen by their actions and words. â€Å"The Lottery† The friendly tone that Jackson uses to write the story and the way that she describes the days’ events leading up to the lottery draw actually manages to initially hide the darkness that is actually represented by the lottery (Smith, p.170). No doubt that not a single person in the town ever looked forward to the lottery draws every year because nobody wants to end up being pelted to death with stones just because your name was drawn out of a box. Before we establish the kind of lottery to be done, the preliminary preparations does not depict any kind of violence to give the image of a typically organized society. The man in charge of the process is very shabby and carries a black box that has been used for a very long time without being replaced; this depicts this tradition as an old custom that has no place in the modern society. According to Smith (p.117), the lottery as a practice feeds the blood lust of the villagers and the hypocrisy of the practice. In fact, it could also represent a study of the human psyche that shows how nobody truly knows his neighbor and how mundane activities could actually hold an evil intention behind it. The event is organized in a very shambolic manner with pieces of paper used to write the residents’ name for selection purposes. These events were organized in order to connect with the gods and ancestors for favour of blessings and abundant harvests. The writer however punches holes in the exercise even saying that these people did not even have an idea why they were taking part. They preserve this archaic tradition because it was passed down generations but no factual explanation of when and how it was started. According to Showalter (p.411), the lottery practice in the town itself presents society’s weakness and their ties traditions that they continue to practice even though everyone has already forgotten why the tradition started in the first place. Never mind the fact that they continue to practice legalized murder just because the society is afraid of what might happen if they actually stop the practice of murdering a person from the town every year as an o ffering for an excellent harvest. I find it hard to believe that nobody in the town questioned the reason for the lottery and its outcome. Even harder to fathom is why the townspeople pretend to be excited by the lottery when it is not something that normal thinking people would look forward for annual participation (Duffield, p.62). It can't just truly be all about not wanting to ruffle any feathers when it came to townspeople participation in the event. Why would somebody be afraid of being rejected by their neighbors for not wanting to participate in a bloodbath year after year? No. This was a town that rejected change and the disruption of traditions for some reason. The lottery ends in murder committed annually in a very inhuman way; the

Compare two separate popular weight loss plans Research Paper

Compare two separate popular weight loss plans - Research Paper Example The weakness of the SlimFast program is that it does not induce a long-term behavioral change in the individual. The SlimFast program only replaces a couple of meals and snacks by powered drink mixes and pre-packaged bars. Another weakness of the SlimFast weight-loss program is that the individual does not find the powdered drink mixes tasty enough to stick to for a long time, though it provides the individual with a good alternative to a milk shake in terms of reduced intake of fats and calories. A potential drawback of the SlimFast weight-loss program is that it does not provide the individual with any social support. The Fit or Fat weight-loss program is very popular among people. Millions of copies of the series of eight books written by Covert Bailey have been sold since their publishing (Tate, 2008). The Fit or Fat weight-loss program encourages the individual to lose weight through increased exercise. The plus points of the Fit or Fat weight-loss program are that not only is it safe to undertake, but is also very inexpensive as it does not rely on special diets to cause a reduction of weight in the individual. The Fit or Fat weight-loss program resembles the SlimFast weight-loss program in that it offers no social support to the individual. People attempting to reduce the weight through the Fit or Fat weight-loss program are encouraged to undertake such exercises as weight lifting, aerobic exercises, and cross training. Their food is rich in vitamins and low in the sodium content and fat. The Fit or Fat weight-loss program is better as compared to the SlimFast weight-loss program in that it relies on natural techniques to cause weight loss in the individual rather than prescribing them expensive diets. Exercise is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle, which provides an individual with a whole range of benefits in addition to causing loss of weight. Such benefits include but are not limited to reduction of the risk of

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Essay

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility - Essay Example Restaurants should apply ethics in their food delivery, pricing, and internal environment. The fast food industry is part of the restaurant industry. There are ethical issues associated with the way fast food chain treat their employees. These workers are paid low wages, but are expected to do a lot of work. Restaurants should be responsible in their selection of suppliers. Corporate social responsibility can be used by restaurants to improve the quality of life of its stakeholders. Introduction People expect business enterprises to behave in a socially responsible manner and to apply the highest standards of ethics. Ethics can be defined as the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles (Credo Reference). It involves making decisions between right and wrong. Business enterprises in all industries are faced with ethical dilemmas. It is important for companies to behave in a proper manner to resolve these types of issues. Corporations today have become the target of society due to the fact that their behavior affects the community. One of the largest industries in the United States in terms of locations is the restaurant industry. ... Going out to a restaurant is a good way for families to spend some quality time together. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very important towards satisfying the customer. Sometimes restaurant owners want to capitalize on the wall space of the restaurant by renting advertising space to other businesses. This may be a nice way to increase income, but it may be an unethical practice. The customers of a restaurant are looking to eat in a quiet environment. Seeing a bunch of ads on the walls can be perceived as an undesirable practice. People are bombarded with advertisement everywhere they go. They do not need the added hassle of viewing them while eating at a restaurant. A factor in the restaurant industry that can lead to ethical discussion is the pricing of the restaurant. It is common business knowledge that businesses have to price their goods or services at a level that will allow the company to make a profit. A particular attribute of the restaurant industry is that any meal se rved by the restaurant can be replicated by the consumer at their own home at a fraction of the cost. Some restaurants do not care about cost and they charge exuberant prices for their meals. This action can be viewed by many as an unethical action. Some restaurants charge their customers over $100 a plate for a meal. Their cost for that meal is likely to be less than 20% of the sales price. This implies that that restaurant would have made a nice profit at a lower price point such as $50, but many restaurants continue to charge their clients exorbitant prices. This type of ethical dilemma is more likely to occur in the high-end of the restaurant marketplace. An ethical dilemma faced by all restaurants is how much food to serve its

Compare and contrast save the children uk and actionaid uk Essay

Compare and contrast save the children uk and actionaid uk - Essay Example Within just 10 years it was able to stretch in many other countries such as Spain, France, Italy and Ireland. (ActionAid, 2010) Recently, it has reached 40 countries worldwide fighting poverty and helping over 13 million people. ActionAid is working with a motive to end poverty and providing children with quality education. It helps the poor in organization against injustice and to demand the entitlement of their rights from their government. (ActionAid, 2010) They have partners all over the world from large to small entities forming international networks and national alliances, working together for justice, giving education, working for women rights, working against diseases and imposing solutions for the currently faced organizations. Save the children is a UK based charity organization, set up for the rights of children and saving lives in emergencies. It also campaigns for the rights of children and providing a helping hand in their future. (Save the Children, 2010) Save the Children was set up 90 years ago, in 1919, by a women Eglantyne Jebb. (Save the Children, 2010) It was based in the UK. The organization has now extended to about 50 odd countries throughout the world and has been able to reach over 6 Million children worldwide. Governance refers to the operations and management of an organization or a country. It is governed by the board of trustees which is headed by Andrew Purkis, who has been the chair of three well known charities. (ActionAid, 2010) It has few of the most competent people taking prominent places in the board are responsible for the major decisions. The board works on the principles of accountability, transparency and honesty for the interest of the people. It operates with a framework of good governance as it tries to attain the concept of globalization by participating along with some of the famous organizations such as the World Trade Organization, International Monetary fund and World

Maritime Transport Essay Example for Free

Maritime Transport Essay Hereby it is analysed that there are three different kinds of categories which have not given any offer on MTS. The first one are nations which are willing to make offers but would rather wait until the major maritime players like the US have shown their effort to make an offer. The second group are members which fail to meet to have the professional knowledge and the technical know how to deal with the possibilities of offers. The last one is composed of players in the maritime industry which are not willing to open their maritime industry at all or on a multilateral basis as they fear that this action might end up in increased international competition and therefore they rather stick to their internal policies than taking the risk to loose their power in the market place. One significant example for the last category are the US which are unwilling to include MTS in their schedule. Another issue is the one of the different interest of country groups which were already an obstacle to the former Uruguay round. On the one hand there are the developing countries, among them mainly the EU members which â€Å"are keen to go further into the inland part of the transport chain beyond the sea leg by proposing the inclusion of feeder services and multimodal transport (mainly by Japan)†. [7] On the other hand developing countries and one of the major maritime nations the US can not accept such liberalization due to a number of economic reasons whereas the most significant argument against it is the loss of jobs of domestic workers which are engaged in the shipping industry. Although there are again lots of issues to be solved in order to reach an agreement and implementation under GATS there are yet some positive signs for a positive outcome. First of all as per data available most of the offers on MTS were from developing countries which involves members of different economic positions including more developed nations like Hong Kong and Singapore but at the same time also less developed nations e. g. Albania. According to Zhang’s thesis this can have at least two positive effects.

