Birth Control in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Birth Control in the USA - Essay Example A recent study has proved that 42% of teenage girls living in urban society involved in sex before they reach 15 and 26% of them having sex at the age of 14 (Guttmacher Institute, 2012). The statics reveals that it would be beneficial if the young girls get the access to protective contraceptives and condoms. Elders believe that young school going students must not found involved in sex and therefore, birth control pills are not something for them (Eichner 129). According to them, if the teenage girls get the easy access to condoms or contraceptives, there is a likelihood that the trend might get reach to the peak as it will surely encourage them to have sex whether safe or not. No matter what people think, the sad part is that teenagers are not going to stop the sex activities and therefore, it would be ideal to accept the reality and allow them to have protective sex in order to counter the harsh consequence in term of pregnancy. Many hospitals and doctors have the rule of parent’s permissible note from the teenage group girls so that they can prescribe the pills. However, there are some clinics that offer birth control pills or condom with family insurance without the note to young teenage girls of age 15 and above without seeing their parents. Family insurance helps when the girl using condom or pill accidentally gets pregnant. So, the discussion is very clear that if a teenage girl wants to involve in sexual activities, she has complete right to have the access to the preventive material so that she can avoid unwanted pregnancy. It is also good for the society where a new addition is not needed for the time being from a young girl or the school going teenage girl faces a dropout.  

Post war Greece Essay Example for Free

Post war Greece Essay Benito Mussolini had expansionists policies in his Fascist regime in Italy. By the mid of 1940, Mussolini had started admiring Adolf Hitlers conquests and wanted to prove his counterpart, Hitler who was an Axis partner, that he too could lead Italy to success in war. Italy took control over Albania in 1939. Italians invaded Greece after the Greek dictator whose name was I. Metaxas refused to honor Italian ultimatum demanding the occupation of Greek territory. The Greek counter attacked and forced the Italians out and even took control of Albania formerly under Italy. In April 1941, Germany started attacking Greece and the Italian army also resumed their attack to Greece. As a result, the Greece army started retreating back from Albania to avoid a possible cut off by the rapidly advancing Germany troops. On April 20th, the Greek army based at Epirus surrendered to their enemies,the Germans and on the 23rd the same month, the same was repeated now to include the Italians and thus bringing the war between Greece and Italy to an end. The Greek victory over the Italian offensive on October 1940 was the first victory of the second world war and this boosted the morale in the occupied Europe Italian soldiers came across the Greek border in the 28th day of October 1940 but Greek defenders who were more determined drove these invaders back in to Albania (McNail, 167). As the death of Metaxas came in January 1941, he had already undergone a transformation from unpopular dictator who was not admirable by the people in to a national leader liked by the people, by his defiance of Mussolini and to the people his death was a great loss. Hitler was forced to reluctantly divert the troops from Germany to go and rescue Mussolini from being defeated and as a result ended up attacking Greece through Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. In response, the Greek sought for assistance from the British, and assistance was given readily although Greeks kept insisting stubbornly to defend Macedonia and Thrace from attacks by the Germany invaders while the Greeces only hope was to strategically withdraw to a defensive line on a river south of Thessaloniki. Towards the end of May, the German troops had taken control over much of the land in Greece. Both the king and the government escaped to Crete and stayed here until the battle of Crete finally came to an end. From here, they transferred to Egypt where they established a government in exile while an establishment of a Nazi held puppet regime took place in Athens, Greece. Members of this regime were either conservatives or belonging to the nationalists but with fascist leanings. The three people who collaborated with the enemy were T. Georgis, K. Logothetopoulos and R. Ioannis. T. Georgis was the general who signed the armistice earlier with Wehrmacht, while Logothetopoulos had become naughty for having aimed to recruit juvenile volunteers to help in restrengthening the Germany army. On the other hand, R. Ioannis had a very notable achievement in that he saw to the creation of the security battalions for the collaborationists to protect those who supported the enemies. Greece greatly suffered very terrible privations during the second world war when the Germans took control of most of the Greeces agricultural production and also prevented the fishing fleets of Greece from operating. Following the Axis force occupation on the Greek land, a great famine struck in the year 1941 and 1942 because of the blockade by the British naval and also due to the fact that Germany soldiers had seized the crops. Due to hunger and other associated effects of famine, several thousands of Greeks died. AS a result, several resistance movements came up in the hilly and mountain regions and soon the Germans and those who supported them remained in control of only the major highways and the connected towns. The largest of the up coming group was the National Popular Liberation Army (the ELAS) which was under the control of the communists and a civil war soon broke out between the National popular liberation army and the non- communists uprising groups such as the national republican Greek league (the EDES) in the areas which had been liberated from the German troops. The royalist government set up in exile in Cairo was only intermittently keeping in touch with the resistant movement and this government in Cairo failed to appreciate how the monarchy set up in Greece had lost its popularity. The resistance of the Greeks people against invasion by the Italians had a great influence to the course the second world war took. Adolf Hitler would say that if Italy had not attacked Greece and needed Germany assistance, the world war would have taken a quite different course. What would be anticipated was the cold war in Russia by weeks, Moscow and Reningrad conquered and Stalingrad would not have existed. The need to occupy Greece, suppress partisans and defend Greece from Allied actions led Germany and Italy to drop much of their differences during the second world war. The Greek resistance ultimately necessitated collaboration between Germany and Italy. Due to political considerations, British forces were send to Greece from Middle East, and this was considered to be a major strategic mistake because that was a critical stage to divert military forces from Middle East. The British forces could not stop Germany invasion in Greece. Political disorder and the 1946-49 war in Greece In October 1944, German forces withdrew from Greece and the Greece government in exile came back to Athens. Then the ELAS guerrilla soldiers took control over most of the land in Greece with its leaders having an ultimate aim to control the whole country despite Stallins agreement that Greece would remain within the region of influence by the British after the war. Demonstrators from the Communist Athens ended in violence in early December 1944, and then followed a door to door battle with the British forces and the monarchist armies. Before a month had ended, the communists had been defeated and an unstable government of coalition was established. Continued tensions within this government led to a civil war in the year 1946. Greece was backed by Britain and later by the United States in terms of military support and economic aid. Between 1947 and 1948, the communist forces had conquered much of the Greece mainland and were able to move freely within the land. With the extensive material support from America and the reorganization, the Greek navy steadily took control over much of the mainland. Yugoslavia had to close her borders from the insurgent military in 1949 after it broke relationship with the Soviet Union. In 1949, a final offensive was launched by Marshal P. Alexander that forced the insurgents who were left back to flee across the border to the north in to the territories of the Greece neighbors or else they surrender. The civil war left about one hundred people killed and also resulted to major damages to the economy. More than twenty five thousand Greeks and many Macedonian Slavs were evacuated to the eastern bloc countries either by force or voluntarily while over seven hundred thousand people became internally displaced people in Greece and many more emigrated to, among other countries, Australia. This settlement after the war greatly expanded the Greece territory which had already started earlier in 1832. In 1947, a treaty in Paris was signed and it required Italy to surrender the Dodecanese islands to the Greece. These islands had the majority of inhabitants speaking Greece and were part of the last areas to be incorporated to the Greek state, except Cyprus which remained under possession of Britain until its independence later in 1960. Greeks ethnicity became more homogeneous after the war when more than twenty five thousand Albanians were expelled from Epirus. The remaining minorities of no significance were the Muslims in West Thrace and few Slavic speaking in the north. Greeks continued to claim more of the southern Albania where significant Greek population lived. Economic miracle for Greece: 1955-79) The Greek economic miracle implies the factual and impressive rate of social and economic development that occurred in Greece from the early of 1950s to the middle of the 1970s. The average rate of economic growth recorded between the year 1950 to 1973 was about seven percent which was the worlds second best after that of Japan in those times. The 1950s growth rate was the highest sometimes going above ten percent, almost nearing those of a modern tiger economy. This continued up to 1960s. The Greek people did not view it as a miracle because since the period after the war until the middle of the 1970s, it was a time of deep political divisions that resulted to military dictatorship between 1957 to 1964 and the Greeks did not see any positive economic change for this period of twenty years. Further more, growth initially only widened the economic gap between the few rich and the majority poor and this could only intensify political divisions. Between 1941 and 1944, the Axis occupation and the fighting with resistance groups had unexpected effects on the infrastructure and also on the Greeces economy. Given also that after the end of the first world war, Greece went in to civil war, its economy had drastically fallen by 1950. The Greece per capita income as a measure of its purchasing power fell, just like that of France, from 62 percent to about 40 percent in the year 1949 (Cranidlis, 97). Greece experienced a rapid recovery of its poor economic condition. This was as a result of a number of factors among them the stimulation from the Marshall plan, a fast devaluation of the Drachma, more foreign investments, significant industrial development especially the development of the chemical industry, development of the public services sector and development of tourism industry and a widespread construction activities coming as a result of enormous infrastructural project building and rebuilding in the Greek towns and cities. The construction activities are connected with the fast economic growth on the society and the development of its towns. This led to renewal of the urban through replacing the pleasant urban, consisting mainly of low rising houses and peoples homes, with a continuous set of concrete and block storey and skyscrapers in most key cities and towns. After 1950, economic growth consistently was better than that of many European countries in terms of annual growth. The only time there was economic stagnation was in the 1980s but it was counterbalanced when the Greek black economy evolved at the same time. The good economic performance made Greece advance its economy to enjoy a per capita income almost the same as that of other European Union partners like France and German (Krofas, 123). After end of the civil war, Greece sought to join hands with the western democracies by becoming a member of NATO in the year 1952. From this time to the late 1963, Greece was under conservative parties. In1964, the party called the Center Union led by George Papandreau was elected and remained in rule until July of 1965 before he was dismissed by king Constantine II, thereby resulting to a constitutional crisis. The fall of this government led to a series of coalition governments between the conservatives and rebel liberals. On April 1967, a group of colonels from the right wing seized power in a coup. They suppressed civil liberties , established special military courts and dissolved political parties. Thousands of political party opponents and those suspected to be communists were imprisoned or taken to exile to very remote Greek islands. United States was alleged to have supported junta and this caused the rise of anti- Americanism in the Greece during and immediately after the junta rule. However, the united states had already earned the animosity of communists in Greece long before. In 1974, a referendum resulted in abolishment of a monarchy and a new constitution was made and passed by the parliament on the 19th of June 1975. President T. Constantine was elected by parliament to head the republic. In the 1977 elections to the parliament, the New democracy party won for a second time with a majority seats. In 1980, Karamanlis who was the prime minister was elected to succeed T. Constantine as the president with George Rallis being elected as the prime minister to succeed Tsatsos. Greece joined the European Community, now called the European Union on 1st January 1981. It also elected the countrys first socialist government. In 1989, there were two rounds of parliamentary elections which both produced coalition governments that were weak and had limited mandates. Party leaders held back their support for those governments and elections were once again held in April. The new democracy party led by Constantine Mitsotakis won. In 1992, Samaras formed his own party after being fired from the position of a cabinet minister for Foreign affairs. He called the party the Political Spring. As a result of this division, the New democracy government collapsed and when new elections were held in September 1993, Papandreou returned to power. Papandreou resigned on January 17th of 1996 due to a protracted illness. He was then replaced as the countrys prime minster by the former minister of trade and industry by the name, Costas Simitis who consecutively won the elections in 1996 and also in 2000 before retiring in 2004. His successor was George Papandreou as PASOK leader. In March 2004, elections were held and New Democracy under the leadership of Costas Karamanlis who was a nephew to the former president saw the victory over the PASOK. Instead of waiting for normal elections that should have been held in March the year 2008, the government called for elections in September 2007 and the New Democracy once again won the majority vote in the parliament. Due to this repeated defeat, the PASOK underwent a party election in search of a new leader that saw Mr. Georgis Papandreau re-election as the party leader of the Socialist Party in Greece. Review of Economic Literature It is important to review the economic thoughts from both the Greek and the American writers and compare them in the perspective of the economic reconstruction of Greece. A good approach would be first reviewing the economic thought in the 1930s and 1940s and then that of the American technical experts who were either in Greece based American embassy or in the AMAG. (Lincoln, 64). Reviewing the plans by Batsis, Valvaresos and Zolotas is also of importance to acquire a clear thought about the economic miracle and general development for the Greece from very poor to one of the worlds best economies. A scrutiny of what the exact agenda of the AMAG and other aids to develop the Greece economy was, is of importance in shining light in to this issue. Establishing whether there was any difference between the American economic experts working with the AMAG and Americans working in the American embassy to Greece in Athens in terms of priorities and the paths to reconstruction is felt to be essential. This way, most questions of much concern to economic historians will be answered well and also valuable material towards making reconstructions in the history of economics will be unearthed, especially for the post second world war period in Greece The depression of economy in the whole world led the default in Greece in the year 1932and afterwards to the introduction of a quite successful system. The gross domestic product was 510 million dollars in the year 1931, then dropped to 330 million dollars in the year 1932, remained at the same stable low level in 1934 at 340 million dollars and drastically rose in the subsequent years of 1934 at 490 million dollars, 1935 at 510 million dollars and 1936 at 550 million dollars. Despite the economic success, the poor remained miserable due to the falling prices and the problem of the merchant class which was used to free trade and had problem with coping in the new trade conditions of exchange controls. Most Greek economists concentrated on writing and analyzing the economic success of their country and did very little on questioning the actual role of the American Mission Aid for Greece that it played in uplifting the economic situation of Greece. The economists made numerous economic publications such as books, journals, treatises, periodicals among others. The interventionists were most influential and they had studies in Germany in 1920s to 1930s. These economists espoused a development theory stage to which the Greek government ought to take to speed up the rate of economic development. It was based on the fact that the economy of Greece could not rely on private initiative alone. Most of them remained hostile to abstract thinking and viewed the dirigiste policies world over as evidence of the validity of their thesis. The liberals viewed the historical present hitherto as a parenthesis and had a believe that the whole world including Greece economy ought to have an international economic corporation. The liberals also supported that it was necessary for the state to intervene and as a result they came up with a frame upon which the Greece government should act upon in a liberal economy. The Marxists viewed the crash of 1929 as evidence for capitalism break down. Particularly in Greece, the imperialism of the great powers and the kings rule were to be overthrown by mass action for socialism to be established.