Developing Policies for Avian Flu in Bangladesh

Developing Policies for Avian Flu in Bangladesh Introduction: Highly pathogenic H5N1 was first reported in 2007 and since then the disease has devastated effect on poultry industry of Bangladesh. Since its introduction into Bangladesh, the H5N1 has evolved continuously. H5N1-H9N2 co-infection and reassortment event in H5N1 has been documented in Bangladesh. All those provide evidence of emergence of novel viruses, due to reassortment, in Bangladesh. For example H7N9 has been reported as a reassortant strain which have pandemic potential i.e deadly for human life (1). Objectives of the project: To develop policies for both low and high pathogenic avian influenza viruses present or at risk of entering Bangladesh, The economic analysis for the high pathogenic strains assume that their economic effects are similar to those of H5N1. In this review I emphasized on the population at risk and occurrence and distribution of HPAI and LPAI in Bangladesh. Population at risk: H5N1 has been reported in chicken, duck, pigeon, goose, quail, turkeys, pet birds (2-10) and wild bird (2, 11) such as lesser whistling ducks (4) and crow (5, 10). H5N1 has also been documented in the poultry samples of live bird market (LBM) (12), commercial farms (FAO classified the farming system: three (3)) (13) and local chicken (14). In LBM, chicken, ducks and quail were the three species of LBM from H5N1 has been isolated most (4). AI virus has been reported also from environmental samples (4-6). In human (15), H5N1 has been documented in children (16, 17) workers of poultry market (18-20) and poultry farm (19). H7N9 has been reported in chicken, quail, goose, duck and pigeon (8). H9N2 was reported in chicken (Parent stock (layer) (21)), duck, goose, pigeon and quail (8). A study reported that H9N2 was more prevalent in chickens while H5N1 was reported dominantly in ducks and goose in compare to chicken (8). Occurrence and distribution Geographic distribution in your country: HPAI H5N1 and LPAI H9N2 is an endemic poultry disease in Bangladesh and has been occurred throughout the country (2, 4, 20, 22). Those two HPAI and LPAI two have been circulated together at poultry market since 2008 (4). LPAI H9N2 has been circulated persistently in bird markets (4) while H5N1 have sporadic infection among LBM workers in Bangladesh (20). The disease has been distributed in retail market such as live poultry market, pet bird market, commercial farms (4, 6, 12, 13, 20) and wetland of Bangladesh such as Baikka Beel Hakaluki hoar, Tanguar Haors of Sylhet division and Jahangirnagar university lake of Dhaka division (11, 23). In Bangladesh, clade 2.3.2.1 was in reported from crow and bird market (4, 5) whereas clades 2.2.2 was reported in bird markets (4). Clade 2.2 reported in northwest–southeast direction whereas clade 2.3.2.1 reported mainly in north–south direction of central Bangladesh(24). Jamalpur district (Sarishari upazilla) reported as the HPAI outbreak epicentre for indigenous poultry in Bangladesh (25). H5N1 has followed Northwest–Southeast oblique line during phase I outbreak. The disease has reported nearly from all over the country with an exception in south region in phase II outbreak. In phase III outbreak, the disease has been extended to new areas from where there was no HPAI has been reported in earlier two phases (11). Fig.: Distribution H5N1 HPAI between 2007 and 2012 (1) Geographic distribution in other countries where epidemiology of the disease is likely to be similar: Khan et al. (2014) found close similarities in avian influenza virus clade 2.3.2.1 of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Myanmar and proposed a common AI antecedent in the area (5). Three clades such as clades 1, 2.3.4 and 2.3.2.1 has been linked with human outbreak in Vietnam (18) and there was a changes in clade circulation over the time in Vietnam and also in China (26). In other countries, H5N1 has been reported commonly from Red River Delta area and sporadically from highland areas of Vietnam(27). H5N1 has been reported in live bird market workers of Vietnam (18) and Hong Kong (20). H5N1 has also been reported in lower-Northern of Thailand (27). In India, the AI occurred mostly in backyard chicken of West Bengal (97%) and Assam (94%) states, while in Tripura state the AI reported only in 37% of backyard chicken (28). Prevalence in your country: Overall 0.87%-22.05% samples were positive for Avian influenza virus (AIV) Type A in Bangladesh (2, 3, 6, 8, 14, 23). AIV has been documented in migratory bird (3.93%), LBM chicken (7.06%), duck (1.68%-39.76%) (2, 3, 8, 23), pigeon (5.26%) (2), quail (8.5%)(3) and goose (9.09%) (8) of Bangladesh. Among chickens, AIV has been reported in broiler (12%-12.5%), layer (15%-62.5%) and local (0%-25%) chicken (8, 29). One study documented higher AI prevalence in hens (10.83%) in compare to cocks (8.65%) (14). AI was more prevalent in >34 weeks bird (12.80%) than 8-16 weeks birds (14). Avian influenza Type A virus was detected with Antigen test kit and reported, prevalence was high in Dhaka district and Gazipur district while lowest was reported in Mymensingh (0.0%) (29). H5N1 antibodies has been documented at low level in wild birds (0.09%) of wetlands such as Tanguar Haor and Hakaluki Haor (23). A study reported 5% H5N1 seroprevalence in live bird market (LBM) worker (20) while another study documented no farm workers and bird market worker in positive for H5N1 in Bangladesh even though they had history of regular contact with sick and moribund poultry (19). About 2% seroconversion per year has been documented in poultry worker of Bangladesh (20). Khatun et al. (2013) documented the AIV type A winter season sero-prevalence during December 2009-February 2012 period and documented highest rate in December 2009-February 2010 (43.8 9%) which followed by December 2010-February 2011 (38.50% ) and December 2011-February 2012 (34.8 3%). The seasonal prevalence of AIV type A from Dec’2009-Feb’2010 (26 .89%), Dec’2010-Feb’2011 (18.50%) and December 2011-February 2012 (18.33%) respectively (page 3). The overall sero-prevalence of AIV type A in three successive winter seasons was recorded as 39.76% (23). In Feni district, overall 0%-25% AIV type A seroprevalence has been documented at union level (14). Co-infection (H5N1-H9N2) in poultry has been reported in Bangladesh (4, 6). For example, a study isolated 975 H9N2 and 66 H5N1 from a total of 19897 samples (4) while another study isolated H5N1 (92), H9N2 (734) and 62 other strain such as from 17,438 samples in Bangladesh (23). Of 22 avian influenza sample, a study identified 8 sample positive for H5N1, 4 samples positive for H7N9 and 10 samples positive for H9N2) positive samples (8). H10N7, H1N2, H1N3, H4N2, H3N6 and H3N8 has also been detected in duck population of Bangladesh (4, 23). Avian influenza virus Type A co-infected with new castle virus (9.90 %) has also been documented in Bangladesh (23). Prevalence in other countries where epidemiology of the disease is likely to be similar: Nasreen et al. (2013) H5N1 seroprevalence in bird market worker of Bangladesh study findings had similarities with Nigera, Indonesia and Vietnam study findings where no farm workers and bird market worker were found positive for H5N1 (19). AI was more prevalent in >34 weeks poultry (12.80%) than 8-16 weeks poultry in Bangladesh (14). Similar pattern has been documented in duck of Nepal for example duck >1 year older was 2 times more seropositive to AI virus than duck 7). Incidence: In Bangladesh, Nasreen et al. (2015) estimated that â€Å"the H5N1 incidence: 7 cases per 100 bird worker–years and annual incidence 50 cases per 721 enlisted poultry workers† (20). Biswas et al. (2011) estimated the higher mortality rate in backyard chickens (0.0703/day) followed by broiler (0.0341/day), breeder (0.0215/day), layer (0.0179/day) and suggested that higher mortality in backyard chicken due to scavenging feeding and co-infection with other disease. In addition Biswas et al. (2011) stated that the findings did not provide evidence to the people faith that local chickens are less prone to H5N1 infection than hybrids chicken (30). Reference 1.Islam MR. Global and local challenges in the control of avian influenza. 