The Science Guys - Theories of Evolution :: essays research papers

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) Today, the name of Lamarck is associated merely with a discredited theory of heredity, the "inheritance of acquired traits." However, Charles Darwin, Lyell, Haeckel, and other early evolutionists acknowledged him as a great zoologist and as a forerunner of evolution. To be fair to Lamarck, we should mention that since the time of Linnaeus, few naturalists had considered the invertebrates worthy of study. The word "invertebrates" did not even exist at the time; Lamarck coined it. The invertebrate collections at the Musà ©e were enormous and rapidly growing, but poorly organized and classified. Although the professors at the Musà ©e were theoretically equal in rank, the professorship of "insects and worms" was definitely the least prestigious. But Lamarck took on the enormous challenge of learning -- and creating -- a new field of biology. The sheer number and diversity of invertebrates proved to be both a challenge and a rich source of knowledge. What Lamarck actually believed was more complex: organisms are not passively altered by their environment. Instead, a change in the environment causes changes in the needs of organisms living in that environment, which in turn causes changes in their behavior. Altered behavior leads to greater or lesser use of a given structure or organ; use would cause the structure to increase in size over several generations, whereas disuse would cause it to shrink or even disappear. This rule -- that use or disuse causes structures to enlarge or shrink -- Lamarck called the "First Law" in his book Philosophie zoologique. Lamarck's "Second Law" stated that all such changes were heritable. The result of these laws was the continuous, gradual change of all organisms, as they became adapted to their environments; the physiological needs of organisms, created by their interactions with the environment, drive Lamarckian evolution. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) Carl Linnaeus, also known as Carl von Linnà © or Carolus Linnaeus, is often called the Father of Taxonomy. His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes). Erusmus Darwin He did discuss ideas that his grandson elaborated on sixty years later, such as how life evolved from a single common ancestor, forming "one living filament". He wrestled with the question of how one species could evolve into another. Although some of his ideas on how evolution might occur are quite close to those of Lamarck, Erasmus Darwin also talked about how competition and sexual selection could cause changes in species

Principles of Business

The Development of Economic Activity Human Beings produce and consume goods and services from the resources in their environment. It is primarily for the reason that humans are called ECONOMIC ANIMAL, because he or she has the ability to use his or her hands and brain to satisfy his or her immediate personal needs. These are looked at as basic needs; these needs are food, shelter and clothing (Economic Activity). Economic Activity means activities which results in the satisfaction of needs.In order to satisfy these needs, man engaged in certain economic activity such as farming, fishing, hunting, trade form, women stay home. Direct Production/ Direct Satisfaction of Wants Direct Production really means that human beings provide all their needs for themselves and their family without the aid of others; in other words, they do not depend on others to provide. Indirect Production/ Indirect Satisfaction of Wants Indirect Production means that human beings exchange their surplus by barter with others; in other words, human beings depend on others to do things for them  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subsistence EconomySubsistence Economy – An economy which provide just enough to survive, but not to improve their way of life. BARTER SYSTEM Barter System is the exchange of goods or services for other goods and services without the use of money. ADVANTAGE OF BARTER SYSTEM * It allowed people to dispose of any surplus, they had at the same time obtain a variety of things they needed. * It enables persons to enjoy goods and services they could not produce. * Countries with foreign currency problems can get goods and services that they require. Countries that engage in trade can strengthen their political and cultural ties. DISADVANTAGE OF BARTER SYSTEM * Double or co-incidence of wants – No trade can take place unless there is double or co-incidence of wants; that is your trading partner has wh at you want and wants what you have. * Time Consumption – It could be challenging to find willing partners. * Spoilage – If an individual failed to find a suitable partner within a reasonable time ones wealth in goods could be destroyed. Unequal Exchange – There is the difficulty or unequal exchange where the values of some goods far outweigh the value of other goods. MONEY Money is any commodity that is generally acceptable and is used as a medium of exchange and as a measure of value CHARACTERISTICS OF MONEY * Acceptability – It must be readily acceptable by everyone * Durability – It should not wear out easily * Homogeneity – it features should be identical * Divisibility – Money should be able to be broken down into smaller units. Portability – It should be easy to carry around. FUNCTIONS OF MONEY * Medium of Exchange – Money makes the exchange of goods easier * Measure of Value – Money can be used to state pr ices of goods * Store of Value –   Money can be saved * Deferred Payment – Money can be earned at one time and spent at another. DIVISION OF LABOUR OR SPECIALIZATION Division of labour is sharing the work. The work is divided among persons and they specialize in doing their part of the process, specialization comes as a part of this. DIVISION OF LABOUR BY PRODUCTDivision of labour by product means people can do what they can do best in exchange for money and then using the money earned to buy the goods and services of others. DIVISION OF LABOUR BY PROCESS Division of labour by process means by organizing production into many stages workers become more specialized in their work and consequently they produce more. ADVANTAGES OF DIVISION OF LABOUR OR SPECIALIZATION * Workers become more expert in their jobs * Jobs become simpler and easier to learn * Output per person increases * Machinery and automation can be used Workers can more easily change jobs * Unit cost are re duced DISADVANTAGES OF DIVISION OF LABOUR OR SPECIALIZATION * Work can be tedious and boring thus resulting in poor worker motivation and the likelihood of a higher rate of absentism * Workers creativity is limited * Greater use of machinery can cause unemployment * Production can easily be stopped by strikes ECONOMIC SYSTEM Economic System refers to the method by which a nation or country plan to utilize its resources in order to achieve economic growth and to benefit its citizens. MAJOR ECONOMIC SYSTEMEvery country is given by an economic system as each system has to decide how to allocate its resources to meet the needs of the citizens. This is a problem because the worlds resources are limited in supply and mans wants are unlimited. The economic is therefore deciding how to best to share these scarce resources. The decision of what to produce or what choices to make from the limited resources available is influenced by the political situation within which the decision is made. I n order to share resources all economic must answer to all these problems. PROBLEMS OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM FACE Limited Resources * Man wants are unlimited * Scarcity * How to share resources * Choice / decision No two countries are organized in the same way but they all have to solve three basic problems as follows * What should be produced? * How much to produce? * How is it to be produce? * Where is it to be produce? There are four different economic systems which answer the foregoing questions. * Subsistence Economy * Free Market Economy {Alternative name – Capitalists, Laissez-faire} * Controlled Economy {Alternative name – Collectivists, Communist, Command Control} * Mixed SUBSISTENCE ECONOMYA subsistence economy is one where there is little specialization and little trade. In such an economy people tend to live in family groups and grow most of their own food. Free Market Economy In a free market economy there is little or no government interference in the economy. It is based on the private ownership of the factors of production and the means of the distributing goods and services. Market forces are allowed to determine how resources are allocated. Examples of Free Market Economy is Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America and Hong Kong Advantages of Free market Economy Individuals are free to make choices as to what they want to produce, where they who they want to work for, what price they are going to charge for labour and also the price of their finished products * Customers can decide what to produce by influencing market prices * When consumers demands certain goods and services, they send messages to the producers who in turn will produce and meet the demands and thus satisfy the preference of consumers Disadvantages of Free market Economy * It encourages inequalities of wealth The more powerful businesses may buy out the smaller ones thus reducing competition * Wealthy people are more able to purchase and influence t he market than smaller ones * Companies may be tempted to restrict supplies to keep prices high Planned / Controlled / Collectivist Economy In a controlled economy all economic decisions are made by the government. The state decides what to produce, how it is to be produced and how it should be allocated to consumers; in other words, the state decides what the community needs and therefore demand is not influenced by the consumer.Examples of Controlled economies are Cuba and China. Advantages of Controlled Economy * State   control eliminates wasteful competition * The state will provide goods that private enterprise will be unwilling to provide * It is impossible for private monopolies to develop * The state ensures that the needs of the community are met Disadvantages of Controlled Economy * Free enterprise and competition are discouraged * Creativeness and efficiency are not encouraged MIXED ECONOMY Mixed economy is a combination of elements from free economy and a controlled e conomy.There is a public sector controlled by the government which provides goods and services that the state feels it can manage most efficiently and a private sector in which individuals risk capital in producing goods and services for profit. ADVANTAGES OF MIXED ECONOMY * Individuals have freedom of choice * Government can intervene to protect citizens from unfair monopoly * Both the private and public sector may unite in producing goods. DISADVANTAGES OF MIXED ECONOMY * It is possible for private monopolies to develop Too many government regulations may discourage persons from owning a business GLOBALIZATION Globalization can be seen as the intensification and spread of world wide social, economic, cultural and political relationships among countries. BENEFITS OF GLOBALIZATION * Provision of high quality goods and services at a cheaper rate which is achieved through economies of scale * In contributing to globalization firms not only provide goods and services economically but t hey also provide employment for people IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATIONThe impact of globalization has some adverse effect on small economies of the Caribbean. Large international firms that can produce high quality goods and services at a cheaper cost set challenges to small firms that are producing similar goods and services PRIMARY PRODUCTION Primary Production includes activity which takes the natural resources from the earth, that is the extraction of raw materials and the growing of food. Example Mining, fishing farming and forestry Secondary ProductionSecondary production involves manufacturing, processing and construction which transform raw materials into finish or semi-finished goods. Example baking, ship building and office construction. Tertiary Production Tertiary production includes the provision of serves example Hairdressing. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR The private sector is that part of the economy that is owned and controlled by private individuals and firms. Funds for the es tablishment of private business operation are obtained through * Loans from Bank or Financial Institution * Personal Savings Financing from family and friends The public sector refers to business in the economy that are owned by government for the benefit of the public citizens. The main motive is to provide goods and services to benefit the country. Funds will mainly com from taxation. Private sector enterprise will involve in manufacturing, mining etc and they are able to produce or provide the services they wish but they must abide by rules and regulation establish by the government, on the other hand, the public sector relies on the private sector for taxation to maintain the operations of the country.In most Caribbean countries we say that there is a mixed economy because some businesses are privately owned and others are owned by the state ADVANTAGES OF PRIVATE SECTOR TO A SOCIETY * Public Sector protects citizens from exploitation by powerful monopolies * Public sector provid es employment for many persons * Public sector contributes to the economic lives of the country PUBLIC BUSINESS UNDERTAKINGS Public Corporations: These are government or state owned businesses that are primarily run by Central government.Municipal Undertakings: These are government owned businesses that are run primarily by the Local Government. These include market, parks and beaches Government Undertakings: These departments carry out special functions such as education, health and finance REASONS FOR ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS * To earn a income * To make a profit- which is the result when a firm’s sales revenue is greater than its total costs. Profit is important because it enables business to survive and grow, it also provides the owner with a return for taking the risk of losing money they have invested. To provide employment to persons in and around the community * To expand production and increase the yearly sales of the firm * To produce a product that is either a good or service to the community * To have the satisfaction of being one’s own boss SOLE TRADERSHIP OR SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP The sole tradership or sole proprietorship is defined as a one man business, this is so because he or she enters business on his or her own, therefore bearing the risk of the business and thus entitled to all the profits.Even when the sole trader invites someone else to assist in the running of the business, these individuals would be employees. They do not share in ownership of the business and the owner is responsible for decisions made concerning the business. * Sole tradership is very easy to setup and operate. * It does not require any legal paperwork or registration. * Sole Trader is an unincorporated business, which means that the owner and business are one and same in the eyes of the law. This means that he conducts in his own name, his business is not separate from him. Sole Trader has unlimited liability which means that their personal assets can be clamed to settle the debts of their business that is why in the case of bankruptcy the sole trader stands to lose his/ her personal belongings, if the business assets cannot cover his/her debts. In order to finance the business the sole trader may: *   Use his personal savings to start the business. * The sole trader may also borrow funds from family members or friends. * The sole trader may also get funds from financial institution such as credit unions, commercial banks or government sources as the business progresses. The sole trader may also reinvest or plough back some of the profits made in the business. The sole Trader may sell ownership of his business to someone else. If he/she dies then the business no longer exists. ADVANTAGES OF SOLE TRADER * The business is simple to start and usually requires only a small amount of capital * Profits are not shared * Decisions are made promptly and the new ideas put in place quickly * The owner retains personal control over the direct ion and growth of his/her business DISADVANTAGES OF SOLE TRADER It is difficult to access capital if the sole trader wants to expand his business * The sole trader bears all the losses * The sole trader may have to work long hours and may not be able to take vacation when he wants to do so * Unlimited Liability , therefore in the case of bankruptcy he may lose his personal belongings to claim its debts * There is lack of continuity if the owner dies PARTNERSHIP An ordinary partnership is an association of two to twenty persons who are in business together with a view to earning a profit.This type of partnership may have general or active partners who are involved in the day to day operations of the business. A Sleeping partner is a partner who may be willing to introduce capital into a business but may not wish to take an active part in the running of the business In an ordinary partnership all partners have unlimited liability which means that they stand to lose not only their inve stment capital but also their personal assets. It is possible to have a limited partnership bit at least one partner mush accept unlimited liability.Partnership is formed amongst partners, partners may share in the management of the business or may serve as the manager or they may employ someone to manage the business Partners are free to decide whatever arrangement they like amongst themselves as to what rules will govern their organization. Partners have a written arrangement or deed. A partnership deed sets out the rights of each partner as to the division of profits. The deed sets out: * The name of the business and the date the business started * The type of business and the location of the business Details of each partner * The amount of capital each partner invested * How profits to be shared * The responsibility of each partner in the business In financing a partnership business all partners pool their savings together, loans and retained. Profits are shared by the deed draw n up by the partners, the absence of the deed means that profits are shared equally. In a partnership all partners are held personally responsible for all debts of the business. If one partner cannot fulfill his obligations then the other partner will bear all the losses. A partnership may be terminated: When partner or partners decide to sell their share of the partnership to someone else. When this occurs a new partners are brought in. * If it becomes insolvent or bankrupt * When all parties agree to terminate the business ADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIP * It is easy to form as there are few legal formalities * More capital is available to foster growth and development. * Workload can be shared amongst partners DISADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIP * If a partner makes a mistake all partners stand to lose * Each partner is liable for the debts of the business * Possible disagreements between partners Membership limit of twenty which restricts resources of the business CO-OPERATIVES A cooperative is a form of business that is owned and controlled by a group of persons who have a common interest and who have an equal say in operation. Types of Cooperatives * Producer Cooperative: In this type of cooperative society members are in their business of producing example in a farming community * Buyers Cooperatives: This is a type of cooperative in which persons who use a particular good in their business operations come together to purchase that good in large quantities and gain benefits of discounts. Financial Cooperatives: This is a service oriented society. It brings together persons who have a common interest. The aim is for members to pool their resources in the provision of service * Workers Cooperative: Are businesses that are owned and run by their own workforces. Example the crews of a bus company Cooperative is governed by a general meeting. The meeting is held annually and it is at this meeting that a committee is appointed to handle the day to day affairs of the coope rative.The cooperative is controlled by its members. Each member contributes to share capital of the cooperative. Members finance the cooperative through the purchase of shares Shareholders receives dividends if the cooperative makes a profit from its operation. The amount of dividend is related to the number of shares held. Dividends are generally small, since the major goal is not to make a profit but to provide a service to its members. Earnings from a cooperative are not totally consumed in the payment of dividend.Most of these are ploughed back into the cooperatives to finance operational needs identified by the members. ADVANTAGES OF CO-OPERATIVES * Members benefit from the pooling of funds for the purpose of lending to other members * Members have equal say in the operation of business as well as in the decision making of the cooperatives * Members are the owners of the cooperative society * Employment is created within the organization DISADVANTAGES OF CO-OPERATIVES * Profit s may be small or non existent * Shortage or lack of capital may inhibit growth and cause problems