9th International Poultry Show Seminar; Dhaka, Bangladesh: World Poultry Science Association-Bangladesh Branch; 2015. p. 5-14. 2.Rahman MH, Giasuddin M, Islam MR, Hasan M, Mahmud MS, Hoque MA, et al. Bio-molecular Diagnosis of Avian Influenza Virus from Different Species of Birds in Bangladesh. Immunology and Infectious Diseases. 2015 2015;3(1):7-10. 3.Shanmuganatham K, Feeroz MM, Jones-Engel L, Walker D, Alam S, Hasan M, et al. Genesis of avian influenza H9N2 in Bangladesh. Emerging Microbes Infections. 2014 2014;3(12). 4.Marinova-Petkova A, Feeroz MM, Alam SMR, Hasan MK, Akhtar S, Jones-Engel L, et al. Multiple introductions of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses into Bangladesh. Emerging Microbes Infections. 2014 2014;3(2). 5.Khan SU, Berman L, Haider N, Gerloff N, Rahman MZ, Shu B, et al. Investigating a crow die-off in January–February 2011 during the introduction of a new clade of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 into Bangladesh. Archives of virology. 2014 2014;159(3):509-18. 6.Shanmuganatham K, Feeroz MM, Jones-Engel L, Smith GJD, Fourment M, Walker D, et al. Antigenic and molecular characterization of avian influenza A (H9N2) viruses, Bangladesh. Emerging infectious diseases. 2013 2013;19(9). 7.Karki S, Lupiani B, Budke CM, Manandhar S, Ivanek R. Cross-sectional Serosurvey of Avian Influenza Antibodies Presence in Domestic Ducks of Kathmandu, Nepal. Zoonoses and public health. 2014 2014;61(6):442-8. 8.Haque ME. Detection and differentiation of avian influenza and newcastle disease viruses from healthy farm birds in bangladesh by conventional and molecular techniques. Mymensingh, Bangladesh: Bangladesh Agricultural University; 2014. 9.Khaleda S, Murayama Y. Geographic Concentration and Development Potential of Poultry Microenterprises and Value Chain: A Study Based on Suitable Sites in Gazipur, Bangladesh. Social Sciences. 2013 2013;2(3):147-67. 10.Islam MR, Haque ME, Giasuddin M, Chowdhury EH, Samad MA, Parvin R, et al. New introduction of clade 2.3. 2.1 avian influenza virus (H5N1) into Bangladesh. Transboundary and emerging diseases. 2012 2012;59(5):460-3. 11.Parvin R, Kamal AHM, Haque ME, Chowdhury EH, Giasuddin M, Islam MR, et al. Genetic characterization of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus from live migratory birds in Bangladesh. Virus genes. 2014 2014;49(3):438-48. 12.Monne I, Yamage M, Dauphin G, Claes F, Ahmed G, Giasuddin M, et al. Reassortant avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses with H9N2-PB1 gene in poultry, Bangladesh. Emerging infectious diseases. 2013 2013;19(10). 13.Biswas PK, Rahman MH, Das A, Ahmed SSU, Giasuddin M, Christensen JP. Risk for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus Infection in Chickens in Small-Scale Commercial Farms, in a High-Risk Area, Bangladesh, 2008. Transboundary and emerging diseases. 2011 2011;58(6):519-25. 14.Nooruddin GM, Hossain MT, Mohammad M, Rahman MM. Sero-epidemiology of avian influenza virus in native chicken in Bangladesh. Int J Poult Sci. 2006 2006;5:1029-33. 15.Kerkhove MD. Brief literature review for the WHO global influenza research agenda–highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 risk in humans. Influenza and other respiratory viruses. 2013 2013;7(s2):26-33. 16.icddr b. First confirmed human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in Bangladesh. Health and Science Bulletin. 2008;6:1-6. 17.Brooks WA, Alamgir ASM, Sultana R, Islam MS, Rahman M, Fry AM, et al. Avian influenza virus A (H5N1), detected through routine surveillance, in child, Bangladesh. Emerging infectious diseases. 2009 2009;15(8). 18.Dung TC, Dinh PN, Nam VS, Tan LM, Hang NLK, Thanh LT, et al. Seroprevalence survey of avian influenza A (H5N1) among live poultry market workers in northern Viet Nam, 2011. Western Pacific surveillance and response journal: WPSAR. 2014 2014;5(4). 19.Nasreen S, Khan SU, Azziz-Baumgartner E, Hancock K, Veguilla V, Wang D, et al. Seroprevalence of antibodies against highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus among poultry workers in Bangladesh, 2009. PloS one. 2013 2013;8(9). 20.Nasreen S, Khan SU, Luby SP, Gurley ES, Abedin J, Zaman RU, et al. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection among Workers at Live Bird Markets, Bangladesh, 2009–2010. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2015;21(4):629-37. 21.Jannat N, Chowdhury EH, Parvin R, Begum JA, Giasuddin M, Khan MA, et al. Investigation of an Outbreak of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Poultry in Bangladesh. International Journal of Livestock Research. 2013 2013;3(4):21-32. 22.Loth L, Gilbert M, Osmani MG, Kalam AM, Xiao X. Risk factors and clusters of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks in Bangladesh. Preventive veterinary medicine. 2010 2010;96(1):104-13. 23.Khatun A, Giasuddin M, Islam KM, Khanom S, Samad MA, Islam MR, et al. Surveillance of avian influenza virus type A in semi-scavenging ducks in Bangladesh. BMC veterinary research. 2013 2013;9(1). 24.Osmani MG, Ward MP, Giasuddin M, Islam MR, Kalam A. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (subtype H5N1) clades in Bangladesh, 2010 and 2011. Preventive veterinary medicine. 2014 2014;114(1):21-7. 25.Biswas PK, Christensen JP, Ahmed SSU, Barua H, Das A, Rahman MH, et al. Avian influenza outbreaks in chickens, Bangladesh. Emerging infectious diseases. 2008 2008;14(12). 26.Haque ME, Giasuddin M, Chowdhury EH, Islam MR. Molecular evolution of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Bangladesh between 2007 and 2012. Avian Pathology. 2014 2014;43(2):183-94. 27.Paul MC, Gilbert M, Desvaux S, Andriamanivo HR, Peyre M, Khong NV, et al. Agro-environmental determinants of avian influenza circulation: A multisite study in Thailand, Vietnam and Madagascar. PloS one. 2014 2014;9(7). 28.Dhingra MS, Dissanayake R, Negi AB, Oberoi M, Castellan D, Thrusfield M, et al. Spatio-temporal epidemiology of highly pathogenic avian influenza (subtype H5N1) in poultry in eastern India. Spatial and spatio-temporal epidemiology. 2014 2014;11:45-57. 29.Rahman S, Rabbani MG, Uddin MJ, Chakrabartty A, Her M. Prevalence of Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease Viruses Using Rapid Antigen Detection Kit in Poultry in Some Areas of Bangladesh. Acta Microbiologica. 2012 2012;3(1). 30.Biswas PK, Christensen JP, Ahmed SSU, Barua H, Das A, Rahman MH, et al. Mortality rate and clinical features of highly pathogenic avian influenza in naturally infected chickens in Bangladesh. Rev sci tech Off int Epiz. 2011 2011;30(3):871-8. 1