Principles of Business The Development of Economic Activity Human Beings produce and consume goods and services from the resources in their environment. It is primarily for the reason that humans are called ECONOMIC ANIMAL, because he or she has the ability to use his or her hands and brain to satisfy his or her immediate personal needs. These are looked at as basic needs; these needs are food, shelter and clothing (Economic Activity). Economic Activity means activities which results in the satisfaction of needs.In order to satisfy these needs, man engaged in certain economic activity such as farming, fishing, hunting, trade form, women stay home. Direct Production/ Direct Satisfaction of Wants Direct Production really means that human beings provide all their needs for themselves and their family without the aid of others; in other words, they do not depend on others to provide. Indirect Production/ Indirect Satisfaction of Wants Indirect Production means that human beings exchange their surplus by barter with others; in other words, human beings depend on others to do things for them  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subsistence EconomySubsistence Economy – An economy which provide just enough to survive, but not to improve their way of life. BARTER SYSTEM Barter System is the exchange of goods or services for other goods and services without the use of money. ADVANTAGE OF BARTER SYSTEM * It allowed people to dispose of any surplus, they had at the same time obtain a variety of things they needed. * It enables persons to enjoy goods and services they could not produce. * Countries with foreign currency problems can get goods and services that they require. Countries that engage in trade can strengthen their political and cultural ties. DISADVANTAGE OF BARTER SYSTEM * Double or co-incidence of wants – No trade can take place unless there is double or co-incidence of wants; that is your trading partner has wh at you want and wants what you have. * Time Consumption – It could be challenging to find willing partners. * Spoilage – If an individual failed to find a suitable partner within a reasonable time ones wealth in goods could be destroyed. Unequal Exchange – There is the difficulty or unequal exchange where the values of some goods far outweigh the value of other goods. MONEY Money is any commodity that is generally acceptable and is used as a medium of exchange and as a measure of value CHARACTERISTICS OF MONEY * Acceptability – It must be readily acceptable by everyone * Durability – It should not wear out easily * Homogeneity – it features should be identical * Divisibility – Money should be able to be broken down into smaller units. Portability – It should be easy to carry around. FUNCTIONS OF MONEY * Medium of Exchange – Money makes the exchange of goods easier * Measure of Value – Money can be used to state pr ices of goods * Store of Value –   Money can be saved * Deferred Payment – Money can be earned at one time and spent at another. DIVISION OF LABOUR OR SPECIALIZATION Division of labour is sharing the work. The work is divided among persons and they specialize in doing their part of the process, specialization comes as a part of this. DIVISION OF LABOUR BY PRODUCTDivision of labour by product means people can do what they can do best in exchange for money and then using the money earned to buy the goods and services of others. DIVISION OF LABOUR BY PROCESS Division of labour by process means by organizing production into many stages workers become more specialized in their work and consequently they produce more. ADVANTAGES OF DIVISION OF LABOUR OR SPECIALIZATION * Workers become more expert in their jobs * Jobs become simpler and easier to learn * Output per person increases * Machinery and automation can be used Workers can more easily change jobs * Unit cost are re duced DISADVANTAGES OF DIVISION OF LABOUR OR SPECIALIZATION * Work can be tedious and boring thus resulting in poor worker motivation and the likelihood of a higher rate of absentism * Workers creativity is limited * Greater use of machinery can cause unemployment * Production can easily be stopped by strikes ECONOMIC SYSTEM Economic System refers to the method by which a nation or country plan to utilize its resources in order to achieve economic growth and to benefit its citizens. MAJOR ECONOMIC SYSTEMEvery country is given by an economic system as each system has to decide how to allocate its resources to meet the needs of the citizens. This is a problem because the worlds resources are limited in supply and mans wants are unlimited. The economic is therefore deciding how to best to share these scarce resources. The decision of what to produce or what choices to make from the limited resources available is influenced by the political situation within which the decision is made. I n order to share resources all economic must answer to all these problems. PROBLEMS OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM FACE Limited Resources * Man wants are unlimited * Scarcity * How to share resources * Choice / decision No two countries are organized in the same way but they all have to solve three basic problems as follows * What should be produced? * How much to produce? * How is it to be produce? * Where is it to be produce? There are four different economic systems which answer the foregoing questions. * Subsistence Economy * Free Market Economy {Alternative name – Capitalists, Laissez-faire} * Controlled Economy {Alternative name – Collectivists, Communist, Command Control} * Mixed SUBSISTENCE ECONOMYA subsistence economy is one where there is little specialization and little trade. In such an economy people tend to live in family groups and grow most of their own food. Free Market Economy In a free market economy there is little or no government interference in the economy. It is based on the private ownership of the factors of production and the means of the distributing goods and services. Market forces are allowed to determine how resources are allocated. Examples of Free Market Economy is Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America and Hong Kong Advantages of Free market Economy Individuals are free to make choices as to what they want to produce, where they who they want to work for, what price they are going to charge for labour and also the price of their finished products * Customers can decide what to produce by influencing market prices * When consumers demands certain goods and services, they send messages to the producers who in turn will produce and meet the demands and thus satisfy the preference of consumers Disadvantages of Free market Economy * It encourages inequalities of wealth The more powerful businesses may buy out the smaller ones thus reducing competition * Wealthy people are more able to purchase and influence t he market than smaller ones * Companies may be tempted to restrict supplies to keep prices high Planned / Controlled / Collectivist Economy In a controlled economy all economic decisions are made by the government. The state decides what to produce, how it is to be produced and how it should be allocated to consumers; in other words, the state decides what the community needs and therefore demand is not influenced by the consumer.Examples of Controlled economies are Cuba and China. Advantages of Controlled Economy * State   control eliminates wasteful competition * The state will provide goods that private enterprise will be unwilling to provide * It is impossible for private monopolies to develop * The state ensures that the needs of the community are met Disadvantages of Controlled Economy * Free enterprise and competition are discouraged * Creativeness and efficiency are not encouraged MIXED ECONOMY Mixed economy is a combination of elements from free economy and a controlled e conomy.There is a public sector controlled by the government which provides goods and services that the state feels it can manage most efficiently and a private sector in which individuals risk capital in producing goods and services for profit. ADVANTAGES OF MIXED ECONOMY * Individuals have freedom of choice * Government can intervene to protect citizens from unfair monopoly * Both the private and public sector may unite in producing goods. DISADVANTAGES OF MIXED ECONOMY * It is possible for private monopolies to develop Too many government regulations may discourage persons from owning a business GLOBALIZATION Globalization can be seen as the intensification and spread of world wide social, economic, cultural and political relationships among countries. BENEFITS OF GLOBALIZATION * Provision of high quality goods and services at a cheaper rate which is achieved through economies of scale * In contributing to globalization firms not only provide goods and services economically but t hey also provide employment for people IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATIONThe impact of globalization has some adverse effect on small economies of the Caribbean. Large international firms that can produce high quality goods and services at a cheaper cost set challenges to small firms that are producing similar goods and services PRIMARY PRODUCTION Primary Production includes activity which takes the natural resources from the earth, that is the extraction of raw materials and the growing of food. Example Mining, fishing farming and forestry Secondary ProductionSecondary production involves manufacturing, processing and construction which transform raw materials into finish or semi-finished goods. Example baking, ship building and office construction. Tertiary Production Tertiary production includes the provision of serves example Hairdressing. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR The private sector is that part of the economy that is owned and controlled by private individuals and firms. Funds for the es tablishment of private business operation are obtained through * Loans from Bank or Financial Institution * Personal Savings Financing from family and friends The public sector refers to business in the economy that are owned by government for the benefit of the public citizens. The main motive is to provide goods and services to benefit the country. Funds will mainly com from taxation. Private sector enterprise will involve in manufacturing, mining etc and they are able to produce or provide the services they wish but they must abide by rules and regulation establish by the government, on the other hand, the public sector relies on the private sector for taxation to maintain the operations of the country.In most Caribbean countries we say that there is a mixed economy because some businesses are privately owned and others are owned by the state ADVANTAGES OF PRIVATE SECTOR TO A SOCIETY * Public Sector protects citizens from exploitation by powerful monopolies * Public sector provid es employment for many persons * Public sector contributes to the economic lives of the country PUBLIC BUSINESS UNDERTAKINGS Public Corporations: These are government or state owned businesses that are primarily run by Central government.Municipal Undertakings: These are government owned businesses that are run primarily by the Local Government. These include market, parks and beaches Government Undertakings: These departments carry out special functions such as education, health and finance REASONS FOR ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS * To earn a income * To make a profit- which is the result when a firm’s sales revenue is greater than its total costs. Profit is important because it enables business to survive and grow, it also provides the owner with a return for taking the risk of losing money they have invested. To provide employment to persons in and around the community * To expand production and increase the yearly sales of the firm * To produce a product that is either a good or service to the community * To have the satisfaction of being one’s own boss SOLE TRADERSHIP OR SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP The sole tradership or sole proprietorship is defined as a one man business, this is so because he or she enters business on his or her own, therefore bearing the risk of the business and thus entitled to all the profits.Even when the sole trader invites someone else to assist in the running of the business, these individuals would be employees. They do not share in ownership of the business and the owner is responsible for decisions made concerning the business. * Sole tradership is very easy to setup and operate. * It does not require any legal paperwork or registration. * Sole Trader is an unincorporated business, which means that the owner and business are one and same in the eyes of the law. This means that he conducts in his own name, his business is not separate from him. Sole Trader has unlimited liability which means that their personal assets can be clamed to settle the debts of their business that is why in the case of bankruptcy the sole trader stands to lose his/ her personal belongings, if the business assets cannot cover his/her debts. In order to finance the business the sole trader may: *   Use his personal savings to start the business. * The sole trader may also borrow funds from family members or friends. * The sole trader may also get funds from financial institution such as credit unions, commercial banks or government sources as the business progresses. The sole trader may also reinvest or plough back some of the profits made in the business. The sole Trader may sell ownership of his business to someone else. If he/she dies then the business no longer exists. ADVANTAGES OF SOLE TRADER * The business is simple to start and usually requires only a small amount of capital * Profits are not shared * Decisions are made promptly and the new ideas put in place quickly * The owner retains personal control over the direct ion and growth of his/her business DISADVANTAGES OF SOLE TRADER It is difficult to access capital if the sole trader wants to expand his business * The sole trader bears all the losses * The sole trader may have to work long hours and may not be able to take vacation when he wants to do so * Unlimited Liability , therefore in the case of bankruptcy he may lose his personal belongings to claim its debts * There is lack of continuity if the owner dies PARTNERSHIP An ordinary partnership is an association of two to twenty persons who are in business together with a view to earning a profit.This type of partnership may have general or active partners who are involved in the day to day operations of the business. A Sleeping partner is a partner who may be willing to introduce capital into a business but may not wish to take an active part in the running of the business In an ordinary partnership all partners have unlimited liability which means that they stand to lose not only their inve stment capital but also their personal assets. It is possible to have a limited partnership bit at least one partner mush accept unlimited liability.Partnership is formed amongst partners, partners may share in the management of the business or may serve as the manager or they may employ someone to manage the business Partners are free to decide whatever arrangement they like amongst themselves as to what rules will govern their organization. Partners have a written arrangement or deed. A partnership deed sets out the rights of each partner as to the division of profits. The deed sets out: * The name of the business and the date the business started * The type of business and the location of the business Details of each partner * The amount of capital each partner invested * How profits to be shared * The responsibility of each partner in the business In financing a partnership business all partners pool their savings together, loans and retained. Profits are shared by the deed draw n up by the partners, the absence of the deed means that profits are shared equally. In a partnership all partners are held personally responsible for all debts of the business. If one partner cannot fulfill his obligations then the other partner will bear all the losses. A partnership may be terminated: When partner or partners decide to sell their share of the partnership to someone else. When this occurs a new partners are brought in. * If it becomes insolvent or bankrupt * When all parties agree to terminate the business ADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIP * It is easy to form as there are few legal formalities * More capital is available to foster growth and development. * Workload can be shared amongst partners DISADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIP * If a partner makes a mistake all partners stand to lose * Each partner is liable for the debts of the business * Possible disagreements between partners Membership limit of twenty which restricts resources of the business CO-OPERATIVES A cooperative is a form of business that is owned and controlled by a group of persons who have a common interest and who have an equal say in operation. Types of Cooperatives * Producer Cooperative: In this type of cooperative society members are in their business of producing example in a farming community * Buyers Cooperatives: This is a type of cooperative in which persons who use a particular good in their business operations come together to purchase that good in large quantities and gain benefits of discounts. Financial Cooperatives: This is a service oriented society. It brings together persons who have a common interest. The aim is for members to pool their resources in the provision of service * Workers Cooperative: Are businesses that are owned and run by their own workforces. Example the crews of a bus company Cooperative is governed by a general meeting. The meeting is held annually and it is at this meeting that a committee is appointed to handle the day to day affairs of the coope rative.The cooperative is controlled by its members. Each member contributes to share capital of the cooperative. Members finance the cooperative through the purchase of shares Shareholders receives dividends if the cooperative makes a profit from its operation. The amount of dividend is related to the number of shares held. Dividends are generally small, since the major goal is not to make a profit but to provide a service to its members. Earnings from a cooperative are not totally consumed in the payment of dividend.Most of these are ploughed back into the cooperatives to finance operational needs identified by the members. ADVANTAGES OF CO-OPERATIVES * Members benefit from the pooling of funds for the purpose of lending to other members * Members have equal say in the operation of business as well as in the decision making of the cooperatives * Members are the owners of the cooperative society * Employment is created within the organization DISADVANTAGES OF CO-OPERATIVES * Profit s may be small or non existent * Shortage or lack of capital may inhibit growth and cause problems