Eli Wiesels Night and Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities :: Synthesis Essays

Eli Wiesel's â€Å"Night† and Charles Dickens' â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities† Life is not always fair. There is no real explanation for this. In almost all constitutions people are created equal but very rarely are all of them treated this way. But before the French revolution happened very few people even had these rights. Then when WW II came around the Jewish people were targeted by the Nazis. They were stripped of all their rights and basically became slaves to the Nazis party. The Nazis tried to rid Europe of the Jewish people and if they had their way eventually the whole world would be free of this religious group. The character that people show through times of adversity can define them individually and as an entire group. In â€Å"Night† Eli Wiesel faces life and death everyday in the Nazis concentration camp. While in â€Å"A tale of two cities† by Charles Dickens, Carton saves Darnay’s life twice once during a trial and another at the guillotine even though Carton resents Darnay shows mans true potential. â€Å"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times† (Dickens), this famous quote can be applied to more than just the opening of A Tale of Two Cities. In this very moment there are great things going on all over the world. Things like scientific discovers and diplomatic resolutions to international problems are being done right now. There are however many problems happening too. Civil wars and ethnic cleansings occurring in Africa the tsunami that devastated many Asian islands were people are struggling to survive. Yet with all of these things man does not give up we fight on through and that could be mans greatest asset. To fight on even though there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The most horrific of tragedies ever to happen to man was due to mans evil. The holocaust was a tragedy where over 11 million innocent people were killed for no other reason than there religious beliefs. The most amazing thing though is not the cruelty of man but instead the strength of the human race to fight through even though so many have lost their lives for no reason. Not to say that they never had doubts of whether they were going to make it through. Even the people who before this never had a waiver in their faith had trouble staying strong in belief that God will save them.

Online Communities or Mental Pictures? :: Internet Communication Chats Essays

Online Communities or Mental Pictures? It was 11:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night. I sat at my computer typing and anxiously waiting for a response. â€Å"Hello how is everyone tonight?† â€Å"I am from Virginia, where are all of you from?† No one responded to anything I said. I tried again, â€Å"Does anyone want to chat?† Again, I was ignored. I felt lonely, confused, and upset. â€Å"What is wrong with me?† I thought to myself. I hated knowing that I was the one being rejected in this so-called â€Å"community.† Are there really such things as â€Å"online communities?† Can you form friendships with the people you come across in an online community? There are many claims that there are such things as online communities. That is true if you classify a community as â€Å"a group of people having common interests† (Dictionary.com) but having a common interest did not play a significant role in the forum I worked with. Online communities can be overrated and not meet the standards for which they are intended if the people participating do not follow the proposed rules and are not there for the correct reasons. In fact, when I was in the Teen Chat room no one talked about fashion, which is the topic of the site. In the discussion forum, some of the posts were off of the subject. Some online communities may appropriately be classified as a â€Å"community†, but the teen forum that I participated in was not a virtual community. Online communities are not physical places , instead they are a state of mind; a place which exists only in the mind of the participant. I participated in an online community in the Student Center which is just a site dedicated to teens. From this site, you can access many other sites such as: â€Å"diaries,† â€Å"teen forums,† â€Å"groups,† â€Å"tests,† etc. I accessed the teen forum section where you can choose many different topics under the four main categories. The categories are Advice and Sexuality, Entertainment, General, and Information. Under each category you can choose a specific subject of your interest such as: dating and relationships, health and fitness, sexuality, fashion, sports, music, movies, religion, and job search, along with others and be involved with it. I chose a teen forum focused on fashion because I really enjoy learning about different styles.

Ancient Civilizations Essay example -- essays research papers

#1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A pattern that was common among the ancient civilizations of China, Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India was that most of them started as a dictatorship, a monarchy, or a dynasty. Eventually, most of them changed to a democracy, republic, or to class systems. Almost all of the civilizations had one or two great leaders. For example, Egypt had King Tut, Greece had Alexander the Great and Rome had Julius Caesar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  China has had many different leaders through the years. Dynasties, or a series of rulers from the same decent, ruled this government. Some of the most powerful dynasties were the Shang, Zhou, and Qin. These dynasties and many others ruled from the times of 1500 BC to 1900 AD. The dynasty that lasted the longest was the Zhou Dynasty. It lasted from 1122 BC through 256 BC. The Qin Dynasty had one of the strongest central governments, but only lasted fourteen years. The most peaceful time was when the Han Dynasty ruled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another ancient civilization was the Romans. They started out as a monarchy government by having one ruler. Eventually an idea of republicanism overthrew the monarchy. The Romans thought that this would keep any one person from gaining too much power. The most powerful governing body was the senate. The senators elected two consuls each year. The consul’s jobs were to supervise the business of government and command the armies. They could only se...

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 3

It was raining, of course. Not a terrible storm, justa steady spitting patter that Maggie hardly noticed.It plastered her hair down but it also concealed thenoise of her steps. And the lowlying clouds blocked out MountRainier. In clear weather the mountain loomed over the city like an avenging white angel. I'mactuallyfollowingsomebody,Maggiethought. She could hardly believe it, but she wasreally moving down her own home street like a spy,skirting cars and ducking behind rhododendron bushes. While all the time keeping her eyes on the slender figure in front of her. That was what kept her going. She might havefelt silly and almost embarrassed to be doing thisbut not tonight. What had happened put her farbeyond embarrassment, and if she ‘started to relax inside and feel the faint pricklings of uncertainty,memory surged up again and swept everythingelse away. The memory of Sylvia's voice. The buckle might not have been fastenedright.And the memory ofher mother's hand going limp as her body sagged. I'll follow you no matter where you go, Maggie thought. And then†¦ She didn't know what then. She was trusting to instinct, letting it guide her. It was stronger andsmarter than she was at the moment. Sylvia's apartment was in the U district, the college area around the University of Washington. Itwas a long walk, and by the time they reached it,the rain was coming down harder. Maggie was gladto get out of it and follow Sylvia into the under ground garage. This is a dangerous place, she thought as shewalked into the echoing darkness. But it was simply a note made by her mind, with no emotionattached. At the moment she felt as if she couldpunch a mugger hard enough to splatter himagainst the wall. She kept a safe distance as Sylvia waited for the elevator, then headed for the stairs. Third floor. Maggie trotted up faster than the elevator could make it and arrived not even breathing hard. Thedoor of the stairwell was half open and she watched from behind it as Sylvia walked to anapartment door and raised a hand to knock. Before she could, the door opened. A boy wholooked a little older than Maggie was holding it,letting a couple of laughing girls out. Music driftedto Maggie, and the smell of incense. They're having a party in there. That shouldn't be so shocking-it was Saturdaynight. Sylvia lived with three roommates; they were undoubtedly the ones having the party. But as the girls walked past Sylvia they smiled and noddedand Sylvia smiled and nodded back before walkingcalmly through the door. Hardly the sort of thing you do when your boyfriend's just been killed, Maggie thought fiercely.And it doesn't exactly fit the â€Å"tragic heroine† act,either. Then she noticed something. When the boy holding the door let go, it had swung almost shut – but not quite. Can I do it? Maybe. If I look confident. I'd haveto walk right in as if I belonged, not hesitate. And hope she doesn't notice. Then get behindher. See if shetalksto anybody, what she says†¦ The laughing girls had caught the elevator. Maggie walked straight up to the door and, withoutpausing, she pushed it open and went inside. Look confident, she thought, and she kept ongoing, instinctively moving toward a side wall. Herentry didn't seem to have caused a stir, and it waseasier than she'd thought to walk in among these strangers. The apartment was very dark, for onething. And the music was medium loud, and everybody seemed to be talking. The only problem was that she couldn't see Sylvia. She put her back to the wall and waited forher eyes to adjust. Not over there-not by the stereo. Probably inone of the bedrooms in back,changing. It was as she moved toward the little hallwaythat led to the bedrooms that Maggie really noticedthe strangeness. Something about this apartment,about this party†¦ was off. Weird. It gave her thesame feeling that Sylvia did. Danger. This place is dangerous. Everybody there was so good-looking – or elseugly in a really fashionable way, as if they'd juststepped off MTV. But there was an air about themthat reminded Maggie of the sharks at the SeattleAquarium. A coldness that couldn't be seen, onlysensed. There is something so wrong here. Are they alldrug dealers or something?Satanists?Some kindof junior mafia? They just feel so evil†¦. Maggie herself felt like a cat with all its fur standing on end. When she heard a girl's voice coming from thefirst bedroom, she froze, hoping it was Sylvia. â€Å"Really, the most secret place you've ever imagined.† It wasn't Sylvia. Maggie could just see thespeaker through the crack in the door. She waspale and beautiful, with one long black braid, andshe was leaning forward and lightly touching theback of a boy's hand. â€Å"So exotic, so mysterious-it's a place from thepast, you see. It's ancient, and everybody's forgotten about it, but it's still there. Of course, it's terribly dangerous-but not forus†¦.† Not relevant, Maggie's mind decided, and shestopped listening. Somebody's weird vacationplans; nothing to do with Sylvia or Miles. She kept on edging down the hall. The door atthe end was shut. Sylvia's bedroom. Well, she has to be in there; she isn't anywhereelse. With a surreptitious glance behind her, Maggie crept closer to the door. She leaned toward it untilher cheek touched the cool white paint on the wood, all the while straining her eyes toward theliving room in case somebody should turn her way. She held her breath and tried to look casual, buther heart was beating so loudly that she could only hear it and the music. Certainly there was nobody talking behind thedoor. Maggie's hopes of eavesdropping faded. All right, then, I'll go in. And there's no point intrying to be stealthy; she's going to notice. So I'll just do it. It helpedthat she was so keyed up. She didn't even need to brace herself; her body was at maximum tension already. Despite her sense that therewas something menacing about this whole place, she wasn't frightened, or at least not in a way that felt like fear. It felt like rage instead, like being desperately ready for battle. She wanted to grab some thing and shake it to pieces. She took hold of the knob and pushed the dooropen. A new smell of incense hit her as the air rushedout. It was stronger than the living room smell,more earthy and musky, with an overlying sweetness that Maggie didn't like. The bedroom was even darker than the hall, but Maggie stepped inside.There was tension on the door somehow; as soon as she let go of it, it whispered shut behind her. Sylvia was standing beside the desk. She was alone, and she was still wearing theGore-Tex climbing outfit she'd had on at Maggie'shouse. Her shimmering fine hair was starting todry and lifting up like little angel feathers awayfrom her forehead. She was doing something with a brass incenseburner, adding pinches of powder and what looked like herbs to it. That was where thesickeninglysweet smell was coming from. Maggie had plannedas far as she'd plannedanything at all – to,rush right up and get in Sylvia'sface. To startle her into some kind of confession. She was going to say, â€Å"I need to talk to you.† Butbefore she could get the first word out, Sylvia spokewithout looking up. â€Å"What a shame. You really -should have stayedhome with your .parents, you know.† Her voice wascool and languorous, not hasty and certainly notregretful. Maggie stopped in her tracks. Now, what's thatsupposed to mean? Is it athreat? Fine. Whatever. I can threaten, too. But she was taken by surprise, and she had toswallow hard before speaking roughly. â€Å"I don'tknow what you're talking about, but at least you'vedropped the weepy-weepy act. You were really badat it.† â€Å"I thought I was very good,† Sylvia said andadded a pinch of something to the incense burner.†I'm sure the officers thought so, too.† Once again, Maggie was startled. This wasn'tgoing at all as she expected. Sylvia was so calm, somuch at ease.' So much in control of the situation. Not anymore, Maggie thought. She just admittedit was an act. All that chokey stuff while she was talking about Miles†¦ Fury uncoiled in Maggie's stomach like a snake. She took three fast steps forward. â€Å"You knowwhy I'm here. I want to know what really happenedto my brother.† â€Å"I told you† â€Å"You told a bunch of lies! I don't know what the truth is. The only thing I do know is that Miles would never make a stupid mistake like not buckling his harness. Look, if you did somethingdumb-if he's lying out there hurt or something,and you were too scared to admit ityou'd bettertell me right now.† It was the first time she'd putinto words a reason for Sylvia to be lying. Sylvia looked up. Maggie was startled. In the light of the singlecandle by the incense burner, Sylvia's eyes werenot violet but a more reddish color, like amethyst. They were large and clear and the light seemed to play in them, quivering. â€Å"Is that what you think happened?†Sylviaasked softly. â€Å"I said, I don't knowwhat happened!† Maggie feltdizzy suddenly, and fought it, glaring into Sylvia's strange eyes. â€Å"Maybe you had a fight or something.Maybe you've got some other boyfriend. Maybe you weren't even out climbing on Halloween in the first place. All I know is that you lied and that there's no body to find. And I want to know the truth!† Sylvia looked back steadily, the candlelight dancing in her purple eyes. â€Å"You know what yourbrother told me aboutyou?† she asked musingly.†Two things. The first was that you never gave up. He said, `Maggie's no rocket scientist, but once shegets hold of something she's just like a little bull terrier.' And the second was that you were a complete sucker for anybody in trouble. A real bleeding heart.† She added a few fingernail-sized chips of smoothbark to the mixture that was smoking in the incense burner. â€Å"Which is too bad,† she went on thoughtfully.†Strong-willed and compassionate: that's a real recipe for disaster.† Maggie had had it. â€Å"What happened to Miles? What did you dotohim?† Sylvia laughed, a little secret laugh. â€Å"I'm afraidyou couldn't guess if you spent the rest of yourshort life trying.† She shook her head. â€Å"It was toobad, actually. I liked him. We could have beengood together.† Maggie wanted to know one thing. â€Å"Is he dead?†Ã¢â‚¬ I told you, you'll never find out. Not even whenyou go where you're going.† Maggie stared at her, trying to make sense ofthis. She couldn't. When she spoke it was in a levelvoice, staring into Sylvia's eyes. â€Å"I don't know what your problem is-maybeyou're crazy or something. But I'mtellingyou rightnow, if you've done anything to my brother, I am going to killyou.† She'd never said anything like this before, butnow it came out quite naturally, with force andconviction. She was so angry that all she could seewas Sylvia's face. Her stomach was knotted and sheactually felt a burning in her middle, as if therewere a glowing fire there. â€Å"Now,† she said, â€Å"areyou going to tell me what happened to him?† Sylvia sighed, spoke quietly.†No.† Before Maggie quite knew she was doing it, shehad reached out and grabbed the front of Sylvia's green Gore-Tex jacket with both hands. Something sparked in Sylvia's eyes. For a moment, she looked startled and interested and grudgingly respectful. Then she sighed again, smilingfaintly. â€Å"And now you're going to kill me?† â€Å"Listen, you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Maggie leaned in. She stopped.†Listen to what?† Maggie blinked. Her eyes were stinging suddenly.The smoke from the incense burner was rising directly into her face. â€Å"You†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I feel strange, Maggie thought. Very strange. Dizzy. It seemed to come over herall at once. There was a pattern of flashing gray spreading across her vision. Her stomach heavedand she felt a wave of queasiness. â€Å"Having a problem?† Sylvia's voice seemed tocome from far away. The incense. It was rising right in her face. And now†¦ â€Å"What did you do to me?† Maggie gasped. Shereeled backward, away from the smoke, but it wastoo late. Her knees were horribly rubbery. Herbody seemed to be far away somehow, and the sparkling pattern blinded her completely. She felt the back of her legs come up against abed. Then they simply weren't supporting her anymore; she was slithering down, unable to catch herself with her useless arms. Her lips were numb. â€Å"You know, for a moment there, I thought Imight be in trouble,† Sylvia's voice was sayingcalmly. `But I was wrong. The truth is that you'rejust an ordinary girl, after all. Weak and powerlessand ordinary. How could you even thinkabout going up against me? Against my people?† Am I dying? Maggie wondered. I'm losing myself.I can't see and I can't move†¦. â€Å"How could you come here and attack me? How could you thinkyouhad a chance at winning?† Even Sylvia's voice seemed to be getting more and more distant. â€Å"You're pathetic. But now you'll find out what happens when you mess with real power.You'll learn†¦.† The voice was gone. There was only arushingnoise in anendless blackness. Miles, Maggie thought. I'm sorry†¦.Then she stopped thinking at all.