The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirate of Penzance is a movie rendition of the operetta of the same title by Gilbert and Sullivan. The said film was released in 1983 and tells the story of Frederick, a young pirate who decides to change his ways when he meets Mabel and falls in love for the first time. As a comedic opera, the movie is worthy of the great reviews it receives from present day critics. However, I personally think that the director did not take advantage of the film techniques that could have smoothened the whole thing. He wanted to catch the raw aspect of Gilbert and Sullivan’s work, to a point that the settings were way off key; there’s a cinematic experience missing. Aside from being both musical factors, I think that the Little Stores of Horror and the Pirates of Penzance shared little in common; unless of course we entertain the general theme of romantic relations. In terms of power struggles, we could see the attempt of two individuals to overcome the control of people and plant they have come to love. In contrast however, the musical score of the two films differ. On one hand is a more classic, theatric composition/performances and on the other is a more modernized and jazzed up Little Shop of Horror. Both movies did epitomize the absolute masculine as the protagonist but instead chose to have a â€Å"nerd† and Frederick was not played out in a machismo kind of way. All the three films; Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man, and The Pirates of Penzance include love between two rather unlikely couple. Little shop is a cult movie by people’s standards today and does not really offer bright approach to it self. We see a person eaten up, or the dentist body being cut up. This is something one would never expect to see in the other two films. The Music Man offers a tad bit more similarity in plot and characters with the Pirates of Penzance. In terms of the inner conflicts of both films; there is sameness in manner which the two protagonists are at a state of leaving and evolving from their old and assumed to be bad lives. A key element in their desire to turn a leaf is two women. One is a daughter of a Major General, Mabel; while the other is the town’s librarian. In comparing we could say that Mabel and Ms. Marian accept the conflict of the two heroes differently. Mabel is more accepting and shows her self to be the first person to answer Frederik’s request. Ms. Marian on the other hand was the one insistent in the fraud nature of Professor Hill. While one seeks for her lover’s acceptance, the other asks for change and even agrees to hide the salesman’s identity. Being the con-artist salesman shares a resemblance to being a pirate if we think about it; coming in an innocent town and pillaging or deceiving in order to gain and then get up and leave. I would not have believed that Kevin Kline would ever sing in a film, especially an operetta on which he plays a Pirate King. The latter was able to capture the aim of showing these particular band of pirates as non-ferocious kind, who really are not as buccaneer as they would want to be. There is this particular charm in the manner in which Kline handled the role. The Pirates of Penzance does not bank on realism; however the portrayal of Pirate King had a certain kick to the whole flick. In terms of singing voice we could easily see that this man can; compared to Matthew Broderick and James Seymour. Kevin Kline took on the role and revealed the comedic and some what joke like layer that surrounds the Pirate King. One of my favorite characters of the Play is the Major General played by George Rose. As we could see his voice is able to replicate the demands of the original operatic performance. There is versatility in the type of tones he could play with in his character. One may take him as the little funny man of the show but at the same time when he explicitly shifts to his authoritative position as Major General, he is still able to bring out the rawness of the humor and the performance. These two individuals tended to carry the show especially where the hero, Frederick lacked. I am unsure if he played his role according to specifications or the actor playing the part simply was an amateur and did not know how to attack the character. He seems to be one of those 1980’s aspiring rockers who are a tad bit effeminate. The initial coming together of Gilbert and Sullivan was through the opera Thespis (1871) at which their approach then was spontaneous and risquà ©. The Producer, Richard D'Oyly Carte was a key figure in shaping and maintaining the creative collaborations of the two. the age difference of the two men probably helped in providing a balance the works they worked together. Gilbert was hand on in his approach to theatre and made sure that everything was in order. He wanted actors to imbibe the absurdity of the characters as if they were more real and no logical alternative is possible. Sullivan on the other hand focused mainly on the musical scores; meaning the two kept clear to a certain extent of each one’s area of responsibility. However in later years, we are able to see falling out between the two due perhaps to their difference in theatrical direction. One did not see the point of working with the other. It was unfortunate since the humor and crispness of Gilbert’s craft is dressed well with the fresh notes of Sullivan. To be honest, I found the spectacle of the movie quite cheap. Perhaps this was due to the desire to maintain the authenticity of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera; however in terms of set, things could be way better. It turned out to seem like the scenes are shot on a studio crafted for a local children’s program. The pirate king and Frederick had on something that cuts across old pirate with 80’s new wave. Fredrick’s costume is not really reminiscent of the stereotypical pirate, resembles more of a Spanish Bull Fighter crossed with a Spanish gun fitter I think that the color of his shirt and the dual belts and the knee high boots give this impression The theme is a coming of age, love and honor despite what one has grown to live as. There is of course the factor of finding humor and humanity in those we have often deemed to be scoundrels. The relationship between collective belonging and individuality is seen. Reference: Wilford Leach (1983),   The Pirates of Penzance, film, original from Gilbert and Sullivan.

The Old Man And The Sea Essays - American Literature, Free Essays

The Old Man And The Sea Essays - American Literature, Free Essays The Old Man And The Sea The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of man's strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a story about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the Old Man and the Sea strives to teach important life lessons to the reader while also epitomizing Santiago, the old fisherman, as a Hemingway code hero. The relationship between Santiago and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago's feelings. He even offers to disobey his parents and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore unlucky. Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend. Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for a long time. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and S antiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio is injured with a heel spur. In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith. In the story Santiago's bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the great fish that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago's actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and tenacity in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a faith and willful heart will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his luckiness and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself. This is perhaps his greatest attribute because without it he would never have had the strength to persevere and defeat the giant Marlin. Faith is not the only thing that drives his perseverance. Santiago also draws upon his past victories for strength. After he hooks the Marlin he frequently recalls his battle with a native in what he calls the hand game. It is not just an arm wrestling victory for him it is a reminder of his youthful days. His recollections of this event usually proceed a favorite dream of his in which he sees many lions on a peaceful shore. These lions represent him when he is young and strong and could overcome any challenge. Although he is an old man and his body is no longer like it used to be his heart is still great and he eventually defeats the Marlin. Santiago's perseverance and bravery are further illustrated when he tries to fight off the sharks. He was a fisherman all his life and therefore he knows that the fate of his catch is inevitable yet he persists to fight the sharks. The battle between him and the sharks is about principles not a mere fish. Santiago is still a great warrior at hea rt and warriors fight until the end. One of the greatest and most obvious pieces of symbolism in the story is Christianity. From the beginning of the story the reader is shown a unique relationship between Santiago and Manolin. Their relationship parallels that of Christ and his disciples. Manolin is Santiago's disciple and Santiago teaches Manolin about fishing and life. One of the greatest lessons that Santiago gives is that of a simple faith. Have faith in the Yankees my son. This type of faith reflects the basic principles of Christianity. Hemingway's

The Secret Life of Bees - Discussion Questions

The Secret Life of Bees - Discussion Questions Sue Monk Kidds debut novel, ​The Secret Life of Bees, is a coming-of-age story about feminine spirituality, racial tension, and maneuvering through love, loss, and change. The Secret Life of Bees is a great choice for womens book clubs and has the potential to promote lively discussions. Use these book club discussion questions to guide your group through Sue Monk Kidds touching tale. The Best Book Club Questions forThe Secret Life of Bees Spoiler Warning: These questions may reveal important details about The Secret Life of Bees. Finish the book before reading on. How would you describe Lilys feelings about her mother? Did they change throughout the novel? How did hearing that her mother left her to affect her perception of her mother?Do you believe T-Rays account of what happened when Lilys mother died?Did your opinion of T-Ray change when August told Lily about how much he used to love her mother? Does Deborahs abandonment explain or excuse T-Ray?Do you agree with Lily that people would rather die than forgive? Does she forgive her mother? T-Ray? Herself?What do the bees mean to the story? What is the secret life of bees?Do you think race was portrayed realistically in The Secret Life of Bees? What do you think Sue Monk Kidd was saying about race in this novel?Why did Rosaleen spit on the mens shoes? What are the ways the characters in the novel confront injustice? How do you think we should deal with injustice? Do these kinds of prejudices still exist today?What was your reaction to Lilys relationship with Zach? What do you think happened t o them in the future? Talk about the sisters. Who was your favorite? Do we all need a wailing wall, like May? Why do you think June was cold toward Lily? How would you describe August?What role did the Black Madonna play in their community? What do you think about the legend of the Black Madonna?Rate The Secret Life of Bees on a scale of 1 to 5.

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation Lessons in Joy, Leadership, and the Mona Lisa

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation Lessons in Joy, Leadership, and the Mona Lisa Mona Lisa Smile Have you ever tried smiling with just the one side of your mouth? I attempted to do so as part of a leadership workshop last week and was surprised to find out what happened. Before I reveal the punch line, try it yourself: Really smile, with your eyes and everything. Just only use the left side of your mouth. How did it go? OK. Now try smiling with the right side of your mouth. Smile with your mouth and with your eyes. Surprised? If you’re like me and everyone else I know, you found yourself grimacing more than smiling in the second part of this exercise. For me, the seeming impossibility of cracking a right-sided smile was a true eye-opener about where in our brains our emotions show up. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the Mona Lisa is smiling on†¦ guess which side of her face? This phenomenon was just one of the many things I learned about last week when I attended a leadership training with the Wright Institute. The training was a total immersion in a sea of topics including emotional intelligence, creating joy, the formation and workings of the human brain, and getting group projects done with the right leadership (note: the link will bring you to an introductory weekend training; the one I attended was a more in-depth week-long retreat). After the retreat, we were asked to write an essay about the experience in order to cement our learning- something akin to â€Å"What I Did on My Summer Vacation.† I’m sharing my essay here. What I learned will inform the way I live my life and conduct my business for years to come. I gained takeaways not just about Mona Lisa smiling tricks but also about what it means to be a leader, share myself, create joy, and, well, be human. My wish is that you see something for yourself in the following words What I Learned on Summer Training 2013 At Summer I learned how to show up as a leader. It’s not about what I’ve done. It’s not about my skills as they relate to stuff I can do. It’s not about being liked. Leadership requires presence. It requires being willing to risk and to correct myself and others. It requires a strong vision and the ability to communicate it powerfully. It requires being incredibly awake! And it requires caring about the people I’m leading more than I care about getting stuff done. At Summer I learned how to share. It’s not about telling stories or talking about insights. It doesn’t require â€Å"getting it† or having â€Å"done the homework.† It doesn’t require â€Å"knowing† anything. All it takes to share is to be with my feelings, be with the person I’m with, be with my heart and feel into the hearts of the people around me. At Summer I learned how to â€Å"dedicate† to joy. It’s not about being happy all the time. It’s not easy. It’s not a one-shot deal and there’s no magic pill. Joy is not a phenomenon based on life circumstances. Dedicating to joy is a responsibility- a big one to the world and the people around me. Joy is a choice, made moment by moment. Joy often looks like hurt, tears and anger fully felt that open into joy. Joy requires opening- over and over. Joy is accessible to us all. It takes practice. 10,000 hours to mastery, as with so many other things. (See Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers) At Summer I learned that I matter. Not for the things that I do, not for my talents and not for my creativity or my singing voice. I learned that I don’t have to prove that I matter, and that trying to do so is a losing battle, since in that paradigm as soon as I’ve had to prove it I don’t really matter. I matter because I am. I matter because I have feelings and heart waves that reach out at least 3 feet from my body. Because I am everything that I am. And I learned that these are the things that make other people matter too. At Summer I learned that the lifelong journey of getting to know myself as a leader and group member has only just begun. Getting to know the people around me (including the intricacies of their left and right side facial muscles) is an integral and fascinating part of that journey. I will continue to explore over the next year, and look forward to taking the next steps forward on Summer Training 2014.

Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assigment - Essay Example So all these conversations for the period 1941-1944 were recorded at Hitler’s headquarters and were published later on in media in several languages. Hitler’s reputation in the public and media reflects his mindset about the politics and will power that he had. Hitler was considered political genius, a man with will power, decisive nature, personality and ideas to bring humankind in darkness (Cameron & Stevens 2000). For understanding Hitler, it is important to go deep in his mind and understand the main point of a discussion. It is important to know the facts from his personal words and not from the speeches and statements, he made. On night 11th-12th 1941, Hitler says, the man who considers universe with open eyes, that man has the greatest natural goodness (Cameron & Stevens 2000). He insisted that mankind must know the laws by which life in governed. On night 22nd-23rd 1941, he says, Germans are hardworking people but they get less wages as compared to their work (C ameron & Stevens 2000). Hard work enabled us to produce cheap and mass produced articles in the fields of chemistry and optical instruments to compete English markets. He also said that England and America are about to start a bloodiest war that will eliminate one of them. We should increase live stock and energy resources. Water power electricity must be adopted at fast pace to overcome energy crisis. Germany should use 100000 acres for cultivation of rubber (Cameron & Stevens 2000). In august 1941 Hitler says, Germans must see a war after every 15 years for their good (Cameron & Stevens 2000). If I sacrifice thousand or two thousand lives, that can be answered. I understand the first encounter of a woman with a man. This can be compared with a soldier’s facing the war for the first time. Germany is the only country that has no unemployment so we are not the slaves of import. In October 1941, we must keep two aims in front, one to keep the war away from our frontiers and sec ond to hold our positions at the eastern fronts at all cost. If someone does not hold respect than he falls below the level of an animal. Hitler said that Jews are responsible for two world wars. Two million deaths of First World War and now thousands in Second World War because of Jews. Christianity has damaged the world badly by destroying the libraries of the ancient world (Cameron & Stevens 2000). Party should keep itself away from religion. Church friendship is too costly to bear. The second part of table talk consists of the period from 1st January to 5th February 1942. In January 1942, he met under secretary of the state and said that prisoners of war be used for constructing tunnels during the hostilities (Cameron & Stevens 2000). Any fool can be made in charge of them and German labour should not be wasted on such a work. He said that we have not lost war against England; Rommel can get two hundred tanks in desert to capture Malta. England knows our strength so cannot use t he route of Mediterranean to reach India. President Roosevelt is a sick brain; Americans are the most stupid people in the world. They will further fall in all affairs. Freemasonry is corrupting the complete world (Cameron & Stevens 2000). Every Englishman speaks against the Churchill that he is off his head. He cannot win the war by lying and corruption. Churchill would not listen to American command asking for abandoning Far East. On 8th