Overview of the Annual Report and Form 10k and the Balance Sheet Essay

I should be able to understand your answer and see what the numerical support is without looking at your tables. For all problem sets, please show tables and calculations with each answer (unsupported answers will be marked wrong), not in separate tables. I should be able to look at your tables or calculations and see what the answer should be without actually reading it. And I should be able to read and understand your interpretation of a table without having to look at it. Clearly show and label any and all calculations. Your output should look professional. 1. Corporate Message: What does Coca Cola’s 2012 Annual Review tell you about the message the company wants to convey to its readers? Point out examples to support your discussion. 2. Describe the three types of Coca Cola’s bottling relationships. Name the significant companies that are accounted for by the equity method. Does Coca Cola have a controlling interest in these companies? Explain and demonstrate why or why not? What would the company’s balance sheet look like if Coke were to account for its publicly traded equity method investments at fair value rather than using the equity method? . Except for Property, plant, and equipment, what was Coca Cola’s largest single asset (not asset category) at 12/31/2012? How does it compare to 2011? Why do you think it increased? What was its relative impact on the change in total assets? Which component of Coca Cola’s balance sheet is the primary factor causing the company’s change in total assets fro m December 31, 2011 to December 31, 2012? How much did this factor change by relative to (i. e. , as a percentage of) the change in total assets? 4. Income Tax: Is Coca Cola’s effective (i. e. , average) tax rate more or less than the U. S. federal (â€Å"statutory†) rate? What is the primary reason(s) that it was more/less in 2012? 5. Look at Coke’s 10K. For 2012, is the amount of dividends declared equal to the amount of dividends paid? What are these amounts? Where did you find them? Did dividends declared increase, decrease, or remain the same – per share and in total, compared to 2011? 6. Prepare a 2011 and 2012 common size balance sheet for Coke. Comment on differences between the two. A common size balance sheet is one for which each item in the balance sheet is divided by total assets. Download Pepsi’s 2012 10-K from Pepsico. com 7. Using the information in Pepsi’s 2012 10-K, calculate the company’s a. Total market value for 2012 and 2011. b. Book value to common shareholders for 2012 and 2011 (Hint: Pepsi does not have dividends in arrears on their preferred shares. Use Pepsi’s call price located in the footnotes for the preferred stock claim. Just subtract the total preferred stock call price amount from total stockholders’ equity. c. Market to book value ratios for 2012 and 2011. d. How do the above ratios for Pepsi compare to those of Coca Cola for the same two years? How do you interpret any differences? 8. Make a common size balance sheet for Pepsi for 2012 (round your percentages to 1 decimal place – i. e. , the same as 0. xxx ) Examine the two companies’ common size balance sheets. What do you notice about a. Cash and cash equivalents b. Net receivables c. Current liabilities d. Long term debt What do you think any significant differences between these ratios might mean? Do you notice any other significant differences between Coke and Pepsi? 9. Working capital: Working capital equals total current assets minus total current liabilities. How much working capital does Pepsi have at 12/31/2012 and 12/31/2011? How much working capital does Coca Cola have at 12/31/2012 and 12/31/2011? Can you directly compare the two companies’ working capital? Why or why not? If not, how could you make them comparable? Are the two companies experiencing similar changes in working capital?

Affirmative Action: The Nation’s continuing battle for racial equality

Affirmative action is a policy of the State which has for its goal the elimination of historically rooted discrimination against men and women of colour. This is an active response of the State to the overwhelming concern of racial discrimination happening in the country and around the Globe. The existence of different nationality, race and ethnicity is a fact that has been long recognized. The looming problem in our society is determined by the equality of opportunities and the degree of acceptance. By acceptance it means the openness of firms, companies, and other institutions to hire men and women of colour. One need not look too far beyond to see how self-interest has been the ruling factor that has caused all development and transformation in the world. The formation of human rights seem to be the perfect illustration to this as it has been primarily geared towards the conscious regard to the political rights of the people. Through time, the ancient civilizations sought for more responsive policies then for more progressive ones as these clamours push for the commencement of social and cultural rights as well as economic rights respectively. This relative expansion in the coverage of human rights is not limited to narrow scope of the international sphere. This improvement transcends all the aspects of a political man. That is, in consideration of the triumvirate of goods or the different active determinants in the life of an individual â€Å"the political events, economic situation as well as the societal condition all lend a hand in the establishment of a singular prototype that would shape an individual. As a result, the manner and level by which an individual’s need would be catered to is the final cause of human advancement. This means that all growth and evolution depends on the intensity of human involvement to achieve what he wants. As a corrective measure, Affirmative action’s primary purpose is to cure defects in the government and other sectors of society. These defects are mainly caused by social strife, injustices, violation and discrimination in areas that include business, education and the military. This has been seen by the state as a necessary meant to tip the scale in favor of those who have been disadvantaged over the years. Protection of every citizen is the primary goal and objective of its citizens. This entails not only the protection from physical harm but also the assurance that the citizen is not disadvantaged in terms of work opportunities. Affirmative action is a means of the State to promote the welfare of the people. However, the real question is â€Å"can racial equality be achieved in business, education and the military without the use of policies that promote Affirmative Action?† On the other hand, it would appear that the primary objective of every individual is of getting those that he needs which would ultimately result in the progress of the entire society. This situation typifies the idea of self-interest as the governing factor that qualifies international growth and transformation. There is nothing inherently wrong with this; however, in this day and age, much of the development in the field of Politics should be and has been generally focused on policy-making and procedural re-awakening aimed in attempting to legislate policies that would make a more peaceful international community shared by men and women. Racial equality is an old issue but it remains to be of great national concern given the fact that existence of affirmative action is a way to remind us of the importance of recognizing and respecting individual rights of persons, regardless of race.   