Child Trafficking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Trafficking - Essay Example These children, having suffered at the hands of fate get tempted by such offers, mainly because they want to make good money to serve their personal and family needs. Such children sometimes even step out of their houses with these agents, even without their parental consent. Actually neither the child nor the â€Å"adult is usually aware of the full implications of their actions† (What is Child Trafficking para. 2). Often, by the time these children are rescued, it is generally too late. The children who have been trafficked and sexually exploited have to bear various consequences varying from unwanted pregnancies to HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. The physical scars can still be dealt with but the psychological scars remain to haunt them for a lifetime! Unfortunately, though many children get rescued their sufferings continue. According to an NGO, Plan USA, â€Å"The causes of child trafficking are complex and often reinforce each other. Victims are often made vulnerable by factors including poverty, the attraction of perceived higher standards of living, lack of employment opportunities, organized crime, violence and discrimination against women and children, government corruption, political instability and armed conflict† (What is Child Trafficking para. 2). ... The statistics show that in the last 20 year's time, anti trafficking organizations have worked harder to accept, understand, research and resolve the issue. But, despite of these continuous efforts, the problem remains unresolved. Therefore, it is time to make cumulative effort globally to eradicate such heinous issues thriving around us. â€Å"Some shocking numbers: Approximately 80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls of which upto 50% are minors. – U.S. State Department The average age of entry for children, who have been victims of the sex trade industry is about 12 years. – U.S. Department of Justice The global market for child trafficking is over $12 billion a year, with more than 1.2 million child victims. – UNICEF Surveys indicate that 30 to 35 % of all sex workers in Mekong (sub-region of Southeast Asia) are between 12 and 17 years of age. – UNICEF The average cost of slavery today is $90, a historic low† (Bales). Apart from w hat the governments across the world are doing to end child trafficking, there are other non profit agencies which are aiming towards rescuing children from hunger, abuse and disease. Each day, more and more children are trafficked into prostitution, forced labor, child marriages and other kinds of slavery. â€Å"Each day, the challenges grow greater for those who seek to prevent child trafficking and provide care for children who have been trafficked† (Our Mission para. 2). We all wait for someone else to bring about that change ! A general tendency is not to bother about the problem - unless it befalls upon us. That is precisely the reason why problems which are occurring on global level seldom find a global and effective solution. Sometimes it is people’s fear that holds them back from raising

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Research paper - Essay Example Earthquakes are believed to be caused by different occurrences that include glacial rebounding, sliding of tectonic plates that lie over each other, and by sudden discharge of stored strain that is accumulated along a fault line. The severity of a shake from an earthquake is usually as a result of three factors i.e. its magnitude attenuation of a wave that causes the earth quake as it moves through the earth’s surface and the possible disruption caused by different rock structure (Hough par 9-12). These vibrations can be predicted before they happen in a place. When these vibrations happen also, they result in major disruptions to physical features. However, the major cause of investigation has resulted from the threat these vibrations cause to people. The ability to predict great causes of damaging events that are likely to face an area in future time is a basic element of risk reduction development practices. It becomes an important element when it is facing emergency and le ad to development of a good planning for such emergency (Albarello and Meletti 1-2). Earthquakes are caused by seismic waves. The intensity of these waves is measured with a machine known as a seismometer. The depth of the earthquake is another determiner of its intensity. Earthquakes are a major threat to life because if they happen with great magnitude, they lead to destruction of properties in which people live. When they happen on the water, they result to tsunamis that are likely to result in disruption of waters and seizing of ships. The commotion caused on the water also is extended to the coast, which causes major deaths of people at such coastal lands and destruction of property. Before the 1970s and 1980s, prominent scientists were optimistic that reliable prediction of earthquakes was possibly going to come. This was facilitated and motivated by the ground breaking prediction event of Soviet Union prediction of an earthquake and the successfully accomplished prediction of Chinese earthquake that happened in Haicheng. However, even with those optimistic achievements, there was a lot of pessimism because still many predictions were not reliable by then (Hough 34). Today, prediction of earthquakes is possible by scientists who agree that the understanding of ground motion attenuation relationships is an important aspect of predicting possibility of there being an earthquake. In March 2009, an Italian technician observed the radon and noticed some abnormalities and predicted that a great magnitude earthquake would be experienced. Although seismologists did not concur with that laboratory scientist, a fatal earthquake was experienced in L’Aquila barely a month after the prediction. The earthquake claimed many lives and were injured while a lot of property was destroyed and many were displaced from their places. Forecasting of earthquakes is faced with many debates about their occurrence once they have happened. For example, when it happened in cit y of L’Aquila a lot of questions and debates followed; scientists were fiercely faced by contradiction basing on their ability to forecast such dangers. This earthquake was so destructive such that everyone affected by it rose against the people who are responsible for predicting (Albarello and Meletti 3). Currently, there are many prediction methods for earthquakes developed such that one does not have to ask whether it is possible to

Db5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 - Research Paper Example The sales is expected to rise with hardwork from the group. The company will however have to input a lot into training the young workers. The experience levels of this group is far much below what an older generation can offer. As a result, the company will be forced to use more in terms of benefits. This category realize the least health problems and need for health benefits will not down the company. It is at this time that the company may introduce appropriate premium benefit services to enhance the future behavior of the employees. Having a balanced male to female ratio will mean the company deal with balanced gender related issues and it will not be weighed down (Kronenfeld, 2010). The case above comprises of a mixture of experienced and young employees. It is the most productive in terms of experience. However, such a combination is bound to pose challenges to the administration from the initial stages. It is true that there are instances of successful women input to companies. In fact, some researchers argue that women are the best managers of corporate affairs. However, the age bracket identified seem to be a productive age. This is the time the employees will request for more maternal leaves and benefits. This might impact negatively as the business will have to solicit for replacements. In addition, they will have to take care of health benefits of their employees (Kronenfeld, 2010). This is an aging demographic combination. It is full of experience and so good in nurturing new employees. The company will however have to deal with a lot of benefits demands. They have to prepare for retirement packages for their workers. Also, this generation is bound to experience more health related problems leading to more health benefits demands. This is likely to stain the resources (Kronenfeld, 2010). Some recommendations are also necessary to help the organization handle situations of benefits to her employees. StopNShopToday can introduce the following

Strategic human resource management in tourism and hospitality Essay

Strategic human resource management in tourism and hospitality - Essay Example The SHRM approach focuses on long-term HR issues and macro-concerns such as organizational culture, values, commitment, and structure, among other things. In this view, Strategic HRM guides organizational decisions concerning personnel recruitment, training, development, performance management, and appraisal; personnel relations strategies, policies, and practices are also a key concern to SHRM. Unlike the traditional HRM, SHRM is an integrated approach in that its HRM strategies are integrated both with the business strategy and with one another. Strategic HRM plays a very crucial role in the tourism and hospitality industry because it leads to efficiency in service delivery and a multiplicity of competitive advantages for industry players (Baum, 2006). Some of the major challenges facing organizations and managers in the highly competitive tourism and hospitality sector are to do with recruiting, developing and maintaining a committed and competent workforce. To keep the workforce well managed, well-motivated, and focused on providing high-quality products and services to the increasingly demanding and discerning customers is another major concern for organizations and managers in the Tourism and Hospitality industry. ... Other major issues of great concern to long term HRM planning include changes in organizational structure and culture, matching resources to future requirements, development competitive advantages, management of knowledge, and change management. Strategic HRM enables the organizations to meet human capital requirements and to develop process capabilities i.e. the ability achieve outcomes more effectively. The aim of long term HRM is to identify all issues relating to the workforce that affect or they are affected by the strategic direction of the organization (Nickson, 2012); this enables the organization to make remedial interventions beforehand. In this respect, critical concerns of HRM such as choice of top management and formation of healthy human resource relations are crucial to every organization. HRM underscores the need for planning, matching HRM activities, and policies to business strategies; it also underscores the need for organizations to consider utilization of their w orkforce as a strategic source competitive advantage. McDonalds Restaurants SHRM McDonalds is one of the many organizations operating in the tourism and hospitality industry in general and the food industry in particular; McDonalds began in the USA back in the year 1955 with a single restaurant. Since it opened to date, McDonalds has become the world’s largest and fastest growing Quick Service restaurant with over $30 billion worth of sales (Chirantan, 2013). Today, McDonalds operates about 21,000 stores in over 101 countries in the world with plans of expansion in the future by opening an additional 3200 stores (Business2000, n.d). The food industry is a highly competitive sector that requires all players to maintain high standards of service, customer satisfaction, and hygiene.

Db5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db5 - Research Paper Example The sales is expected to rise with hardwork from the group. The company will however have to input a lot into training the young workers. The experience levels of this group is far much below what an older generation can offer. As a result, the company will be forced to use more in terms of benefits. This category realize the least health problems and need for health benefits will not down the company. It is at this time that the company may introduce appropriate premium benefit services to enhance the future behavior of the employees. Having a balanced male to female ratio will mean the company deal with balanced gender related issues and it will not be weighed down (Kronenfeld, 2010). The case above comprises of a mixture of experienced and young employees. It is the most productive in terms of experience. However, such a combination is bound to pose challenges to the administration from the initial stages. It is true that there are instances of successful women input to companies. In fact, some researchers argue that women are the best managers of corporate affairs. However, the age bracket identified seem to be a productive age. This is the time the employees will request for more maternal leaves and benefits. This might impact negatively as the business will have to solicit for replacements. In addition, they will have to take care of health benefits of their employees (Kronenfeld, 2010). This is an aging demographic combination. It is full of experience and so good in nurturing new employees. The company will however have to deal with a lot of benefits demands. They have to prepare for retirement packages for their workers. Also, this generation is bound to experience more health related problems leading to more health benefits demands. This is likely to stain the resources (Kronenfeld, 2010). Some recommendations are also necessary to help the organization handle situations of benefits to her employees. StopNShopToday can introduce the following

Value Creation, Communication, and Evaluation Essay - 1

Value Creation, Communication, and Evaluation - Essay Example Thus, the organization competes by ensuring that the standard and quality of its products is high and that the products satisfy the customers wants fully. The organization also competes by promoting its products with the utmost zeal and dedication. This strategy is mainly reached by committing a substantial amount of funds to the sales and marketing department. Effective promotion is also achieved by employing qualified and experienced sales persons. Indeed, the competitive strategies employed by the organization blend well with its marketing strategies. This is because; over the past years the organization has managed to attract more customers than its competitors by use of these marketing strategies. Taking for instance, despite the wide use of promotions and advertisements by the organization, it still manages to maintain a low cost/benefit ratio. This is mainly by ensuring that the advertisements are acutely economical and that the resources used do not exceed the benefits obtained (Paley, 2008). The issue of value proposition is also a strategy employed to ensure the organization competes well in the market. The main value propositions offered include promising the customers to improve the value of products, offer a variety of products, and to ensure that high quality is maintained. The value is communicated to customers by explaining the product relevance to them, stating the benefits that accrue after purchasing the product, and finally informing the customers about the unique differentiation of its products from those of the competitors. The organization also makes use of visuals in order to catch the attention of customers and also achieve a better understanding of the promotion. Over the past years, the organization has managed to make a compelling value proposition by communicating the concrete results to customers clearly. The management also ensures that the