Presentation: Barack Obama “Dreams from My Father”

Barack Obama – â€Å"Dreams From My Father-A Story of Race and Heritance† Today I want to introduce you United States President Barack Obama’s first memoir, dreams from my father. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career and republished in August 2004. Author: Since my book is an autobiography I won’t tell you everything about the author, I just will give some personal facts about him. Barack Obama was born in 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama Senior and Ann Dunham. In 1991, Obama graduated from Harvard Law School.While in law school he worked as a co-worker at the law firms of Sidley & Austin where he met his wife, Michelle, whom he married in 1992. Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters: Malia Ann and Natasha, known as Sasha. On November 4 2008, Obama won the presidency of the United States. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President took place on January 20, 2009. On October 8 of las t year, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Characters: Paternal Family The Obamas are members of the Luo, Kenya's third-largest ethnic group. Hussein Onyango Obama Barack Obama's paternal grandfather †¢Habiba Akumu Obama Barack Obama's paternal grandmother and the second wife of Hussein Onyango Obama †¢Barack Hussein Obama Senior He is the father of Barack Obama. Visited his son only for one single time. In his memoir, Barack calls him the Old Man. †¢ Kezia †¢Jane Her sister, Jane, is the ‘Auntie Jane' mentioned at the very start of Dreams from My Father when she telephoned President Obama to inform him that his father had been killed in a car accident. †¢Ruth NdesandjoBorn Ruth Nidesand, in US, Barack Obama Sr. ‘s third wife Maternal Family †¢Ann Dunham Mother of Barack Obama. His mother is open minded, idealistic, naive in one sense, world-wise in another. †¢Stanley Dunham is the grandfather of Barack Obama. Stanley and his wife Madelyn raised Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii. His grandparents love him unconditionally. He learns his grandfather's strengths and weaknesses, but never really comes to see him as the father figure he's seeking. †¢Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham Barack Obama's maternal grandmother. †¢Lolo SoetoroStepfather of Barack Obama, born in Indonesia, Obama speaks fondly of his step-father, and learns several life lessons from him, but unfortunately his mother's relationship with his step-father doesn't last. Plot: 1. Origins 2. Chicago 3. Kenya Epilogue Barack Obama, the current narrates a heart-rending story about his personal implications; tribulations in the American society, and his father’s roots. Ad 1. The story opens up in New York, where he hears that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has died in a car accident.Two years later after Baby Obama was born, his father won a scholarship to continue with studies at Harvard University . And so, Obama Senior left Hawaii, went to Harvard, separated from his small family and, was divorced by Ann. He completed his studies and returned to Kenya to take up a senior job at the department of national planning. Baby Obama never saw him until much later. As a young boy, his mother marries a man from Indonesia and they go to live there. His mother sends him back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents so he can attend a prestigious Hawaiian school, as one of only three black students there.Obama has one encounter with his father when he's ten in Hawaii. Obama is a little adored, a little overwhelmed by his father’s visit. Nevertheless his father doesn’t stay very long and leaves Obama with more questions than answers. Ad 2. Propelled by a desire to understand both the forces that shaped him and his father’s legacy, the book then moves on to moves to Chicago where he works as a community organizer. It's challenging work that is rarely rewarding, but Obam a gives it his all. Then a relative from Kenya, his aunt Jane, calls to tell him his father has died, but Obama's not quite sure how to feel about that or how to react.Several weeks later, his Kenyan half-sister, Auma, makes contact with him. Auma gives him a sneak peek into his father's life in Kenya. Obama is fascinated by the life Auma leads and wants to learn more about their father. Before he leaves community organizing to go to Harvard Law School, he makes arrangements to visit Auma in Kenya and TO TRACE THE ROOTS OF HIS FATHER. Ad 3. In Kenya, Obama discovers a family he didn't even know. His father had at least four wives, and Obama has a slew of brothers and sisters who are living in their father's shadow.Obama and Auma visit with one their grandfather's wives, â€Å"Granny. † She tells Obama's father story to him. The story: Because Onyango wanted his son to be provided as best as possible as for opening up a good future, his father received a scholarship in economi cs through a special program which offered Western educational opportunities to outstanding Kenyan students. Following Obama Sr. enrolled at the University of Hawaii where Obama Sr. married Ann Dunham, though she would not find out that her new husband was already married to a pregnant wife until much later.Ann quit her studies to care for the baby, while Obama Sr. completed his degree, leaving shortly thereafter to study at Harvard University. While studying at Harvard, Obama Sr. met an American-born teacher named Ruth who he married after divorcing from Barack’s mother. After a while Obama Sr. published a paper entitled â€Å"Problems Facing Our Socialism† harshly criticizing the concept for national planning. This conflict with President Kenyatta destroyed his career. Following he was fired from his job, was blacklisted in Kenya, and began to drink.He had a serious car accident, spent almost a year in the hospital, and by the time he visited his son in Hawaii, when Barack was ten years old. Obama Sr. ‘s life fell into drinking and poverty, from which he never recovered. Obama Sr. later lost both legs in another automobile collision, and subsequently lost his job. He died at the age of 46, in a third car crash in Nairobi. From then on, Obama realized that the man he thought to be a failure was in fact a hero in his village. His father was the first person to have gone to the US University from his village.Then, Obama forgave his father and decided to change his life basing on his father’s dreams. Themes: †¢Racism Throughout the whole book the main character is faced with Racism. From early childhood he had to struggle with students that teased him when he was playing with one of the three black kids. Even in Kenya, when he and some of his family members are at a restaurant, the waitress who is black, ignores their orders and doesn’t serve them after she has seen European tourists who are white. †¢Search for communi ty As a young adult, Obama set off in search of community and purpose, with the reat role models of the civil rights movement. The glory days of the civil rights movement were long gone when Obama gets an organizing job in a poor neighborhood on Chicago's South Side plagued by crumbling public housing, disappearing manufacturing jobs, and rising crime. The group's founder is a Jewish man who is not fully trusted by the community. At the same time Obama makes personal connections. He becomes close with the three middle-aged African-American women who are core to the organization, and develops a friendship with an eccentric, pot-smoking Catholic organizer.He looks out for Kyle, the teenage son of a volunteer who is in danger of getting into trouble. One of the most moving bits in the book where Obama tells the group he is headed off to Harvard Law School, and promises his friends in the neighborhood that he'll be back. †¢Search for family and identity Feeling out of place in high school, Obama gravitates toward the black kids and works to embrace an African-American culture that matches others' expectations of his appearance, but is different from his upbringing and background. A trip to Kenya before law school is an opportunity for discovery.Obama grew up with an idealized vision of his father, which both intimidated and inspired him. As he gets to know his African family, he finds out that his father's life was more complex and less perfect than the idealized image. In Kenya, Barack Junior finds a family that is loving, close, and welcoming but surrounded by problems — feuds, alcoholism, and poverty. The stories that Obama hears on his trip make things more complicated, not simpler. The stories provide context for the personality flaws, passions, that which are more meaningful, more admirable, and more forgivable, than a shallow but false idealized image. The Limits of â€Å"Organizing† After a series of infamous defeats, the persistence, sk ill and empathy of Obama's group begins to pay off. They organize cleanup for the housing project, job training for the neighborhood, mentoring for school kids. But in the end, during a public forum where the neighborhood people demand basic maintenance for public housing projects, the bureaucrats explain that the Housing Authority budget allows a asbestos removal, or basic repairs, but not both. So as you can see, one small person can’t change everything without reaching some limits.

In what ways did laws and actions concerning the westward expansion of Essay

In what ways did laws and actions concerning the westward expansion of the United states in the first half of the 19th Century ( - Essay Example As time passed by, however, negotiations gradually grew difficult as factions began polarizing triggered by events that defined each state’s values and interests. This was particularly evidenced during the westward territorial expansion of the US in the early 19th century. These events cultivated and advanced the schism that ultimately led to the Civil War between the North and the South. The Louisiana Purchase, for example, which was negotiated by the Jefferson government in 1803 with Napoleon Bonaparte, became an issue of contention between anti-slavery and pro-slavery in the halls of Congress. Petitions from various northern states, which were anti-slavery, urging the prohibition of slavery in the newly purchased territory, were delivered both in Congress and the Senate by their representatives. Foremost among the anti-slavery speeches were delivered by the representatives from Illinois and Pennsylvania. Representative Cook of Illinois proposed the granting of the Louisiana territory to slave owners in exchange of abandoning the practice. On the other hand, pro-slavery states such as Smith of South Carolina and Smyth of Virginia fiercely defended slavery as a natural state of condition of black people (Shearer 2004). Another historical event within the same period that saw the clash of the anti-slavery north and pro-slavery south was when Missouri applied for statehood in 1820. Most Missouri settlers at that time came from the south, bringing with them their slaves. Immediately, the anti-slavery north representatives objected to the application unless Missouri ban all future slave imports and institute a gradual slave freedom scheme, and the Senate rejected to deliberate and vote on the issue at all. In what is known as the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was finally allowed statehood conditioned on the term that all future slavery north of the southern Missouri boundary will be banned. The Compromise essentially resulted in the creation of a fictional westward north-south line that governed the state of slavery in all of the US. The anti-slavery north was at least gratified that most of the territories included in the Louisiana Purchase were north of said boundary (Bergad 2005). The Missouri Compromise turned out to have left some issues unsettled that eventually emerged when Missouri’s constitution included a provision that called for the exclusion of free Negroes and mulattoes from its jurisdiction. Once again, debates in Congress and the Senate over slavery became alive. In a subsequent negotiation known as the Second Missouri Compromise, Missouri was finally admitted for statehood with an added provision as a caveat that the provision in issue shall not imply blanket authority to enact laws that impair the rights of citizens (Bergrad 2005). The Texas application in 1836 as a slave state for admission into the Union was another instance of overt and passionate clash between pro and anti-slavery factions that eventually led to the Civil War. It was some thought, the straw that eventually broke the camel’s back. Texas was a chief producer of cotton and this industry was largely hinged on slavery labor. When Texas was admitted into the union as a slave state, the feeling of antipathy

Summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Summery - Essay Example In essence, plastics are cheaper, sturdier but non-biodegradable. Meanwhile, paper is biodegradable, organic but expensive to make and recycle. Advocates for both sides continue to argue their cases but everyone agrees that the best way to solve this problem is to BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag. NY did so when the eco-friendly â€Å"I am not a plastic bag† totes made by Anya Hindmarch from UK hit the stores, making BYOB a must-do and must-see by Yankees. It only goes to show that when fashion leads the way, everybody follows. The people of Boac, Marinduque will always remember March 24, 1996. It was the fateful day when a poorly plugged drainage pipe burst and more than three million tons of mine tailings inundated the river. The rising flood spilled over the farms and residential areas causing irreparable damage to their homes, livelihood, source of food, irrigation and water. Many people survived but the Boac River did not. The local community knew who to blame for the tragedy: Marcopper Mining Corp. The villagers hold the company accountable for their irresponsibility and even suspect that it had been doing illegal activities during its operations. With the support of the national government, NGOs and other civil organizations, the community expediently filed a lawsuit against Marcopper Mining Corp. and its major shareholder, Placer Dome Inc., a Canadian firm. Marcopper had been digging for copper only a few years but its parent company, Placer Dome has been mining gold there since 1970. In 1998, it posted profits amounting to 105 million US dollars and was among the top five gold mining industries in the world. Placer Dome owns some 14 mines all over the globe, among them Marcopper Mining. But even with such high acclaims, Placer has been allegedly involved not only causing environmental disasters in the countries of United

Health and Social Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Health and Social Research Methods - Essay Example Libya is one of the rich countries of the world located in the region of North Africa. The population of Libya is around six million. 22.1 percent lives in  the  rural area. Average life of the people is around 75 years. Mortality rate is around 6.9 under the age of 5. Libya is an oil-rich and upper middle-income country located in North Africa region with a population of slightly above six million, out of which 22.1 percent lives in a rural area. (Toebes et al., 2013). The Libyan Red Crescent is a Voluntary aid organization, was formed in 1957. The purpose was to provide medicines and other medical facilities in the cities of Libya. Record shows that the health system needs to improve in Libya. The volunteers of this organization are doing their work properly in providing the medical aids to the people affected by the disasters. The volunteers of this organization are improving themselves by providing relief to the general public (Ahsan Ullah, 2014). Their motive is to help humanities specially disabled persons to ensure that they are provided free and better medical treatments. Their development programs are the evidence of their intention of  the  work. The additional work of this organization is to prevent the people from disease, providing healthy food, protection of poor people, preparation for disasters, donate blood, recovery of the disease and organizing programs to maintain peace in the society (Martin et al., 2014). The volunteers of Libya Red Crescent Organization are providing better services of medical aid facilities to the people who are injured in the disasters. The volunteers have several issues, which have to be resolved. However, there is a need for research to identify and examine the issues faced by the volunteers. The employees of the organization address some of the issues lack of training and motivation. There is a need to find the issues, inspect them get

Current state of the Madura's enterprise Case Study

Current state of the Madura's enterprise - Case Study Example Economic downturn is a very significant experience in most businesses, Madura inclusive. Therefore, some of the concepts that recognize Madura’s concern include technology. Technology that is up to date and expansive is in a position to enable Madura to utilize its sources in order to achieve its desired objectives. Therefore, technology is one of the concepts that can detect the concern of Madura and ensure the achievement of its goals in business. In addition, distribution is key to making sales that guarantee the company ultimate success. Besides that, good relationships with other companies producing the same line of goods will enable Madura strategize itself to make positive trend in the business (Venkatagiri & Prakash, 2013). There are various concepts that Madura can adopt in ensuring the construction of an effective concept map that can guarantee positive impacts when applied. The concepts include the trading partners, distributors, deport, and point of sale terminals. All the concepts work under an effective IT infrastructures. Under the infrastructures, the company should have planning and retail strategies to enhance the overall success of the company (Venkatagiri & Prakash,

Building on prior success Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Building on prior success - Assignment Example This version comes with a secure socket tunneling protocol from Microsoft, which would work efficiently with other supporting security protocols in providing secure connections. This tunnel provides a mechanism for safely transporting encryptions through almost all proxy servers and firewall. Incorporation of new servers into the system would include numerous activities of upgrading the current system, and ensuring compatibility with the operating system. Extra servers remain fundamental in increasing the available storage space within the company network system. Installation of extra servers would follow centralization of the servers; hence ensuring information retrieval from a central location. The company’s head-office could potentially serve as the central location for new servers. This would essentially enable regional offices’ users to access information from company, servers through the internet. Similarly, remote employees would also access required files contained in central servers from different locations. Central server installation remains fundamental in enhancing information security as information could be protected from a single source (Hallberg, 2009). Confidentiality of the information could become immensely enhanced through sender authent ication at the central server, enabling secure information movement. The best way for employees to remotely access Ocper Inc. network would be through utilizing mobile virtual private network. Mobile VPN setting functions efficiently in situations where the endpoint VPN contains multiple access points. The mobile network can also be accessed using cellular devices carrying data between several Wi-Fi access points. These individuals could utilize modern I-phones, with capability to access VPN connections, as the network connection enables seamless roaming between networks through utilizing wireless connections. The advantage of utilizing

Corporate Antipolitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Antipolitics - Essay Example The advocacy of neoliberal principles may be defined as â€Å"economic Liberty†. Economic liberty has the influence of reducing government spending and enjoying free trade influences (Sawyer, 2004). The influences of such advances of communities ensure that the private sector has as stake in the management of resources. The influx of such a company’s influences cultures of communities. The other influences of such companies on various parts of the globe include improvement of welfare, provision of amenities and on economic conditions. On the other side, there have been an increased number of conflicts between groups and the government with such developments. To put into perspective, an example of such conflict is the current Nigeria oil wars. Ecuador is among the largest supplier of oil to the western side of the United States of America. With the increase of companies’ exploration of oil in the region, there has been an increased activism. Swayer in her examination of the influence of US oil companies in the nation brings diverse perspectives. The author points out that there since the rise of the movement against oil companies there has been three influences. The influence to the conflict on oil brings forth three players. These aspects are the Ecuadorian neoliberal policies, influences of the state and movements (Sawyer, 2004). The region on discussion faces various challenges. The Indigenous people of Ecuador have long struggled to control oil and land resources. This has led to the glamour for rights of the people. However, through neoliberal policies the government and the oil companies dictate norms. This has led to debates and demonstration. Through movements such as the OPIP that was prevalent during the 1990s, the author provides diverse perspective on politics of the land. The aspect of the struggle by such movements is the creation of Autonomy (Sawyer, 2004). The