Environmental Ethics Essay Example for Free

Environmental Ethics Essay Environmental ethics falls under the discipline of environmental philosophy that studies how human beings relate to their natural environment. This is a wide study that involves a variety of other disciplines such as those that study human relationships, economics, the earth’s structure and biology especially ecology. Human beings being the most superior of all the living things on earth have an ethical obligation to the environment concerning the earth, air, water, other organisms and the human population, both the present and the future generation. Environmental ethics brigs up a variety of issues concerning what, when, how and why we should consider this area of study. Aspects arising include the environment’s moral value, how sustainable are the policies on environmental protection, and how do these apply to the developing nations, and what policies should be put in place to ensure that the environment is safe guarded for the future generation, among others. Many philosophers through the years have studied this topic, but it only came to be recognized as an independent discipline in 1970, due to awareness of effects of increasing human knowledge on the environment. Growing economics and populations, new technologies and development of industries all have had various adverse effects on nature, although aimed at improving life. The works of Rachael Carson, Paul Ehrlich, Aldo Leopold, among others brought about ethical concerns about the environment. Under environmental ethics, human beings have a duty towards the environment, on protection and conservation as well as having a quality life for themselves. In this context, contentious issues arise as to why we should be concerned about the environment. Should it be for us, the living human beings, the future generation, or for the environment itself regardless of our own benefits? Different personalities offer different answers to this question; hence different views have come up on environmental ethics. The issues of environmental ethics is of growing concern to the government and other institution including United Nations which have come up with incentives to people to value and appreciate nature. Earth Day which is held annually (first held in 1970) continues to create awareness and sensitize people on the value of the environment and why it should be protected. The Moral Standing We cannot handle ethics without reference to moral philosophy, which is concerned with individual behaviors and conducts. The moral standing depends on what is considered ‘right’ or ‘good’ and ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ by an individual or a society. For instance, different societies have different views on areas like land and animal ownership, rights of the future generation, and many more. Personal conduct with respect to environmental ethics defines how people should interact with nature, regarding its exploitation and conservation. The moral standing of the ethical issues on environment are wholly placed on human beings as they are the only living things who can reason and decide on moral issues. Many of the environmental concerns revolve around man and how these affect him, thus the responsibility of environmental ethics should be solely man’s. Responsibility to the environment implies that we are aware of this task, we are able to do it, we are at liberty to do it or not, and carrying out of the task has an effect to others existing in the environment. This means that we know the damage we can cause to the environment, the effects of this damage and the prevention or solutions to these problems. This gives us a moral significance in environmental ethics, and gives us a central role. The moral standing therefore means we have the moral obligation towards nature and the capability to carry out this responsibility. When we consider environmental ethics, then, look at issues such as: †¢ Should we care about nature for itself while it’s people who really â€Å"matter†? That is if not for human beings benefit; why else should we conserve the environment? And if depleting the natural resources is necessary for life improvement, why not exhaust it? †¢ Is the loss of biodiversity, destruction of scenic geographical features for human benefit such as in agriculture so harmful to man? Where is the need to conserve a species while it has no chance of survival in the near future due to changes in earth’s patterns? †¢ Is it right for a person to own land, it being a natural resource among others, or is it morally wrong? Is it fair that 5% of the human population use 30% of natural resources, while in other less countries the population suffers due to lack of the basic resources such as food and clean water? Do these resources exist for the benefit of a few or should they be left free for use by all? †¢ Is it possible for human beings to improve nature, seeing how man seems to have no control over nature when it comes to events such as natural calamities? †¢ Do recent developments in technology relieve us of our duty of protecting the environment? For instance, does biotechnology with potential to create new species, or bring back an extinct species, relieve us of the duty to conserve the biodiversity? Or alternative sources of fuel give us a right to deplete the natural fuel reserve? †¢ Should we let nature take its course as it always has or try and preserve it without assurance that this is of any benefit, or that this only hinders the course of nature? Is there any way that nature can take care of itself without our hand, like self renewal? The main issue surrounding environmental ethics today is the activist movements on environmental protection that focus people on the wrong issues, that is the moral standing is more emotional than factual or logical. The following are essential in discussing environmental ethics and policies. Western Religion and Culture It has been viewed by some philosophers that the Western religion has adversely affected the environment as it teaches that human beings have dominion over the earth and subdue it. Others view this as a command to take care of nature as we have been left in charge. The command given in the bible to the first man â€Å"be fruitful and fill the earth† (Genesis 1:28, Holy Bible KJV) raises the question of population control, is it ethical for the sake of the environment or is it a direct defiance of God’s command? To address this sensitive topic, religion should be understood in context. At the time of the command there was only one man on earth, so he was required to ‘fill’ it, but now the earth is already ‘filled’. Is it logical to still apply the very same principles now as they did then? The culture of a people defines how they relate to and use the environment. Many of the historic events that shape the western culture have had a huge impact on the environment. Events such as the industrial revolution, technological advances and the modern culture have affected the environment. Culture can easily adapt to changing environments, as well as cause permanent change to different environments. The environment is very wide and continuous, while the environment defines cultural practices. Therefore it is ethical to put environment before culture, and change current lifestyles towards more nature friendly practices. The future generation Most of the damage to the environment is more likely to affect the future human population. This therefore calls on the currently living humans to consider the rights of those who are not yet born. We might not know exactly what that generation will require but we are well aware of the basic needs of living beings; food shelter and basic health. Based on these we can have a model of what the environment should offer the future human beings. Therefore it is our moral obligation to them to utilize nature as much as we need to but ensure that we do not deny them the enjoyment of the same. Animals Other animals should be considered when addressing environmental ethics, since they are sentient beings, that is are capable of feeling. Although animals come after humans, they have rights and should be considered according to what they are interested in, such as feeding, living in their natural habitat, and allowed their existence. Controversy about animal rights arises in what animals exactly should we grant rights to. For instance, are insects or other smaller animals in this category? Is it right to use animals for laboratory research for medical and other studies to better our lives? The simple answer to this question is that unless it is extremely necessary, animals should not be put at risk or in adverse conditions. The harm to animals should be justified and be limited to a certain allowable level. Ecofeminism Women are seen to be closer and more in touch with nature; this is claimed by feminists concerned with the environment (Cochrane, 2007). This is because of their ability to give life, and the fact that the earth is considered female (Shiva, 1993). Thus this gives them a better understanding of nature and how to coexist in harmony. Val Plumwood, an ecofeminist believe, that feminism should go hand in hand with environmentalism as both women and the environment are under the same oppression. Another feminist argues that the problem is in trying to justify this kind of oppression thus allowing such subordination. When considering environmental ethics and policies, the domination over women and nature is a critical issue that requires attention. Economics and Ecology Economics and ecology usually appear as counter forces. Economy involves trying to allocate the limited resources while ecology looks out to protect these resources. The ever-growing human population has placed great pressure on nature and thus their distribution is highly competitive. Market forces have added more pressure to natural resources and their exploitation. Rapid growth of industries has contributed to environmental deterioration. The cost-benefit considers questions like; if nuclear power makes electricity cheaper, should this field be ventured? What is the cost of preserving a forest compared to the cost of exporting timber? These raise challenges when setting up policies on the environment because of the question of cost versus the benefit of environmental ethics. Technology Technology has had a huge impact on human life as well as on the environment. The effects of technology are both beneficial and adverse. The medical, agricultural, communication and energy industries rely heavily on technology to better human life. Technology has the power to destroy nature as well as replenish it. The technological advances that are most potentially harmful include nuclear technology that is able to annihilate nature and biotechnology, which has the potential to alter the natural species boundaries. Since all technologies come with potential risks along with their benefits, ethical consideration must be made with regards to the environment. Conclusion In studying environmental ethics, the first thing is to ask the question ‘what should be done about the current environmental situation and how should it be done? ’ The other consideration is the importance of individual natural resources and how much effort and cost we should dedicate to protecting such. This should be based on facts and not feelings, like and dislikes. It is important that policies be based on an integrated system that has in mind all the components of nature, as well as involvement of the government, institutions and other countries. The following should be noted when considering environmental ethics: †¢ The environment is not a resource just for us but for those we share it with (animals, plants and microorganisms) and for the future inhabitants of the planet. †¢ Nature is continuous with continuous flow of energy, but with rapid exhaustion, the environment is not able to renew itself. †¢ Some of the artificially made substances are capable of spreading all over the earth out of our control and nature has no way getting rid of them, for example nuclear waste, fluorocarbons, DDT, GMOs, etc. †¢ Our policies on environment affect the whole world since everything in nature spreads. We should be sensitive to the needs of other countries especially the less developed when considering environmental ethics It has to be demonstrated clearly that the policies we put in place concerning the environment have defined benefits for all concerned otherwise the area of environmental ethics will always be viewed with sharp critism. The benefits of conserving the environment should be clearly elucidated and put out for all interested stakeholders. Reference: Conchrane, A.Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Environmental ethics, (London School of economics and Political Science, 2007). Lotter, Don, A History of Western Culture’s relationship with Environment, (UC Davis Experimental College, 1990) Sutton, Eugene, An introduction to Cultural Ecology (Berg, 2004) Leefers, Castillo, Ecology and Society: Bridging the gap between Economics and Ecology, (Michigan State University, 1998) Beckman, Ted, Martin Heidegger: Environmental Ethics, (Claremont, 2002) Vandeveer, D and C Pierce, The environmental ethics and policy book: 3rd Edition. (Belmont, 1994)